Create your first Linear issue and query using the GraphQL API.
Use when making initial API calls, testing Linear connection,
or learning basic Linear operations.
Trigger with phrases like "linear hello world", "first linear issue",
"create linear issue", "linear API example", "test linear connection".
Create your first issue, query teams, and explore the Linear data model using the @linear/sdk. Linear's API is GraphQL-based -- the SDK wraps it with typed models, lazy-loaded relations, and pagination helpers.
Prerequisites
@linear/sdk installed (npm install @linear/sdk)
LINEAR_API_KEY environment variable set (starts with lin_api_)
Access to at least one Linear team
Instructions
Step 1: Connect and Identify
import { LinearClient } from "@linear/sdk";
const client = new LinearClient({ apiKey: process.env.LINEAR_API_KEY! });
// Get current authenticated user
const me = await client.viewer;
console.log(`Hello, ${me.name}! (${me.email})`);
// Get your organization
const org = await me.organization;
console.log(`Workspace: ${org.name}`);
Step 2: List Teams
Every issue in Linear belongs to a team. Teams have a short key (e.g., "ENG") used in identifiers like ENG-123.
const teams = await client.teams();
console.log("Your teams:");
for (const team of teams.nodes) {
console.log(` ${team.key} — ${team.name} (${team.id})`);
}
Step 3: Create Your First Issue
const team = teams.nodes[0];
const result = await client.createIssue({
teamId: team.id,
title: "Hello from Linear SDK!",
description: "This issue was created using the `@linear/sdk` TypeScript SDK.",
priority: 3, // 0=None, 1=Urgent, 2=High, 3=Medium, 4=Low
});
if (result.success) {
const issue = await result.issue;
console.log(`Created: ${issue?.identifier} — ${issue?.title}`);
console.log(`URL: ${issue?.url}`);
}
Step 4: Query Issues
// Get recent issues from a team
const issues = await client.issues({
filter: {
team: { key: { eq: team.key } },
state: { type: { nin: ["completed", "canceled"] } },
},
first: 10,
});
console.log(`\nOpen issues in ${team.key}:`);
for (const issue of issues.nodes) {
const state = await issue.state;
console.log(` ${issue.identifier}: ${issue.title} [${state?.name}]`);
}
Step 5: Explore Workflow States
Each team has customizable workflow states organized by type: triage, backlog, unstarted, started, completed, canceled.
const states = await team.states();
console.log(`\nWorkflow states for ${team.key}:`);
for (const state of states.nodes) {
console.log(` ${state.name} (type: ${state.type}, position: ${state.position})`);
}
Step 6: Fetch a Single Issue by Identifier
// Search for a specific issue by its human-readable identifier
const searchResults = await client.issueSearch("ENG-1");
const found = searchResults.nodes[0];
if (found) {
console.log(`\nFound: ${found.identifier}`);
console.log(` Title: ${found.title}`);
console.log(` Priority: ${found.priority}`);
console.log(` Created: ${found.createdAt}`);
const assignee = await found.assignee;
console.log(` Assignee: ${assignee?.name ?? "Unassigned"}`);
}
Step 7: Raw GraphQL Query
The SDK exposes the underlying GraphQL client for custom queries.
const response = await client.client.rawRequest(`
query TeamDashboard($teamKey: String!) {
teams(filter: { key: { eq: $teamKey } }) {
nodes {
name
key
issues(first: 5, orderBy: updatedAt) {
nodes {
identifier
title
priority
state { name type }
assignee { name }
}
}
}
}
}
`, { teamKey: "ENG" });
console.log(JSON.stringify(response.data, null, 2));
Error Handling
Error
Cause
Solution
Authentication required
Invalid API key
Regenerate at Settings > Account > API
Entity not found
Invalid ID or no access
Use client.teams() first to get valid IDs
Validation error
Missing required field
teamId and title are required for createIssue
Cannot read properties of null
Accessing nullable relation
Use optional chaining: (await issue.assignee)?.name
Examples
Complete Hello World Script
import { LinearClient } from "@linear/sdk";
async function main() {
const client = new LinearClient({ apiKey: process.env.LINEAR_API_KEY! });
const me = await client.viewer;
console.log(`Connected as ${me.name}\n`);
const teams = await client.teams();
const team = teams.nodes[0];
// Create issue
const result = await client.createIssue({
teamId: team.id,
title: "Hello from Linear SDK!",
description: "Testing the API integration.",
priority: 3,
});
if (result.success) {
const issue = await result.issue;
console.log(`Created: ${issue?.identifier} — ${issue?.url}`);
// Read it back
const fetched = await client.issue(issue!.id);
console.log(`Verified: ${fetched.title}`);
// Clean up
await fetched.delete();
console.log("Deleted test issue.");
}
}
main().catch(console.error);
