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AI-powered LinkedIn analytics, content creation, and engagement automation through MCP

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LinkedIn Content Intelligence Platform

Your AI-powered content strategist for LinkedIn.

Create compelling content, analyze what resonates with your audience, research industry trends, and build meaningful professional relationships—all through natural conversation with Claude.

A Content-First Approach to LinkedIn

This isn't another automation tool for mass outreach. It's a Content Intelligence Platform designed for professionals who value quality over quantity.

What makes this different:

  • Content Strategy Focus: Understand what content performs, why it resonates, and how to improve
  • Authentic Engagement: Build genuine professional relationships, not spray-and-pray automation
  • Research-Driven: Make informed decisions based on real data about your audience and industry
  • Quality Over Quantity: Craft thoughtful content rather than churning out generic posts

The Power of AI-Assisted Workflows

Imagine this: You ask Claude to research a competitor's content strategy. Minutes later, you understand their top-performing topics, posting patterns, and engagement drivers. You craft a differentiated response post, Claude helps optimize it for your audience, and you schedule it for when your network is most active.

Cross-platform intelligence:

LinkedIn Research → Blog Post → WordPress Publish → LinkedIn Promotion
  1. Analyze trending topics from industry thought leaders
  2. Develop a unique perspective with Claude's help
  3. Publish to your blog (via another MCP)
  4. Share insights with your LinkedIn network

This is content intelligence—understanding your professional landscape and creating content that genuinely adds value.

Who Is This For?

Content Creators & Thought Leaders

  • Develop and refine your content strategy with data-driven insights
  • Understand what topics resonate with your audience
  • Build a consistent publishing cadence with draft management and scheduling
  • Analyze engagement patterns to continuously improve

Marketing & Brand Teams

  • Research competitor content strategies and positioning
  • Track industry trends and thought leadership topics
  • Measure content performance and engagement metrics
  • Coordinate team content calendars

Professionals Building Their Brand

  • Craft authentic content that showcases expertise
  • Engage meaningfully with your professional network
  • Research industry conversations before contributing
  • Build genuine connections with relevant professionals

Analysts & Researchers

  • Gather company and professional data for market research
  • Analyze engagement patterns and content trends
  • Generate comprehensive reports on LinkedIn presence
  • Track industry movements and competitive intelligence

Features

Content Creation

Feature Description
Text Posts Create and publish professional posts with AI assistance
Image Posts Share images with captions and hashtags
Polls Create interactive polls to engage your audience
Comments Comment on posts (images supported in nested replies only)
Rich Formatting AI-optimized content with hooks, CTAs, and hashtags

Content Planning

Feature Description
Draft Management Save, edit, and organize drafts with tags
Post Scheduling Schedule posts for optimal engagement times
Content Calendar View and manage your scheduled content
Content Analysis Get AI suggestions to improve engagement

Profile Research

Feature Description
Profile Viewing View detailed LinkedIn profiles
Profile Enrichment Get comprehensive profile data with multi-source fallback
Profile Interests Discover who/what a person follows (influencers, companies, topics)
Similar Profiles Find profiles similar to a given person
Profile Articles Get articles written by any profile
Skills & Endorsements View skills and endorsement data

Company Research

Feature Description
Company Search Search for companies by keywords
Company Details Get company info, employee counts, and descriptions
Company by Domain Look up companies by website domain
Organization Insights Follower counts and engagement data

Analytics & Engagement

Feature Description
Post Analytics Reactions, comments, and engagement metrics (via official API)
Content Performance Analyze what content works best
Optimal Posting Times Derived insights from your engagement patterns
Hashtag Analysis Derived insights from your post performance
Engagement Reports Comprehensive performance reports
Profile Views Track who's viewing your profile

Messaging & Conversations

Feature Description
View Conversations Browse your LinkedIn message threads
Read Messages Access conversation history with connections
Send Messages Message your connections directly
Conversation Management Mark conversations as read

Note: Messaging features are designed for maintaining existing professional relationships. LinkedIn's terms of service prohibit automated mass messaging.

