Clockify and Linear: how to see tracked time on your Linear issues

Your team works in Linear. You bill clients, or report to a manager, by the hour, so you track time in Clockify. But when you open an issue in Linear, there's no sign of how long it's taken. So the question "is this feature over budget?" means a trip to Clockify and a report.

This guide explains what Linear does and doesn't do with time, then the ways to connect it to Clockify. Free ones first.

Does Linear have time tracking?

No. Linear has estimates, not time. Its help explains that estimates are in points, with a choice of scales: Exponential, Fibonacci, Linear or T-shirt sizes. They measure effort, not hours. An issue with no estimate counts as 1 point in Linear's progress figures.

That works well for planning. It doesn't tell you how many hours went into a client's feature, or whether a fixed-price job is losing money. For that, you need a time tracker.

Option 1: The Clockify browser extension (free)

Clockify's browser extension supports Linear. It adds a timer you can start while you're looking at an issue, so the time entry is labelled with the issue.

Tips:

Agree a naming habit: put the issue ID first (for example "ENG-142 Fix login"). It makes Clockify reports easy to filter later.
Map Clockify projects to your Linear teams or clients, so reports group sensibly.

Good for: getting time tracked at all, which is the hard part.

Watch out for: the time goes into Clockify and stays there. Nobody looking at the issue in Linear sees it.

Option 2: Report in Clockify, note it in Linear (free)

In Clockify, open Reports and filter by the issue ID in the description.
Add a comment on the Linear issue with the total, or update a project update.

Good for: a weekly or end-of-sprint check on a few big issues.

Watch out for: it's manual and out of date by the next day. Most teams stop doing it after a few weeks.

Option 3: Harvest instead of Clockify

Harvest's browser extension also tracks time from Linear issues. Linear lists Harvest on its integrations page. Harvest's own notes say it doesn't sync projects between the two, so you still set up projects in Harvest.

Good for: teams already paying for Harvest.

Watch out for: like Clockify's extension, it sends time to the tracker. It doesn't show hours on the issue.

Option 4: Zapier

Clockify and Linear are both on Zapier.

Clockify triggers include New Time Entry and New Timer Started.
Linear actions include Create issue, Update issue, Create comment, Create attachment and Create project.

A simple setup: when a new time entry is created, find the Linear issue from the ID in the description and add a comment with the time.

Watch out for:

Whose time it sees. Clockify's help says its Zapier triggers, by default, only track the user whose API key is connected. Check the settings, or you'll only see one person's time.
No running total. Linear has no hours field to update, so the zap usually leaves a comment per entry. On a busy issue that's a lot of comments.
Who it shows. Linear's help says items created through Zapier show "Zapier" as the creator.
Task counts. Every entry uses tasks. Zapier's Free plan includes 100 tasks a month and two-step zaps.

Good for: a small team that wants a rough trail of time on each issue.

Option 5: Your own script

Clockify has an API for time entries and reports. Linear has a GraphQL API. A developer can total time by issue ID each night and write it somewhere visible, such as an attachment or a comment.

Good for: teams with a developer who will own it.

Watch out for: upkeep, hosting and keeping the API keys safe.

Option 6: Time Sync for Linear (we made this one)

We built Time Sync for Linear as a Clockify add-on, after teams asked for it on Clockify's ideas board. We're not neutral, so here's exactly what it does.

It shows the time tracked in Clockify on each Linear issue whose ID is in the time entry.
It updates automatically as the team tracks time.
It's a Clockify add-on, so it's billed by Clockify.

Price: $29 a month, flat, per Clockify workspace. The price doesn't go up with team size.

Status: Time Sync for Linear is available now on Clockify's add-on marketplace (the CAKE.com Marketplace): get it here. See the Time Sync for Linear page for how it works.

Which should you choose?

You don't track time yet: start with the free Clockify extension and an issue-ID naming habit.
You need a total now and then: run a Clockify report.
You already use Harvest: its Linear extension.
You want a rough trail on issues and like Zapier: a comment-per-entry zap.
You want hours on your Linear issues without the upkeep: Time Sync for Linear.

FAQ

Does Linear have time tracking? No. Linear uses estimates in points, not hours. For hours, use a tracker like Clockify or Harvest.

Does Clockify integrate with Linear? Yes, through Clockify's browser extension, which lets you start a timer from a Linear issue. The time stays in Clockify.

Can I see Clockify hours inside Linear? Not out of the box. You can add them by hand, use Zapier to post comments, or use an add-on such as Time Sync for Linear.

Sources

Checked 9 November 2026.