Linear MCP Server vs Task Master AI

A side-by-side comparison of two Productivity servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Linear MCP Server Let LLMs create, search, update, and comment on Linear issues through the Model Context Protocol. Unverified stdio (local) API key Stale JavaScript	Task Master AI AI-powered task-management system for AI-driven development that drops into Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code, and more. Unverified stdio (local) API key JavaScript
Category	Productivity	Productivity
Language	JavaScript	JavaScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	344	28k
Last commit	1 year ago	2 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx @smithery/cli install linear-mcp-server --client claude`	`npx -y task-master-ai`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Linear MCP Server if you prefer its approach (let llms create, search, update, and comment on linear issues through the model context protocol).

Pick Task Master AI if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Add Linear MCP Server

Install / run

npx @smithery/cli install linear-mcp-server --client claude

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "linear-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "your_linear_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add Task Master AI

Install / run

npx -y task-master-ai

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "task-master-ai": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "task-master-ai"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "YOUR_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY_HERE",
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_HERE",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_KEY_HERE",
        "GOOGLE_API_KEY": "YOUR_GOOGLE_KEY_HERE",
        "MISTRAL_API_KEY": "YOUR_MISTRAL_KEY_HERE",
        "GROQ_API_KEY": "YOUR_GROQ_KEY_HERE",
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_KEY_HERE",
        "XAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_XAI_KEY_HERE",
        "AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_AZURE_KEY_HERE",
        "OLLAMA_API_KEY": "YOUR_OLLAMA_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Linear MCP Server or Task Master AI — which is better?

Pick Linear MCP Server if you prefer its approach (let llms create, search, update, and comment on linear issues through the model context protocol). Pick Task Master AI if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Can I use both Linear MCP Server and Task Master AI?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Linear MCP Server and Task Master AI work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Linear MCP Server →View Task Master AI →More comparisons →