linkedctl

OAuth2 CLI and MCP server for the LinkedIn API.

What It Does

• Post content to LinkedIn via the official API
• OAuth 2.0 authentication with your own LinkedIn app
• Direct token passing for tokens obtained from other applications
• MCP server for AI assistant integration (Claude, Cursor, etc.)
• CLI for scriptable LinkedIn operations

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 24
• A LinkedIn Developer App with appropriate permissions

Installation

npm install -g linkedctl

Or run directly:

npx linkedctl --help

Quick Start

1. Create a LinkedIn app at linkedin.com/developers
2. Configure OAuth 2.0 credentials
3. Authenticate:

   linkedctl auth login --client-id YOUR_CLIENT_ID --client-secret YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET
   

4. Start using:

   linkedctl post "Hello from LinkedCtl!"
   

See the OAuth Setup Guide for detailed step-by-step instructions.

MCP Integration

MCP Client Configuration

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "linkedctl": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": ["linkedctl", "mcp"]
        }
    }
}

claude mcp add linkedctl -- npx linkedctl mcp

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "linkedctl": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": ["linkedctl", "mcp"]
        }
    }
}

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "linkedctl": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": ["linkedctl", "mcp"]
        }
    }
}

Available Tools

post_create

Create a text post on LinkedIn.

auth_status

Show authentication status for a profile.

auth_revoke

Revoke the access token server-side and clear local credentials for a profile.

Configuration

Config File Format

LinkedCtl stores configuration in YAML files. Each file represents a single profile:

api-version: "202601"
oauth:
    client-id: "YOUR_CLIENT_ID"
    client-secret: "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET"
    access-token: "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"
    refresh-token: "YOUR_REFRESH_TOKEN"
    token-expires-at: "2026-05-03T12:00:00.000Z"

Available keys:

Config files are written with 0600 permissions (owner read/write only).

File Location and Precedence

Without a profile, LinkedCtl searches for config files in this order:

1. .linkedctl.yaml in the current working directory
2. ~/.linkedctl.yaml in the home directory

The first file found is used. When writing (e.g. after auth login), LinkedCtl writes to the CWD file if it exists, otherwise to the home directory file.

Profiles

Profiles let you manage multiple LinkedIn accounts or configurations. Each profile is stored as a separate YAML file under ~/.linkedctl/:

Use the --profile flag with any command:

linkedctl --profile work auth login --client-id ID --client-secret SECRET
linkedctl --profile work post "Hello from my work account!"

Manage profiles with the profile command:

linkedctl profile create work --access-token YOUR_TOKEN --api-version 202601
linkedctl profile list
linkedctl profile show work
linkedctl profile delete work

Authentication Methods

OAuth 2.0 (Recommended)

LinkedCtl supports OAuth 2.0 with your own LinkedIn Developer App:

linkedctl auth login --client-id YOUR_CLIENT_ID --client-secret YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET

Direct Token

If you already have an access token from another application:

linkedctl auth token --access-token YOUR_TOKEN

Environment Variables

Environment variables take precedence over config file values.

Profile-Prefixed Environment Variables

When using a named profile, LinkedCtl also reads profile-prefixed environment variables. The profile name is uppercased with hyphens converted to underscores:

The same pattern applies to CLIENT_ID, CLIENT_SECRET, and API_VERSION.

Precedence Order

Configuration values are resolved in this order (highest priority first):

1. Environment variables (profile-prefixed if a profile is active)
2. Config file (profile-specific file, or CWD/home fallback)

CLI Reference

Global Options

auth -- Manage Authentication

auth login options:

auth token options:

post -- Manage LinkedIn Posts

# Shorthand: pass text as an argument
linkedctl post "Hello from LinkedCtl!"

# Explicit subcommand
linkedctl post create --text "Hello from LinkedCtl!"

# Pipe content from stdin
echo "Hello from LinkedCtl!" | linkedctl post create

post create options:

When no --text is provided, text is read from stdin if available.

The --format option defaults to table in a terminal and json when piped.

profile -- Manage Configuration Profiles

profile create options:

whoami -- Show Current User

linkedctl whoami
linkedctl whoami --format json

Disclaimer

This is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with LinkedIn Corporation. LinkedIn is a trademark of LinkedIn Corporation.

License

AGPL-3.0-only

Using LinkedCtl as a CLI tool or MCP server: No license obligations — use freely.

Using @linkedctl/core as a library in your project: Your combined work must be licensed under AGPL-3.0 (or a compatible license).