Are both official and remote?

Yes. Both are official and offer OAuth-based remote access. Shortcut additionally provides a stdio option and supports a hosted no-token connection.

Which exposes more planning constructs?

Shortcut — its server reaches Stories, Epics, Iterations, Objectives, and full Docs CRUD, with tool filtering and read-only mode. Linear is tighter: issues and projects plus read-only access to documents, without Objectives or Iterations as first-class constructs.

Linear vs Shortcut

Linear MCP and Shortcut MCP both let an agent manage software issue tracking, and both are official remote servers reachable over OAuth — so the gap is less about hosting and more about each product's data model and how much of it the agent can reach. Linear's official server lets an agent create, search, and update issues and projects and read workspace documents, mapping to Linear's streamlined issues-and-projects model that fast-moving product teams favor. Shortcut's official server exposes a richer hierarchy: Stories, Epics, Iterations, Objectives, and Docs, with tool filtering and a read-only mode so you can scope exactly what the agent can do. Both connect a coding agent to the work backlog so it can link code to tickets, but Shortcut surfaces more first-class planning constructs (Objectives, Iterations) and full document tooling, while Linear reads documents and keeps issues and projects as its tight, fast core. The decision turns on which tracker your team uses and whether you want a lean issues-and-projects surface or a broader planning hierarchy with fine-grained tool scoping.

How they compare

Dimension	Linear	Shortcut
Data model exposed	Issues, projects, and read access to workspace documents — Linear's streamlined, opinionated core surface.	Stories, Epics, Iterations, Objectives, and Docs — a broader planning hierarchy.
Deployment	Official remote server over OAuth; zero local setup.	Official server offered both remote (OAuth) and as stdio, with a hosted no-token option.
Scoping controls	Acts within the user's Linear permissions; the surface is intentionally compact.	Tool filtering (expose only chosen tools) and a read-only mode for tighter control over agent actions.
Planning constructs	Projects group issues; the model stays lightweight and fast for product teams.	First-class Objectives and Iterations plus Docs, fitting teams that plan in those terms.
Best-fit task	Creating, searching, and updating issues and projects on Linear with a fast, minimal surface.	Driving a richer backlog — Stories, Epics, Iterations, Objectives, Docs — with read-only or filtered scoping.

Verdict

Pick by the tracker your team runs and how much planning structure you want the agent to touch. Reach for Linear MCP when you use Linear and want a lean, official remote server for creating, searching, and updating issues and projects with minimal setup. Reach for Shortcut MCP when you use Shortcut and want the agent to work across a broader hierarchy — Stories, Epics, Iterations, Objectives, and Docs — with tool filtering and a read-only mode to scope exactly what it can do. In short: Linear for a tight, fast issues-and-projects surface; Shortcut for a richer planning hierarchy with fine-grained agent scoping.

FAQ

Are both official and remote?: Yes. Both are official and offer OAuth-based remote access. Shortcut additionally provides a stdio option and supports a hosted no-token connection.
Which exposes more planning constructs?: Shortcut — its server reaches Stories, Epics, Iterations, Objectives, and full Docs CRUD, with tool filtering and read-only mode. Linear is tighter: issues and projects plus read-only access to documents, without Objectives or Iterations as first-class constructs.