Does the Linear MCP server require authentication?

Yes. When we connected to https://mcp.linear.app/mcp without credentials on 2026-09-19, it returned HTTP 401.

Can I grant read-only access to the Linear MCP server?

Yes. Its protected-resource metadata enumerates separate read and write scopes: read, write.

Can the Linear MCP server be self-hosted?

Not from the registry record. No installable package is declared, so the vendor-hosted endpoint is the only documented option.

Vendor-published

Linear MCP server

MCP server for Linear project management and issue tracking

Linear (`app.linear/linear`, v1.0.1) is published by the vendor. It exposes a hosted endpoint over streamable-http, and no self-hostable package. It requires authentication and publishes 2 scopes, including separate read and write scopes, so read-only access can be granted. 4 of 4 enterprise control criteria are undocumented. Last checked 2026-09-19.

Add to comparison Vendor documentation

Identity and maintenance

Publisher and version information
Registry name	app.linear/linear
Publisher domain	linear.app
Maintainer type	Vendor-published namespace app.linear -> linear.app; host mcp.linear.app is within linear.app
Latest version seen	1.0.1
Last checked	2026-09-19
Last changed	2026-09-19 Separate from “last checked”: we check far more often than anything changes.

Enterprise evaluation

Every row below exists whether or not we found an answer. Expand any row to see the exact source and the date. Unknown means undocumented, never unsupported.

Enterprise evaluation criteria for Linear
Access and authentication
Authentication required Whether the hosted endpoint accepted a connection with no credentials when we checked.	Yes We checked checked 2026-09-19 POST initialize without credentials -> HTTP 401 Unauthenticated connection attempt — https://mcp.linear.app/mcp
OAuth 2.1 authorization Whether the server publishes OAuth discovery metadata a client can follow automatically.	Yes We checked checked 2026-09-19 https://mcp.linear.app/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource/mcp -> 200 OAuth discovery metadata — https://mcp.linear.app/mcp
Dynamic client registration Without it, an IdP administrator must register a client by hand before anyone can connect.	Yes We checked checked 2026-09-19 "registration_endpoint": "https://mcp.linear.app/register" Authorization server metadata — https://mcp.linear.app/mcp
Documented scopes	Yes read, write We checked checked 2026-09-19 "scopes_supported": ["read","write"] Protected Resource Metadata — https://mcp.linear.app/mcp
Read and write are separate scopes A single opaque scope means read-only access cannot be granted: approving access approves everything.	Yes We checked checked 2026-09-19 scopes_supported enumerates both read and write: ["read","write"] Protected Resource Metadata — https://mcp.linear.app/mcp
Deployment and transport
Streamable HTTP transport	Yes Registry checked 2026-09-19 "type": "streamable-http", "url": "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp" MCP Registry record — https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=app.linear%2Flinear&version=latest
SSE transport	No Registry checked 2026-09-19 no sse remote declared MCP Registry record — https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=app.linear%2Flinear&version=latest
Vendor-hosted endpoint Data leaves your network. Where it goes is a question for the vendor's documentation.	Yes Registry checked 2026-09-19 1 remote endpoint(s) declared MCP Registry record — https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=app.linear%2Flinear&version=latest
Self-hostable package A published npm, PyPI, container or bundle artifact you can run inside your own perimeter.	No Registry checked 2026-09-19 no installable package declared MCP Registry record — https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=app.linear%2Flinear&version=latest
Supply chain
Public source repository	No Registry checked 2026-09-19 no repository declared in the registry record MCP Registry record — https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=app.linear%2Flinear&version=latest
Open-source license	Not checked
Repository actively maintained	Not checked
Package deprecated	Not checked
Secret inputs marked as secret Credential-shaped inputs the publisher did not flag as secret may be logged by a client.	Not checked
Documented controls
Audit logging documented	Not documented
Access controls documented	Not documented
Data residency documented	Not documented
Data retention documented	Not documented

What remains unknown

8 of 18 criteria are undocumented. These are the questions to put to the vendor — not conclusions about the product.

Open-source license — no source found
Repository actively maintained — no source found
Package deprecated — no source found
Secret inputs marked as secret — no source found
Audit logging documented — no source found
Access controls documented — no source found
Data residency documented — no source found
Data retention documented — no source found

Turn these into a vendor questionnaire

How we checked

One unauthenticated initialize request, plus the two OAuth discovery documents. Nothing was installed or executed. The exact request headers are below so you can reproduce the result — endpoint behaviour can depend on them.

POST https://mcp.linear.app/mcp
user-agent: mcpcompare.ai/1.0 (+https://mcpcompare.ai/methodology/probe; probe@mcpcompare.ai)
content-type: application/json
accept: application/json, text/event-stream
mcp-protocol-version: 2025-06-18

-> HTTP 401  (auth-required)
   checked 2026-09-19T17:17:08.671Z

Questions people ask

Does the Linear MCP server require authentication?: Yes. When we connected to https://mcp.linear.app/mcp without credentials on 2026-09-19, it returned HTTP 401.
Can I grant read-only access to the Linear MCP server?: Yes. Its protected-resource metadata enumerates separate read and write scopes: read, write.
Can the Linear MCP server be self-hosted?: Not from the registry record. No installable package is declared, so the vendor-hosted endpoint is the only documented option.