Hermes Linear lets your Hermes agent find, create and update Linear issues for you, and since Hermes Agent v0.22.0 you can set it up by just asking. You say "connect Linear", approve it in your browser once, and the agent starts working your backlog in that same turn.
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That turns Linear from a place you update into a place your agent updates. Below: the jobs worth handing over, how the new Connectors setup works, the Linear MCP alternative, and the guardrails that keep it safe.
What Hermes Linear can do after v0.22
The v0.22.0 release, the Threshold Release, went live on GitHub on 14 October 2026. Its release notes name Linear as one of the first hosted apps the agent can act in through Connectors, the new route that runs through the Nous tool gateway.
Before this, wiring an agent into Linear meant setting up a server, pasting tokens and restarting. Now the flow is:
- You ask for the app.
- You sign in once in your browser.
- The tools are usable in the same turn.
You don't need a Nous account either. The first time you use an app, Hermes makes a free connectors-only identity for you.
I run Hermes daily inside my Agent OS with a separate profile per model, and project tracking is exactly where an always-on agent pays off. If you want that full setup, the AI Profit Boardroom ($69/mo) includes the Agent OS, a 30-day AI agent roadmap, daily tutorials as new tools drop, 4 coaching calls a week and the prompt library, with 3,400+ members inside.
Five Linear jobs to hand your agent
The official Linear entry in the Hermes MCP catalog describes the surface as finding, creating and updating Linear issues, projects and comments. That's plenty to take real work off your plate.
1. Triage the inbox
Ask the agent to pull every new issue without a priority, read each one, and suggest a priority and owner. You review the list and say go. The boring sorting is done before your first coffee.
2. Turn chats into issues
This is the one I'd start with. A bug report lands in a chat, you forward it to Hermes, and it writes a clean Linear issue with a title, steps and context. Hermes runs on Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp and more, so the issue can start wherever the conversation does.
3. Write the standup summary
Have it find everything updated since yesterday and write a three-line summary per project. Paste it into your team channel or keep it for yourself.
4. Keep comments moving
Ask it to add a status comment to an issue after it finishes a task, so the ticket reflects reality without you typing it.
5. Bridge Linear with your notes
Connect Notion as well and the agent can turn a meeting page into a set of Linear issues. I covered that side in Hermes Notion.
Not sure which of these would actually move the needle for your team? Book a free AI strategy session and we'll pick the first workflow together.
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Setting up the Linear connector
There are three ways in. All end in the same place.
- In chat. Type "connect Linear". The agent uses its manage_connections tool. In the desktop app a setup card appears and waits for you. Everywhere else, including messaging apps, you get a connect link to open.
- From the terminal. Run hermes connectors connect linear. It prints the link and waits until the account is connected or the deadline passes.
- From the desktop app. Open the new Connectors page, which lists hosted apps and your MCP servers together and replaces the old MCP tab.
Connector tools don't get installed on your machine. They stay on the gateway, and Hermes pulls them in through tool_search when a job needs them. If the agent reaches for a Linear tool before you've signed in, it gets a CONNECTION_REQUIRED error and offers the sign-in instead.
Want to see which commands exist? hermes connectors list shows every connector and whether it's connected.
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The Linear MCP route
If you've been searching "hermes linear mcp", that route still exists and it's well documented. Linear is in the Hermes MCP catalog, the list of servers Nous has reviewed and approved. Per its manifest it points at Linear's own hosted server at mcp.linear.app and uses OAuth, so nothing runs locally.
You can ask in chat, "add the Linear MCP", and a setup card appears. Or run hermes mcp install linear. On first connection Hermes sends you to Linear to approve access, then you restart the session so the tools load.
Here's how the two routes compare:
| Linear connector | Linear MCP server | |
|---|---|---|
| Added | New in v0.22 | MCP catalog entry |
| Setup | "connect Linear" or hermes connectors connect linear | "add the Linear MCP" or hermes mcp install linear |
| Sign-in | Browser, through the Nous tool gateway | OAuth straight with Linear's hosted server |
| Tools ready | Same turn | Same turn from the card, or after a session restart |
| Several workspaces | Yes, named accounts | Named accounts are a connector feature |
| Pick which tools load | Gateway decides | Checklist at install, change it with hermes mcp configure linear |
The MCP route has one clear edge: control. At install Hermes probes the server and shows a checklist of every tool. Per the manifest, everything starts pre-checked and you untick what you don't want. Running hermes mcp configure linear reopens that list any time.
Working on a headless server? v0.22 added hermes mcp login linear --flow device, a device-code login for terminals without a browser. It works when the server supports device authorization.
Keeping client and internal workspaces apart
Agencies and freelancers often juggle more than one Linear workspace. The connector handles that with named accounts. Connect one as internal and another as a client name with hermes connectors connect linear --alias acme.
When two or more named accounts are active, there's no default. Every Linear tool takes a connector_alias field, and if the agent skips it, the call fails and lists the valid names. So an issue can't quietly land in the wrong workspace.
In the TUI, /connectors opens the account list where you can rename, add, reconnect or remove. On the CLI, hermes connectors accounts linear lists them.
Guardrails worth knowing
- The agent never removes an account. Disconnecting is yours, one at a time.
- Reconnecting is safe. A broken account gets replaced under the same name and the old one is kept as retired.
- You can switch it all off. tools.connectors.enabled: false in config.yaml disables connectors. nous.guest: false stops guest identities.
- Your model stays yours. The free identity is for connectors and managed tools. It doesn't change your model provider.
Connectors aren't the same as plugins. If you want to extend Hermes further, v0.22 also launched a 600-plugin catalog, and my pick of the best Hermes Agent plugins is a good place to start. If your agent also needs to log into websites, the new password-manager sign-in is covered in Hermes 1Password.
Picking the model behind your triage agent matters too. Goldie Bench shows how models handle real agent work, and the Agent OS guide shows how I split jobs across profiles. For a hand building it, grab a free AI strategy session.
FAQ
Do I need a Linear API key for Hermes?
Not for the connector or the MCP server. Both use a browser sign-in. You approve access in Linear and Hermes handles the rest.
Do I need a Nous account?
No. Hermes creates a free connectors-only identity the first time you connect an app, unless you've set nous.guest: false.
Can I use the connector and the MCP server together?
They're separate routes and both appear on the Connectors page. Most people only need one. Start with the connector and add the MCP server if you want tool-level control.
Which Hermes version do I need?
Connectors arrived in v0.22.0. Update with hermes update, then ask for Linear.
Ready to let your agent run the backlog? Join the AI Profit Boardroom for the Agent OS and step-by-step Hermes tutorials, or book a free AI strategy session and we'll build your first Linear workflow together.
