mcp-servers/LINKEDIN_TOKEN_GENERATION.md

LinkedIn Access Token Generation Guide

Current Status

Your LinkedIn app credentials are ready:

• ✅ Client ID: 782ff5x832tfn4
• ✅ Client Secret: WPL_AP1.Mwyqzyoyi6LguP4J.nP49EQ==

However, LinkedIn requires specific API access permissions before you can generate tokens. Here's how to set that up:

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Step 1: Request API Access

LinkedIn requires you to request access to specific APIs for your app.

Go to Your App Settings

1. Visit: https://www.linkedin.com/developers/apps
2. Click on your app
3. Go to the Settings tab

Request Product Access

In the Settings page, find the Products section and request access to:

• Sign In with LinkedIn (for authentication)
• Marketing Developer Platform (if sharing content)
• LinkedIn Jobs Search API (optional, for job search features)

Important: For MCP usage, you primarily need one of these. Start with "Sign In with LinkedIn" which is the most commonly approved.

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Step 2: Once Access is Approved

LinkedIn will review your request (usually 5-10 minutes to 24 hours). Once approved:

Option A: Generate Personal Access Token (Recommended for MCP)

If you're using this for personal/development purposes:

1. Go to your app → Settings tab
2. Scroll down to Personal access tokens section
3. Click Generate token
4. Choose scopes (at minimum: r_liteprofile and r_emailaddress)
5. Copy the token immediately (it won't be shown again)

This token is what goes in your .env file:

LINKEDIN_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_personal_token_here

Option B: OAuth2 Authorization Code Flow (For user login)

If you want to authenticate via LinkedIn login:

1. Direct user to:

https://www.linkedin.com/oauth/v2/authorization?
  response_type=code
  &client_id=782ff5x832tfn4
  &redirect_uri=http://10.0.0.25:4444/callback
  &scope=r_liteprofile%20r_emailaddress
  &state=random_string_here

2. User approves access
3. LinkedIn redirects to your callback URL with an authorization code
4. Exchange the code for an access token:

curl -X POST https://www.linkedin.com/oauth/v2/accessToken \
  -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
  -d "grant_type=authorization_code" \
  -d "code=AUTHORIZATION_CODE_FROM_REDIRECT" \
  -d "redirect_uri=http://10.0.0.25:4444/callback" \
  -d "client_id=782ff5x832tfn4" \
  -d "client_secret=WPL_AP1.Mwyqzyoyi6LguP4J.nP49EQ=="

Response will contain:

{
  "access_token": "your_access_token_here",
  "expires_in": 5184000,
  "token_type": "Bearer"
}

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Step 3: Add to .env File

Once you have your access token (either from personal token generation or OAuth flow):

nano /sessions/vigilant-elegant-ramanujan/mnt/MCP\ Servers/mcp-gateway/.env

Add or update:

# LinkedIn MCP Server
LINKEDIN_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_access_token_here
LINKEDIN_API_KEY=optional_if_enterprise_access

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Understanding Token Types

Personal Access Token

• Use case: Development, testing, personal use
• Scope: Limited to your account
• Duration: Varies (usually 1-12 months)
• Approval: Often faster
• Best for: MCP gateway running on personal machine

OAuth2 Bearer Token

• Use case: User delegation, multi-user scenarios
• Scope: Limited to approved scopes
• Duration: Shorter (usually 60 days)
• Approval: Required for each user
• Best for: Customer-facing applications

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Troubleshooting

"Access Denied" or "Product Access Not Granted"

Solution: Your app needs to request API access in the Products section.

1. Go to https://www.linkedin.com/developers/apps
2. Select your app
3. Go to Products or Authorized products
4. Click Request access for desired APIs
5. Fill in the form about your use case
6. Submit and wait for approval

"Invalid Scope"

Solution: You're requesting scopes your app doesn't have access to.

Start with basic scopes:

• r_liteprofile - Basic profile data
• r_emailaddress - Email address
• r_basicprofile - Basic profile (some APIs)

Don't request enterprise scopes until your app is approved for them.

Token Expired

Solution: Generate a new token.

LinkedIn tokens expire periodically. Before expiration:

1. Generate a new personal token, or
2. Refresh the OAuth token using refresh_token (if available)
3. Update .env with new token
4. Restart gateway container

"Unauthorized" When Using Token

Solution: Verify the token is correct.

# Test your token
curl -X GET https://api.linkedin.com/v2/me \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"

# Should return your LinkedIn profile, not an error

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Estimated Timeline

Step	Duration	Notes
Request API Access	5 min	Immediate submission
LinkedIn Review	5 min - 24 hours	Usually fast for personal tokens
Generate Token	1 min	Immediate once approved
Update .env	1 min	Simple edit
Test Token	1 min	Curl request to verify
Deploy Changes	5 min	Docker rebuild

Total: Usually 10-30 minutes

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Next Steps

1. ✅ Go to your LinkedIn app settings
2. ✅ Request access to required APIs
3. ✅ Wait for approval (typically 5-60 minutes)
4. ✅ Generate personal access token
5. ✅ Add token to .env file
6. ✅ Rebuild and restart gateway:

   cd /path/to/mcp-gateway
   docker-compose down
   docker-compose build
   docker-compose up -d
   

7. ✅ Verify LinkedIn service is healthy:

   curl http://10.0.0.25:4444/dashboard/status | jq '.services[] | select(.name=="LinkedIn")'
   

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Quick Reference

Your LinkedIn App:

• App ID: 782ff5x832tfn4
• Settings: https://www.linkedin.com/developers/apps
• Test endpoint: https://api.linkedin.com/v2/me
• MCP Gateway callback: http://10.0.0.25:4444/callback

Environment Variable:

LINKEDIN_ACCESS_TOKEN=<paste_your_token_here>

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LinkedIn API Documentation

• Official Docs: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/
• OAuth2 Guide: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/shared/authentication/authentication
• Jobs API: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/jobs/jobs-api/
• Marketing API: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/marketing/marketing-api/

Get your token and we'll complete the setup! 🚀