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authentication.md

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authentication

the CLI supports multiple authentication methods with the following precedence:

  1. --api-key flag (explicit key for single command)
  2. LINEAR_API_KEY environment variable
  3. api_key in project .linear.toml config
  4. --workspace / -w flag → stored credentials lookup
  5. project's workspace config → stored credentials lookup
  6. default workspace from stored credentials

stored credentials (recommended)

credentials are stored in ~/.config/linear/credentials.toml and support multiple workspaces.

commands

linear auth login              # add a workspace (prompts for API key)
linear auth login --key <key>  # add with key directly (for scripts)
linear auth list               # list configured workspaces
linear auth default            # interactively set default workspace
linear auth default <slug>     # set default workspace directly
linear auth logout <slug>      # remove a workspace
linear auth logout <slug> -f   # remove without confirmation
linear auth whoami             # show current user and workspace
linear auth token              # print the resolved API key

adding workspaces

# first workspace becomes the default
$ linear auth login
Enter your Linear API key: ***
Logged in to workspace: Acme Corp (acme)
  User: Jane Developer <jane@acme.com>
  Set as default workspace

# add additional workspaces
$ linear auth login
Enter your Linear API key: ***
Logged in to workspace: Side Project (side-project)
  User: Jane Developer <jane@example.com>

listing workspaces

$ linear auth list
  WORKSPACE    ORG NAME      USER
* acme         Acme Corp     Jane Developer <jane@acme.com>
  side-project Side Project  Jane Developer <jane@example.com>

the * indicates the default workspace.

switching workspaces

# set a new default
linear auth default side-project

# or use -w flag for a single command
linear -w side-project issue list
linear -w acme issue create --title "Bug fix"

credentials file format

# ~/.config/linear/credentials.toml
default = "acme"
acme = "lin_api_xxx"
side-project = "lin_api_yyy"

environment variable

for simpler setups or CI environments, you can use an environment variable:

# bash/zsh
export LINEAR_API_KEY="lin_api_..."

# fish
set -Ux LINEAR_API_KEY "lin_api_..."

this takes precedence over stored credentials. if you have LINEAR_API_KEY set and try to use linear auth login, you'll see a warning:

Warning: LINEAR_API_KEY environment variable is set.
It takes precedence over stored credentials.
Remove it from your shell config to use multi-workspace auth.

project config

you can also set the API key in a project's .linear.toml:

api_key = "lin_api_..."
workspace = "acme"
team_id = "ENG"

this is useful for project-specific credentials but less secure than stored credentials since it may be committed to version control.

workspace matching

when your project config has a workspace setting:

# .linear.toml
workspace = "acme"
team_id = "ENG"

the CLI will automatically use the stored credentials for that workspace, even if a different workspace is your default. this lets you work on multiple projects with different workspaces without constantly switching.

creating an API key

  1. go to linear.app/settings/account/security
  2. scroll to "Personal API keys"
  3. click "Create key"
  4. give it a label (e.g., "CLI")
  5. copy the key (starts with lin_api_)

note: creating an API key requires member access; it is not available for guest accounts.