Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Linear Project Management Expert agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The linear-tools skill gives an AI agent the working style of an experienced engineering manager who knows Linear, the issue-tracking tool many software teams use. Once it is installed, you can ask the agent for help structuring issues, setting priorities, planning two-week cycles, and organising triage. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it, and where its limits are. It is a guidance file only: it does not connect the agent to your Linear workspace.
Linear Project Management ExpertRightNow-AI/openfang · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the linear-tools ZIP from this page and unzip it so you have a folder containing SKILL.md.
- 2Choose a location. Pick ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use across projects, or .claude/skills/ inside one project for shared use.
- 3Place the folder. Move the linear-tools folder into your chosen skills folder, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 4Ask a Linear question. Describe a Linear task in plain language, such as triage setup, issue titles or cycle planning, and include your team context.
- 5Review the output. Check the drafted titles, priorities and workflow advice against your team's real practice before applying them in Linear.
- 6Apply changes yourself. Copy approved structures into Linear manually, since the skill has no connection to your workspace.
What the linear-tools skill makes the agent do
An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file with instructions that shape how the agent answers within a particular area. This one contains no code and no tools. It tells the agent to think and advise like a senior engineering manager who specialises in Linear for issue tracking, project planning and workflow automation.
In practice the agent will suggest how to structure teams, cycles, projects and triage, and it will draft the structure for issues, priorities, labels, milestones and rotations. It follows a consistent set of conventions taken from the file.
- Issue titles in the pattern [Area] Brief description of the change
- Priority levels: Urgent (P0), High (P1), Medium (P2), Low (P3)
- Labels kept to a small set (under 15) such as bug, enhancement, tech-debt and security
- Two-week cycles with a consistent start day and explicit carry-over of unfinished issues
- Triage rotation, milestones, and response-time targets by priority
- Advice to write acceptance criteria on every issue
Install the skill from a ZIP file
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it. You should end up with a folder containing SKILL.md. Then place that folder in one of two locations, depending on how you want to use it.
For a personal setup that applies across your projects, put it in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, put it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder so it applies only there and can be shared with the people working in that repository.
If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal: ~/.claude/skills/linear-tools/
- Project only: .claude/skills/linear-tools/ inside your project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. Ask in plain language about Linear work that matches the skill's areas: issues, cycles, projects, priorities, labels, triage or workflow automation. The agent uses the skill when your request fits its description.
Be specific about your situation. Mention your team size, how often you run cycles, and what is going wrong, so the advice fits your context rather than generic defaults.
- How should we set up triage for a team of six engineers?
- Rewrite this issue title using our [Area] format: login fails after password reset
- What priority should a checkout bug that affects 2% of users get?
- Draft acceptance criteria for an issue about exporting CSV reports
- Plan the milestones for a three-month billing project
What the skill needs and what it does not do
The source lists no requirements. The skill runs no scripts and makes no network calls. It contains no Linear API integration and no credentials, so it cannot read or change anything in your Linear workspace. Every output is advice you copy into Linear yourself.
The file does mention the Linear GraphQL API and GitHub integration as techniques. Those are things you could set up yourself in Linear; the skill does not perform them for you.
- Requirements: none listed
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Accesses your Linear account: no
Use it safely and treat its advice as a starting point
Because the skill runs nothing and touches no accounts, the main risk is following generic advice that does not fit your team. Its guidance includes specific targets such as triage within 24 hours and SLA response times of 1 hour for P0, 1 day for P1 and 1 week for P2. Treat these as defaults to discuss with your team, not policies the tool will enforce.
Review anything the agent drafts before you paste it into Linear, especially priority definitions and workflow states that will affect other teams.
- Check generic targets (24-hour triage, SLA times) against your real practice
- Do not assume the skill enforces your organisation's policies
- Keep workflow states consistent across teams if you need company-wide reporting
Tips for getting better answers
Give the agent real examples. Paste an existing issue title or description and ask for a rewrite, or describe a recurring problem such as backlog growth. Ask for one change at a time when you are revising a workflow, so you can judge each part.
The skill recommends archiving issues not prioritised in three or more cycles and using sub-issues rather than creating an issue for every minor task. Ask the agent to apply these rules to your actual backlog and explain the reasoning.
- Paste real titles or backlog summaries for concrete rewrites
- Ask for acceptance criteria based on your feature description
- Ask why a rule is recommended before adopting it
What people use it for
- Designing a triage rotation for a team that receives many incoming bug reports
- Rewriting issue titles into a consistent [Area] format before a backlog cleanup
- Planning milestones that each group a shippable deliverable within a larger project
- Drafting acceptance criteria so code review has a clear definition of done
- Setting a priority scheme (P0 to P3) and deciding which label set to keep under 15 labels
Frequently asked questions
Is the linear-tools skill free to use?
The source file is published under the Apache-2.0 licence. The skill folder itself lists no price, so check the licence text for the terms that apply to you.
What do I need to install the linear-tools skill?
The source lists no requirements. You download the ZIP, unzip it, and place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Can the skill create or update issues in my Linear workspace?
No. The file contains no Linear API integration and no credentials, so it only gives instructions. You apply the suggested structures in Linear yourself.
Does the skill run scripts or use the network?
According to the listing, it runs no scripts and uses no network connection. It is a single SKILL.md instruction file.
How is this different from using Linear's own features?
Linear provides the tool itself. This skill gives the agent guidance on how to structure issues, priorities, cycles and triage in Linear. It does not replace Linear's features or connect to them.
Why doesn't the skill trigger when I ask about Linear?
The agent uses the skill when your request matches its description. Ask about issues, cycles, projects, priorities, labels, triage or workflow automation, and confirm the folder is in the correct skills location.
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Our verdict
Use linear-tools if you are an engineering manager, team lead or developer who wants consistent Linear conventions and a second opinion on structuring issues, priorities and cycles. Pick something else if you need the agent to create or change issues in a live Linear workspace, since this file has no API access, or if you need policies enforced automatically.
Download the skill