Linear Cheat Sheet
Overview
Linear is a modern issue tracking and project management tool designed for high-performance teams. It focuses on speed, simplicity, and powerful workflows to help engineering teams build better products faster with streamlined issue tracking, project planning, and team collaboration.
⚠️ Note: Free tier available for small teams. Paid plans start at $8/user/month for advanced features.
Getting Started
Account Setup
# Sign up options:
# 1. Visit linear.app
# 2. Sign up with email or GitHub/Google account
# 3. Create workspace or join existing team
# 4. Set up your first project
# Workspace creation:
# - Choose workspace name and URL
# - Invite team members
# - Configure integrations
# - Set up project structure
Team Setup
# Team configuration:
# 1. Create teams for different areas (Frontend, Backend, Design)
# 2. Set team leads and members
# 3. Configure team-specific workflows
# 4. Set up team labels and priorities
# 5. Define team cycles and milestones
Project Structure
# Project organization:
# - Teams: Organizational units (Engineering, Design, Product)
# - Projects: Feature sets or initiatives
# - Issues: Individual tasks, bugs, or features
# - Cycles: Time-boxed sprints (1-4 weeks)
# - Milestones: Major project goals
Issue Management
Creating Issues
# Quick issue creation:
# Keyboard shortcut: C (from anywhere in Linear)
# Or click "New Issue" button
# Issue fields:
# - Title: Clear, descriptive summary
# - Description: Detailed requirements/context
# - Assignee: Team member responsible
# - Priority: Urgent, High, Medium, Low
# - Status: Backlog, Todo, In Progress, Done
# - Labels: Custom tags for categorization
# - Project: Associated project/initiative
# - Estimate: Story points or time estimate
Issue Templates
# Bug Report Template
**Bug Description:**
Brief description of the issue
**Steps to Reproduce:**
1. Step one
2. Step two
3. Step three
**Expected Behavior:**
What should happen
**Actual Behavior:**
What actually happens
**Environment:**
- Browser/OS version
- Application version
- Additional context
**Screenshots/Videos:**
Attach relevant media
# Feature Request Template
**Feature Summary:**
Brief description of the feature
**Problem Statement:**
What problem does this solve?
**Proposed Solution:**
How should this work?
**Acceptance Criteria:**
- [ ] Criterion 1
- [ ] Criterion 2
- [ ] Criterion 3
**Additional Context:**
Design mockups, user stories, etc.
Issue Workflow
# Standard workflow states:
# 1. Backlog - Not yet planned
# 2. Todo - Planned for current cycle
# 3. In Progress - Actively being worked on
# 4. In Review - Code review/testing
# 5. Done - Completed and deployed
# Custom workflow states:
# - Blocked - Waiting on external dependency
# - Needs Design - Requires design input
# - Ready for QA - Ready for testing
# - Deployed - Live in production
Keyboard Shortcuts
Navigation
# Global shortcuts:
G + I # Go to Issues
G + P # Go to Projects
G + T # Go to Teams
G + R # Go to Roadmap
G + S # Go to Settings
/ # Global search
? # Show all shortcuts
# Issue shortcuts:
C # Create new issue
E # Edit current issue
D # Duplicate issue
A # Assign to me
U # Mark as urgent
Enter # Open issue details
Esc # Close modal/go back
Issue Actions
# Status changes:
1 # Set to Backlog
2 # Set to Todo
3 # Set to In Progress
4 # Set to In Review
5 # Set to Done
# Priority changes:
Shift + 1 # Set to Urgent
Shift + 2 # Set to High
Shift + 3 # Set to Medium
Shift + 4 # Set to Low
# Bulk actions:
Cmd/Ctrl + A # Select all
Shift + Click # Select range
Cmd/Ctrl + Click # Multi-select
Search and Filters
# Search operators:
assignee:me # Issues assigned to me
status:todo # Issues in Todo status
priority:high # High priority issues
label:"bug" # Issues with bug label
project:"Mobile App" # Issues in specific project
created:>2024-01-01 # Issues created after date
updated:<7d # Issues updated in last 7 days
team:engineering # Issues for engineering team
# Combined search:
assignee:me status:todo priority:high
Project Management
Cycles (Sprints)
# Cycle management:
# 1. Create new cycle (typically 1-2 weeks)
# 2. Set cycle goals and scope
# 3. Add issues to cycle
# 4. Track progress during cycle
# 5. Review and close cycle
# Cycle planning:
# - Estimate issue complexity
# - Balance team capacity
# - Set realistic goals
# - Plan for dependencies
# - Include buffer time
Roadmap Planning
# Roadmap features:
# - Timeline view of projects
# - Milestone tracking
# - Dependency management
# - Progress visualization
# - Team capacity planning
# Roadmap best practices:
# - Link issues to projects
# - Set realistic timelines
# - Regular progress updates
# - Stakeholder communication
# - Scope adjustment as needed
Project Tracking
# Project metrics:
# - Completion percentage
# - Issue velocity
# - Cycle burndown
# - Team performance
# - Time to resolution
# Progress indicators:
# - Status distribution
# - Priority breakdown
# - Assignee workload
# - Label analysis
# - Trend visualization
Team Collaboration
