# to-linear

Turns specs, plans, or chat discussions into ordered Linear milestones and backlog issues with native dependencies. Requires explicit approval before any changes.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 337 installs
- Author: PinguApps
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/PinguApps/Skills/tree/HEAD/skills/to-linear/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/to-linear

## What it does

The workflow transforms a `PLAN.md` file, an issue URL, or a conversation plan into an organized Linear backlog. It relies directly on the companion `linear-ticket` skill to manage issue contents, estimates, and tracker mutations. While `linear-ticket` handles individual ticket mechanics, `to-linear` resolves sources, calculates graph order, and controls the publishing sequence.

Destination selection is strictly manual. The agent never guesses your target team or project in Linear. It checks `CONTEXT.md`, ADRs, and existing issues to identify scope overlaps before drafting. Refactoring steps get ordered before the slices they enable. It also flags the unblocked parallel frontier, showing tasks that concurrent agents can pick up immediately.

Nothing reaches Linear until you approve the full proposal. The draft lists milestones, acceptance criteria, dependencies, provenance, and assigned executors (`Agent` or `Human`). Once confirmed, issues publish in topological order with Backlog status and native blockers.

## Requirements
- Works with: Linear

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add PinguApps/Skills --skill to-linear -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/to-linear/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/to-linear/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add PinguApps/Skills --skill to-linear -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/to-linear/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add PinguApps/Skills --skill to-linear -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/to-linear/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install PinguApps/Skills to-linear
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/to-linear/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add PinguApps/Skills --skill to-linear -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/PinguApps/Skills --path skills/to-linear
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/to-linear/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add PinguApps/Skills --skill to-linear -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/PinguApps/Skills/tree/HEAD/skills/to-linear/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- Break down `PLAN.md` or a feature specification into Linear milestones and tickets
- Identify unblocked issues that separate agents can execute concurrently
- Prevent duplicate issues by reconciling against the existing Linear backlog
- Map topological blockers and cross-milestone dependencies before creation

## Example prompts
- Break down the spec in spec.md into Linear milestones and tickets.
- Turn our current conversation plan into a Linear backlog proposal.
- Import root PLAN.md into the confirmed Linear project and show the draft first.

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 4c74127f19c4fa5e.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 4c74127f19c4fa5e
```text
---
name: to-linear
description: Break a plan, spec, referenced issue, or current conversation into approved Linear milestones and tracer-bullet tickets in a confirmed project, with native dependencies, Backlog status, and focused labels.
disable-model-invocation: true
---

# To Linear

Turn the primary source into an approved, ordered backlog. Read and apply [$linear-ticket](../linear-ticket/SKILL.md) before drafting: it owns all individual-ticket content, metadata, estimates, mutations and verification. This workflow owns destination selection, source resolution, slicing, whole-graph review and publication order. Pass its confirmed destination and approved proposal to `linear-ticket`.

## Process

### 1. Confirm the destination

Use `linear-ticket`'s explicit team/project selection and confirmation procedure before analysing or drafting. Never infer the destination for this workflow. Every ticket in the run uses that confirmed destination unless the user restarts selection.

### 2. Resolve the source, context, and existing tickets

Resolve exactly one **primary source** for scope, in this order:

1. An explicit source supplied with the invocation or explicitly designated by the user for this run: a file, issue identifier or URL, or pasted plan/spec. Fetch and read the full body and comments of a referenced issue.
2. Otherwise, the most recent settled plan or spec in the current conversation. If it points to an artifact, fetch and read that artifact fully.
3. Otherwise, root `PLAN.md`, when present; read it fully.
4. Otherwise, stop and ask the user for the source.

An explicit source wins even when `PLAN.md` exists. State which source was selected. Do not merge multiple plausible sources into new scope; ask when source selection is ambiguous or when a contradiction materially changes the intended outcome.

Treat `CONTEXT.md`, applicable `AGENTS.md`, referenced sources, relevant ADRs, designs, code, and tests as supporting context. Read them when they affect ticket accuracy. `CONTEXT.md` is authoritative for domain language, boundaries, and durable decisions, but supporting context never silently expands the primary source.

Pass the primary source and stable reference to `linear-ticket` for provenance handling.

For broad work, use subagents for bounded, independent, read-only exploration such as separate module investigations, prior-art searches, or overlap checks. Continue other independent analysis while they work, then reconcile every result before drafting. The primary agent owns source selection, the complete proposal, user approval, and every Linear mutation; never create or edit Linear items concurrently through subagents.
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 4c74127f19c4fa5e

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 4c74127f19c4fa5e tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

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