Announce a release on LinkedIn from Cline, straight from your repo

The short answer

You just tagged a release and the last thing you want to do is switch to a browser and write a LinkedIn post from memory. With Finchreach connected to Cline, you can stay in VS Code: ask Cline to read the repo’s CHANGELOG.md, README.md and the git log since the last tag, draft a LinkedIn text post about what shipped, and queue it. The post does not go live until you approve it.

Finchreach is a remote MCP server for LinkedIn at https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard plug that lets AI apps use outside tools. Cline supports remote MCP servers with custom headers, so it connects directly with a Finchreach API key. When Cline calls linkedin_create_post, the result comes back as pending_approval and the draft waits in your approval queue. Approval mode is on by default for every account.

Why write a LinkedIn launch post from your code editor?

The facts of a release already sit in your repository. The changelog lists what changed, the README explains what the project does, and the commit history shows the details people actually care about: the bug that finally got fixed, the flag that got renamed, the contributor who did the heavy lifting. Cline can already read all of that. Without a LinkedIn connection, you would still have to copy the draft into a browser, fix the formatting and post it by hand.

With Finchreach, the draft goes from the repo to your LinkedIn approval queue in one conversation. You read it once more in the dashboard, edit nothing or reject it, and approve when it reads right. You stay the author; Cline does the tedious part.

• Accurate details: the post is built from the changelog and commits, not from what you remember at 6 p.m. on release day.
• One place: you never leave VS Code until it is time to review.
• A human gate: nothing is published until you approve it at /approvals.

How do I connect Cline to LinkedIn?

Cline reads its MCP servers from cline_mcp_settings.json. Open it from the MCP Servers icon in the Cline panel, then Configure, then “Configure MCP Servers”. The Remote Servers tab has no field for headers, so add Finchreach by editing the JSON directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "finchreach": {
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "url": "https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <your Finchreach API key>" },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Two details matter. First, set "type": "streamableHttp" explicitly; without it Cline falls back to the legacy SSE transport and the connection fails. Second, leave autoApprove empty. Cline’s own tool approval is your first gate: you see each tool call before it runs. Finchreach’s approval queue is the second gate: even after you let Cline call linkedin_create_post, the post only goes live when you approve it in the dashboard. If you use the Cline CLI, the same JSON lives in ~/.cline/data/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json. Details are in Cline’s MCP docs.

1. Sign up for Finchreach and connect your LinkedIn account at /accounts.
2. Create an API key at /api-keys. Treat it like a password and keep it out of your repository.
3. Add the JSON above to cline_mcp_settings.json with your key and save. Cline should list the Finchreach tools.
4. Ask Cline to draft and queue a post, then approve it at /approvals.
5. The Cline guide and the docs cover troubleshooting and every tool.

What should I ask Cline to write a launch post?

Be specific about the sources, the audience and the length. A good first prompt names the release and tells Cline to stop before queuing so you can read the draft in the chat:

Ask your assistant“Read CHANGELOG.md, the README, and `git log v2.3.0..v2.4.0 --oneline`. Draft a LinkedIn text post announcing v2.4.0 for developers who use the project. Lead with the most useful change, mention at most three changes, thank contributors by first name if the commits make that clear, and end with a link to the release notes. Under 1,200 characters, no hashtag wall, no emoji. Show me the draft and don’t queue it yet.”

Once the draft reads right, ask Cline to queue it. Choose visibility on purpose: linkedin_create_post defaults to Connections Only, so say so if you want it public.

Ask your assistant“Good. Shorten the second paragraph, then queue it on LinkedIn with linkedin_create_post, visibility Anyone. Tell me the action id and check its status with linkedin_get_action after I approve it.”

For a bigger launch, give Cline a different angle instead of a feature list:

Ask your assistant“Using the README and the last 40 commits, write a short LinkedIn post about why we built this release: the problem users kept reporting, what we changed, and what’s next. First person, plain language, four short paragraphs. Queue it for approval when I say “ship it”.”

What happens after Cline queues the post?

Every write through Finchreach returns { status: "pending_approval", action } instead of publishing. You open /approvals, read the post as it will appear, and approve or reject it. Cline can poll the action with linkedin_get_action, which reports pending_approval, approved, rejected, executed, failed or expired, plus the result once it has run.

If you reject it, tell Cline what was wrong and ask for a new draft; it will queue a fresh action. Once the post is live, you can come back later and ask Cline to check your notifications (linkedin_get_notifications) for responses and draft replies to comments with linkedin_comment_on_post, which also waits for approval.

What can’t Finchreach do for a launch post?

Be clear about the edges before you plan a launch around this:

• Text posts only. No images, video, screenshots or document carousels.
• No scheduling. A post goes live when you approve it, so approve it at the time you want it out.
• Personal profile only. Company pages are not supported.
• No analytics. You can read notifications, but there are no post performance reports.
• Comments go on a post; there is no tool for a threaded reply to a specific comment.

Automating a personal LinkedIn account carries risk under LinkedIn’s User Agreement. Finchreach’s approval queue and your own pace lower that risk, but nothing removes it. One release post you review yourself is about as low-risk as it gets; don’t turn this into a bulk-posting pipeline.

Cline and LinkedIn: common questions

Does Cline post to LinkedIn on its own? No. Cline calls linkedin_create_post, and Finchreach queues the post. It only goes live after you approve it at /approvals. With autoApprove empty, you also confirm each tool call in Cline first.

Why does my Cline connection fail with a 401 or a transport error? Check that the header is Authorization: Bearer <key> with the word Bearer included, and that type is set to streamableHttp. Without the type, Cline tries legacy SSE.

Can I add Finchreach through the Remote Servers tab? You can enter a URL there, but there is no header field for your API key. Edit cline_mcp_settings.json instead.

Can Cline attach a screenshot of the new feature? Not today. Finchreach posts text only.

Does this work in other editors? Yes, in any client that can send a header to a remote MCP server. See the docs and the Cursor and Claude Code guides, or what a LinkedIn MCP server is.