Connections & Networking

Feature Description
View Invitations See pending connection requests
Send Requests Connect with professionals (with optional message)
Manage Invitations Accept or decline connection requests
Connection Management Manage your professional network

Best Practice: Connection requests should be personalized and relevant. Sending mass requests violates LinkedIn's terms and damages your professional reputation.

Job Intelligence

Feature Description
Job Search Search postings with filters (keywords, location, remote, experience)
Job Details Get comprehensive job posting information
Skills Analysis See required skills for positions

Important: Required Accounts & Services

This MCP server cannot function without external account setup. Simply installing the code is not enough. Most features require one or more of the accounts described below. If you skip this section, you will encounter permission errors and non-functional tools.

What You Need (At a Glance)

Account / Service Cost What It Unlocks Required?
LinkedIn Account Free Everything — base requirement Yes
LinkedIn Developer App Free Posting, analytics, profile data via OAuth Yes
RapidAPI Account + API Subscriptions Free tier available Profile/company research, search, articles Highly Recommended
Browser Cookies Free Messaging, connections, job search, people search Optional
Playwright Browser Free Browser automation fallback for data retrieval Optional

Feature-to-Account Mapping

Use this table to determine exactly which accounts you need based on the features you want:

Feature LinkedIn Developer App RapidAPI Subscription Browser Cookies
Create/edit/delete posts "Share on LinkedIn" product - -
Create polls "Share on LinkedIn" product - -
Post images/videos/documents "Share on LinkedIn" product - -
Post scheduling & drafts "Share on LinkedIn" product - -
View your own profile OAuth (basic scopes) - -
Post analytics (official) "Share on LinkedIn" product - -
Comments & reactions "Community Management API" product - -
Ad search & transparency "Ad Library API" product - -
Profile research (others) - Yes (Professional Network Data API) Fallback only
Company research - Yes (Professional Network Data API) Fallback only
People/company search - Yes (Pro plan or higher) Fallback only
Article retrieval - Yes (Professional Network Data API) -
Similar profiles - Yes (Professional Network Data API) -
Profile interests - Yes (Professional Network Data API) -
Messaging (read/send) - - Required
Connection management - - Required
Job search - - Required
Content performance analytics - Yes (for post data retrieval) Fallback only

Step 1: LinkedIn Developer App

This is required for all official API features (posting, analytics, comments).

  1. Go to the LinkedIn Developer Portal

  2. Click "Create app"

  3. Fill in the required details:

    • App name: e.g., "My LinkedIn MCP"
    • LinkedIn Page: You must associate a LinkedIn Company Page. If you don't have one, create a Company Page first (it can be minimal).
    • Privacy policy URL: Your website URL or LinkedIn profile URL

  4. Request API Products (under the "Products" tab):

    Product How to Get It What It Enables
    Share on LinkedIn Click "Request access" — instant approval Creating posts, images, polls, scheduling
    Sign In with LinkedIn using OpenID Connect Click "Request access" — instant approval OAuth authentication, profile data
    Community Management API Click "Request access" — requires LinkedIn review (may take days) Comments, reactions, mentions
    Ad Library API Click "Request access" — requires LinkedIn review Searching LinkedIn ads

  5. Go to the "Auth" tab:

    • Copy your Client ID and Client Secret (you'll need these later)
    • Under "OAuth 2.0 settings", add this redirect URL: http://localhost:8765/callback

Note on Community Management API: This product requires LinkedIn to review and approve your application. Without it, commenting on posts and adding reactions will not work. You can still use all other posting features while you wait for approval.

Step 2: RapidAPI Account

This is required for profile research, company lookups, search, and article retrieval. Without it, these features fall back to unreliable cookie-based methods that are prone to LinkedIn's bot detection.

  1. Create a free RapidAPI account at rapidapi.com/signup

  2. Subscribe to the Professional Network Data API (primary data source — 55 endpoints):

    • Go to: Professional Network Data API

    • Click "Subscribe" and select a plan:

      Plan Price What You Get
      Basic Free (limited requests) Profile lookups, company data, posts, articles
      Pro $50/month All Basic features + search, higher limits
      Ultra $175/month Higher rate limits
      Mega $500/month Highest rate limits

    • The Basic (free) plan is sufficient to get started with profile and company lookups.

