Installation

Choose your preferred installation method and IDE below.

Get Your Linear API Key

Before configuring any IDE, you need a Linear personal API key:

1. Go to Linear Settings > API
2. Click Create key under "Personal API keys"
3. Give it a label and copy the key (starts with lin_api_)

caution

Never commit your Linear API key to version control. Always use environment variables or IDE-specific secret management.

OAuth Authentication (Alternative)

Instead of a static API key, you can use OAuth 2.0 for automatic token management:

1. Create an OAuth app in Linear Settings > API > OAuth Applications
2. Set the environment variables:

   export LINEAR_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
   export LINEAR_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret

3. Run the login command:

   linear-mcp auth login

4. A browser window opens for authorization. After approving, tokens are stored at ~/.mcp-pool/linear/tokens.json
5. The server auto-refreshes tokens — no manual intervention needed

Other auth CLI commands:

linear-mcp auth logout  # Clear stored tokens
linear-mcp auth status  # Show current auth state

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
LINEAR_API_KEY	Yes*	Personal API key from Linear
LINEAR_CLIENT_ID	Alt	OAuth 2.0 client ID
LINEAR_CLIENT_SECRET	Alt	OAuth 2.0 client secret

*Either the static token OR the OAuth client credentials are required.

info

The server sends the API key directly in the Authorization header without a Bearer prefix. This matches Linear's expected authentication format. Do not add Bearer yourself.

---

Option A: Via npx (Recommended)

No installation needed. Your IDE will run the server on demand:

npx -y @vineethnkrishnan/linear-mcp

This is the simplest method — just reference it in your IDE config below.

Option B: Global Install

npm install -g @vineethnkrishnan/linear-mcp

Then use linear-mcp as the command in your IDE config (instead of npx).

Option C: From Source

git clone https://github.com/vineethkrishnan/mcp-pool.git
cd mcp-pool
npm install
npm run build

Then use node /absolute/path/to/mcp-pool/packages/linear/build/index.js as the command.

---

IDE Configuration

Claude Desktop

Config file location:

OS	Path
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows	%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux	~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Quick access: Settings > Developer > Edit Config

Using npx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/linear-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "lin_api_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Using global install:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "linear-mcp",
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "lin_api_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

From source:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-pool/packages/linear/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "lin_api_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

tip

Restart Claude Desktop completely after editing the config. Changes are not picked up automatically.

---

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Config file location:

Scope	Path
Workspace	.vscode/mcp.json (in your project root)
User (macOS)	~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/mcp.json
User (Windows)	%APPDATA%\Code\User\mcp.json
User (Linux)	~/.config/Code/User/mcp.json

Quick access: Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P) > MCP: Open User Configuration

warning

VS Code uses "servers" as the root key, not "mcpServers".

Workspace config (.vscode/mcp.json):

{
  "servers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/linear-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "${input:linear-key}"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "linear-key",
      "description": "Linear Personal API Key",
      "type": "password"
    }
  ]
}

The inputs feature prompts you for the key securely — it never gets stored in the file.

User config (without inputs):

{
  "servers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/linear-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "lin_api_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

---

Cursor

Config file location:

Scope	Path
Global	~/.cursor/mcp.json
Project	.cursor/mcp.json (in your project root)

Quick access: Settings > Cursor Settings > MCP

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/linear-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "lin_api_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Project-level config (.cursor/mcp.json) takes precedence over global config.

---

Windsurf (Codeium)

Config file location:

OS	Path
macOS / Linux	~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json

Quick access: Settings > Advanced Settings > Cascade section

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/linear-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "lin_api_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

tip

Make sure MCP is enabled in Windsurf: Settings > Advanced > Cascade > Enable MCP.

---

JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, WebStorm, PyCharm, etc.)

JetBrains IDEs (2025.2+) support MCP servers through the settings UI.

Setup:

1. Open Settings/Preferences > Tools > AI Assistant > MCP Servers
2. Click + Add to add a new server
3. Configure:
   • Name: linear
   • Command: npx
   • Arguments: -y @vineethnkrishnan/linear-mcp
   • Environment Variables: LINEAR_API_KEY=lin_api_...
4. Click OK and restart the AI Assistant

Alternative — manual config file:

Create or edit ~/.config/JetBrains/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/linear-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "lin_api_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

---

Claude Code (CLI)

Option 1 — CLI command (recommended):

claude mcp add linear \
  --scope user \
  -e LINEAR_API_KEY=lin_api_... \
  -- npx -y @vineethnkrishnan/linear-mcp

Scope options:

• --scope user — available in all your projects
• --scope local — current project only (default)
• --scope project — shared with team via .mcp.json

Option 2 — manual config:

Edit ~/.claude.json (user scope) or .mcp.json (project scope):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@vineethnkrishnan/linear-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "lin_api_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Verify it's working:

claude mcp list

---

Uninstallation

Claude Code (CLI)

claude mcp remove linear

To check which servers are configured:

claude mcp list

Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf / JetBrains

Remove the "linear" entry from the "mcpServers" block in the relevant config file, then restart the IDE.

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Remove the "linear" entry from the "servers" block in .vscode/mcp.json or user-level mcp.json, then reload the window.

Global npm install

If you installed globally, also run:

npm uninstall -g @vineethnkrishnan/linear-mcp

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Verify Installation

After configuring your IDE, test the connection by asking your AI assistant:

"List the teams in my Linear workspace."

If the server is working, you'll get a response with your teams. If not, check:

1. API key is valid — test with curl -H "Authorization: lin_api_..." -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"query":"{ viewer { id name } }"}' https://api.linear.app/graphql
2. Node.js >= 20 — run node --version
3. Config file syntax — validate your JSON (no trailing commas)
4. Restart your IDE — most IDEs require a full restart after config changes

Security Recommendations

• Use a dedicated API key for AI tooling — revoke it independently if needed
• Linear personal API keys inherit your full permissions — be mindful of what data the AI can access
• Never share config files containing API keys
• Add config files with secrets to .gitignore
• Rotate keys periodically via Linear Settings > API