Skip to main content Set up local Linear development environment and testing workflow.
Use when configuring local development, testing integrations,
or setting up a development workflow with Linear.
Trigger with phrases like "linear local development", "linear dev setup",
"test linear locally", "linear development environment".
npx skills add jeremylongshore/claude-code-plugins-plus-skills --skill linear-local-dev-loop ai automation claude-code devops mcp ai-agents
Linear Local Dev Loop
Overview
Set up an efficient local development workflow for building Linear integrations. Covers project scaffolding, environment config, test utilities, webhook tunneling with ngrok, and integration testing with vitest.
Prerequisites
Node.js 18+ with TypeScript
@linear/sdk packageSeparate Linear workspace or team for development (recommended)
ngrok or cloudflared for webhook tunnel testing
Instructions
Step 1: Project Scaffolding
set -euo pipefail
mkdir linear-integration && cd linear-integration
npm init -y
npm install @linear/sdk dotenv
npm install -D typescript @types/node vitest tsx
# TypeScript config
npx tsc --init --target ES2022 --module NodeNext --moduleResolution NodeNext --strict
Step 2: Environment Configuration
# .env (never commit)
cat > .env << 'EOF'
LINEAR_API_KEY=lin_api_dev_xxxxxxxxxxxx
LINEAR_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_dev_xxxxxxxxxxxx
LINEAR_DEV_TEAM_KEY=DEV
NODE_ENV=development
EOF
# .env.example (commit this for onboarding)
cat > .env.example << 'EOF'
LINEAR_API_KEY=lin_api_your_key_here
LINEAR_WEBHOOK_SECRET=
LINEAR_DEV_TEAM_KEY=DEV
NODE_ENV=development
EOF
echo -e ".env\n.env.local\n.env.*.local" >> .gitignore
Step 3: Client Module with Connection Verification // src/client.ts
import { LinearClient } from "@linear/sdk";
import "dotenv/config";
let _client: LinearClient | null = null;
export function getClient(): LinearClient {
if (!_client) {
const apiKey = process.env.LINEAR_API_KEY;
if (!apiKey) throw new Error("LINEAR_API_KEY not set — copy .env.example to .env");
_client = new LinearClient({ apiKey });
}
return _client;
}
export async function verifyConnection(): Promise<void> {
const client = getClient();
const viewer = await client.viewer;
const teams = await client.teams();
console.log(`[Linear] Connected as ${viewer.name} (${viewer.email})`);
console.log(`[Linear] Teams: ${teams.nodes.map(t => t.key).join(", ")}`);
}
Step 4: Test Data Utilities // src/test-utils.ts
import { getClient } from "./client";
const TEST_PREFIX = "[DEV-TEST]";
export async function getDevTeam() {
const client = getClient();
const teamKey = process.env.LINEAR_DEV_TEAM_KEY ?? "DEV";
const teams = await client.teams({ filter: { key: { eq: teamKey } } });
const team = teams.nodes[0];
if (!team) throw new Error(`Team ${teamKey} not found — set LINEAR_DEV_TEAM_KEY`);
return team;
}
export async function createTestIssue(title?: string) {
const client = getClient();
const team = await getDevTeam();
const result = await client.createIssue({
teamId: team.id,
title: `${TEST_PREFIX} ${title ?? new Date().toISOString()}`,
description: "Automated test issue — safe to delete",
priority: 4, // Low
});
return result.issue;
}
export async function cleanupTestIssues() {
const client = getClient();
const team = await getDevTeam();
const issues = await client.issues({
filter: {
team: { id: { eq: team.id } },
title: { startsWith: TEST_PREFIX },
},
first: 100,
});
let deleted = 0;
for (const issue of issues.nodes) {
await issue.delete();
deleted++;
}
console.log(`Cleaned up ${deleted} test issues`);
}
Step 5: Integration Tests with Vitest // tests/linear.integration.test.ts
import { describe, it, expect, afterAll } from "vitest";
import { getClient } from "../src/client";
import { createTestIssue, cleanupTestIssues, getDevTeam } from "../src/test-utils";
describe("Linear Integration", () => {
afterAll(async () => {
await cleanupTestIssues();
});
it("authenticates successfully", async () => {
const client = getClient();
const viewer = await client.viewer;
expect(viewer.name).toBeDefined();
expect(viewer.email).toBeDefined();
});
it("creates and updates an issue", async () => {
const client = getClient();
const issue = await createTestIssue("vitest create");
expect(issue).toBeDefined();
expect(issue?.title).toContain("[DEV-TEST]");
// Update it
await client.updateIssue(issue!.id, { priority: 2 });
const updated = await client.issue(issue!.id);
expect(updated.priority).toBe(2);
});
it("queries workflow states", async () => {
const team = await getDevTeam();
const states = await team.states();
const types = states.nodes.map(s => s.type);
expect(types).toContain("unstarted");
expect(types).toContain("completed");
});
});
Step 6: Package Scripts {
"scripts": {
"dev": "tsx watch src/index.ts",
"verify": "tsx src/verify-connection.ts",
"test": "vitest run",
"test:watch": "vitest --watch",
"cleanup": "tsx src/cleanup.ts"
}
}
Step 7: Webhook Local Development with ngrok # Terminal 1: Start your webhook server
npm run dev
# Terminal 2: Expose port 3000 via ngrok
ngrok http 3000
# Copy the https://xxxx.ngrok-free.app URL
# Register webhook in Linear:
# Settings > API > Webhooks > New webhook
# URL: https://xxxx.ngrok-free.app/webhooks/linear
# Select: Issues, Comments
Minimal webhook receiver for local testing:
// src/webhook-dev.ts
import express from "express";
import crypto from "crypto";
const app = express();
app.post("/webhooks/linear", express.raw({ type: "*/*" }), (req, res) => {
const body = req.body.toString();
const sig = req.headers["linear-signature"] as string;
const secret = process.env.LINEAR_WEBHOOK_SECRET!;
if (secret && sig) {
const expected = crypto.createHmac("sha256", secret).update(body).digest("hex");
if (sig !== expected) {
console.warn("Signature mismatch — check LINEAR_WEBHOOK_SECRET");
}
}
const event = JSON.parse(body);
console.log(`[Webhook] ${event.type}.${event.action}:`, event.data?.identifier ?? event.data?.id);
res.json({ ok: true });
});
app.listen(3000, () => console.log("Webhook server on http://localhost:3000"));
Error Handling Error Cause Solution LINEAR_API_KEY not setMissing .env Copy .env.example to .env and fill in values Team DEV not foundWrong team key Set LINEAR_DEV_TEAM_KEY to a valid team key Cannot find moduleTypeScript path issue Check tsconfig.json module resolution Webhook not received Tunnel not running Start ngrok http 3000 and register the URL Authentication requiredExpired dev API key Regenerate in Linear Settings > Account > API
Examples
Quick Connection Test Script // src/verify-connection.ts
import { verifyConnection } from "./client";
verifyConnection()
.then(() => console.log("Connection OK"))
.catch((err) => { console.error("Connection FAILED:", err.message); process.exit(1); });
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