# How to connect Cursor to LinkedIn, step by step

Source: https://finchreach.com/guides/cursor
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 Cursor 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 Cursor to work on.
- Cursor.
- 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 “Cursor”.
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 Cursor

1. Open `.cursor/mcp.json` in your project, or `~/.cursor/mcp.json` for every project (Settings → MCP links to it too).
2. Paste the entry below. It reads the key from the `FINCHREACH_API_KEY` environment variable through `${env:…}`.
3. Set `FINCHREACH_API_KEY=lk_YOUR_KEY` in the environment Cursor starts from, then check Settings → MCP: `finchreach` should show its tools.

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

Headers are supported, with `${env:NAME}` interpolation, so the Finchreach key goes in `Authorization: Bearer`.

## Step 4: Test the connection

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

## Troubleshooting

- Remote servers don’t support `envFile`, so a `.env` file isn’t read: the variable must be in Cursor’s environment (start Cursor from a shell where it is set).
- Don’t commit a project `mcp.json` with a literal key in it. Use `${env:FINCHREACH_API_KEY}`, or put the literal key only in the global `~/.cursor/mcp.json`.
- 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 [Cursor’s documentation](https://cursor.com/docs/context/mcp), checked on 2026-10-28; client screens change often.

## What to ask Cursor next

> Ask your assistant: “Write a LinkedIn post about the refactor in this branch, aimed at other engineers.”

> Ask your assistant: “Search LinkedIn for people working on developer tools in Berlin and list them with their headlines.”

> Ask your assistant: “Draft replies to my unread LinkedIn messages; keep each under 60 words.”

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

## 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 Cursor see my LinkedIn password?

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

### How do I disconnect Cursor?

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

## Sources

- [Cursor docs](https://cursor.com/docs/context/mcp)

## Related

- [What Cursor can do on LinkedIn](https://finchreach.com/integrations/cursor)
- [Answer technical LinkedIn DMs from Cursor, with your codebase as context](https://finchreach.com/blog/cursor-linkedin-dm-replies-from-codebase)
- [LinkedIn MCP server: what it is, how to choose one, how to set it up](https://finchreach.com/blog/linkedin-mcp-server)
- [Quickstart and tools](https://finchreach.com/docs)
- [All setup guides](https://finchreach.com/guides)