Key takeaways
- Linear shows no issue total or storage figure, so the count is the number of rows in the workspace CSV export, where each row is one issue.
- A workspace admin (an owner, on Enterprise) exports from Settings > Administration > Import Export, and the emailed link expires after 12 hours.
- The CSV has 29 issue fields but no comments and no attachment files; private teams are included only if the toggle is on, and view exports stop at 250 or 2,000 issues.
- You don't need to export anything to apply: have your issue count, years of history and seat count ready, and the data vendor anonymizes the records before any AI lab sees them.
01
What is Linear data, and why do AI labs and data vendors buy it?
The short answer
Linear data is the history of a company's planned and tracked software work: every issue (a task, bug or request), its status changes, who it was assigned to, and how it was grouped into projects and cycles. AI labs (companies that build and train AI models) and data vendors (companies that anonymize business records and package them for those labs) buy a copy because an issue shows how a product team turns a vague request into a defined piece of work and then finishes it.
What a Linear workspace records
Linear is a work-tracking app used mostly by software and product teams. A company's workspace is its own Linear account, and the records inside it are organized in layers.
- Team
- A group inside the workspace, such as Backend or Design, that owns its own issues and workflow.
- Issue
- One piece of work, such as a bug to fix or a feature to build, with a title, a description, a status, a priority and an assignee.
- Cycle
- A fixed period, often one or two weeks, in which a team plans to finish a chosen set of issues.
- Project and initiative
- A project groups the issues that deliver one result. An initiative groups several projects that serve one company goal.
- Parent issue
- A larger issue that is split into smaller sub-issues, which lets the history show how big work was broken down.
Why an issue teaches an AI model something
An AI model learns by studying a very large number of examples and finding the patterns in them, and those examples are called training data. An issue is a compact, complete example of a job. Its title and description state the problem in short, precise language, and its status, priority, estimate and timestamps record how the job moved from request to done.
AI labs now want to train AI agents, software that carries out a job step by step. An agent can learn how a team scopes a request by studying thousands of issues linked to their parent issues, cycles and projects. The full mechanism is in AI training data: why AI companies want your company's data.
How Linear fits into a dataset
Linear is one of several apps in a company's dataset, which usually also includes chat, email and documents. Companies are paid $100K to $2M or more per dataset, according to micro1, the data vendor we typically refer companies to. The price covers the whole dataset, not each app on its own, and what your data is worth explains what moves it.
02
Where does Linear show how much data you have?
The short answer
Linear shows neither a storage figure nor a single issue total for the workspace. The dependable count comes from the workspace CSV export, which a workspace admin starts at Settings > Administration > Import Export (an owner, on Enterprise): count the rows in the file, because each row is one issue.
How to count your issues
The steps below read the size of a workspace from Linear's own export. They use the same export you would later use for the full history, so the count and the data match.
- Sign in as a workspace admin. On an Enterprise plan, only an owner can export.
- Open Settings > Administration > Import Export. If your workspace has private teams, switch on the toggle that includes them.
- Click Export data at the bottom of the page.
- Wait for the email from Linear and open the link in it. The link expires after 12 hours, as Linear's export guide states.
- Open the CSV in a spreadsheet and count the rows. Each row is one issue, so the row count is your issue total.
Who can run the export, and what each role can pull
The role decides both whether you can export the whole workspace and how large a single view export can be. Linear also records each export in the workspace audit log.
| Role | Workspace export | Export from an issue view |
|---|---|---|
| Guest | No | No |
| Member | No | Up to 250 issues at a time |
| Admin | Yes | Up to 2,000 issues at a time |
| Owner on Enterprise | Yes, and the only role that can | Up to 2,000 issues at a time |
Why the count can fall short of everything the company has
Private teams are left out of the workspace export unless the toggle is on, so an admin who forgets it undercounts. A workspace on the Free plan also stops at 250 issues, according to Linear's pricing page, which means that number is a ceiling for that plan rather than the true size of the company's work.
The file counts issues only. Comments, which sit on each issue, are not a column in the export, so they do not add to the total.
03
What should you know about your Linear data before you apply?
The short answer
Have three facts ready: how many issues your workspace holds, how many years it has been in use and how many people hold a paid seat. They go into the data manifest, the written summary of which apps hold your records, how many years each covers and roughly how much. Applying shares no data, and you don't need to run an export first.
The number of issues
Report the row count from the workspace CSV as records. If you left private teams out, say so, because the figure is then a minimum.
The years of history
Sort the CSV by its Created column and read the year of the oldest row. If the company imported old tickets from another tracker, mention the move, since those issues may carry the import date.
The number of seats
Seats are the members billed on your plan. In Settings > Administration > Members, the Export CSV button downloads the member list, and a workspace admin (an owner, on Enterprise) can use it.
What you don't need to do first
You don't need to export anything to apply, and you don't need to clean or scrub the records. The data vendor anonymizes them before anyone else sees them, and nothing moves until a lawyer-reviewed license is signed. The application, the intro call and each later step are laid out in how to sell your company's data.
04
How do you export your full Linear history?
The short answer
A workspace admin (an owner, on Enterprise) opens Settings > Administration > Import Export, clicks Export data and downloads the CSV from the email Linear sends. The link works for 12 hours. The file holds 29 issue fields but no comments and no attachment files, so a developer has to pull those through Linear's API.
