# How to connect Claude to LinkedIn, step by step

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

Connect LinkedIn at finchreach.com/accounts, add `https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp` to Claude as a custom connector, sign in to Finchreach and approve the LinkedIn account and scopes (OAuth, no API key). 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 to work on.
- Claude (the Free plan allows one custom connector. On Team and Enterprise an Owner adds connectors for the organization).
- About five minutes.

## Step 1: Sign in to Finchreach

1. Sign in at finchreach.com. Claude signs in with OAuth, so you don’t need an API key.

## 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

1. On claude.ai or in Claude Desktop: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector. Paste `https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp` (the bare `https://mcp.finchreach.com` works too) and click Add.
2. Click Connect. A Finchreach window opens: sign in, choose the LinkedIn account and what Claude may do, and approve.
3. Team or Enterprise: an Owner adds the connector under Organization settings → Connectors; members then click Connect and approve with their own Finchreach sign-in.
4. In a chat, turn Finchreach on from the tools menu and ask for something on LinkedIn.

Connector URL:
```text
https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp
```

With the request-headers beta instead: Authentication “No sign-in” plus this header:
```text
authorization: Bearer lk_YOUR_KEY
```

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

Custom connectors sign in to Finchreach with OAuth: Claude registers itself, you sign in on Finchreach and approve a LinkedIn account and scopes, and there is no key to copy. Organizations with the request-headers beta can send a Finchreach API key as `authorization: Bearer lk_…` instead.

Requirements: The Free plan allows one custom connector. On Team and Enterprise an Owner adds connectors for the organization.

## Step 4: Test the connection

In Claude, 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 can check the result with `linkedin_get_action`: pending, approved, rejected, executed, failed or expired.

## Troubleshooting

- If Connect fails, remove the connector, add it again and approve on the Finchreach page; check that the LinkedIn account you chose is connected.
- To change the LinkedIn account or scopes, disconnect the connector in Claude and connect 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’s documentation](https://claude.com/docs/connectors/custom/add-unlisted), checked on 2026-10-28; client screens change often.

## What to ask Claude next

> Ask your assistant: “Read my LinkedIn notifications from the last three days and tell me which ones need a reply.”

> Ask your assistant: “Draft a LinkedIn post from this blog article: three short paragraphs and a question at the end.”

> Ask your assistant: “Look up the profile of the person who messaged me about a partnership and summarize their background.”

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

## Questions

### Does Claude see my LinkedIn password?

No. Claude signs in to Finchreach with OAuth and only gets a token for the LinkedIn account and scopes you approved. Your LinkedIn connection stays in Finchreach.

### Can I still use an API key with Claude?

Only if your organization has Claude’s request-headers beta: choose “No sign-in” and add `authorization: Bearer lk_…`. Otherwise use OAuth.

### How do I disconnect Claude?

Disconnect or delete the Finchreach connector in Claude; its tokens stop working. To switch LinkedIn accounts or scopes, connect again and approve the new choice.

## Sources

- [Claude docs](https://claude.com/docs/connectors/custom/add-unlisted)

## Related

- [What Claude can do on LinkedIn](https://finchreach.com/integrations/claude)
- [How to automate LinkedIn with AI safely](https://finchreach.com/blog/automate-linkedin-with-ai-safely)
- [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)
