LinkedIn integration · v1

LinkedIn API for posting and scheduling

One authenticated POST publishes to a LinkedIn profile or company page. PostMCP owns the OAuth dance, the image upload handshake and the versioned LinkedIn REST calls underneath.

Get an API key Read the quickstart

Endpoint: POST /api/tools/create_post
Platform value: "linkedin"
Auth: x-api-key or Bearer token
Upstream: LinkedIn REST /v2/posts

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Overview

What the LinkedIn API gives you

Publishing to LinkedIn directly means registering a developer app, getting w_member_social approved, exchanging an authorization code, building a urn:li:person or urn:li:organization author URN, and running a three-request image upload before you can attach a single picture. The LinkedIn API surface is versioned, protocol-header sensitive, and unforgiving about author identity.

The PostMCP LinkedIn API collapses that into one endpoint. You send content, a schedule and an optional media URL; the engine resolves the right author URN for each connected account, uploads media through LinkedIn's initializeUpload flow, waits for asset processing, then posts to /v2/posts with the correct X-Restli-Protocol-Version header.

Personal profile posts

Text and image posts published as the authenticated member, authored against urn:li:person:{id}.

Company page posts

Connected organization pages publish under urn:li:organization:{id} with no change to your request body.

Native image attachments

Pass any public mediaUrl. PostMCP fetches the bytes and runs LinkedIn's three-step upload so the image renders natively, not as a link preview.

Scheduled publication

Queue a post for a future date and time, then edit, reschedule, force-publish or delete it before it goes out.

Per-profile targeting

Name the exact profiles in targetAccounts and only those receive the post. Passing platforms: ["linkedin"] instead is the opt-in fan-out to every connected LinkedIn account.

Cross-posting in one call

Add more values to platforms and the same copy lands on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky simultaneously.

Common uses

Publish a changelog to a company page every time a release tag lands.
Let a Claude or Cursor agent draft and schedule a founder post without leaving the editor.
Mirror a blog RSS feed into LinkedIn with a native image card.
Queue a week of recruiting posts across several administered pages in one script.

Quickstart

Post to LinkedIn in three steps

Connect the account once, grab an API key, then send a single request. The same body works from a shell, a server, or an AI agent.

1
Connect your LinkedIn account
Open the dashboard, choose LinkedIn and complete the hosted connect flow. Credentials are encrypted into the user vault and never returned to your client.
2
Create an API key
Generate a key from the dashboard. Send it as x-api-key, as an Authorization: Bearer header, or as an apikey query parameter on the MCP transport.
3
Send your first post
POST to /api/tools/create_post with platforms: ["linkedin"]. Set publishImmediately to broadcast now, or supply scheduleDate and scheduleTime to queue it.

POST /api/tools/create_post

curl -X POST "https://api.postmcpai.com/api/tools/create_post" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: $POSTMCPAI_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"content":"Shipping something new today. Built with PostMCP AI.","platforms":["linkedin"],"publishImmediately":true}'

Response — 200 OK

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Post created and queued successfully",
  "post": {
    "id": "66a50c89e4b019a2b72f",
    "content": "Shipping something new today. Built with PostMCP AI.",
    "platforms": [
      "linkedin"
    ],
    "status": "published"
  }
}

Reference

LinkedIn API endpoints

Every endpoint is a POST against the base URL https://api.postmcpai.com. The same seven operations cover all connected networks — set the platform value to "linkedin" to target LinkedIn.

