# How to connect Hermes Agent to LinkedIn, step by step

Source: https://finchreach.com/guides/hermes
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 Hermes Agent 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 Hermes Agent to work on.
- Hermes Agent (open source; no plan needed).
- 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 “Hermes Agent”.
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 Hermes Agent

1. Add the entry below under `mcp_servers` in `~/.hermes/config.yaml`.
2. Run `/reload-mcp`, or restart Hermes.
3. Ask Hermes to list its Finchreach tools.

~/.hermes/config.yaml:
```yaml
mcp_servers:
  finchreach:
    url: "https://mcp.finchreach.com/mcp"
    headers:
      Authorization: "Bearer lk_YOUR_KEY"
```

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

Headers are supported. OAuth (`auth: oauth` and `hermes mcp login`) isn’t needed for Finchreach.

Requirements: Open source; no plan needed.

## Step 4: Test the connection

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

## Troubleshooting

- Use `url` or `command` for a server, not both.
- 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 [Hermes Agent’s documentation](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/mcp), checked on 2026-10-28; client screens change often.

## What to ask Hermes Agent next

> Ask your assistant: “Check my LinkedIn messages and draft a reply to each recruiter.”

> Ask your assistant: “Draft a LinkedIn post summarizing the paper in this PDF.”

> Ask your assistant: “Find LinkedIn posts about open-weight models this week and summarize them.”

More ideas on the [Hermes Agent integration page](https://finchreach.com/integrations/hermes).

## 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 Hermes Agent see my LinkedIn password?

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

### How do I disconnect Hermes Agent?

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

## Sources

- [Hermes Agent docs](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/mcp)

## Related

- [What Hermes Agent can do on LinkedIn](https://finchreach.com/integrations/hermes)
- [Clear your LinkedIn invitation backlog with Hermes Agent](https://finchreach.com/blog/hermes-linkedin-invitation-triage)
- [Read-only LinkedIn market research with Nous models and Hermes Agent](https://finchreach.com/blog/nous-linkedin-market-research)
- [Quickstart and tools](https://finchreach.com/docs)
- [All setup guides](https://finchreach.com/guides)