  3. (Optional) Subscribe to the Fresh LinkedIn Data API (secondary/fallback data source):

  4. Copy your RapidAPI key:

    • Go to any subscribed API page on RapidAPI
    • Your API key appears in the "Header Parameters" section as X-RapidAPI-Key
    • This single key works for all APIs you've subscribed to on RapidAPI

Important: The same RapidAPI key is used for both the Professional Network Data API and the Fresh LinkedIn Data API. You only need one RapidAPI account, but you must subscribe to each API product separately.

Step 3: Browser Cookies (Optional)

Required for: messaging, connections, job search, and people search via LinkedIn's unofficial API.

These features use LinkedIn's internal (unofficial) API, which requires your browser session cookies. This is safe — cookies are stored locally and never sent anywhere except to LinkedIn.

# Extract cookies from your browser (after logging into LinkedIn)
linkedin-mcp-auth extract-cookies --browser chrome

Supported browsers: Chrome, Arc, Brave, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Opera GX, Vivaldi, Chromium, Safari, LibreWolf.

Note: Browser cookies expire every 24-48 hours. You'll need to re-run the extract command periodically. If messaging or connection features stop working, refresh your cookies first.

Step 4: Playwright (Optional)

Optional browser automation fallback for data retrieval when other methods fail.

playwright install chromium

This installs a headless browser that acts as a last-resort data source if APIs and cookies are unavailable.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Installation

git clone https://github.com/southleft/linkedin-mcp.git
cd linkedin-mcp

# Install with uv (recommended)
uv venv && source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install -e .

# Optional: Install browser automation fallback
playwright install chromium

Configuration

Create a .env file in the project root:

# LinkedIn OAuth (Required — from LinkedIn Developer Portal)
LINKEDIN_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
LINKEDIN_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
LINKEDIN_API_ENABLED=true

# RapidAPI Key (Recommended — from your RapidAPI dashboard)
# Powers profile/company research, search, and articles
THIRDPARTY_RAPIDAPI_KEY=your_api_key

Note: Without the RapidAPI key, profile and company lookups fall back to cookie-based methods which are unreliable and prone to LinkedIn's bot detection. See Step 2: RapidAPI Account for setup instructions.

Authentication

# Authenticate with LinkedIn (opens browser for OAuth flow)
linkedin-mcp-auth oauth

# Optional: Include Community Management API scope for comments/reactions
linkedin-mcp-auth oauth --community-management

# Optional: Extract cookies for messaging, connections, and job search
linkedin-mcp-auth extract-cookies --browser chrome

# Verify your setup
linkedin-mcp-auth status

Connect to Claude Desktop

Add the following to your Claude Desktop config file:

Platform Config Location
macOS ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Complete configuration example:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linkedin": {
      "command": "/path/to/linkedin-mcp/.venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["-m", "linkedin_mcp.main"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/linkedin-mcp",
      "env": {
        "LINKEDIN_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "LINKEDIN_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret",
        "LINKEDIN_API_ENABLED": "true",
        "THIRDPARTY_RAPIDAPI_KEY": "your_api_key",
        "PYTHONPATH": "/path/to/linkedin-mcp/src",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "INFO"
      }
    }
  }
}

Critical: Claude Desktop does not read .env files—all environment variables must be explicitly passed in the config.

After updating the config:

  1. Quit Claude Desktop completely
  2. Reopen Claude Desktop
  3. The LinkedIn MCP server will connect automatically

Connect to Claude Code

Add to ~/.claude.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linkedin-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/path/to/linkedin-mcp/.venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["-m", "linkedin_mcp.main"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/linkedin-mcp",
      "env": {
        "LINKEDIN_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "LINKEDIN_CLIENT_SECRET": "your_client_secret",
        "LINKEDIN_API_ENABLED": "true",
        "THIRDPARTY_RAPIDAPI_KEY": "your_api_key",
        "PYTHONPATH": "/path/to/linkedin-mcp/src"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run /mcp in Claude Code to connect.

Usage Examples

Content Creator Workflow

You: "Create a LinkedIn post about the importance of continuous learning in tech"

Claude: Here's a draft optimized for engagement:

"In tech, the moment you stop learning is the moment you start falling behind.

