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Slack

Combine Linear with Slack to keep everyone in sync.

Linear logo and Slack logo

Overview

Create Linear issues from Slack messages, sync threads between Slack and Linear, set up personal and channel-specific notifications, display rich unfurls in Slack and more.

Configure

Integration setup

Go to Settings > Features > Integrations > Slack to connect your Slack account to Linear. You must be a Linear admin to do this.

Once this has been completed, others in your Linear workspace can:

  • Use Linear agent if your plan is Business or Enterprise
  • Create Linear issues from the More actions menu on Slack messages or by using the /linear command on all plans
  • Take quick actions from Linear links shared in your Slack workspace
  • View rich unfurls in Slack that show key issue, comment, document, initiative or project details
  • Enable personal Slack notifications
  • Send team and project updates to dedicated Slack channels

Notifications setup

Slack notifications are available for teams, projects, and individuals. Once the initial integration has been configured, any user can set up these notifications.

Set up team notifications from team general settings or from the integration settings page. Authenticate to Slack and then choose a channel for the notifications to post to.

Connect multiple Slack workspaces

Linear's Enterprise plan supports connecting multiple Slack workspaces to Linear to use the Slack integration. If you're using Slack's Enterprise Grid plan for example, this would allow you to use the Slack integration across your workspaces. To add a new workspace, go to Linear's Slack integration settings and click the button under connected workspaces. You must hold Admin permissions on an Enterprise Linear plan in order to enable this feature.

Linear agent for Slack

Mention @linear in discussions on Slack, and the Linear agent will create issues informed by your conversation's context. Use natural language to specify issue details or simply let the agent infer what's needed.

For example, try:

  • @linear file a bug, assign me
  • @linear make feature requests from this thread
  • @linear file to the Rideshare Loyalty project

To use this functionality, send /invite @linear to the desired Slack channel before sending. This feature is available to users in your Slack workspace with Linear accounts.

To use Linear Agent in group DMs, you have to invite the Linear Agent at the creation of group DM.

Set Linear agent guidance

Linear agent considers instructions you write in Slack integration settings on how to create issues. Use this field to refine the agent's behavior and give it more context about how you use Slack.

You might give it context about your channel naming structure and how it relates to your Linear projects, what statuses you prefer it create in, the team it should use when unsure, and more.

Outside of this field, the agent also uses contextual clues to help infer where to create issues (for example, if you're sending project updates from a project to a channel that sounds related, issues created in that channel will favor creation in that project.)

Create issues with message actions

You can also create issues using the More actions menu on a Slack message if you prefer to specify all the details of your created issue.

If you select a team in the resulting window that uses default templates, that template's text will appear in the description field. Only Linear users in your Slack workspace can create issues with this integration.

If you're interested in allowing non-Linear users in your Slack workspace to create issues, consider using Asks instead.

Use templates

Your issue templates in Linear can also be used in Slack. Add templates to your Slack integration from workspace template settings or the Slack settings page. Admins can make up to 10 issue templates available in your Slack integration, which any Linear members in your Slack workspace can view and apply during issue creation. If you have a default template set for your team, it’ll show up as an additional template option after the team has been selected.

Templates in private teams are not available to the Slack integration (nor in other integrations that support templates like Intercom and Zendesk.) If you need to allow users to create issues using templates in private teams, consider using Asks where this use-case is supported.

Sync threads

Image showing a synced thread in Linear that also posts to Slack
To use synced threads in private channels, invite the integration using /invite @Linear. Synced threads are not available in DMs.

To create a synced thread, create an issue from Slack through the More actions menu on a Slack message.

When you click Submit, you'll also create a synced comment thread in the Linear issue by default. Both threads will update as replies are sent in either location, and we'll also update the synced thread in Slack when the issue is completed or canceled, or reopened after being completed or canceled.

When people in your company report issues in Slack, syncing threads is a great way to keep them in the loop regardless of whether they're in your Linear workspace. Comments made in the synced Linear thread will also appear in Slack, and the Slack thread will be updated when the issue is completed or canceled.

If an issue synced to a Slack thread is marked as a duplicate of another issue, we'll also update the Slack thread where the duplicate was created once the canonical issue is resolved.

Add Slack messages to existing issues

There are a few options to link Slack messages to existing Linear issues.

If there is not already a synced thread on the issue, you can choose to sync with an existing Slack thread. To do so, paste the issue's URL into the thread and send the message. Select the overflow menu from inside the unfurl and choose "Sync thread".

syncing a Linear thread manually

Notifications functionality

Team notifications will post updates to a specific Slack channel when issues in that team are created, receive comments, and/or update status.

We recommend creating a separate #linear or #linear-team channel in Slack for these updates, especially if you choose the option to post status updates (we post every time an issue status changes).

Rich unfurls and issue actions

Once you've connected the integration for Slack, we'll show expanded links anytime you post issue, project, document, or initiative links from public teams in Slack.

URLs associated with private Linear teams never unfurl. Unfurling can be disabled in Settings > Integrations > Slack if desired.

Issue links show the issue title, description, status, assignee, and creation date.

They also give other Linear users in Slack the option to update the assignee, comment on the issue, and subscribe or unsubscribe to the issue directly from Slack. You can also engage Slack sync in an existing thread from this menu.

FAQ