Linear Hello World

Overview

Create your first issue and execute basic queries with the Linear API.

Prerequisites

• Linear SDK installed (@linear/sdk)
• Valid API key configured
• Access to at least one Linear team

Instructions

Step 1: Query Your Teams

import { LinearClient } from "@linear/sdk";

const client = new LinearClient({ apiKey: process.env.LINEAR_API_KEY });

// Get all teams you have access to
const teams = await client.teams();
console.log("Your teams:");
teams.nodes.forEach(team => {
  console.log(`  - ${team.name} (${team.key})`);
});

Step 2: Create Your First Issue

// Get the first team
const team = teams.nodes[0];

// Create an issue
const issueCreate = await client.createIssue({
  teamId: team.id,
  title: "My first Linear issue from the API",
  description: "This issue was created using the Linear SDK!",
});

if (issueCreate.success) {
  const issue = await issueCreate.issue;
  console.log(`Created issue: ${issue?.identifier} - ${issue?.title}`);
  console.log(`URL: ${issue?.url}`);
}

Step 3: Query Issues

// Get recent issues from your team
const issues = await client.issues({
  filter: {
    team: { key: { eq: team.key } },
  },
  first: 10,
});

console.log("Recent issues:");
issues.nodes.forEach(issue => {
  console.log(`  ${issue.identifier}: ${issue.title} [${issue.state?.name}]`);
});

Output

• List of teams you have access to
• Created issue with identifier and URL
• Query results showing recent issues

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Solution
Team not found	Invalid team ID or no access	Use client.teams() to list accessible teams
Validation error	Missing required fields	Ensure title and teamId are provided
Permission denied	Insufficient permissions	Check API key scope in Linear settings
Rate limited	Too many requests	Add delays between requests

Examples

Complete Hello World Script

import { LinearClient } from "@linear/sdk";

async function helloLinear() {
  const client = new LinearClient({
    apiKey: process.env.LINEAR_API_KEY
  });

  // 1. Get current user
  const viewer = await client.viewer;
  console.log(`Hello, ${viewer.name}!`);

  // 2. List teams
  const teams = await client.teams();
  const team = teams.nodes[0];
  console.log(`Using team: ${team.name}`);

  // 3. Create issue
  const result = await client.createIssue({
    teamId: team.id,
    title: "Hello from Linear SDK!",
    description: "Testing the Linear API integration.",
    priority: 2, // Medium priority
  });

  if (result.success) {
    const issue = await result.issue;
    console.log(`Created: ${issue?.identifier}`);
  }

  // 4. Query issues
  const issues = await client.issues({ first: 5 });
  console.log(`\nYour latest ${issues.nodes.length} issues:`);
  issues.nodes.forEach(i => console.log(`  - ${i.identifier}: ${i.title}`));
}

helloLinear().catch(console.error);

Using GraphQL Directly

const query = `
  query Me {
    viewer {
      id
      name
      email
    }
  }
`;

const response = await fetch("https://api.linear.app/graphql", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "Authorization": process.env.LINEAR_API_KEY,
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ query }),
});

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

Resources

• Linear SDK Getting Started
• GraphQL API Reference
• Issue Object Reference

Next Steps

After creating your first issue, proceed to linear-sdk-patterns for best practices.