Operation	Endpoint	What it does
preflight_post	POST/api/tools/preflight_post	Dry-run copy against limits, targets and credits before publishing.
create_post	POST/api/tools/create_post	Schedule a post or broadcast it immediately.
publish_post_now	POST/api/tools/publish_post_now	Force a queued post out ahead of its slot, or retry the profiles that failed.
list_posts	POST/api/tools/list_posts	Read the queue — scheduled, published, draft and failed — with counts.
get_post	POST/api/tools/get_post	Read one post, with per-profile delivery state and live URLs.
get_post_analytics	POST/api/tools/get_post_analytics	Read how a post did: views, likes, comments and shares per profile.
get_profile_analytics	POST/api/tools/get_profile_analytics	Read a profile’s followers, post count and views from its network.
update_post	POST/api/tools/update_post	Edit copy, targets, schedule or status before publication.
reschedule_post	POST/api/tools/reschedule_post	Move a post to another slot, keeping its copy and targets.
reset_stuck_post	POST/api/tools/reset_stuck_post	Release a post left stuck mid-publish so it can be retried.
delete_post	POST/api/tools/delete_post	Remove a scheduled or draft post from the queue.
get_connected_accounts	POST/api/tools/get_connected_accounts	List connected profiles, handles and page IDs per platform.
get_account_health	POST/api/tools/get_account_health	Find connections whose token expired or is about to.
generate_image	POST/api/tools/generate_image	Generate a post image and get back a hosted URL for mediaUrl.
list_workspaces	POST/api/tools/list_workspaces	List the workspaces on this key, with the id to scope other calls to.
get_user_info	POST/api/tools/get_user_info	Read plan tier and credit balance.

create_post parameters

Field	Type	Required	Description
content	string	Yes	Text body of the post. Truncation rules are enforced by the destination network, not by PostMCP.
targetAccounts	array[object]	Yes	The profiles that receive the post. Each entry takes platform and profileId (from get_connected_accounts). Only the profiles listed here are posted to.
platforms	array[string]	Optional	Shorthand for whole networks — linkedin, twitter, facebook, instagram, threads, bluesky, youtube. Each one expands to every connected profile on it, so prefer targetAccounts unless you mean that fan-out. Optional when targetAccounts is given.
publishImmediately	boolean	Optional	When true the post is broadcast on receipt. Defaults to false, which queues it.
scheduleDate	string	Optional	Publication date as YYYY-MM-DD. Required when publishImmediately is false.
scheduleTime	string	Optional	Publication time as HH:MM on a 24-hour clock. Required when publishImmediately is false.
timezone	string	Optional	IANA zone the schedule above is written in, e.g. Asia/Kolkata. Omit it and the wall-clock slot resolves as UTC, which is rarely what "10am" meant.
mediaUrl	string	Optional	Publicly reachable image or video URL. PostMCP fetches it and re-uploads it in the format the network expects. Required, and must be a video, when the post targets YouTube.
workspaceId	string	Optional	Workspace to post from, taken from list_workspaces. Omitted, the call resolves to the default workspace on the key.

Authentication

LinkedIn OAuth and API keys

Two layers of auth sit under every request: the LinkedIn credential you grant once during connect, and the PostMCP API key your code sends on each call.

Step 1

Open the connect URL

Send the member to /connect/linkedin with their PostMCP session token. PostMCP signs a state JWT that carries the user and project ID.

Step 2

LinkedIn consent screen

The member approves the member and organization scopes on linkedin.com/oauth/v2/authorization.

Step 3

Callback and vault storage

LinkedIn redirects back with a code. PostMCP exchanges it for an access token, encrypts it and stores it in the user vault — the token never reaches your client.

Step 4

Publish with your API key

From then on you authenticate with your own PostMCP API key. Rotate it from the dashboard without touching the LinkedIn connection.

Scopes requested from LinkedIn

Scope	Why it is needed
openid	Identifies the member completing the OAuth flow.
profile	Reads the member name and profile ID used to build the author URN.
email	Matches the connected LinkedIn identity to your PostMCP workspace.
w_member_social	Creates posts, comments and reactions as the member.
w_organization_social	Publishes posts on behalf of a company page.
rw_organization_admin	Lists the pages the member administers so they can be connected.

Sending your API key

Header (recommended)x-api-key: pmcp_sec_…

Bearer tokenAuthorization: Bearer pmcp_sec_…

Query (MCP SSE)/mcp?apikey=pmcp_sec_…

Under the hood

How PostMCP publishes to LinkedIn

One request from you becomes this sequence server-side. Knowing the shape helps when you are debugging a failed broadcast.

