LinkedIn MCP server: what it is and which one to use
Short answer: a LinkedIn MCP server lets an AI agent such as Claude read and act on LinkedIn through the Model Context Protocol. Iridium is a hosted one: you connect LinkedIn once, add one URL to your MCP client, and the agent gets your inbox, commenting, outreach and publishing as tools. Nothing sends until you approve it.
What a LinkedIn MCP server does
An MCP server exposes tools that an AI client can call. A LinkedIn MCP server is the one that makes those tools about LinkedIn: read a thread, find a person, draft a comment, send a connection request. Without one, Claude cannot see LinkedIn at all, because LinkedIn shows a login wall to anything that is not signed in.
Two kinds, and why it matters
| Built on the official API | Built on an authenticated session | |
|---|---|---|
| Reads your DMs | No | Yes |
| Posts and reads your analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Comments, outreach, inbox triage | Mostly no | Yes |
| Where your credentials go | OAuth with LinkedIn | Depends on the vendor |
The official LinkedIn API has no inbox product for third parties, so any server that reads your messages is using an authenticated session. The question to ask is where your password is entered and what is stored afterward. Many open-source servers want your li_at session cookie in a config file. For the full comparison of six servers, see the best LinkedIn MCP server for DMs.
What Iridium exposes to your agent
- Inbox: list chats, read threads, classify what needs a reply, find stale conversations, draft replies in your voice.
- Commenting: find posts by topic and draft comments for you to approve.
- Outreach: find prospects, draft connection requests and DMs, run sequences, answer incoming connection requests.
- Publishing: draft and schedule your own posts.
- Activity log: an append-only record of every action, so you can ask the agent what it did yesterday and read the answer from the log.
Every outgoing action is a draft. Approving is a separate step and it is the only thing that sends. There is no auto-approve mode, and rate limits are enforced on the server. Details are in LinkedIn automation that asks before it sends.
Connect it in five minutes
- Create an account at iridiumhqmcp.com/app and connect LinkedIn through the hosted flow. Your password is entered on the provider's page, never on ours.
- Add
https://api.iridiumhqmcp.com/mcpas a custom MCP connector in Claude, Cursor, Codex or any other MCP client. - Approve the OAuth prompt once, then ask the agent to work through your inbox.
Claude-specific steps are in Claude + LinkedIn. A tool call returns in about six seconds (why that number).
Price
$20 a month for one LinkedIn account, with a 7-day free trial and no card required. Iridium runs on Unipile for connectivity. If you would rather wire that up yourself, Iridium vs Unipile has the arithmetic.
Questions people ask next
Is there an official LinkedIn MCP server?
LinkedIn does not publish an MCP server for reading personal inboxes. The official LinkedIn API is gated by partner programs covering advertising, recruiting systems and pages you administer, with no general messaging product for third parties. Servers that read your DMs use an authenticated session.
Do I need Claude to use a LinkedIn MCP server?
No. Any MCP client works, including Claude, Cursor and Codex. Iridium is also a complete web app with the same inbox, queues and activity log, so the MCP server is a second surface rather than a requirement.
Is it safe to connect LinkedIn to an MCP server?
It depends on how the server holds your login. A pasted session cookie is a bearer credential that can survive a password change. Iridium takes your login on a hosted page and keeps only an opaque handle, and deleting your account destroys the session immediately.
Will an agent send messages without me?
Not with Iridium. Every outgoing message, comment and connection request is a draft until you approve it, and limits are enforced server-side so a prompt cannot raise them.
How much does a LinkedIn MCP server cost?
Free open-source servers cost your session cookie and ongoing repair. Hosted ones vary. Iridium is $20 a month for one account with a 7-day free trial.
Add LinkedIn to your agent
7-day free trial. No credit card. Cancel anytime.
Start free → Claude + LinkedIn