Connect Linear issues to Key Results with advanced filtering by priority, labels, teams, and time. Track completion, story points, resolution times, and weighted metrics. Daily sync at 3 AM UTC. Go further by creating issues, updating projects, logging status updates, and more — all from the Rhythms chat interface.

Auto-updates from Linear eliminate manual data entry by connecting your issue tracking directly to Key Results and Initiatives. Whether you track sprint completion, feature delivery, or project milestones, Rhythms synchronizes these metrics automatically so your OKRs stay current without copying data.

The Linear MCP integration gives you two distinct capabilities: auto-updates that keep your Key Results and Initiatives in sync with Linear data automatically, and chat-driven operations that let you work with Linear conversationally without leaving Rhythms.

New to auto-updates? The How to Set Up Auto-Updates article covers the general setup process and when auto-updates work best for your tracking needs.

Before You Connect

Workspace Requirements

Your workspace administrator must enable the Linear integration. This feature requires the MCP integrations capability at the tenant level. If you don't see Linear as an available integration option, contact your workspace administrator. Learn more: Enable Integrations for Your Workspace

Access Requirements

You need access to the Linear workspace and projects containing the issues you want to track. Rhythms connects using your personal Linear credentials, so you'll only see issues you can already view in Linear.

For auto-updates, Rhythms reads your Linear data to calculate progress. Through the Rhythms chat interface, you can also perform write operations — creating issues, updating projects, adding comments, and more — subject to the permissions your Linear account has.

What You Can Connect for Auto-Updates

Rhythms tracks progress from Linear issues with sophisticated filtering capabilities. Your Key Results and Initiatives should measure outcomes that map to issue completion, such as "Launch mobile authentication feature" or "Complete Q1 platform stability work."

What Rhythms Can Track from Linear:

• Issue completion percentages with optional filtering by priority, labels, teams, or status

• Story point totals across filtered issue sets

• Weighted calculations (e.g., P0 issues count more than P2)

• Time-based metrics like average resolution time or issue age

• Custom calculations combining multiple criteria

How to Connect Linear to a Key Result

Starting the Connection

The setup process follows the workflow described in How to Set Up Auto-Updates. Here's what's specific to Linear:

1. Open the Key Result or Initiative you want to track

2. Click the integrations icon or "Connect to update automatically"

3. Select Linear from the list of available integrations

4. Authenticate with your Linear account (one-time setup per workspace)

5. The Rhythms AI assistant opens to help locate your data

Guiding Rhythms to Your Data

After authentication, the Rhythms AI assistant opens a chat window to help configure your tracking. The assistant is sophisticated and can handle complex filtering and calculations. Be specific about what you want to track.

Basic Tracking Examples

• "Track completion of all issues in the Mobile App project"

• "Calculate progress based on story points for the Authentication epic"

• "Monitor the Q1 Platform cycle progress"

Advanced Filtering Options

By Priority:

• "Track only P0 and P1 bugs, ignore lower priorities"

• "Weight progress by priority - P0s should count 3x more than P2s"

By Labels:

• "Count only issues with the 'backend' label"

• "Track features labeled both 'mobile' and 'release-2.0'"

By Assignee/Team:

• "Monitor issues assigned to the iOS team"

• "Track Sarah's completed tasks this sprint"

• "Exclude unassigned issues from the calculation"

By Status Types:

• "Count only issues in 'Done' or 'Deployed' states"

• "Track items that are started but not completed"

• "Exclude canceled issues from progress"

By Time:

• "Track issues created in the last 30 days"

• "Calculate average resolution time for completed bugs"

• "Find issues open longer than 2 weeks"

Complex Combinations

The assistant can combine multiple filters — be as specific as needed:

• "Track P0 and P1 bugs assigned to the backend team with the 'customer-reported' label"

• "Calculate story points for completed features in the current sprint, excluding tech debt items"

• "Monitor critical issues (P0) that are either unassigned or assigned to the platform team"

Tips for Best Results

1. Be Explicit: Instead of "track bugs," say "track all bugs" or "track only P0 and P1 bugs"

2. Specify Exclusions: Tell the assistant what NOT to include — "exclude canceled items" or "ignore unassigned issues"

3. Request Weighted Calculations: If some items matter more, say so — "story points should be weighted by priority"

4. Define Time Windows: For time-based metrics, specify the period — "average resolution time for bugs closed in the last 90 days"

5. Test Your Filter: The assistant will show current data — verify it matches your expectations before confirming

What Rhythms Can Track

Rhythms automatically determines the best calculation method based on your issue structure and requirements:

Issue completion: Calculates the percentage of issues marked as Done or Completed. Works with optional filtering by priority, labels, teams, or time ranges.