Every new framework, language, or methodology is an opportunity to expand your toolkit and thinking.

The best engineers I know aren't just skilled—they're perpetually curious.

What are you learning this week?

#ContinuousLearning #TechCareers #GrowthMindset"

Should I post this now, schedule it, or save as a draft?

Content Planning

You: "Save this as a draft for my product launch and schedule it for Tuesday 9am"

Claude: Done! I've:
1. Saved your draft titled "Product Launch"
2. Scheduled it for Tuesday, 9:00 AM (your timezone)

You can view your drafts anytime or adjust the schedule.

Profile Research

You: "Look up the CEO of Microsoft on LinkedIn"

Claude: Found Satya Nadella's profile:
- Chairman and CEO at Microsoft
- Focus on cloud computing and AI transformation
- Author and thought leader in technology

Would you like me to find similar profiles or see their recent articles?

Company Research

You: "Look up information about anthropic.com"

Claude: Found Anthropic:
- AI safety company
- Headquarters in San Francisco
- Focus on AI research and safety

Would you like more details or to search for employees?

Available Tools

See CAPABILITIES.md for the complete tool reference with 83 tools across 14 categories.

Content Creation

Tool Description
create_post(text, visibility) Publish a text post
create_image_post(text, image_path, alt_text) Post with an image
create_poll(question, options, duration_days) Create an interactive poll
create_comment(post_urn, text) Comment on a post
delete_post(post_urn) Remove a published post

Draft Management

Tool Description
create_draft(content, title, tags) Save content for later
list_drafts(tag) View all saved drafts
get_draft(draft_id) Get a specific draft
update_draft(draft_id, content, title, tags) Edit a draft
delete_draft(draft_id) Remove a draft
publish_draft(draft_id, visibility) Publish a saved draft
analyze_draft_content(content, industry) Get AI suggestions

Scheduling

Tool Description
schedule_post(content, scheduled_time, timezone) Schedule for future
list_scheduled_posts(status) View scheduled posts
get_scheduled_post(job_id) Get schedule details
update_scheduled_post(job_id, content, time) Modify scheduled post
cancel_scheduled_post(job_id) Cancel a scheduled post

Profile Research

Tool Description
get_my_profile() Get your LinkedIn profile
get_profile(profile_id) View any LinkedIn profile
get_profile_contact_info(profile_id) Get contact details
get_profile_skills(profile_id) Get skills and endorsements
get_profile_interests(profile_id) Get interests (influencers, companies, topics)
get_similar_profiles(profile_id, limit) Find similar profiles
get_profile_articles(profile_id, limit) Get articles written by profile
get_auth_status() Check authentication status
get_rate_limit_status() Monitor API usage

Company Research

Tool Description
search_people(keywords, limit, keyword_title) Find professionals
search_companies(keywords, limit) Search for companies
get_company(public_id) Get company details
get_company_by_domain(domain) Look up company by website domain
get_article(article_url) Get full article content
get_organization_followers(organization_id) Get follower count

Analytics

Tool Description
get_feed(limit) Get your LinkedIn feed
get_profile_posts(profile_id, limit) Get posts from a profile
get_profile_views() Get your profile view statistics
get_post_reactions(post_urn) Get reactions on a post
get_post_comments(post_urn) Get comments on a post
analyze_engagement(post_urn) Deep engagement analysis
analyze_content_performance(profile_id) Content patterns
analyze_optimal_posting_times(profile_id) Best times to post
analyze_hashtag_performance(profile_id) Hashtag effectiveness
generate_engagement_report(profile_id) Full engagement report

Messaging

Tool Description
get_conversations(limit) List all message conversations
get_conversation(conversation_urn) Get messages from a conversation
get_conversation_details(profile_urn) Get conversation ID for a profile
send_message(conversation_urn, text) Send a message to a conversation
mark_conversation_as_seen(conversation_urn) Mark conversation as read

Connections

Tool Description
get_invitations(limit) Get pending connection requests
send_connection_request(profile_id, message) Send a connection request
reply_invitation(invitation_urn, action) Accept or reject an invitation
remove_connection(profile_id) Remove a connection

