# Claude LinkedIn integration: connect Claude to your LinkedIn

Source: https://finchreach.com/blog/claude-linkedin-integration
Published 2026-10-28 by Finchreach team. Tags: claude, claude-code, linkedin, mcp, how-to.

Connect Claude, Claude Desktop or Claude Code to LinkedIn through an MCP server. Setup for each, example prompts, and an approval step for every write.

## The short answer

You can connect Claude to LinkedIn with Finchreach, a remote MCP server at `https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp`. Once it’s connected, Claude can read your feed, notifications and messages, search LinkedIn, and draft posts, comments, direct messages and connection invitations for you. Every one of those writes waits in your [approval queue](https://finchreach.com/approvals) until you say yes.

How you connect depends on which Claude you use:

- claude.ai and Claude Desktop: add a custom connector with the URL, then sign in to Finchreach and approve. No API key, nothing to install.
- Claude Code: one command, with OAuth sign-in or your API key in a header. Fully supported.
- Claude Desktop can also run the `mcp-remote` bridge from its config file with your API key, if you prefer a key to a sign-in.

## What can Claude do on LinkedIn once it’s connected?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard plug that lets AI apps use outside tools. Finchreach gives Claude a set of LinkedIn tools, and Claude decides when to use them based on what you ask.

| You ask Claude to… | Tools it uses | Needs approval? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Catch you up on your feed or notifications | `linkedin_get_feed`, `linkedin_get_notifications` | No (read only) |
| Summarize your inbox or one conversation | `linkedin_get_conversations`, `linkedin_get_messages` | No |
| Find people, companies or posts on a topic | `linkedin_search` | No |
| Write and publish a text post | `linkedin_create_post` | Yes |
| Comment on or react to a post | `linkedin_comment_on_post`, `linkedin_react_to_post` | Yes |
| Reply to a message or start one | `linkedin_send_dm` | Yes |
| Send a connection invitation with a note | `linkedin_send_invitation` | Yes |
| Review and accept invitations you’ve received (coming soon) | `linkedin_get_received_invitations`, `linkedin_accept_invitation` | Not live yet |

Posts are text only. Finchreach doesn’t do images, video, scheduling, company pages or analytics today, so don’t expect Claude to manage those.

## What do I need before connecting Claude to LinkedIn?

1. A Finchreach account: [sign up here](https://finchreach.com/sign-up).
2. Your LinkedIn account connected under [Accounts](https://finchreach.com/accounts).
3. An API key from [API keys](https://finchreach.com/api-keys). It starts with `lk_` and is shown once, so store it in a password manager.

Keys have scopes. The default key can read LinkedIn and submit writes, but it can’t approve them, so approval stays with you in the dashboard. If you only want Claude to read and summarize, make a key with `linkedin:read` alone.

## How do I connect Claude Code to LinkedIn?

Claude Code supports remote MCP servers with custom headers out of the box. Set your key in an environment variable and add the server:

```bash
export FINCHREACH_API_KEY=lk_your_key
claude mcp add --transport http finchreach https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $FINCHREACH_API_KEY"
```

To share the setup with a project, add `--scope project`, or write `.mcp.json` yourself with an environment variable so the key never lands in git:

.mcp.json:
```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "finchreach": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${FINCHREACH_API_KEY}" }
    }
  }
}
```

Use a dedicated variable name. Claude Code blanks some reserved credential variables (such as `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`) in headers. Run `/mcp` inside Claude Code to confirm the server is connected. More in the [Claude Code guide](https://finchreach.com/guides/claude-code) and the [Claude Code integration page](https://finchreach.com/integrations/claude-code).

## How do I connect Claude Desktop to LinkedIn?

The easiest route is the same custom connector as claude.ai, described in the next section: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, paste the URL, then sign in and approve. Connectors you add on claude.ai also show up in Claude Desktop.

If you’d rather use an API key, Claude Desktop can also run local MCP servers from its config file. `mcp-remote` is a small open-source bridge that runs locally, connects to a remote server and adds your header. Open Settings → Developer → Edit Config and add:

claude_desktop_config.json:
```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "finchreach": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp",
        "--header", "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"
      ],
      "env": { "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer lk_your_key" }
    }
  }
}
```

Putting the full `Bearer lk_...` value in `env` and leaving no space after `Authorization:` in the argument avoids a known problem with spaces in arguments on some systems. You need Node.js installed for `npx`. Restart Claude Desktop completely, then look for Finchreach’s tools in the tools menu of a new chat.