Estimate-based: Sums estimate values (story points or hours) across filtered issues. Ideal when your team estimates work and you want progress weighted by effort.

Status-based counts: Counts issues in specific status categories with optional filtering. Useful for tracking issues through workflow stages.

Remaining work: Calculates progress based on estimates remaining. Works well for burndown scenarios where the goal is reducing remaining effort to zero.

Weighted calculations: Combines multiple criteria where certain issues count more (e.g., P0 bugs count 3x more than P2 bugs).

Time metrics: Calculates average resolution time, issue age, or tracks issues within time windows.

Confirming Your Connection

Once Rhythms locates your data and determines the tracking method, it shows you the current value and explains the filtering logic. Review this carefully:

• Verify the parent issue, project, or cycle name matches what you intended

• Check that the current progress percentage makes sense

• Confirm the calculation method aligns with how you measure success

• Review any filters to ensure they match your requirements

If something looks incorrect, you can refine your description or ask the assistant to adjust the filters.

What Else You Can Do with Linear in Rhythms Chat

Beyond auto-updates, the Linear integration is available throughout the Rhythms chat interface. You can ask Rhythms to perform Linear operations conversationally — no need to switch tabs or context.

Issues

Search and read:

• Search issues by project, team, label, priority, assignee, or status

• Look up specific issues and view their details, comments, and attachments

• Browse projects, cycles, milestones, and teams

Create and edit:

• Create new issues with title, description, priority, labels, assignee, and team

• Update existing issues — change fields, descriptions, priorities, and assignments

• Create issue labels for better organization

• Add attachments to issues

Move work forward:

• Save status updates on issues to document progress

• Add comments to issues to capture decisions or context

• Delete comments or attachments when needed

Example prompts:

• "Create a Linear issue in the Platform project for the API timeout bug, P1 priority"

• "Add a comment to ENG-142 saying the fix is ready for review"

• "Search for all open P0 issues in the Mobile team"

• "Create a 'customer-reported' label in the Support project"

Projects, Milestones & Initiatives

Create and update:

• Create new projects with name, description, and team

• Save milestones to track key delivery points within a project

• Create and update Linear initiatives to group related projects

• Save project documents for specs, briefs, or planning notes

Example prompts:

• "Create a new milestone in the Mobile App project called 'Beta Launch' for end of June"

• "Update the Q2 Platform initiative description with the new scope"

• "Create a project document in the Auth project for the technical spec"

Customer Needs

• Create and update customer need records linked to issues

• Delete customer needs when they're resolved or no longer relevant

Example prompts:

• "Log a customer need on ENG-88 — Acme Corp needs SSO support before their renewal"

After You Connect Auto-Updates

How Syncing Works

Rhythms displays a Connected to Linear indicator on your Key Result or Initiative. The system syncs issue data once daily at 3 AM UTC. Changes in Linear will appear in Rhythms after the next daily sync.

What updates automatically: Current progress based on your configured filters and calculation method. Rhythms pulls the latest issue data, applies your filtering logic, and recalculates progress.

What you still provide: Context through check-ins. Auto-updates handle the numbers, but you explain what changed, obstacles encountered, or adjustments needed. Learn more: Effective Check-ins to Track OKR Progress in Rhythms

Historical data preserved: Rhythms maintains a history of progress updates. Even if you later disconnect the integration, past auto-updates remain visible in your Key Result's timeline.

Seeing Your Connection

The integration displays on your Key Result detail view with the Linear icon and last sync timestamp. Click the connection details to see which Linear issues contribute to the calculation and review your filtering configuration.

Current Limitations

Auto-Update Limitations

State transition history: Rhythms cannot track exact time spent in each workflow state (e.g., "time in 'In Progress' vs. 'In Review'"). Time metrics use creation and last update timestamps, which work for resolution time but not for detailed state history.

One parent per connection: Each connection tracks issues from one parent item (project, epic, or cycle). If your Key Result spans multiple projects, consider whether separate Key Results (one per project) or manual check-ins work better.

Daily sync only: Issue data refreshes once daily at 3 AM UTC. Real-time or webhook-based updates aren't currently available.

