LinkedIn MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides LinkedIn automation tools via Playwright browser control. Designed to work with MCP clients like Claude Desktop over the Stdio transport.
Includes built-in stealth measures to reduce automation detection and a global rate limiter (10-30s randomized delay between actions) for safe, human-paced operation. All tool responses use semantic data reduction — null/empty fields are stripped, text is capped, and only the relevant DOM section is scraped — keeping token usage low.
Quick Start
Prerequisites
- Node.js >= 18 — nodejs.org
- Git
Step 1 — Run the installer (one command)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thomascox/LinkedInMCP/main/install.sh | bash
This single command:
- Clones the repo to
~/.linkedin-mcp-server/ - Installs all dependencies and compiles TypeScript
- Installs the Playwright Chromium browser
- Writes the
linkedinentry into your Claude Desktop config automatically
Step 2 — Restart Claude Desktop
Quit and reopen Claude Desktop. The LinkedIn tools will appear.
Step 3 — Authenticate
In Claude, say: _"Use manage\_auth\_session with action 'capture' to log in to LinkedIn."_
A browser window opens. Log in normally. Once you reach the feed, the session is saved and the browser closes.
That's it.
---
Manual setup (if you prefer)
If you'd rather clone to a custom location:
git clone https://github.com/thomascox/LinkedInMCP.git
cd LinkedInMCP
npm install # also builds dist/ automatically
npx playwright install chromium
Then open ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and add:
{
"mcpServers": {
"linkedin": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/full/path/to/LinkedInMCP/dist/index.js"]
}
}
}
Restart Claude Desktop.
Configuration
The server stores browser data and session state in ~/.linkedin-mcp/:
| Path | Purpose | |------|---------| | ~/.linkedin-mcp/browser-data/ | Persistent Chromium user profile | | ~/.linkedin-mcp/storageState.json | Saved cookies and session data | | ~/.linkedin-mcp/screenshots/ | Easy Apply step screenshots |
No manual configuration is required. These directories are created automatically on first use.
Stealth and Safety
Anti-detection
Every browser context launched by the server has stealth patches applied automatically:
- Removes
navigator.webdriverflag - Injects
window.chromeruntime stubs - Populates
navigator.pluginswith realistic entries - Overrides WebGL vendor/renderer to mask headless GPU signatures
- Sets
window.outerWidth/outerHeightto match inner dimensions - Patches
Permissions.prototype.queryfor notifications - Launches Chromium with
--disable-blink-features=AutomationControlled - Sets realistic user agent, locale (
en-US), and timezone
Rate Limiter
A global rate limiter enforces a randomized delay of 10-30 seconds between every LinkedIn action. This applies to all tool calls that interact with LinkedIn. The delay is measured from the completion of the previous action, so natural pauses between LLM reasoning steps count toward the wait.
Token Efficiency
All tools use semantic data reduction to minimize context usage:
compactJson— strips null/empty fields before returning JSON (no indentation)- DOM scraping scoped to
[role="main"]or the specific modal/section — navigation, ads, and tracking scripts are never included - Long text fields (job descriptions, post bodies, message bodies) capped at the scraper level
- Tool descriptions act as mini-prompts with retry guidance and edge-case handling built in
---
Tools
Authentication
linkedin_ping
Health check to confirm the server is running.
Parameters: None
manage_auth_session
Manage LinkedIn authentication sessions.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | action | "capture" \| "verify" | Yes | The action to perform |
capture— Opens a headed browser, navigates to login, waits for you to log in, saves session cookies.verify— Headless check that the saved session is still valid (loads feed, checks for nav/page content).
Sessions expire after ~24-48 hours. If any tool returns a session-expired error, re-run with capture.
