Linear MCP Server (official remote) vs mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API)

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

	Linear MCP Server (official remote) Linear's official hosted MCP server — find, create, and update issues, projects, and comments. Verified HTTP (remote) OAuth TypeScript	mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) Read, search, and edit your Obsidian vault through the Local REST API community plugin. Verified stdio (local) API key Python
Category	Productivity	Productivity
Language	TypeScript	Python
Transport	HTTP (remote)	stdio (local)
Auth	OAuth	API key
GitHub stars	1.6k	3.6k
Last commit	1 month ago	4 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`Add remote MCP URL https://mcp.linear.app/mcp and complete OAuth`	`uvx mcp-obsidian`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Linear MCP Server (official remote) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install.

Pick mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine.

Add Linear MCP Server (official remote)

Install / run

Add remote MCP URL https://mcp.linear.app/mcp and complete OAuth

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear-mcp-server-official-remote": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects to remote servers through the `mcp-remote` proxy (installed on first run via npx). Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Add mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API)

Install / run

uvx mcp-obsidian

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-obsidian-obsidian-local-rest-api": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-obsidian"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_HOST": "127.0.0.1",
        "OBSIDIAN_PORT": "27124",
        "OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "<your-obsidian-rest-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

FAQ

Linear MCP Server (official remote) or mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) — which is better?

Pick Linear MCP Server (official remote) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install. Pick mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine.

Can I use both Linear MCP Server (official remote) and mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API)?

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 (official remote) and mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Linear MCP Server (official remote) →View mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) →More comparisons →