1
Resolve the author URN
Organization accounts become urn:li:organization:{profileId}; members become urn:li:person:{profileId}.
2
Fetch the media
If mediaUrl is set the engine downloads it into a buffer and fails loudly if the URL is not publicly reachable.
3
Initialize the upload
initializeUpload is called with the author URN as owner, returning an upload URL and the image URN.
4
PUT the binary and wait
Bytes are uploaded, then the engine pauses ~2.5s so LinkedIn finishes asset processing before the share references it.
5
Create the share
A single POST to /v2/posts carries the commentary, lifecycle state PUBLISHED and the image URN when present.
6
Record the result
The returned post ID (or x-restli-id header) is written back to the post record as a per-platform status.

Upstream LinkedIn calls

Method	Endpoint	Purpose
POST	https://api.linkedin.com/v2/images?action=initializeUpload	Reserves an image asset and returns a signed upload URL plus an image URN.
PUT	{uploadUrl}	Streams the image bytes as application/octet-stream.
POST	https://api.linkedin.com/v2/posts	Creates the share with commentary, visibility PUBLIC and MAIN_FEED distribution.

Direct LinkedIn API vs PostMCP

Aspect	Calling LinkedIn directly	With PostMCP
Getting started	Developer app, product request, scope approval	One OAuth click, then an API key
Author identity	Build person or organization URNs yourself	Resolved per connected account automatically
Image posts	Three sequential calls plus a processing wait	One `mediaUrl` field
Multi-image posts	Upload each image, then the `multiImage` content shape	One `mediaUrls` array, up to 20 images
Scheduling	Not offered — you run your own scheduler	Built in, with edit and force-publish
Token handling	Your responsibility to store and refresh	Encrypted in the vault, refreshed for you

Constraints

LinkedIn limits and supported media

These ceilings are set by LinkedIn, not by PostMCP. Your content field is forwarded unchanged, so the network enforces them rather than silently truncating.

Text length3,000 characters per post

Images per postUp to 20 native image assets (multi-image share via mediaUrls)

Image formatsJPEG, PNG, GIF

Media sourcePublic HTTP(S) URL, fetched server-side

VisibilityPUBLIC, distributed to MAIN_FEED

Account typesMember profiles and administered company pages

Troubleshooting

Common LinkedIn API errors

Failures are recorded per platform on the post record, so a multi-network broadcast that partially succeeds tells you exactly which leg failed and why.

Code	Message	Likely cause	Fix
401	Access token for linkedin is missing or invalid	The stored token expired or the account was disconnected on LinkedIn's side.	Reconnect LinkedIn from the dashboard to mint a fresh token.
403	Not enough permissions to create posts	The member approved sign-in scopes but not `w_member_social` or `w_organization_social`.	Re-run the connect flow and accept the posting permissions.
422	LinkedIn Image Upload Initialization failed	The author URN does not own the asset, or the media URL returned a non-200 response.	Verify the media URL is public and that the page is still administered by the connected member.
429	Throttle limit reached	LinkedIn applies daily per-member and per-app share quotas.	Spread posts out with scheduling instead of bursting them.

Model Context Protocol

Post to LinkedIn from an AI agent

The same seven operations are exposed as MCP tools. Point Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP client at the server and your agent can publish to LinkedIn directly.

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "postmcpai": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@postmcpai/server"],
      "env": {
        "POSTMCPAI_API_KEY": "pmcp_sec_YOUR_SECRET_KEY",
        "POSTMCPAI_API_URL": "https://api.postmcpai.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Prompt the agent directly

With the server connected, natural language is enough — the agent picks the tool and fills the arguments:

“Draft a LinkedIn post about today’s release and schedule it for 9:30am tomorrow.”

Full MCP tool reference AI agent guides

FAQ

LinkedIn API questions

How do I post to the LinkedIn API programmatically?

