Linear vs Shortcut for AI agents

As of 16 Oct 2026, Shortcut gets an AI agent further: L4 · Runs on its own against L1 · Needs a person.

LinearL1Needs 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

ShortcutL4Runs on its own

Find: Docs for agents: llms.txt, an OpenAPI and an MCP server.
Access: Sign-up in a browser.
Use: 88% of the work.
Pay: Card checkout.
Leave: Nothing to cancel: Can't delete its account.

Got in; first wall at delete (blocked). Next: pay without a person

Gets in on its own: L4 · Runs on its own. Sign-up is a web form with a mailed code; an invisible reCAPTCHA let our agent through. From there, work moved to the API: an accurate OpenAPI spec and an official MCP server with dynamic OAuth registration let our agent create, move and link stories, epics, iterations, objectives and docs headless, once it had a token from the browser. Our agent started no paid plan, so there was nothing to cancel. Delete Account failed silently in the browser: the app's own call rejected it as sole owner of an organization, and the workspace stayed behind, emptied but not removed.

Gets furtherDriven 2 Oct 2026 · The drive and its evidence

The 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

ShortcutGot in; first wall at delete (blocked)

Linear and Shortcut, checkpoint by checkpoint
Checkpoint	Linear	Shortcut
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	Not tried
Cancel	Not reached	Not needed
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

Checkpoints by how our agent passed them, and what each product offers an agent
	Linear	Shortcut
Headless (checkpoints)	1	3
In a browser (checkpoints)	0	3
Needs a human (checkpoints)	1	0
Blocked (checkpoints)	0	1
Not tested (checkpoints)	7	1
Work done	Not measured	88% of the core
API	Yes	Yes
OpenAPI	No	Yes
MCP server	Yes (official)	Yes (official)
CLI	No	No
SDK	–	No
llms.txt	Yes	Yes

Bot checks, and where a person was needed.

Walls our agent met
	Linear	Shortcut
Bot check	Cloudflare Turnstile stopped it at sign up, with a visible challenge	reCAPTCHA (script on www.shortcut.com/signup) let it through at sign up
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 and Shortcut: level and part scores, 0 to 100
	Linear	Shortcut
Level	L1 · Needs a person	L4 · Runs on its own
Agent-ready setup	75 of 100, fair	90 of 100, good
Standards	MCP client registration (behind)	None recorded

Holds up: not measured in these drives. Docs match is measured in an Audit. What the scores mean.

Pay, cancel and delete.

Paying, cancelling and deleting the account
	Linear	Shortcut
Pay	Payment not reached	Card checkout
Free plan or trial	Free plan	Trial, no card
Cancel	Not reached	Not needed
Delete the account	Not reached	Blocked

How each one takes payment

Linear: Payment not reached.
Shortcut: Card checkout.

Linear vs Shortcut: the short answers.

Which can an AI agent use, Linear or Shortcut?

Shortcut 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 Shortcut it got in and met its first wall at delete (blocked). Driven 16 Oct 2026 (Linear) and 2 Oct 2026 (Shortcut).

Can an AI agent sign up for Linear and Shortcut on its own?

Linear: no, needs a human. Shortcut: yes, in a browser.

Do Linear and Shortcut have an MCP server?

Linear: yes (official). Shortcut: yes (official).

Can an AI agent delete its Linear or Shortcut account?

Linear: not reached. Shortcut: blocked.