# How to connect Claude Code to LinkedIn, step by step

Source: https://finchreach.com/guides/claude-code
Third-party facts checked on 2026-10-28.

Create an API key at finchreach.com/api-keys, connect LinkedIn at finchreach.com/accounts, then add `https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp` to Claude Code with the header `Authorization: Bearer lk_…`. Test with a read, and approve the first draft under Approvals.

## What you need

- A Finchreach account (sign in at [finchreach.com](https://finchreach.com/sign-in)) and the LinkedIn account you want Claude Code to work on.
- Claude Code.
- About five minutes.

## Step 1: Create a Finchreach API key

1. Sign in at finchreach.com and open [API keys](https://finchreach.com/api-keys).
2. Create a key and name it after the tool, for example “Claude Code”.
3. Copy it right away: it starts with `lk_` and is shown only once.

## Step 2: Connect your LinkedIn account

1. Open [Accounts](https://finchreach.com/accounts) and click to connect LinkedIn.
2. Follow the steps until the account shows as connected.

Approval mode is on by default: nothing the assistant drafts reaches LinkedIn until you approve it.

## Step 3: Add Finchreach to Claude Code

1. Run `claude mcp add --transport http finchreach https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer lk_YOUR_KEY"`. Add `--scope project` to write a shared `.mcp.json` in the repo instead of your user config.
2. To keep the key out of the repo, use the `.mcp.json` form below and set `FINCHREACH_API_KEY` in your shell: Claude Code fills in `${VAR}` in headers.
3. Start Claude Code and run `/mcp`. `finchreach` should be listed as connected, with its LinkedIn tools.

Terminal:
```bash
claude mcp add --transport http finchreach https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer lk_YOUR_KEY"
```

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

> Replace `lk_YOUR_KEY` with your key. Keep the key out of shared files and repos; where Claude Code can read it from an environment variable, prefer that.

Full custom-header support, with `${VAR}` and `${VAR:-default}` expansion, so the Finchreach key goes straight into `Authorization: Bearer`. Without the header, Claude Code can sign in with OAuth through `/mcp`, which Finchreach supports too.

## Step 4: Test the connection

In Claude Code, start with a read. It runs right away and proves the key and the account work:

> Ask your assistant: “List my connected LinkedIn accounts, then summarize my five latest notifications.”

You should see calls to `linkedin_list_accounts` and `linkedin_get_notifications`. Then try a write, which goes to your approval queue instead of LinkedIn:

> Ask your assistant: “Draft a short LinkedIn post saying I’m trying a new AI assistant workflow. Submit it for my approval.”

## Step 5: Approve or reject it in Finchreach

1. Open [Approvals](https://finchreach.com/approvals). The draft is there with its exact text and the account it would go out from.
2. Approve it to publish, or reject it (reject the test post if you don’t want it live).
3. Claude Code can check the result with `linkedin_get_action`: pending, approved, rejected, executed, failed or expired.

## Troubleshooting

- Keep the key in its own variable such as `FINCHREACH_API_KEY`. Claude Code blanks some reserved credential variables (for example `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`) when it expands headers.
- Run `claude mcp get finchreach` to see the saved URL and headers; if the header is missing, remove the server with `claude mcp remove finchreach` and add it again.
- 401 or “unauthorized”: the key is wrong, revoked or missing its prefix. Finchreach accepts `Authorization: Bearer lk_…` or `X-API-Key: lk_…`; check for a missing `Bearer `, quotes or a trailing space.
- A tool is missing: the key’s permissions don’t include it. Create a key with the permissions you need under [API keys](https://finchreach.com/api-keys).
- “No LinkedIn account”: connect one under [Accounts](https://finchreach.com/accounts), or reconnect it if its session expired.
- A post or message “didn’t go out”: it is probably still waiting under [Approvals](https://finchreach.com/approvals). Writes run only after you approve them.

Still stuck? Compare your setup with [Claude Code’s documentation](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp), checked on 2026-10-28; client screens change often.

## What to ask Claude Code next

> Ask your assistant: “Turn this week’s merged pull requests into a LinkedIn post draft about what we shipped.”

> Ask your assistant: “Read my unread LinkedIn messages and draft short replies to the ones from recruiters.”

> Ask your assistant: “Search LinkedIn for posts about MCP servers from the last week and summarize the main points.”

More ideas on the [Claude Code integration page](https://finchreach.com/integrations/claude-code).

## Questions

### I lost my API key. Can I see it again?

No, a key is shown only once. Create a new one under [API keys](https://finchreach.com/api-keys), put it in your config, and revoke the old one.

### Does Claude Code see my LinkedIn password?

No. Claude Code only gets your Finchreach API key. Your LinkedIn connection stays in Finchreach, and you can revoke the key at any time without touching LinkedIn.

### Can I use the same key in several tools?

Yes, but one key per tool (for example one named “Claude Code”) lets you revoke one without breaking the others.

### How do I disconnect Claude Code?

Revoke its key under [API keys](https://finchreach.com/api-keys); Claude Code gets a 401 from then on. Then remove the server from its config.

## Sources

- [Claude Code docs](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp)

## Related

- [What Claude Code can do on LinkedIn](https://finchreach.com/integrations/claude-code)
- [Turn your changelog into a LinkedIn post with Claude Code](https://finchreach.com/blog/claude-code-linkedin-post-from-changelog)
- [Claude LinkedIn integration: connect Claude to your LinkedIn](https://finchreach.com/blog/claude-linkedin-integration)
- [Quickstart and tools](https://finchreach.com/docs)
- [All setup guides](https://finchreach.com/guides)