Configuring the MCP Server in LinearB

This article describes how to configure the LinearB MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. You can connect in three ways, depending on your environment:

• Claude Desktop — using mcp-remote, which communicates with a remote LinearB MCP server through a JSON config file.
• Claude Code — using a single CLI command, which registers the LinearB MCP server directly.
• GitHub Copilot Chat (VS Code) — by adding an MCP configuration file (mcp.json) that enables Copilot Chat to communicate with the LinearB MCP server.

Once configured, all supported tools can connect to the LinearB MCP server and use LinearB-specific prompts and extended capabilities.

Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following:

• Homebrew installed (for Mac)
• Claude Desktop installed
• Your LinearB API Key

Installation Procedure

There are two setup options available:

• Option 1: Claude Desktop — configure via mcp-remote and JSON.

• Option 2: Claude Code — configure with a single CLI command.

Option 1: Configure with Claude Desktop

1. Run node --version in a terminal to check if Node.js is installed.

• If Node.js is installed, the command output displays a version number, for example v18.x.x.
• If Node.js is not installed, proceed with the relevant installation method, as described below.

1. Make the command line interface (CLI) available globally, by running npm install -g mcp-remote.
2. Locate the executables:

• Get path to node: which node
• Get path to mcp-remote: which mcp-remote

On Windows (Command Prompt or PowerShell), use:

where node

where mcp-remote

1. Save the two paths—they will be needed to configure Claude.
2. In Claude Desktop, go to Settings > Developer > Edit Config
3. Add the following JSON block:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linearb": {
      "command": "FULL_PATH_TO_NODE",
      "args": [
        "FULL_PATH_TO_MCP_REMOTE",
        "https://mcp.linearb.io/mcp",
        "--header",
        "x-api-key: YOUR-API-KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

1. Replace the following in the JSON block:

• FULL_PATH_TO_NODE: from which node or where node
• FULL_PATH_TO_MCP_REMOTE: from which mcp-remote or where mcp-remote
• YOUR-API-KEY: your actual LinearB API Key

1. Save the config file.

Adding LinearB MCP Support to Copilot Chat (VS Code)

If you want to use the LinearB MCP server inside GitHub Copilot Chat (VS Code), add the following configuration file.

1. Add the MCP JSON configuration file (VS Code users only):
   Create or update the file:
   /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Code/User/mcp.json
2. Add the following configuration:

   {
     "inputs": [
       {
         "id": "linearb-api-key",
         "type": "promptString",
         "description": "LinearB API Key",
         "password": true
       }
     ],
     "servers": {
       "linearb": {
         "type": "http",
         "url": "https://mcp.linearb.io/mcp",
         "headers": {
           "x-api-key": "<TOKEN>"
         }
       }
     }
   }

3. Save the file.

When opening VS Code:

• A Start button appears at the top of the MCP Servers list.
• Click Start to launch the LinearB MCP server.
• VS Code will prompt for your API key and automatically discover the available LinearB MCP tools.
• After discovery, Copilot Chat will be able to use the LinearB MCP server.

This step is required for Copilot Chat integration

1. Restart Claude Desktop.

Option 2: Configure with Claude Code

If you are using Claude Code instead of Claude Desktop, you don’t need to edit the JSON config manually. Instead, you can run a single command to connect directly to the LinearB MCP server:

claude mcp add --transport http linearb https://mcp.linearb.io/mcp --header "x-api-key: LINEARB_API_TOKEN"

Replace LINEARB_API_TOKEN with your actual LinearB API key.

Once executed, Claude Code will register the LinearB MCP server and make it available for use.

Usage

Once configured, the MCP server allows you to:

• Manage settings through a single JSON file instead of multiple manual configurations.
• Authenticate securely with your LinearB API token.
• Apply consistent configuration across environments.
• Access extended capabilities beyond the public API, using supported internal endpoints.
• Access Claude’s built-in Prompts panel to use LinearB-specific prompts.

Accessing the Prompts Panel in Claude Desktop

1. Open Claude Desktop. From the welcome screen, you’ll see the main prompt bar.
2. Click +, and select Add from LinearB Metrics to load the set of unique LinearB prompts.
3. Once enabled, these prompts will appear directly in the Claude interface, allowing you to quickly generate PR reports, lead time reports, merge rate reports, and other LinearB-specific outputs without additional configuration.

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