Working with Filtering

During setup, you can filter issues by priority, labels, assignees, teams, status, time ranges, or any combination. The assistant writes filtering logic based on your requirements and runs this same logic every day.

What works well: Filtering gives you precise control over which issues count toward progress. If your Linear project contains a mix of priorities or work types, you can track exactly what matters for your Key Result.

Testing your filter: The assistant shows current data during setup. If the filtered result doesn't match your expectations, refine your requirements before confirming.

Adjusting Your Connection

To change your Linear auto-update configuration, you'll need to disconnect and reconnect. Learn more: How to Set Up Auto-Updates

Before you disconnect:

• Document your current filtering logic (the assistant showed this during setup)

• Note the parent issue or project being tracked

• Consider whether adjusting filters vs. changing the parent issue achieves your goal

Testing configuration changes: If the numbers look incorrect, first verify which issues match your filters in Linear. Sometimes unexpected progress values come from issues you didn't realize met the filter criteria. You can ask the assistant to show which specific issues are being tracked to debug mismatches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I connect multiple Linear projects to different Key Results? Yes. You can create separate connections for different projects or epics, each tied to its own Key Result. Each connection operates independently with its own filtering logic.

Can multiple people connect the same Linear epic to different Key Results? Yes. Each connection uses the individual's Linear credentials, so multiple team members can track related issues across different Key Results. Progress calculations are independent per Key Result.

What happens if I lose access to the Linear workspace? Auto-updates will stop, and Rhythms displays an error. Reconnect with an account that has access, or disconnect the integration and switch to manual check-ins.

Can I connect both Linear and another tool to the same Key Result? Not currently. Each Key Result or Initiative supports one auto-update connection at a time. Choose the primary data source that best represents progress.

How often does Rhythms sync with Linear for auto-updates? Issue data refreshes once daily at 3 AM UTC. Changes in Linear will appear in Rhythms after the next daily sync.

Does Rhythms modify my Linear issues during auto-updates? No. Auto-updates are read-only — Rhythms retrieves issue data to calculate progress but never writes back to Linear during automated syncs. However, through the Rhythms chat interface, you can ask Rhythms to create issues, update projects, add comments, save status updates, and more. These are explicit actions you initiate in chat, not automated background operations.

Can I use Rhythms to create or update Linear issues from chat? Yes. Through the Rhythms chat interface, you can create issues, update existing issues, add comments, save status updates, create milestones, update initiatives, and more — in any Linear workspace you have access to. See the "What Else You Can Do with Linear in Rhythms Chat" section above for examples.

What if my Linear data shows a different value than what appears in Rhythms? First, review your filtering logic (the assistant explained this during setup). If you filtered for specific priorities or labels, Rhythms tracks only those matching issues while Linear may show all issues. Ask the assistant to show which issues are being counted to verify the filter is working as expected.

Can I track issues from multiple Linear projects in one Key Result? Not in a single auto-update connection. Each connection tracks issues under one parent item (project, epic, or cycle). If your Key Result spans multiple projects, consider whether separate Key Results (one per project) or manual check-ins work better.

Can I filter by priority, labels, or assignees? Yes. During setup, tell the assistant exactly what to filter. Say "track only P0 and P1 issues" or "count items with the 'backend' label" or "monitor iOS team's tasks." By default, all items under your selected parent are tracked, but you can be as specific as needed with filtering.

Can I track time-based metrics like average resolution time? Yes. Ask for "average resolution time for bugs" or "issues open longer than 14 days." The system calculates time metrics using creation and last update timestamps.

Why doesn't my estimate total match what I see in Linear? If you configured filtering (by priority, labels, teams, etc.), Rhythms tracks only issues matching your filters while Linear may show all issues. Review your filtering configuration to confirm which issues are being counted. The assistant can show you the specific issues being tracked.

Can I weight certain issues more than others in progress calculations? Yes. During setup, request weighted calculations like "P0 bugs should count 3x more than P2 bugs" or "completed features are worth more than bug fixes." The assistant will create custom calculation logic to match your requirements.

Related Articles

• How to Set Up Auto-Updates — General auto-update concepts and workflow applicable to all integrations

• Enable Integrations for Your Workspace — Workspace administrator guide to enabling Linear integration

• Effective Check-ins to Track OKR Progress in Rhythms — How auto-updates complement contextual check-ins