Linear integration for AI agents. The ask-linear gem is deprecated and unsupported — do not add it to new projects.
Recommendation
Prefer Linear’s official MCP server for agent access to Linear. It is the supported path for agents working with issue tracking, project management, and roadmaps, and it replaces ask-linear entirely.
Legacy Integration (Unsupported)
ask-linear is documented here only for teams that already depend on it. It receives no maintenance, and its installation instructions are obsolete.
What it provided:
- An authenticated GraphQL client against
https://api.linear.app/graphql - Context constants for system prompts (
DESCRIPTION,DOCS_URL,AUTH_NAME) - Structured error guidance (
Ask::Linear::Errors) for GraphQL and HTTP errors - Credential resolution through
ask-auth
Legacy Client Usage
client = Ask::Linear.client
# List all teams
result = client.query("query { teams { nodes { id key name } } }")
# Create an issue
result = client.query(
"mutation($input: IssueCreateInput!) { issueCreate(input: $input) { success issue { id identifier title url } } }",
{ input: { teamId: "TEAM_ID", title: "My issue", description: "Description here" } }
)
# Fetch a specific issue
result = client.query(
"query($id: String!) { issue(id: $id) { id identifier title description state { name } assignee { name } url } }",
{ id: "ISSUE_ID" }
)
client.query(gql, variables = {}) returned a Hash with a "data" key. The client used a 30-second read timeout, a 10-second open timeout, and up to 3 retries on 429, 500, 502, and 503 with exponential backoff. Faraday::UnauthorizedError (401) was converted into Ask::Auth::InvalidCredential.
Legacy Credentials
Existing installs resolved a Linear API key via ask-auth: the LINEAR_API_KEY environment variable, ~/.ask/credentials.yml, or Rails credentials (linear_api_key).
Legacy Error Guidance
# GraphQL error extension codes
Ask::Linear::Errors.for("AUTHENTICATION_ERROR")
# => { message: "The API key is missing, invalid, or has been revoked.", action: "..." }
# HTTP status meaning
Ask::Linear::Errors.status_code_description(401)
# => "Unauthorized — API key is missing, invalid, or revoked."
# Rate limits and pagination
Ask::Linear::Errors::RATE_LIMIT[:authenticated]
# => "100 requests per minute per API key"
Ask::Linear::Errors::PAGINATION[:cursor_based]
# => "Linear uses cursor-based pagination with first/after or last/before arguments."
The error guide covered GraphQL extension codes (AUTHENTICATION_ERROR, FORBIDDEN, NOT_FOUND, RATE_LIMITED, INPUT_VALIDATION_ERROR, DUPLICATE_INPUT, INTERNAL_ERROR, USER_SUSPENDED, WORKSPACE_SUSPENDED) and the corresponding HTTP status codes (400, 401, 403, 404, 422, 429, 500, 503).