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Linear

Linear

Manage Linear issues, projects, and cycles from AI context.

Score 53(?)LinearMITVerified Top MCPs for Project Management →
Install

Quick answer

What it does

Provides access to Linear projects, issues, cycles, teams, and comments via the Linear API.

Best for

  • Bug-to-issue creation
  • Project status updates
  • Sprint planning
  • Issue triage

Not for

  • Non-Linear project management
  • Large enterprise Jira workflows

Source: top-mcps.com/mcp/linear — verified Aug 2026

Setup recipe

Pick your client, then follow the three steps.

  1. 1

    Install

    claude_desktop_config.json
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

    Claude Desktop launches stdio servers, so mcp-remote bridges to the hosted endpoint and opens the sign-in in your browser. On Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise you can skip the file: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector → https://mcp.linear.app/mcp. Authorization happens in the browser on first use (OAuth); no token goes in the config file.

    CLI or .mcp.json
    claude mcp add --transport http linear https://mcp.linear.app/mcp

    Then run /mcp inside Claude Code to finish the sign-in. Authorization happens in the browser on first use (OAuth); no token goes in the config file.

    .cursor/mcp.json
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "url": "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

    Global path: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Cursor shows "Needs login" once it connects — click it to authorize. Authorization happens in the browser on first use (OAuth); no token goes in the config file.

    .vscode/mcp.json
    {
  "servers": {
    "linear": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

    VS Code uses the "servers" key. Run MCP: List Servers → Start Server and allow the sign-in. Authorization happens in the browser on first use (OAuth); no token goes in the config file.

    ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

    Windsurf uses "serverUrl" for hosted servers. Open via Cascade → hammer icon → Configure. Authorization happens in the browser on first use (OAuth); no token goes in the config file.

    cline_mcp_settings.json
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

    Bridged through mcp-remote. Open via the Cline sidebar → MCP Servers → Edit. Authorization happens in the browser on first use (OAuth); no token goes in the config file.

    ~/.continue/config.json
    {
  "experimental": {
    "modelContextProtocolServers": [
      {
        "transport": {
          "type": "streamable-http",
          "url": "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

    Continue takes the hosted URL directly in the transport block. Authorization happens in the browser on first use (OAuth); no token goes in the config file.

    CLI
    codex mcp add linear --url https://mcp.linear.app/mcp

    Codex detects OAuth support and opens the browser to authorize. Authorization happens in the browser on first use (OAuth); no token goes in the config file.

    ~/.config/zed/settings.json
    {
  "context_servers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "mcp-remote",
          "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

    Bridged through mcp-remote under "context_servers". Settings live-reload on save. Authorization happens in the browser on first use (OAuth); no token goes in the config file.

    ChatGPT → Settings → Connectors (remote URL)
    {
  "name": "Linear",
  "transport": "http",
  "url": "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp"
}

    Paste this into Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector. Requires ChatGPT Pro / Team / Enterprise / Edu with Developer mode enabled.

  2. 2

    Set required secrets

    Set LINEAR_API_KEY in your shell environment before launching your MCP client.

  3. 3

    Try a minimum working prompt

    Create a well-formed Linear issue

    Create a Linear issue in the `Engineering` team with title "Follow up on MCP redesign review", label `backend`, priority medium, and due date this Friday. Include a short description pointing to the GitHub PR URL I will paste after you confirm.

    Tested with: Claude Desktop, Cursor.

Tools & permissions

Tools list pending verification. The server exposes tools over MCP; we haven’t yet parsed its capability manifest into this page. Check the GitHub repo for the authoritative list.

Security & scope

Access scope
Read + write
Sandbox
OAuth 2.1 against the authenticated Linear user; the agent acts as that user. Scope is whatever the OAuth grant was approved for.
Gotchas
  • Issues created by the agent appear under your Linear identity, not an "agent" identity.
  • Be explicit about team / project in prompts — the agent picks defaults silently otherwise.

Agent prompt pack

— copy into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT.
Paste into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT. Edit the [brackets] before sending.
Recommend the best MCP servers for [task: e.g. project management work] in [client: Claude].

Constraints:
- Prefer tools that are [official | open-source | read-only] — pick what matters for my use case.
- Exclude MCPs that require [e.g. a paid plan, OAuth-only flows, remote-only transport].
- Return at most 3 picks, ranked.

For each pick include:
1. One-sentence rationale.
2. The ready-to-paste install snippet for my client.
3. Any required secrets I need to create before installing.

Cross-check the top-mcps.com listing: https://top-mcps.com/top-mcps-for-project-management
Compare Linear against a real alternative. Swap the second MCP in [brackets] if you want a different match.
Compare Linear MCP vs [GitHub MCP] for the following job: [describe the job, e.g. "let an agent create GitHub issues on bug triage"].

Judge them on:
- Setup time and complexity (what a new user hits first).
- Auth model (none / API key / OAuth 2.1) and credential risk.
- Transport (stdio / Streamable HTTP / SSE) and where the server runs.
- Required secrets and the blast radius if they leak.
- Operational risk in an unattended agent loop.
- Which one is "good enough" for a weekend prototype vs. production.

End with one sentence: which should I pick for my scenario, which is: [my scenario].

References:
- https://top-mcps.com/mcp/linear
- top-mcps.com listing for GitHub
Asks the agent to install and verify. Works inside Claude Code, Cursor Agent, Codex CLI.
Install the Linear MCP server for my [client: Claude] at the default config path for that client.

Use the exact install snippet published at https://top-mcps.com/mcp/linear (fetch https://top-mcps.com/mcp/linear.json for the canonical server.json if you can read URLs).

Before finishing:
1. Create the required secrets (LINEAR_API_KEY) and put them in the appropriate env block — do not hard-code them.
2. Restart or reload the client so it picks up the new server.
3. Verify the server is connected (green / running state) and at least one tool is listed.
4. If anything fails, read the client's MCP logs and report the exact error — do not silently retry.

Confirm when done and list the tools the server now exposes.

Frequently asked questions

What changed

— 2 updates tracked.

  1. Refreshed install snippets and fact sheet; verified for 2026.

  2. Initial directory listing.

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