How Do You Integrate Linear with Freshdesk? Native Apps vs an AI Agent Custom Tool (2026)

You can connect Linear to Freshdesk three ways: Freshworks' free Linear for Freshworks Marketplace app (create, link and view Linear issues from a ticket), its free Linear for AI Agents app (4 AI actions for Freddy AI Agents to create, search and link issues), or a Custom Tool that points any AI agent at Linear's GraphQL API. The native apps cover linking issues; a Custom Tool lets you define the exact query or write your workflow needs.

Framing first. Macha runs on top of the Freshdesk you already use. It's an AI-agent layer, not a Freshdesk or Linear replacement, and it connects to Freshdesk, the ticketing product, not Freshchat, Freshservice or Freshcaller. Your agents keep working in Freshdesk; Macha reads the ticket, reasons, and reaches into Linear to answer or act.

Does Freshdesk have a native Linear integration, and where does it stop?

Yes. Freshworks publishes its own Linear for Freshworks app, verified by Freshworks, free, and supported for Freshdesk, Freshdesk Omni, Freshchat and Freshsales. It lets an agent create, link and view associated Linear issues right from the ticket. Freshworks also publishes Linear for AI Agents, a free app with 4 AI actions that let Freddy AI Agents create, search and link Linear issues (Freshworks Marketplace, checked 24 September 2026). If all you need is a linked issue, one of these may be enough.

Where they stop:

• The ticket app is manual. Someone opens the panel, creates the issue and reads the status back. The app surfaces the link, but a person drives it.
• The AI actions are fixed. Linear for AI Agents gives Freddy AI Agents a set of actions (create, search, link). You get what the app exposes, not the specific query or write your workflow needs, such as "is the fix for this bug released yet?" or "create an issue in the right team with the customer's repro steps and a priority".
• They're tied to Freddy. The AI app works with Freshworks' own AI agents. If your AI layer is something else, it can't use those actions.

For a lot of teams, the native apps are fine. For teams whose AI agent needs its own control over Linear, there's a more flexible path.

What should an AI agent do with Linear during a ticket?

The high-value version of this integration is the agent doing the work. A customer reports a bug in Freshdesk; the agent recognizes it, checks Linear for a matching issue, and answers "yes, that's a known bug, and the fix is in review", or files a new issue with the repro steps and links it. The answer is grounded in Linear, not in a manual note. That's what a Custom Tool enables.

How do I connect Linear to Freshdesk with a Custom Tool?

A Custom Tool is a single action you define once and point at Linear's API. No Marketplace app, no code.

1. Point it at the Linear API. Linear's GraphQL endpoint is https://api.linear.app/graphql, and the API supports personal API keys and OAuth2, per Linear's developer docs. You give Macha the endpoint and credentials. The built-in Sidekick can scaffold the request from a plain-English description if you'd rather not fill in the form.

2. Define the action. Give it a label and a description the AI uses to decide when to call it, such as "Look up the status of a Linear issue by identifier" or "Create a Linear issue from a ticket". Set the method and URL (a query or mutation against the Linear API, with an {{issue_id}} or {{title}} placeholder), and choose Read or Write. A status lookup is a Read; creating or updating an issue is a Write, which requires confirmation before it runs.

3. The agent uses it live. Once the tool exists, the agent calls it mid-ticket, passes the issue identifier or the details it pulled from the conversation, and reasons over what Linear returns: it answers "your issue is in review" or files the bug and links it back.

How do Read and Write tools keep Linear safe?

Because a Custom Tool can reach into Linear, the guardrails matter. Read tools (status lookups) run freely; Write tools (create an issue, update its state, add a comment) require confirmation. Each tool is scoped to one action, permissioned per agent, and every call is audited. Linear's API key or OAuth handles credentials, so secrets never live in the conversation.

Teams usually build a few Linear tools and group them, such as a status lookup, a "create issue" and an "update state", alongside tools for their other systems.

Should I use the native Linear app or a Custom Tool?

• Use Linear for Freshworks if you want human agents to create, link and view issues from the ticket by hand.
• Use Linear for AI Agents if you run Freddy AI Agents and its create, search and link actions cover what you need.
• Use a Custom Tool when your Macha agent should look up an issue's live status or file one from the ticket on its own, or you need a specific query or write the apps don't expose. The options can coexist. Macha is the done-for-you option: the Macha team builds and tests the Linear tools and the agent on your Freshdesk, then runs it in safe mode, with drafts as internal notes, until the drafts are right. That's included on the trial and every plan at about $0.40 a ticket, which covers setup and a dedicated success manager who handles your changes.

What else can the agent do once it can reach Linear?

The same pattern covers more: check whether a fix has shipped before replying, read the priority and assignee to set customer expectations, file a well-formed issue with repro steps, or post the ticket link into the issue. Custom Tools aren't Linear-specific, so the same approach connects your billing system, data warehouse or internal API. See the Custom Tools integration directory for 210 tools, or the full pillar on building custom Freshdesk integrations.

Freshdesk's native Linear apps put a linked issue on the screen and give Freddy a fixed set of actions. A Custom Tool puts Linear in your own AI agent's hands, with live status reads and issue creation decided in context, Read/Write guardrails and a full audit trail. See how Custom Tools work, browse the integration directory, or start a free trial and wire up your first Linear tool today.

Frequently asked questions

Does Freshdesk have a native Linear integration? Yes. Freshworks' free Linear for Freshworks app lets agents create, link and view associated Linear issues from the ticket, and the free Linear for AI Agents app gives Freddy AI Agents 4 AI actions to create, search and link issues. A Custom Tool adds agent-driven lookups and writes you define yourself.

Do I need an engineer to connect Linear to Freshdesk this way? No. On the trial and every plan, the Macha team builds and tests the Linear tools for you. To build one yourself, you describe the action in plain English and Macha's Sidekick scaffolds the Linear request, auth and parameters. Technical teams can go deeper with full control over the query, headers and response mapping.

Can the agent create Linear issues, or only read them? Both. Reads (status lookups) run freely; writes, such as creating an issue, updating its state or adding a comment, require a confirmation step, and you control which agents can use them.

Is it secure? Yes. The tool is scoped to a single action, permissioned per agent, authenticated with a Linear API key or OAuth2, and every call is audited.