Linear vs Plane for AI agents
As of 16 Oct 2026, Plane gets an AI agent further: L4 · Runs on its own against L1 · Needs a person.
- Find: Docs for agents: llms.txt and an MCP server; a docs page for each core task.
- Access: Can't sign up.
- Use: Work not reached.
- Pay: Payment not reached.
- Leave: Leaving not reached.
Stopped at sign up: needs a human. Next: let an agent sign up on its own
Linear is a project-management and issue-tracking tool. An agent could not even create an account: the sign-up form shows a visible "prove you're human" check (Cloudflare Turnstile) right after the email is entered. So nothing behind sign-up (creating issues, projects, using the API, paying for a plan) could be tried.
Driven 16 Oct 2026 · The drive and its evidence- Find: Docs for agents: llms.txt, an OpenAPI and an MCP server; a docs page for each core task.
- Access: MCP sign-in, sign-up in a browser.
- Use: 90% of the work.
- Pay: Payment not tried.
- Leave: Cancels on its own: Deletes its data, but the login stays.
Got in; first wall at delete (blocked). Next: pay without a person
Gets in on its own, L4 · Runs on its own: it signs up, confirms the emailed code, and does the project work over the documented API and the official MCP server, with clean read-back on every call. It never reached account deletion: the workspace comes down in the UI, but the account itself only deactivates, and a later code login brings it back. Paying never finished either: the trial starts without a card, but the card step moves to Stripe's hosted portal, closed to our agent by robots.txt there.
Gets furtherDriven 15 Oct 2026 · The drive and its evidenceThe two summaries: written by our agents from each product's drive. How we write.
Where each one stops.
LinearStopped at sign up: needs a human
PlaneGot in; first wall at delete (blocked)
| Checkpoint | Linear | Plane |
|---|---|---|
| Docs | Headless | Headless |
| Sign up | Needs a human | In a browser |
| Verify | Not reached | In a browser |
| Key | Not reached | In a browser |
| First call | Not reached | Headless |
| First action | Not reached | Headless |
| Pay | Not reached | In a browser |
| Cancel | Not reached | In a browser |
| Delete | Not reached | Blocked |
Headless or in a browser.
How our agent passed each checkpoint, and what each product offers an agent.
Checkpoints by route, API, MCP, CLI and SDK
| Linear | Plane | |
|---|---|---|
| Headless (checkpoints) | 1 | 3 |
| In a browser (checkpoints) | 0 | 5 |
| Needs a human (checkpoints) | 1 | 0 |
| Blocked (checkpoints) | 0 | 1 |
| Not tested (checkpoints) | 7 | 0 |
| Work done | Not measured | 90% of the core |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| OpenAPI | No | Yes |
| MCP server | Yes (official) | Yes (official) |
| CLI | No | No |
| SDK | – | – |
| llms.txt | Yes | Yes |
Bot checks, and where a person was needed.
| Linear | Plane | |
|---|---|---|
| Bot check | Cloudflare Turnstile stopped it at sign up, with a visible challenge | None met |
| Wall type | A check of our network and browser | No bot-check wall |
| First wall | Visible Turnstile on email sign-up | Got in; first wall at delete (blocked) |
| A person helped | No | No |
A check of our network and browser: It judged where our agent connects from and its browser, not a person. An agent that works on its own from a data center doesn't get through unless the owner lets signed agents in. How agents in a person's own browser fare isn't measured yet. Where we drive from.
Level and part scores.
| Linear | Plane | |
|---|---|---|
| Level | L1 · Needs a person | L4 · Runs on its own |
| Holds up | Not measured | 74 of 100, fair |
| Agent-ready setup | 75 of 100, fair | 100 of 100, good |
| Standards | MCP client registration (behind) | MCP spec of 25 Nov 2025 (1 version behind) · MCP discovery (behind) · MCP client registration (behind) · OpenAPI 3.1.0 (1 version behind) · A2A 0.3.0 (1 version behind) |
Docs match is measured in an Audit. What the scores mean.
Pay, cancel and delete.
| Linear | Plane | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay | Payment not reached | Payment not tried |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan | Trial, no card |
| Cancel | Not reached | In a browser |
| Delete the account | Not reached | Blocked |
How each one takes payment
- Linear: Payment not reached.
- Plane: Not tried yet.
Linear vs Plane: the short answers.
Which can an AI agent use, Linear or Plane?
Plane gets an AI agent further: L4 · Runs on its own against L1 · Needs a person. With Linear our agent was stopped at sign up (needs a human); with Plane it got in and met its first wall at delete (blocked). Driven 16 Oct 2026 (Linear) and 15 Oct 2026 (Plane).
Can an AI agent sign up for Linear and Plane on its own?
Linear: no, needs a human. Plane: yes, in a browser.
Do Linear and Plane have an MCP server?
Linear: yes (official). Plane: yes (official).
Can an AI agent delete its Linear or Plane account?
Linear: not reached. Plane: blocked.
The drives and the category.
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