# How to connect the Linear MCP server

To connect the official Linear MCP server, add https://mcp.linear.app/mcp to your MCP client as a Streamable HTTP server, then sign in with OAuth when your client prompts you. If your client can't use OAuth, send a Linear API key or OAuth token. Linear documents setup for Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code, Claude, Codex and Windsurf.

- Endpoint: https://mcp.linear.app/mcp
- Transport: Streamable HTTP
- Registry: app.linear/linear 1.0.2
- Publisher documentation reviewed: 2026-11-05 (not a tested connection)
- Guide page: https://apitracker.io/mcp-guides/linear-mcp

## Before you start

- A Linear account in the workspace you want to connect. Each workspace needs its own authorization; clients that connect to several workspaces need a separate auth context for each.

## Steps

1. **Open Linear's MCP setup instructions for your client** <https://linear.app/docs/mcp>
2. **Add the Linear MCP server to your client** Add https://mcp.linear.app/mcp as a remote MCP server that uses the Streamable HTTP transport (often labelled "http"). Linear's SSE endpoint is deprecated; use it only for a client that can't use Streamable HTTP. Clients without remote MCP support can connect through the mcp-remote bridge.
3. **Sign in to Linear and approve access in the OAuth window**
4. **If your client can't use OAuth, send a Linear API key or OAuth token** Pass a Linear API key or an existing Linear OAuth access token in the Authorization header as a bearer token. Keep it in an environment variable or secret store, not in shared configuration. For read-only access, create an API key with only the Read permission.
5. **For read-only access, use the read-only endpoint** Connect to https://mcp.linear.app/mcp/readonly instead, which only exposes read tools. Alternatively, request only the read OAuth scope on the main endpoint.
6. **List the server's tools**

## Questions

### What is the Linear MCP server URL?

The official Linear MCP server is at https://mcp.linear.app/mcp and uses the Streamable HTTP transport.

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

Sign in with OAuth when your client prompts you. If your client can't use OAuth, send a Linear API key or OAuth token: Pass a Linear API key or an existing Linear OAuth access token in the Authorization header as a bearer token. Keep it in an environment variable or secret store, not in shared configuration. For read-only access, create an API key with only the Read permission.

### Which AI clients can use the Linear MCP server?

Linear's documentation covers Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code, Claude, Codex and Windsurf. Other clients that support remote Streamable HTTP MCP servers may also work.

### What do I need before connecting Linear MCP?

A Linear account in the workspace you want to connect. Each workspace needs its own authorization; clients that connect to several workspaces need a separate auth context for each.

### Has this Linear MCP guide been tested?

Linear's documentation was reviewed on 2026-11-05. It is not a tested connection; your account and permissions decide which tools work.

## Sources

- https://linear.app/docs/mcp (checked 2026-11-05)
- https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers/app.linear%2Flinear/versions/1.0.2 (checked 2026-11-05)
- https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2026-07-28/basic/authorization (checked 2026-11-05)

Guide JSON: https://github.com/apideck-libraries/mcp-connect/blob/626f6a146170ded34891b30dca3af26f09e07466/proposals/connection-guide/0.1/reviewed/guides/linear-mcp.json