You are linking the current Claude Code session (${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}) to: $ARGUMENTS
Karma is a read-only observer on the user's machine. It stores the link and caches title/status for display, but never writes back to the ticket provider. You fetch metadata via the user's already-configured MCP server.
Karma's API URL comes from KARMA_API_URL (set by users on non-default ports/hosts) with http://localhost:8000 as fallback. Inline ${KARMA_API_URL:-http://localhost:8000} in every curl below — bash variables don't persist across separate Bash tool calls, so a top-of-script assignment would be empty by the time the next curl runs.
Step 1 — Parse $ARGUMENTS
Recognized forms:
| Provider | Short ref | URL forms | |--------------------|---------------------|--------------------------------------------------------| | Linear | LINEAR-123 | https://linear.app/.../issue/ABC-123 | | Jira | PROJ-45 | https://*.atlassian.net/browse/PROJ-45 | | GitHub Issue | owner/repo#42 | https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/42 | | GitHub PR | owner/repo#42 | https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/42 |
GitHub issues and pull requests share a single numbering namespace — owner/repo#42 could be either. The URL kind (/issues/ vs /pull/) is the only signal, and karma's backend preserves it, so when you have a URL keep it intact when POSTing (Step 4). For a bare owner/repo#N with no URL, default to /issues/N — GitHub auto-redirects to /pull/N when N is actually a PR, so the link still resolves.
A bare #N (no owner/repo) is not accepted — always qualify with owner/repo#N.
Step 2 — Identify provider and (for GitHub) kind
Set two variables you'll use below:
<provider>∈linear|jira|github- For GitHub:
<kind>∈issue|pull_request(derived from URL path)
For Linear and Jira this collapses to just <provider>.
Step 3 — Fetch metadata via MCP (when available)
Pick the right MCP tool for the provider and kind:
| Provider · Kind | MCP tool | |-----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------| | linear | Linear MCP — search/fetch issue by key | | jira | Atlassian MCP — fetch by key | | github · issue | mcp__plugin_github_github__issue_read, method get | | github · pull_request | mcp__plugin_github_github__pull_request_read, method get |
Calling the wrong GitHub method silently returns the wrong thing because both shapes look superficially similar — so derive the kind first.
If the relevant MCP isn't installed, skip this step and proceed to Step 4 without title/status. Karma will create the link; the title/status fields stay NULL and can be refreshed later via Step 5.
Pull at minimum: title, status (or state), url. Strip large fields — karma caps metadata_json at 64 KB and a full PR payload easily exceeds that. Specifically drop:
- GitHub PR:
body,commits,files,reviewers,comments,labels,
requested_reviewers, head / base blobs beyond ref
- GitHub issue:
body,comments,reactions,labels - Linear / Jira:
description,comments,subscribers,attachments
Status semantics by kind
The status you cache should reflect what the provider says now, not a generic "open/closed". Karma's UI normalizes these to canonical buckets at render time, so faithful provider language is the right input:
- Linear: workflow state name verbatim — e.g.
Backlog,In Progress,
In Review, Done, Cancelled (workspace-defined; don't normalize).
- Jira: workflow state name — e.g.
To Do,In Progress,In Review,
Done.
- GitHub issue:
openorclosed. - GitHub PR: derive from the flags the PR API returns:
| state | draft | merged | Cache as | |----------|---------|----------|--------------| | open | true | — | draft | | open | false | — | open | | closed | — | true | MERGED | | closed | — | false | closed |
Step 4 — POST the link
The url field should be the URL you actually have — /pull/N for PRs, /issues/N for issues. Don't rewrite it. Karma's parser preserves the path segment; the UI uses it to distinguish PRs from issues.
curl -s -X POST "${KARMA_API_URL:-http://localhost:8000}/sessions/${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}/tickets" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"ref":"<key>","provider":"<provider>","url":"<url>","source":"slash_command"}'
For GitHub, <key> is always owner/repo#N regardless of kind — the URL field carries the issue/PR distinction.
Step 5 — PUT the metadata (only if Step 3 succeeded)
curl -s -X PUT "${KARMA_API_URL:-http://localhost:8000}/tickets/<provider>/<key>" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"title":"<title>","status":"<status>"}'
For GitHub keys with / and #, URL-encode the key in the path: octocat/repo#42 → octocat%2Frepo%2342.
Step 6 — Confirm to the user
One line. For GitHub, distinguish the kind so the user knows what they just attached:
Linked session to LINEAR-123 (Fix login bug, In Progress) — open at https://linear.app/...Linked session to PROJ-45 (Migrate auth, Done) — open at https://acme.atlassian.net/browse/PROJ-45Linked session to octocat/repo#42 [issue] (Empty state lies, open) — open at .../issues/42Linked session to octocat/repo#42 [PR] (Fix linting, MERGED) — open at .../pull/42
Notes
- Karma is loopback-only by default.
KARMA_API_URLoverrides for custom
port or remote host.
- POST is idempotent on
(session, ticket); re-running upgrades the
link_source if previously set by branch-detect or dashboard. Order: slash_command > dashboard > branch.
- If the API is unreachable, tell the user
karma not running at ${KARMA_API_URL:-http://localhost:8000} so they see what was tried. Don't silently succeed.
- GitHub issues and PRs sharing
#Nmeans a single karma row (one
(provider, external_key) pair) covers both views of that number. The URL field is what tells karma's UI which one to render. Send the URL you actually have.