# How to connect Grok to LinkedIn, step by step

Source: https://finchreach.com/guides/grok
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 Grok with the header `Authorization: Bearer lk_…`. Test with a read, and approve the first draft under Approvals. One caveat: the xAI API sends the key in a header; the grok.com app doesn’t document a header or key field.

## What you need

- A Finchreach account (sign in at [finchreach.com](https://finchreach.com/sign-in)) and the LinkedIn account you want Grok to work on.
- Grok (plan requirements for app connectors aren’t stated. The server must be public (Finchreach’s is)).
- 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 “Grok”.
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 Grok

1. API: add an `mcp` tool to a Responses request with the server URL and the key, as below. The `headers` field lets you send `X-API-Key`, which Finchreach accepts with the bare key.
2. App: go to grok.com/connectors → New Connector → Custom → enter the URL → complete the authentication it asks for. On Business and Enterprise an admin provisions connectors first.

xAI API (Responses), tools entry:
```json
{
  "model": "grok-4.7",
  "input": [
    {
      "role": "user",
      "content": "Summarize my LinkedIn notifications."
    }
  ],
  "tools": [
    {
      "type": "mcp",
      "server_url": "https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp",
      "server_label": "finchreach",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "lk_YOUR_KEY"
      }
    }
  ]
}
```

xai_sdk (Python):
```python
mcp(server_url="https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp", server_label="finchreach", extra_headers={"X-API-Key": "lk_YOUR_KEY"})
```

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

In the API, `authorization` sets the Authorization header (xAI doesn’t say whether to include `Bearer `), and `headers` / `extra_headers` add others. The grok.com app’s docs only say “complete any required authentication”: no header or key field is documented, so the app may not be able to send a Finchreach key.

Requirements: Plan requirements for app connectors aren’t stated. The server must be public (Finchreach’s is).

## Step 4: Test the connection

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

## Troubleshooting

- If you use the API’s `authorization` field instead of `X-API-Key`, test both `lk_YOUR_KEY` and `Bearer lk_YOUR_KEY`.
- If the grok.com connector screen asks for an OAuth sign-in, go ahead: Finchreach supports it (sign in and approve on Finchreach). This path is untested; if it fails, use the API route.
- 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 [Grok’s documentation](https://docs.x.ai/developers/tools/remote-mcp), checked on 2026-10-28; client screens change often.

## What to ask Grok next

> Ask your assistant: “Summarize my LinkedIn notifications and new messages in five bullet points.”

> Ask your assistant: “Draft a LinkedIn post reacting to this news story, in my usual tone.”

> Ask your assistant: “Search LinkedIn for recent posts about AI agents and list the authors with the most engagement.”

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

## 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 Grok see my LinkedIn password?

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

### How do I disconnect Grok?

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

## Sources

- [Grok docs](https://docs.x.ai/developers/tools/remote-mcp)
- [docs.x.ai](https://docs.x.ai/grok/connectors)

## Related

- [What Grok can do on LinkedIn](https://finchreach.com/integrations/grok)
- [Turn this week’s industry news into a LinkedIn post with Grok](https://finchreach.com/blog/grok-linkedin-industry-news-posts)
- [Connect Claude Code](https://finchreach.com/guides/claude-code)
- [Connect Cursor](https://finchreach.com/guides/cursor)
- [Quickstart and tools](https://finchreach.com/docs)
- [All setup guides](https://finchreach.com/guides)