Comments and Mentions
# Comment features:
# - @mention team members
# - Reference other issues (#123)
# - Add emoji reactions
# - Thread conversations
# - File attachments
# Mention syntax:
@username # Mention specific user
@team-name # Mention entire team
#123 # Reference issue number
Notifications
# Notification types:
# - Issue assignments
# - Status changes
# - Comments and mentions
# - Project updates
# - Cycle changes
# Notification settings:
# - Email preferences
# - Slack integration
# - Desktop notifications
# - Mobile push notifications
# - Digest frequency
Activity Tracking
# Activity feeds:
# - Personal activity
# - Team activity
# - Project activity
# - Issue history
# - System changes
# Activity filters:
# - By user
# - By date range
# - By action type
# - By project/team
# - By issue status
Integrations
Git Integration
# GitHub integration:
# 1. Connect GitHub repository
# 2. Link commits to issues
# 3. Auto-close issues on merge
# 4. Branch name generation
# 5. PR status tracking
# Commit message format:
git commit -m "Fix user authentication bug
Fixes LIN-123"
# Branch naming:
feature/lin-123-user-authentication
bugfix/lin-456-login-error
Slack Integration
# Slack features:
# - Issue notifications
# - Create issues from Slack
# - Status updates
# - Team mentions
# - Project updates
# Slack commands:
/linear create [title] # Create new issue
/linear assign [issue] [@user] # Assign issue
/linear status [issue] [status] # Update status
/linear search [query] # Search issues
Figma Integration
# Figma connection:
# 1. Install Linear Figma plugin
# 2. Link design files to issues
# 3. Create issues from designs
# 4. Track design implementation
# 5. Sync design changes
# Design workflow:
# - Link mockups to features
# - Create implementation issues
# - Track design review status
# - Manage design system updates
API Integration
# GraphQL API:
# Endpoint: https://api.linear.app/graphql
# Authentication: API key or OAuth
# Create issue via API:
curl -X POST https://api.linear.app/graphql \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"query": "mutation IssueCreate($input: IssueCreateInput!) { issueCreate(input: $input) { success issue { id title } } }",
"variables": {
"input": {
"title": "New API Issue",
"description": "Created via API",
"teamId": "TEAM_ID"
}
}
}'
Advanced Features
Custom Fields
# Custom field types:
# - Text fields
# - Number fields
# - Select dropdowns
# - Multi-select
# - Date fields
# - URL fields
# Use cases:
# - Customer impact level
# - Technical complexity
# - Business value
# - Component affected
# - Release version
Automation Rules
# Automation triggers:
# - Issue created
# - Status changed
# - Assignee changed
# - Label added/removed
# - Priority changed
# Automation actions:
# - Set status
# - Assign to user
# - Add/remove labels
# - Set priority
# - Add to project
# - Send notification
# Example automation:
# When issue labeled "bug" is created
# → Set priority to "High"
# → Assign to QA team lead
# → Add to "Bug Fixes" project
Views and Filters
# Custom views:
# - My Issues
# - Team Backlog
# - Current Cycle
# - Urgent Issues
# - Recently Updated
# View configuration:
# - Filter criteria
# - Sort order
# - Group by field
# - Display columns
# - Save and share
Insights and Analytics
# Team metrics:
# - Velocity trends
# - Cycle completion rates
# - Issue resolution time
# - Priority distribution
# - Workload balance
# Project analytics:
# - Progress tracking
# - Scope changes
# - Timeline adherence
# - Resource allocation
# - Risk indicators
Linear CLI
Installation
# Install Linear CLI
npm install -g @linear/cli
# Authenticate
linear auth
# Verify installation
linear --version
Basic Commands
# List issues
linear issue list
# Create issue
linear issue create "Fix login bug" --team engineering
# Update issue status
linear issue update LIN-123 --status "In Progress"
# Assign issue
linear issue assign LIN-123 @username
# Search issues
linear issue search "authentication"
# List projects
linear project list
# List teams
linear team list
Advanced CLI Usage
# Create issue with details
linear issue create \
--title "Implement user dashboard" \
--description "Create responsive user dashboard with analytics" \
--team frontend \
--priority high \
--project "Q1 Features" \
--labels feature,frontend
# Bulk operations
linear issue list --assignee me --status todo | \
xargs -I {} linear issue update {} --priority high
# Export data
linear issue list --format json > issues.json
# Import from CSV
linear issue import --file issues.csv --team engineering
Workflow Optimization
Agile Workflows
# Scrum workflow:
# 1. Sprint planning (cycle creation)
# 2. Daily standups (status updates)
# 3. Sprint review (cycle completion)
# 4. Retrospectives (team feedback)
# Kanban workflow:
# - Continuous flow
# - WIP limits
# - Pull-based system
# - Cycle time optimization
Issue Estimation