Who can export
Run the export as a workspace admin, or as an owner on an Enterprise plan. Guests cannot export, and members can only export a view of up to 250 issues.
The steps for a full workspace export
- Sign in as a workspace admin (an owner, on Enterprise).
- Go to Settings > Administration > Import Export.
- Turn on the toggle for private teams if the workspace has any you want in the file.
- Click Export data at the bottom of the page.
- Open the email from Linear and download the CSV before the link expires 12 hours later.
These steps follow Linear's Exporting Data page. Linear gives no estimate of how long the file takes to arrive, so start early and watch for the email.
What the 29 columns hold
Each row is one issue, and the columns are grouped below by what they describe.
- Identity and text
- ID, Team, Title and Description.
- Workflow
- Status, Estimate, Priority, Labels and SLA Status.
- People
- Creator and Assignee.
- Planning links
- Project ID, Project, Cycle Number, Cycle Name, Cycle Start, Cycle End, Parent issue, Initiatives, Project Milestone ID and Project Milestone, plus Due Date.
- Timestamps
- Created, Updated, Started, Triaged, Completed, Canceled and Archived.
Which export suits which job
The workspace export is the route for a complete history, and the other exports cover smaller slices. The table lists them, and the diagram after it compares the first two.
| Export | Where | Size limit | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workspace CSV | Settings > Administration > Import Export > Export data | No limit stated | Admin (owner on Enterprise) |
| Issue view CSV | Command menu (Ctrl or Cmd + K) in any issue list, project or view | 250 issues for members, 2,000 for admins | Member and up; not guests |
| Project and initiative CSV | Command menu on a project or initiative view | Up to 200 at a time for members | Member and admin |
| Member list CSV | Settings > Administration > Members > Export CSV | The whole list | Admin (owner on Enterprise) |
What the exports leave out
The CSV has no comment column in Linear's documented field list, and attachment files are never included, though links to them may appear inside issue descriptions. Teams cannot be exported as a file at all. For comments and files, a developer can read issues and more through Linear's API, and the guide describes that route and its webhooks without giving a menu.
Other ways Linear lets you copy issues
A single issue can be saved as a PDF from the browser's print dialog, and the shortcut Cmd + Opt + C copies an issue as Markdown with its description, comments and customer requests. Those are useful for a few issues and impractical for thousands.
Sources: Linear Docs, Exporting Data, and Linear's pricing page. Steps checked against these pages in November 2026.
05
What stays private when Linear data is licensed?
The short answer
The company decides which teams are in scope, and the data vendor replaces names and other personal details with consistent stand-ins before an AI lab sees anything. The company keeps ownership of its Linear history, and the license covers defined records for a defined use.
You choose what is in scope
Private teams stay out of the export unless an admin switches the toggle on, so the company controls whether they are ever included. A company can also leave security, HR or customer-specific teams out of what it licenses, and the data vendor deletes records too sensitive to clean safely.
Names are replaced before a lab sees them
Anonymization means replacing every detail that identifies a person, such as a name or an email address, with a stand-in that is the same every time it appears. The issue still reads in order, so a lab can learn from it, but it no longer says who was involved. The diagram shows one issue before and after.
The method, including what is deleted outright and how you review samples, is in how company data is anonymized for AI training.
Ownership and payment
Licensing gives the buyer limited rights to a copy, while the company keeps ownership of the originals. Exclusivity, permitted use and deletion are covered in data licensing. micro1 pays in full within 30 days of accepting the data, usually as a single payment.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Does the Linear export include attachments?
No. The CSV never contains attachment files, although links to them may appear in issue descriptions. A developer can fetch the files themselves through Linear's API.
How long is the Linear export link valid?
The download link in the email expires after 12 hours. If it lapses, an admin can start a new export from the same Import Export page.
Who can export a Linear workspace?
Workspace admins can, and on Enterprise plans only owners can. Members can export an issue view of up to 250 issues, and guests cannot export issues at all.
Why does our Linear export only have 250 issues?
Either the workspace is on the Free plan, which Linear limits to 250 issues, or the file came from a view export, which caps members at 250 issues and admins at 2,000. Run the full workspace export from Settings > Administration > Import Export to get every issue.
Does the Linear CSV include comments?
No. Linear's list of fields for the export has no comment column. Comments come through the API, or one issue at a time by copying it as Markdown.
Do we need to export Linear before we apply?
No. The application shares no data. For the intro call you need your issue count, your years of history and your seat count, and the workspace CSV gives you the first two. The full export is needed later, when the records are transferred after you sign the license.
Can we license only some Linear teams?
Yes. The company chooses the teams in scope, and private teams are excluded from the export unless the toggle is on. Make sure the issue count you report matches the teams you intend to license.
What is Linear data worth to AI labs and data vendors?
Linear history is priced as part of a whole dataset, not on its own. Companies are paid $100K to $2M or more per dataset, according to micro1, and the price depends on the years of history and how completely the records show each job. What your data is worth explains the factors.
Bottom line
Know what is in Linear, then see what it is worth
You don't need to export anything to apply. Apply in two minutes, describe your records on the intro call, and micro1, the data vendor we typically refer companies to, prices the whole dataset and sends an offer 1–2 days later.
Not legal, tax or financial advice. Figures come from micro1's published pages and public reporting as of November 2026.