## Can I add Finchreach as a custom connector on claude.ai?

Yes. Finchreach supports OAuth sign-in, so the connector needs no API key. Go to Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector and paste `https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp` as the URL. Click Add, then Connect. You sign in to Finchreach, pick the LinkedIn account and what Claude may do, and approve.

Two details. The Free plan allows one custom connector. On Team and Enterprise plans, an Owner adds the connector in organization settings and members click Connect to sign in themselves. To disconnect later, remove the connector in Claude or revoke access in the Finchreach dashboard.

The [Claude guide](https://finchreach.com/guides/claude) tracks these details and links to Anthropic’s documentation.

## Which Claude app is best for LinkedIn work?

They all use the same tools, so pick the one that fits your day:

- Claude Desktop suits most people: a normal chat window, Projects for your writing style, and the tools a click away once the connector is added.
- Claude Code suits developers who already live in a terminal. It’s handy for turning a changelog, release notes or a pull request into a LinkedIn post without leaving the repo.
- claude.ai on the web is the easiest to set up, because there’s nothing to install: add the connector, sign in, approve.

You can connect more than one with separate keys. Name each key after its client in the dashboard so you know which one to revoke if a laptop goes missing.

## What are good prompts for Claude and LinkedIn?

Claude does best with a clear goal and clear limits. Say what to read, what to draft and when to stop.

> Ask your assistant: “Check my LinkedIn notifications from the last couple of days. Summarize who engaged with my posts and draft a short, specific reply to any comment that asked a question. Submit the replies for my approval.”

> Ask your assistant: “Read my LinkedIn inbox and list conversations where someone is waiting on me. For each, draft a reply in my voice, friendly and brief. Don’t send anything yet; show me the drafts first.”

> Ask your assistant: “Search LinkedIn for recent posts about “AI evaluation in healthcare”. Pick two where I could add something useful from my experience running clinical data pipelines, and draft one comment each.”

> Ask your assistant: “Check my LinkedIn notifications for people who accepted my invitations this week. Tell me who each person is from their headline, and draft a short welcome DM for the ones who work in product or design.”

Tip: in Claude Desktop and claude.ai you can put your LinkedIn voice notes (tone, topics you avoid, how you sign off) in a Project’s instructions so every draft starts from the same style.

## Will Claude post on LinkedIn without asking me?

No. When Claude calls a write tool, Finchreach returns `pending_approval` and adds the action to your [approval queue](https://finchreach.com/approvals). You see the exact text, and the recipient where there is one, then approve or reject it. Claude can check the outcome with `linkedin_get_action`.

Claude Code and Claude Desktop also ask before each tool call unless you’ve allowed it. That’s a useful first check, but the Finchreach queue is the one that actually guards LinkedIn: it holds for every client, and the default key can’t approve its own actions.

> Automating a personal LinkedIn account carries risk under LinkedIn’s User Agreement. The approval queue and a human pace lower that risk; they don’t remove it. Read [how to automate LinkedIn with AI safely](https://finchreach.com/blog/automate-linkedin-with-ai-safely) before you lean on it.

## Why isn’t Claude seeing my LinkedIn tools?

- A 401 error usually means the header is missing or wrong. Check it reads `Authorization: Bearer lk_...` with exactly one space after Bearer.
- In Claude Desktop, fully quit and reopen the app after editing the config, and make sure `npx` works in a terminal.
- If `linkedin_list_accounts` shows your account as expired or checkpoint, reconnect it under [Accounts](https://finchreach.com/accounts). LinkedIn sometimes asks you to sign in again.
- Writes fail with a scope error if your key lacks `linkedin:write`. Make a new key with the scopes you need.

## Claude and LinkedIn: frequently asked questions

Is there an official Claude connector for LinkedIn? Finchreach isn’t made by Anthropic or LinkedIn. It’s an independent MCP server you connect yourself, as described above.

Which Claude model should I use? Any model that handles tool use well. For writing in your voice, a larger model usually gives better first drafts; for quick inbox triage a faster one is fine.

Can Claude run my LinkedIn outreach on autopilot? We don’t recommend it, and Finchreach is built against it: each write waits for a person. See [LinkedIn automation without getting banned](https://finchreach.com/blog/linkedin-automation-without-getting-banned) for why.

Does this work with ChatGPT too? Not directly from the ChatGPT app today; see [how to let ChatGPT post on LinkedIn](https://finchreach.com/blog/how-to-let-chatgpt-post-on-linkedin). For background on the technology, read [what a LinkedIn MCP server is](https://finchreach.com/blog/linkedin-mcp-server).

Where’s the full tool reference? In the [docs](https://finchreach.com/docs).