Job Search

Tool Description
search_jobs(keywords, location, remote, ...) Search job postings
get_job(job_id) Get detailed job information
get_job_skills(job_id) Get required skills for a job

CLI Commands

# Authentication
linkedin-mcp-auth status              # Check auth status
linkedin-mcp-auth oauth               # Authenticate via OAuth
linkedin-mcp-auth oauth --force       # Force re-authentication
linkedin-mcp-auth extract-cookies     # Extract session cookies
linkedin-mcp-auth logout --all        # Clear all credentials

# Server
linkedin-mcp                          # Start MCP server
python -m linkedin_mcp                # Alternative server start

Configuration Reference

Variable Default Description
LINKEDIN_CLIENT_ID - OAuth Client ID (required for posting)
LINKEDIN_CLIENT_SECRET - OAuth Client Secret (required for posting)
LINKEDIN_API_ENABLED false Enable API features
THIRDPARTY_RAPIDAPI_KEY - API key for enhanced profile data
MCP_TRANSPORT stdio Transport: stdio, streamable-http
MCP_HOST 127.0.0.1 HTTP server host
MCP_PORT 8000 HTTP server port
LOG_LEVEL INFO Logging level

Limitations

Feature Status Notes
Text/Image/Poll Posts Supported Via Official LinkedIn API
Article Link Shares Supported External URLs with metadata
Comments Supported Requires Community Management API approval
Direct Messages Supported Via unofficial API (requires cookies)
Connection Requests Supported Via unofficial API (requires cookies)
Job Search Supported Via unofficial API (requires cookies)
Native LinkedIn Articles Not Available LinkedIn API limitation
Newsletters Not Available No API access

Note: Features marked "requires cookies" use LinkedIn's unofficial API. These work reliably but may require periodic cookie refresh (every 24-48 hours). Run linkedin-mcp-auth extract-cookies to refresh.

Troubleshooting

"Profile lookup returns error"

Ensure THIRDPARTY_RAPIDAPI_KEY is set in your Claude Desktop config:

"env": {
  "THIRDPARTY_RAPIDAPI_KEY": "your_api_key",
  ...
}

Important: Claude Desktop does not read .env files. You must add the key directly to the config's env section.

"LinkedIn client not initialized"

linkedin-mcp-auth status    # Check configuration
linkedin-mcp-auth oauth     # Re-authenticate

"Application context not initialized"

Reconnect the MCP server:

  • Claude Desktop: Quit and reopen the app
  • Claude Code: Run /mcp to reconnect

Posts not appearing

  • Verify OAuth: linkedin-mcp-auth status
  • Ensure "Share on LinkedIn" product is enabled in Developer Portal

Comments failing with permission error

  • Comments require the "Community Management API" product
  • Apply for access in your LinkedIn Developer Portal

Search returns empty results

  • Search relies on session cookies which expire after ~24 hours
  • Refresh cookies: linkedin-mcp-auth extract-cookies --browser chrome
  • Note: Profile and company lookups use the RapidAPI fallback and are unaffected

Security

  • OAuth tokens: Stored securely in system keychain
  • Session cookies: Encrypted local storage
  • Credentials: Environment variables only
  • No data collection: Everything runs locally

Development

# Install dev dependencies
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
pytest tests/ -v

# Linting
ruff check src/ && ruff format src/

# Type checking
mypy src/linkedin_mcp

Architecture

Intelligent API Fallback

Under the hood, the server uses a multi-source architecture that automatically falls back through APIs ordered by reliability:

Priority Source Reliability
1 Professional Network Data API Highest - 55 endpoints
2 Fresh LinkedIn Data API High - profiles & search
3 Marketing API High - organizations (official)
4 Enhanced HTTP Client Medium - anti-detection
5 Headless Browser Medium - slowest but reliable
6 Unofficial API Lowest - cookie-based, prone to blocking

This ensures high availability, automatic recovery from failures, and best-effort data retrieval.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Acknowledgments

Built for professionals who value authentic engagement over automation.

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AI-powered LinkedIn analytics, content creation, and engagement automation through MCP

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