# Estimation methods:
# - Story points (Fibonacci: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13)
# - T-shirt sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL)
# - Time estimates (hours/days)
# - Complexity levels (1-10)
# Estimation guidelines:
# - Include testing time
# - Account for code review
# - Consider dependencies
# - Add buffer for unknowns
Priority Management
# Priority framework:
# Urgent: Critical bugs, security issues
# High: Important features, customer requests
# Medium: Nice-to-have improvements
# Low: Technical debt, optimizations
# Priority matrix:
# High Impact + High Effort = High Priority
# High Impact + Low Effort = Quick Wins
# Low Impact + High Effort = Avoid
# Low Impact + Low Effort = Fill-ins
Team Management
Role-Based Access
# User roles:
# - Admin: Full workspace access
# - Member: Standard team access
# - Guest: Limited project access
# - Viewer: Read-only access
# Permission levels:
# - Create/edit issues
# - Manage projects
# - Configure teams
# - Access analytics
# - Manage integrations
Team Organization
# Team structure:
# - Engineering teams by specialty
# - Cross-functional squads
# - Project-based teams
# - Geographic distribution
# - Skill-based grouping
# Team settings:
# - Default assignees
# - Workflow states
# - Issue templates
# - Notification preferences
# - Integration configurations
Performance Tracking
# Individual metrics:
# - Issues completed
# - Average resolution time
# - Quality indicators
# - Collaboration score
# - Goal achievement
# Team metrics:
# - Velocity consistency
# - Cycle predictability
# - Collaboration patterns
# - Knowledge sharing
# - Process adherence
Best Practices
Issue Writing
# Title best practices:
# - Start with action verb
# - Be specific and clear
# - Include context when needed
# - Use consistent naming
# - Avoid technical jargon
# Description guidelines:
# - Provide clear context
# - Include acceptance criteria
# - Add relevant links/references
# - Specify edge cases
# - Include mockups/examples
Project Organization
# Project structure:
# - Clear project goals
# - Defined scope boundaries
# - Realistic timelines
# - Resource allocation
# - Success metrics
# Milestone planning:
# - Meaningful checkpoints
# - Deliverable outcomes
# - Stakeholder alignment
# - Progress indicators
# - Risk mitigation
Team Collaboration
# Communication guidelines:
# - Regular status updates
# - Clear documentation
# - Proactive problem reporting
# - Knowledge sharing
# - Constructive feedback
# Meeting efficiency:
# - Agenda-driven discussions
# - Action item tracking
# - Decision documentation
# - Follow-up accountability
# - Time-boxed sessions
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
# Performance problems:
# - Clear browser cache
# - Check internet connection
# - Disable browser extensions
# - Try incognito mode
# - Contact support if persistent
# Sync issues:
# - Refresh the page
# - Check integration status
# - Verify permissions
# - Re-authenticate connections
# - Review webhook configurations
Data Management
# Data export:
# - Issue export (CSV/JSON)
# - Project data backup
# - Comment history
# - Attachment downloads
# - Analytics reports
# Data import:
# - CSV issue import
# - Migration from other tools
# - Bulk user creation
# - Project template import
# - Integration data sync
Integration Debugging
# GitHub integration issues:
# - Check repository permissions
# - Verify webhook configuration
# - Test commit message format
# - Review branch protection rules
# - Validate API access
# Slack integration problems:
# - Re-authorize Slack app
# - Check channel permissions
# - Verify bot installation
# - Test notification settings
# - Review workspace settings
Security and Compliance
Data Security
# Security features:
# - SOC 2 Type II compliance
# - GDPR compliance
# - Data encryption at rest
# - TLS encryption in transit
# - Regular security audits
# Access control:
# - SSO integration
# - Two-factor authentication
# - IP allowlisting
# - Session management
# - Audit logging
Privacy Controls
# Data handling:
# - Data residency options
# - Retention policies
# - Deletion procedures
# - Export capabilities
# - Privacy settings
# User privacy:
# - Profile visibility
# - Activity tracking
# - Notification preferences
# - Data sharing controls
# - Consent management
Mobile App
iOS/Android Features
# Mobile capabilities:
# - Issue creation/editing
# - Comment management
# - Status updates
# - Push notifications
# - Offline access
# Mobile shortcuts:
# - Quick issue creation
# - Voice-to-text input
# - Photo attachments
# - Barcode scanning
# - Location tagging
Mobile Workflow
# On-the-go usage:
# - Triage notifications
# - Quick status updates
# - Emergency issue creation
# - Team communication
# - Progress checking
# Mobile optimization:
# - Touch-friendly interface
# - Gesture navigation
# - Offline synchronization
# - Battery efficiency
# - Data usage control