---
Search
search_linkedin
Search LinkedIn for people or jobs. Returns compact JSON results.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | category | "PEOPLE" \| "JOBS" | Yes | Type of search to perform | | keywords | string | Yes | Search keywords | | filters | object | No | Optional filters (see below) |
Filter options:
| Name | Type | Applies to | Description | |------|------|------------|-------------| | location | string | Both | Location name (e.g. "San Francisco Bay Area") | | remote | "onsite" \| "remote" \| "hybrid" | Jobs | Work arrangement filter | | experienceLevel | "internship" \| "entry" \| "associate" \| "mid-senior" \| "director" \| "executive" | Jobs | Experience level filter |
People result shape: { name, headline, profileUrl }
Job result shape: { jobId, title, company, location, easyApply }
---
Profile
view_profile
View any LinkedIn profile by URL. Returns structured JSON with name, headline, location, about, experience entries, education entries, and skills (up to 25).
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | profile_url | string (URL) | Yes | Full LinkedIn profile URL (e.g. https://www.linkedin.com/in/username) |
manage_profile
Read or update your own LinkedIn profile sections.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | action | "get_profile" \| "update_section" | Yes | Action to perform | | section | "headline" \| "about" | For update_section | Section to edit | | text | string | For update_section | New content |
get_profile— Returns your headline, location, about, experience, education, and skills as compact JSON.update_section— Opens edit modal, clears text, types new content with human-like delay, saves, and waits for the confirmation toast.
manage_experience
Add or edit a LinkedIn experience entry on your profile.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | action | "add" \| "edit" | Yes | "add" to create a new entry, "edit" to update an existing one | | match_title | string | For edit | Partial title text to match the existing entry (case-insensitive). Use get_profile to see current titles. | | title | string | For add | Job title | | company | string | No | Company name (autocomplete attempted) | | employment_type | string | No | Full-time \| Part-time \| Self-employed \| Freelance \| Contract \| Internship \| Apprenticeship \| Seasonal | | location | string | No | Location (e.g. San Francisco, CA) | | location_type | string | No | On-site \| Hybrid \| Remote | | start_month | number | No | Start month (1–12) | | start_year | number | No | Start year (e.g. 2022) | | end_month | number | No | End month (1–12) — omit for current roles | | end_year | number | No | End year — omit for current roles | | is_current | boolean | No | Set true if this is a current/active role | | description | string | No | Role description or bullet points |
---
Connections
send_connection_request
Send a LinkedIn connection request. Returns status: sent | already_connected | pending | limit_reached | connect_button_not_found.
Important: If status is
limit_reached, stop — LinkedIn enforces a weekly invitation cap.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | profile_url | string (URL) | Yes | Full LinkedIn profile URL | | note | string | No | Personal note to include (max 300 chars) |
get_connections
List your LinkedIn connections. Returns up to 20 with name, headline, and profile URL.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | search | string | No | Filter connections by name |
manage_connection_requests
Manage incoming connection requests.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | action | "list_received" \| "accept" \| "decline" | Yes | Action to perform | | profile_url | string (URL) | For accept/decline | Profile URL of the person to respond to |
list_received— Returns pending invites with name, headline, profileUrl, and mutualConnections.accept/decline— Responds to the matching invitation.
---
Jobs
get_job_details
Get full details for a LinkedIn job posting.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | job_id | string | Yes | LinkedIn Job ID (from search_linkedin) |
Returns: title, company, location, workplaceType, postedDate, applicantCount, easyApply, description (capped at 2000 chars).
save_job
Bookmark a job for later. Returns status: saved | already_saved.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | job_id | string | Yes | LinkedIn Job ID |
get_saved_jobs
Retrieve your saved/bookmarked jobs. Returns up to 20 in the same shape as search_linkedin job results.
