# Linear — MCP Server

> Triage issues, run cycles and update your product backlog with AI.

**Source:** https://mcpplaygroundonline.com/mcp-servers/linear  
**Transport:** sse  
**Requires auth:** Yes

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## What it does

The Linear MCP server wraps Linear’s product-management API: listing teams, cycles, issues and projects; fetching a single issue or document; creating or updating work (using the vendor’s current save/create tools); and posting comments. Models can answer “what is blocked in the current cycle?”, “summarise what shipped last week”, or “create a P1 bug for the checkout failure in ENG”. Because Linear runs the server, you do not self-host a bridge — you only need API credentials with the right scopes. Agent Studio and other clients connect over HTTP or SSE using the same endpoint family.

## Tools exposed

- list_issues / get_issue — search and read issues, including filters and status
- save_issue — create or update an issue (Linear’s unified write tool)
- list_teams / list_cycles — discover teams, cycles, and workflow states
- list_comments / create_comment — read or add discussion on issues
- list_projects / get_project — navigate projects and roadmaps
- list_issue_statuses / list_issue_labels — see workflow columns and tags

## Example queries you can run

- "What issues are in progress in the current cycle for my team?"
- "List unassigned P1 bugs in the backlog and suggest who might own them."
- "Summarise everything my team closed in the last 7 days with links to issues."
- "Create a new issue in ENG titled "Investigate 500s on /checkout" and set it to High priority."

## Details

- **Recommended model:** anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5 — Claude Sonnet 4.5 handles multi-step backlog reasoning and state changes reliably. The Linear template defaults to Haiku 4.5 for lighter triage; compare both in Agent Studio.
- **Transport:** sse
- **Authentication:** Required — Linear personal API key (Settings → API → Personal API keys). Scopes should match the teams and actions you need.
- **Hosted endpoint:** https://mcp.linear.app/sse
- **Official source:** [Linear MCP docs](https://linear.app/docs/mcp)

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the Linear MCP server?

It is the official remote MCP service Linear hosts for its product. It exposes your workspace’s issues, teams, cycles, projects and comments as tools so an AI can read the backlog, update work and add comments the same way the Linear API does.

### How do I authenticate the Linear MCP server?

Create a personal API key under Linear → Settings → API, with permissions for the teams and objects you want the agent to touch. In MCP clients that do not use OAuth, pass that key as a bearer token when connecting to the hosted URL.

### Can the agent change or delete production issues?

Yes, if the API key can write issues in those teams. Start with a key scoped to a test team or a single project, review proposed issue updates before you approve runs in production, and use read-only or narrower keys until you trust the workflow.

### Does the Linear MCP server work with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or the browser?

Yes. Any MCP client that can reach the hosted URL with your token works — for example Claude Desktop, Cursor, or MCP Agent Studio in the browser. Use HTTP at mcp.linear.app/mcp or SSE at mcp.linear.app/sse depending on what your client supports.

### Which model is best for Linear and backlog work?

Use Claude Sonnet 4.5 for planning, summarisation, and writing issue descriptions. Claude Haiku 4.5 is enough for short triage. Run two models on the same thread in Agent Studio to compare answers before you standardise.

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_Test this server across 40+ models on MCP Playground: https://mcpplaygroundonline.com/mcp-servers/linear — free, no install._