Linear Automation
Automation in Linear handles repetitive actions so your team doesn't have to. You set rules that say "when this happens, do that" — and Linear takes care of the rest. Well-designed automations save hours each week and prevent important steps from being missed.
How Automation Works
Every automation rule has two parts: a trigger and one or more actions. The trigger is the event that starts the rule. The action is what Linear does when that event occurs.
AUTOMATION STRUCTURE
TRIGGER ACTION
│ │
▼ ▼
"When an issue → "Move it to In Progress"
is assigned"
│
▼
"When a PR is → "Change issue status to In Review"
opened linking + Notify assignee in Slack
to this issue"
Access Automation Settings
Go to Settings > Teams > [Team Name] > Automation. This screen lists all existing rules for your team and lets you create new ones.
Available Triggers
| Trigger | When It Fires |
|---|---|
| Issue created | A new issue is added to the team |
| Issue status changes | An issue moves from one state to another |
| Issue assigned | An assignee is set on an issue |
| Priority changes | An issue's priority level is updated |
| Label added | A specific label is applied to an issue |
| Due date approaching | An issue's due date is within a set number of days |
| Cycle starts | A new cycle begins |
| Cycle ends | A cycle reaches its end date |
| PR / MR opened | A linked pull request is opened in GitHub or GitLab |
| PR / MR merged | A linked pull request is merged |
Available Actions
| Action | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Change issue status | Moves the issue to a specified workflow state |
| Change priority | Sets or changes the issue priority |
| Add label | Applies a label to the issue |
| Remove label | Removes a label from the issue |
| Assign to member | Sets a specific person as assignee |
| Add to cycle | Places the issue in the current or next cycle |
| Add to project | Links the issue to a specified project |
| Send Slack notification | Posts a message to a Slack channel |
| Create sub-issue | Generates a new sub-issue using a template |
Useful Automation Examples
1. Auto-move to In Progress When Assigned
Trigger: Issue is assigned to any member
Action: Change status → In Progress
Use case: Ensures assigned issues don't sit in Todo
after someone picks them up.
2. Auto-move to In Review When PR is Opened
Trigger: GitHub PR is opened referencing the issue
Action: Change status → In Review
Use case: Keeps status in sync with GitHub automatically.
No manual status update needed.
3. Auto-close Issues When PR Merges
Trigger: GitHub PR is merged
Action: Change status → Done
Use case: Issues close the moment code ships,
no manual action needed from the developer.
4. Escalate Overdue Issues
Trigger: Due date has passed and status is not Done
Action: Change priority → Urgent
+ Send Slack notification to #alerts channel
Use case: Prevents deadlines from slipping silently.
5. Auto-label Bug Issues from Sentry
Trigger: Issue created via Sentry integration
Action: Add label → Bug
Add label → Production
Change priority → High
Use case: All Sentry-created issues arrive pre-classified
and ready for triage.
Build a New Automation Rule
- Open Settings > Teams > [Team] > Automation
- Click New Automation
- Choose a trigger from the dropdown
- Add filter conditions to narrow when the rule fires (optional)
- Add one or more actions to execute
- Name the rule clearly so others understand its purpose
- Toggle it On and click Save
Adding Filter Conditions
Conditions make automation rules more precise. Without conditions, a trigger like "Issue created" fires for every single new issue in the team. Conditions restrict this to specific cases.
| Automation Goal | Trigger | Condition | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urgent bugs go to Alice | Issue created | Priority = Urgent AND Label = Bug | Assign to Alice |
| Feature requests go to backlog | Issue created | Label = Feature | Set status to Backlog |
| Alert team on Urgent priority change | Priority changes | New priority = Urgent | Post to #engineering Slack |
Monitor and Manage Automations
Review all active automations monthly. Remove rules that no longer serve a purpose. A cluttered automation list creates unexpected behaviors that are hard to debug. Each rule should have a clear name explaining what it does and why it exists.