# How to connect Cline to LinkedIn, step by step

Source: https://finchreach.com/guides/cline
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 Cline 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 Cline to work on.
- Cline.
- 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 “Cline”.
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 Cline

1. Click the MCP Servers icon → Configure → “Configure MCP Servers” to open `cline_mcp_settings.json`. (CLI: `~/.cline/data/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json`.)
2. Paste the entry below. The “Remote Servers” tab has no header field, so edit the JSON.
3. Save; Cline reconnects and lists the `finchreach` tools.

cline_mcp_settings.json:
```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "finchreach": {
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "url": "https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer lk_YOUR_KEY"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}
```

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

Headers are supported in the JSON settings.

## Step 4: Test the connection

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

## Troubleshooting

- Set `"type": "streamableHttp"` explicitly: without it Cline falls back to the legacy SSE transport and the connection fails.
- Leave `autoApprove` empty while you try it, so Cline asks before calling a tool (writes still wait in Finchreach’s approval queue either way).
- 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 [Cline’s documentation](https://docs.cline.bot/mcp/configuring-mcp-servers), checked on 2026-10-28; client screens change often.

## What to ask Cline next

> Ask your assistant: “Write a LinkedIn post about our migration to this framework, using the commit history.”

> Ask your assistant: “Search LinkedIn for engineering managers at companies using this framework and list them.”

> Ask your assistant: “Summarize my LinkedIn notifications and draft replies to comments on my last post.”

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

## 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 Cline see my LinkedIn password?

No. Cline 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 “Cline”) lets you revoke one without breaking the others.

### How do I disconnect Cline?

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

## Sources

- [Cline docs](https://docs.cline.bot/mcp/configuring-mcp-servers)

## Related

- [What Cline can do on LinkedIn](https://finchreach.com/integrations/cline)
- [Announce a release on LinkedIn from Cline, straight from your repo](https://finchreach.com/blog/cline-linkedin-launch-announcement)
- [Quickstart and tools](https://finchreach.com/docs)
- [All setup guides](https://finchreach.com/guides)