Linear

What is Linear?

Linear is a project management and issue tracking tool built for product and engineering teams. Teams use it to file issues, plan cycles and projects, and track work from the first bug report to the shipped release. It is known for its speed and for a keyboard driven interface where almost every action has a shortcut.

Linear publishes its plans on linear.app/pricing. As of October 2026 the page lists four tiers. Free costs $0 and includes 250 issues, 2 teams and unlimited members. Basic is $10 per user per month billed yearly, with unlimited issues and up to 5 teams. Business is $16 per user per month billed yearly, with unlimited teams. Enterprise uses custom pricing with annual billing only. Prices are shown in US dollars.

If you searched for a Linear Mac download: Linear does ship an official desktop app. As of October 2026 you can download it for macOS and Windows from linear.app/download, and the Mac file is a universal DMG that runs on both Intel and Apple silicon. Linear's documentation says the desktop app integrates notifications with the operating system, shows unread notifications on the Dock icon, reduces conflicts between Linear's keyboard shortcuts and browser shortcuts, and supports tabs inside the app. The same documentation notes that nearly all of the desktop app's functionality, including offline mode, is also available on the web in most browsers. So the official app is a sound default, and Kagemusha is a second option for people who want Linear to live in a browser profile of its own.

Why Use Linear as a Desktop App on Mac with Kagemusha?

Linear is the place a product team returns to all day: to pick up the next issue, to check a cycle, to answer a comment. When it lives in a browser tab, it shares space with documentation, pull requests, dashboards and everything else you opened since the morning. Past twenty tabs the titles collapse into favicons, and getting back to Linear turns into a visual search. Kagemusha turns linear.app into a separate Mac app built on the Chromium based browser you already have, and adds browser features that some teams want to keep.

• One click from the Dock: no browser launch, no bookmark hunt. The icon is the Linear icon, so you never pick the wrong window
• It joins the Cmd+Tab rotation: moving between your editor, your terminal and Linear becomes a single keystroke instead of a tab search inside a browser
• An isolated profile per app: Kagemusha gives every app it builds its own profile, so cookies never mix with your main browser or with other apps
• Separate accounts, separate apps: if you work in Linear with a company account and a client account under different email addresses, build one app for each and keep both signed in
• Chrome extensions work: install a password manager, a translator or a screenshot tool from the Chrome Web Store directly inside the app
• The tab bar can disappear: hide the address bar and tab strip and the window shows nothing but your issues and projects

Two smaller settings matter more than they sound. A quit confirmation dialog can be switched on so Cmd+Q does not close Linear while you are halfway through writing an issue, and tab restore brings back the page you had open when you quit. Linear stops being something you re-open and becomes something you resume.

You pick the underlying engine when you create the app: Chrome, Chrome Canary, Chromium, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi or Opera. Kagemusha references the browser already installed on your Mac, so when that browser updates, your Linear app updates with it. The requirement is macOS 12 or later, on Intel or Apple silicon.

Recommended Usage

If you live in Linear all day. Engineers and product managers open Linear dozens of times a day, often between two other tasks. A Dock slot and a place in the Cmd+Tab rotation remove a small cost you were paying every time. The app also survives closing every browser window, which is the normal end of a busy afternoon.

If you hold more than one Linear account. Contractors and agencies often have a Linear account for their own company and another one invited by a client, each under a different email address. In a single browser that means signing out and back in. Build two Kagemusha apps instead, name them clearly, for example "Linear Studio" and "Linear Client", and both stay signed in with their own cookies.

If Linear is always open next to GitHub and Slack. Kagemusha's Space mode puts several services in one window with a sidebar to switch between them. Linear, GitHub and Slack in a single Space lets you read an issue, open the pull request and reply in the channel without hunting for three windows. Each service keeps its own view, so switching does not lose your place.

If you start the day with a fixed set of pages. Quick Setup opens several URLs as tabs when the app launches. Your team's current cycle, your own issue list and the roadmap can open together from one icon. Turn the tab bar on when you use this, otherwise the extra tabs load with no way to reach them.

If you want an AI agent to work in Linear. Kagemusha lets AI agents such as Claude Code, Codex, agy and Grok operate the apps you allow while those apps stay signed in. An agent can read the issue you point it to or update a status in the same Linear session you use, with no separate login. Only apps you explicitly allow are reachable, and URL rules can keep the app on linear.app so a stray link does not take it elsewhere.

How to Set Up

Kagemusha ships with presets for more than 300 services and Linear is one of them, so there is no URL or icon to prepare.

• Open Kagemusha and click "Create App"
• Type "Linear" in the preset search and select it
• Choose a browser engine. Chrome is the safe default
• Toggle the options you want: notifications, extensions, tab bar, incognito
• Click "Create". The .app is generated in a few seconds

The first launch shows the normal Linear sign-in screen. If you sign in with Google, a popup window opens for the OAuth flow. The default window handling mode, Smart, is built to allow authentication popups while blocking unwanted ones, so this works without changes. If a popup ever fails to appear, switch window handling to "Allow all" and try again. Two-factor authentication behaves exactly as it does in a browser.

You sign in once and the session is stored in that app's own profile. If you plan to create several apps for the same account, for example one plain Linear app and one Space that combines Linear with GitHub, the template profile feature lets you log in once and copy that signed-in state into new apps instead of repeating the process. Every option except the browser engine can be changed later from the app list.

The free tier creates up to three apps with no feature restrictions. Going beyond three requires Pro, a one-time purchase of $24.99, with no subscription.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is there an official Linear app for Mac, and where do I download it?

Yes. As of October 2026 Linear offers an official desktop app for macOS and Windows at linear.app/download. The Mac download is a universal DMG, and Linear's documentation lists support for both Intel and Apple silicon Macs. Linear also has iOS and Android apps, and the web app runs in most browsers.

Q. Linear already has a Mac app. Why would I use Kagemusha?

The official app is free and a good choice for most people. Kagemusha is useful when you want Linear inside a browser profile of its own: to keep separate Linear accounts signed in as separate apps, to run Chrome extensions inside the window, to group Linear with GitHub or Slack in one Space window, or to let an AI agent work in Linear while it stays signed in. Both can be installed on the same Mac.

Q. How do Linear pricing and Kagemusha pricing relate?

They are separate. Your Linear plan is billed by Linear. As of October 2026 the pricing page lists Free at $0 (250 issues, 2 teams), Basic at $10 per user per month billed yearly, Business at $16 per user per month billed yearly, and Enterprise with custom pricing. Kagemusha is free for up to three apps and $24.99 once for unlimited apps. Kagemusha does not change or resell your Linear subscription.

Q. Can I keep two Linear accounts signed in at the same time?

Yes. Each app Kagemusha builds gets its own profile, so two apps signed into two accounts stay signed in independently. Cookies and sessions never cross over, and logging out of one has no effect on the other.

Q. Will I get Linear notifications on macOS?

Enable notifications when you create the app and the site's notifications appear in the macOS Notification Center. Style and sound are then controlled per app under System Settings, Notifications.

Q. What are the system requirements?

macOS 12 or later, with at least one of Chrome, Chrome Canary, Chromium, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi or Opera installed. Intel and Apple silicon Macs are both supported.