Send a POST to https://api.postmcpai.com/api/tools/create_post with your API key in the x-api-key header and a JSON body containing content and targetAccounts: [{ platform: "linkedin", profileId: "…" }] — take the profileId from get_connected_accounts. Add publishImmediately: true to broadcast right away, or scheduleDate and scheduleTime to queue it.

Can I post to a LinkedIn company page instead of a personal profile?

Yes. Connect the page during the OAuth flow — rw_organization_admin lists the pages you administer. PostMCP then authors the share against urn:li:organization:{id} automatically. Use targetAccounts to pin a specific page when several are connected.

Does the LinkedIn API support scheduling posts?

LinkedIn's own REST API publishes immediately and has no scheduling primitive. PostMCP adds the queue: posts are stored with a date and time, then broadcast by the engine at the scheduled slot, and remain editable or deletable until they go out.

How are images attached to a LinkedIn post?

Pass a public mediaUrl. PostMCP downloads the file, calls initializeUpload, PUTs the binary to the signed URL, waits for LinkedIn to process the asset, then references the returned image URN in the share so it renders as a native image rather than a link preview.

What is the LinkedIn post character limit?

LinkedIn allows 3,000 characters in the post commentary. PostMCP passes your content through unchanged, so anything longer is rejected by LinkedIn rather than silently truncated.

Do I need my own LinkedIn developer app?

No. PostMCP holds the LinkedIn app registration and the approved products. You connect an account through the hosted OAuth flow and authenticate your own requests with a PostMCP API key.

Other social media APIs

X (Twitter) API

Send one request and PostMCP handles Twitter API v2 for you — PKCE OAuth, the three-step chunked media upload, refresh tokens and the final tweet call.

Read the reference

Facebook API

Publish text and photo posts to every Facebook Page you manage from one endpoint. PostMCP resolves page access tokens and calls Graph API v26.0 for you.

Read the reference

Instagram API

Instagram publishing is a two-phase asynchronous flow. PostMCP creates the media container, polls it to FINISHED and publishes it — you send a caption and a media URL.

Read the reference

Threads API

Threads processes every post asynchronously, even plain text. PostMCP creates the container, polls it to FINISHED and publishes — one call from your side.

Read the reference

Bluesky API

Bluesky is not OAuth — it is a session against an AT Protocol server. PostMCP refreshes that session, uploads image blobs and writes the feed record for you.

Read the reference

YouTube Shorts API

YouTube is the one network here that will not take a URL. It wants the video bytes over a resumable session — PostMCP fetches, uploads and publishes them for you.

Read the reference

Start posting to LinkedIn today

Connect the account, take an API key and send your first request in under five minutes — from a shell, your backend, or an AI agent.

Get your API key See pricing

What the LinkedIn API gives you

Personal profile posts

Company page posts

Native image attachments

Scheduled publication

Per-profile targeting

Cross-posting in one call

Common uses

Post to LinkedIn in three steps

Connect your LinkedIn account

Create an API key

Send your first post

LinkedIn API endpoints

create_post parameters

LinkedIn OAuth and API keys

Open the connect URL

LinkedIn consent screen

Callback and vault storage

Publish with your API key

Scopes requested from LinkedIn

Sending your API key

How PostMCP publishes to LinkedIn

Resolve the author URN

Fetch the media

Initialize the upload

PUT the binary and wait

Create the share

Record the result

Upstream LinkedIn calls

Direct LinkedIn API vs PostMCP

LinkedIn limits and supported media

Common LinkedIn API errors

Post to LinkedIn from an AI agent

Prompt the agent directly

LinkedIn API questions

How do I post to the LinkedIn API programmatically?

Can I post to a LinkedIn company page instead of a personal profile?

Does the LinkedIn API support scheduling posts?

How are images attached to a LinkedIn post?

What is the LinkedIn post character limit?

Do I need my own LinkedIn developer app?

Other social media APIs

Start posting to LinkedIn today