"How to Connect a LinkedIn MCP to Claude (Step by Step)"

Short version: open your terminal and run one command.

claude mcp add --transport http taplio https://mcp.taplio.com

That connects the Taplio LinkedIn MCP to Claude Code. The first time Claude calls a tool, you sign in with your Taplio account, and from then on you can research hooks, draft posts, schedule them, and pull your analytics without leaving the chat.

If you use Claude Desktop instead of the CLI, there is a JSON version below. Both take a couple of minutes. Here is the full walkthrough.

What you need first

You only need two things:

1. A Taplio account. The MCP runs on your own Taplio account, so it acts as you. No scraping, no second login to LinkedIn, no browser extension. If you do not have an account yet, create one at taplio.com and connect your LinkedIn profile.
2. An MCP client. That is Claude Code (the CLI) or Claude Desktop. The Taplio MCP also works with Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code, Windsurf, and Zed, but this guide focuses on Claude.

That is it. There is no API key to paste and no token to generate. Authentication happens through your Taplio account on the first tool call.

The no-terminal way: add it as a custom connector

If you use Claude or ChatGPT in the browser, you do not need a terminal at all. Open Settings, go to Connectors, click Add custom connector, paste https://mcp.taplio.com, and authenticate with your Taplio account. That is the whole setup. The steps below cover Claude Code and Claude Desktop for people who prefer an IDE.

Step 1: Add the server to Claude Code

If you have Claude Code installed, run this in your terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http taplio https://mcp.taplio.com

A few notes on the command:

• taplio is just the local name for the server. You can call it anything, but keep it simple.
• --transport http matters. The Taplio MCP is a remote HTTP server, not a local process, so you do not install or run anything on your machine.
• https://mcp.taplio.com is the server URL. Nothing else goes after it.

Claude Code stores the server and makes its 14 tools available the next time you start a session.

Step 2: Or add it to Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop reads its servers from a config file called claude_desktop_config.json. On macOS it lives at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. On Windows it is at %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json.

Open that file and add an HTTP server entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "taplio": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.taplio.com"
    }
  }
}

If you already have other servers in the file, add the taplio block inside the existing mcpServers object. Watch your commas so the JSON stays valid. Save the file and fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop so it picks up the change.

Step 3: Authenticate with your Taplio account

You do not log in during setup. Instead, the first time you ask Claude to do something that touches your LinkedIn data, the MCP prompts you to connect.

Send any simple request, for example "show me my Taplio profile." Claude calls the get_me tool, the MCP opens a sign-in flow, and you approve access with your Taplio account. Once you approve it, you stay connected and will not be asked again on the same machine.

This is what makes it safe. Claude only ever acts through your authorized Taplio account, with the permissions you already have.

Step 4: Verify it is connected

To confirm everything is wired up, check that the server shows as connected.

In Claude Code, run:

claude mcp list

You should see taplio listed with an HTTP transport. In Claude Desktop, look for the tools or connectors icon in the message bar. The Taplio tools appear there once the server is live.

The quickest real test is to just ask: "Using Taplio, what is my LinkedIn profile and follower count?" If Claude answers with your actual data, you are done.

First prompts to try

Now the fun part. Talk to Claude in plain language and let it use the right tool. A few that show what the setup can do:

Research and draft in one go. "Find a viral hook about cold outreach and draft a LinkedIn post around it." Claude uses search_inspiration to pull high-performing hooks, then create_draft to write a post you can edit.

Schedule it. "Schedule my draft for Tuesday at 8am." Claude calls schedule_draft and puts it in your Taplio queue at that exact slot. If you change your mind, "unschedule that post" reverses it. For the bigger picture of queue timing, see the LinkedIn post scheduler.

Check performance. "How did my posts do this month?" Claude pulls get_analytics_overview for the trend and get_post_analytics for individual posts, so you can see what landed without opening a dashboard. More on reading those numbers in the LinkedIn analytics tool guide.

You can also list and clean up: "show me my drafts," "delete the draft about webinars," or "publish my draft now."

Two things to keep in mind

Nothing goes live without your say-so. Publishing and scheduling always require your explicit confirmation. Claude will draft and prepare, but it will not post to LinkedIn until you tell it to. So you can experiment freely without anything slipping out by accident.

It is text-only. The MCP handles the full text workflow: research, drafting, editing, scheduling, publishing, and analytics. It does not upload images, carousels, or video. For posts with media, write and schedule the text through the MCP, then attach your media inside Taplio before it goes out.

If you want to push the writing further, the Claude Skills for LinkedIn pair nicely with the MCP. Skills shape how Claude writes, the MCP gives it the actions.

Troubleshooting

The command is not recognized. Make sure Claude Code is installed and updated. The claude mcp subcommands ship with recent versions of the CLI.

Claude Desktop does not show the tools. Check that your JSON is valid (a missing comma or bracket is the usual culprit), then fully quit and relaunch the app. A simple reload is not always enough.

It keeps asking me to sign in. That means the account connection did not complete. Run a basic prompt like "show my Taplio profile" again and finish the sign-in flow all the way through. Once approved, it sticks.

A post would not publish. Remember publishing needs explicit confirmation. If you only said "draft this," nothing was scheduled. Tell Claude to schedule or publish the specific draft.

If you are weighing other options, the best LinkedIn MCP server comparison covers how these stack up.

FAQ

Is the Taplio LinkedIn MCP official? Yes. It is the official Taplio MCP server, served at mcp.taplio.com. It runs on your own Taplio account and does not scrape LinkedIn.

Does it work with Claude Desktop and Claude Code? Both. Use the claude mcp add --transport http taplio https://mcp.taplio.com command for Claude Code, or add the HTTP server entry to claude_desktop_config.json for Claude Desktop. It also works with Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code, Windsurf, and Zed.

Can Claude post to LinkedIn on its own? No. Publishing and scheduling always require your explicit confirmation. Claude prepares the work, but nothing goes live until you approve it.

Can it upload images or video? No. The MCP is text-only. It covers research, drafting, scheduling, publishing, and analytics. Add any media inside Taplio before the post goes out.

Do I need an API key or a developer account? No. There is no key to paste. You authenticate with your normal Taplio account on the first tool call, and the connection stays active after that.

Wrapping up

Connecting LinkedIn to Claude takes one command in Claude Code or a small JSON block in Claude Desktop. Once it is live, you can research hooks, draft posts, schedule them, and review your analytics in plain conversation, all running on your own Taplio account with publishing gated behind your confirmation.

Ready to set it up? Get the full picture on the Taplio LinkedIn MCP page, or explore connecting it through GitHub or Zapier and Composio.