# How to connect Windsurf to LinkedIn, step by step

Source: https://finchreach.com/guides/windsurf
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 Windsurf 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 Windsurf to work on.
- Windsurf (on Enterprise, MCP must be turned on; Team and Enterprise allowlists block servers that aren’t on them).
- 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 “Windsurf”.
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 Windsurf

1. In Cascade, open “…” → MCPs → Open MCP config file.
2. Paste the entry below. The file is `~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json` (Windows: `%APPDATA%\devin\mcp_config.json`; older installs: `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`).
3. Set `FINCHREACH_API_KEY=lk_YOUR_KEY`, save, and refresh the MCP list in Cascade.

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

Headers are supported, with `${env:VAR}` and `${file:path}` filled in. `url` is accepted as well as `serverUrl`.

Requirements: On Enterprise, MCP must be turned on; Team and Enterprise allowlists block servers that aren’t on them.

## Step 4: Test the connection

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

## Troubleshooting

- If Finchreach doesn’t appear, ask your admin whether MCP is enabled and whether the server needs adding to the allowlist.
- Cascade can use at most 100 tools across all servers; turn off tools you don’t need if you hit it.
- 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 [Windsurf’s documentation](https://docs.windsurf.com/windsurf/cascade/mcp), checked on 2026-10-28; client screens change often.

## What to ask Windsurf next

> Ask your assistant: “Draft a LinkedIn post about the new API we shipped, with a code-free explanation.”

> Ask your assistant: “Read my LinkedIn messages and flag the ones about open roles.”

> Ask your assistant: “Search LinkedIn for people who work on the library we depend on and summarize who they are.”

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

## 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 Windsurf see my LinkedIn password?

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

### How do I disconnect Windsurf?

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

## Sources

- [Windsurf docs](https://docs.windsurf.com/windsurf/cascade/mcp)

## Related

- [What Windsurf can do on LinkedIn](https://finchreach.com/integrations/windsurf)
- [Answer recruiter messages on LinkedIn from Windsurf](https://finchreach.com/blog/windsurf-linkedin-recruiter-replies)
- [Quickstart and tools](https://finchreach.com/docs)
- [All setup guides](https://finchreach.com/guides)