Parameters: None
---
Easy Apply
start_application
Start an Easy Apply application for a LinkedIn job. Returns the initial form state (fields + summary) and keeps the browser alive for subsequent fill_application_step calls.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | job_id | string | Yes | LinkedIn Job ID |
If the Easy Apply button is not found, the job may not support Easy Apply or the listing was removed.
fill_application_step
Fill the current Easy Apply form step and advance.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | answers | array | Yes | Array of { label, value } pairs matching form field labels | | action | "next" \| "review" \| "submit" | Yes | Step action to take |
Auto-unchecks "Follow company" at the review step. Returns validation errors for LLM retry when required fields are missing.
cancel_application
Cancel an in-progress Easy Apply session and close the browser.
Parameters: None
---
Messaging
get_messages
Retrieve the last 10 conversation threads from the LinkedIn messaging inbox. Returns sender name, last message snippet, and a conversationUrl for use with get_conversation.
Parameters: None
get_conversation
Read the full message history of a conversation thread. Returns up to 20 messages with sender, text (capped at 500 chars), and timestamp.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | conversation_url | string (URL) | Yes | LinkedIn conversation thread URL (from get_messages) |
send_linkedin_message
Send a direct message to a LinkedIn user. Only works for 1st-degree connections.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | profile_url | string (URL) | Yes | Full LinkedIn profile URL | | message_body | string | Yes | The message text to send |
get_unread_count
Get the count of unread messages and notifications from the LinkedIn nav badges.
Parameters: None
Returns: { unreadMessages, unreadNotifications }
---
Feed & Content
get_feed
Fetch the top 10 non-promoted posts from your LinkedIn home feed. Returns author, headline, post text snippet (300 chars), reaction count, comment count, and post URL.
Parameters: None
create_post
Create a new LinkedIn post.
Important: Always confirm post content with the user before calling — posts are immediately visible to your network.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | text | string | Yes | The post content to publish | | visibility | "anyone" \| "connections" | No | Who can see the post (default: "anyone") |
react_to_post
React to a LinkedIn post with a specific reaction type.
| Name | Type | Required | Description | |------|------|----------|-------------| | post_url | string (URL) | Yes | Full LinkedIn post URL (from get_feed) | | reaction | "like" \| "celebrate" \| "support" \| "funny" \| "love" \| "insightful" | Yes | Reaction to apply |
If the reaction picker doesn't open, fall back to "like".
---
Notifications
get_notifications
Fetch your 10 most recent LinkedIn notifications. Returns type (connection | job | reaction | comment | mention | birthday | work_anniversary | profile_view | post_share), actor name, text snippet (200 chars), and timestamp.
Parameters: None
---
Project Structure
LinkedInMCP/
├── src/
│ ├── index.ts # Server entry point, all tool registration
│ ├── config.ts # Central configuration (paths, server metadata)
│ ├── logger.ts # Stderr logging utility (prevents JSON-RPC corruption)
│ ├── browser.ts # Shared browser launch + session + stealth + rate limit
│ ├── stealth.ts # Anti-detection init scripts (navigator, WebGL, chrome, etc.)
│ ├── rate-limiter.ts # Global 10-30s randomized delay between actions
│ ├── response-utils.ts # compactJson, fieldsToSummary, randomDelay
│ └── tools/
│ ├── auth.ts # manage_auth_session
│ ├── search.ts # search_linkedin
│ ├── profile.ts # view_profile, manage_profile
│ ├── experience.ts # manage_experience
│ ├── connections.ts # send_connection_request, get_connections, manage_connection_requests
│ ├── jobs.ts # get_job_details, save_job, get_saved_jobs
│ ├── messaging.ts # get_messages, get_conversation, send_linkedin_message, get_unread_count
│ ├── feed.ts # get_feed, create_post, react_to_post
│ ├── notifications.ts# get_notifications, get_unread_count
│ └── easy-apply.ts # start_application, fill_application_step, cancel_application
├── dist/ # Compiled JavaScript (generated by npm run build)
├── install.sh # One-command installer
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json
Development
# Run from source (TypeScript)
npm start
# Run from compiled output
npm run start:built
# Type-check without emitting
npx tsc --noEmit
# Build to dist/
npm run build
License
ISC






