LinkedIn MCP server: what exists, the risks, alternatives

Is there an official LinkedIn MCP server or API for profile data?

No. LinkedIn publishes no MCP server. Its developer docs say Open Permissions are the only permissions available to all developers without special approval, and the one listed is Share on LinkedIn (w_member_social): post, comment and like posts for a signed-in member.

Profile and company data sits behind partner programs. Sales Navigator permissions, for example, need approval as a Sales Navigator Application Platform (SNAP) partner. Marketing and Talent APIs also need an application and approval.

How do community LinkedIn MCP servers work?

The most-used one, stickerdaniel/linkedin-mcp-server, controls a real Chromium browser through Patchright with your own LinkedIn login. It can import the session from a browser where you are already signed in.

Its tools read and act as you: get_person_profile, get_company_profile, get_company_employees, search_people, search_jobs, get_inbox, send_message and connect_with_person, among others. Tool calls run one at a time because they share one browser session.

The project's own FAQ says LinkedIn's User Agreement prohibits automated access, that accounts using automated tools can be restricted or banned, and that there is no guarantee of account safety.

What does LinkedIn's User Agreement say about scraping and bots?

Section 8.2 of the User Agreement, effective November 3, 2025, says members will not use software, devices, scripts, robots or other means, such as crawlers and browser add-ons, to scrape or copy the services, including profiles. It also bans bots and other unauthorized automated methods that access the services or send messages.

LinkedIn's help page on prohibited software says members who use such tools risk having their accounts restricted or shut down. With a browser-driving MCP server, the account at risk is yours, because every request runs under your login.

The help page also lists a ban on copying or using information obtained from LinkedIn through third parties, such as data aggregators or brokers, without the content owner's consent. That covers data bought from vendors too, not only data you collect yourself.

• Reading other members' profiles with a browser MCP server is the kind of scraping section 8.2 describes.
• Sending messages or connection requests through one falls under the ban on bots and automated methods.
• If you need LinkedIn data inside a product, apply to the LinkedIn partner program that fits your use.

Which APIs return profile or company data for a LinkedIn URL?

People and company data vendors return work history, company details and sometimes contact data, often matched on a LinkedIn URL. These are Locus Pro catalog prices on November 10, 2026. Rows marked not reviewed are x402 seller listings: Locus has not reviewed them and cannot promise they stay available.

Ask any vendor where its records come from, and check that your use fits both its terms and the LinkedIn rule on data from aggregators.

• The catalog also lists linkedin-web endpoints (search people 25.3 credits, search jobs and job details 50.5 credits). Locus marks them as built over linkedin.com: they can break when the site changes, and the site terms may restrict automated access. Check that your use is allowed before calling them.

How do you get this data through Locus Pro?

Connect the Locus Pro MCP server once. Your agent searches the catalog for free, reads the endpoint contract for free, then calls the provider it picks. Every call is paid from one prepaid credit balance at 1,000 credits per $1, with no account or key at Apollo, Clado or the other vendors.

Pass max_credits on each call. For variable endpoints, such as Sumble or Apollo with phone reveal, the ceiling stops one lookup from costing more than you planned.

• MCP URL: https://api.paywithlocus.com/api/credits/mcp
• Or tell your agent: Install Locus Pro by following https://paywithlocus.com/SKILL.md

• Find an email address
• Apollo pay per use
• Add Locus to Claude Code

What does enriching 100 LinkedIn profiles cost?

Say you have 100 LinkedIn profile URLs and need each person's role and company.

Apollo people enrichment at the typical 35.4 credits: about $3.54. Aviato at 30.3 credits: about $3.03, from a listing Locus has not reviewed. People Data Labs at 353.5 credits: about $35.35. Adding a work email with Tomba at 10.1 credits: about $1.01 more.

Reading the same 100 profiles with a browser MCP server is scraping under the User Agreement and puts your account at risk.

Which option should you use?

For posting, the open Share on LinkedIn permission is the sanctioned route. Browser MCP servers that read or act on LinkedIn for you fall under the automation ban, even on your own profile and inbox.

For data on other people and companies, a data provider keeps your LinkedIn account out of it. Check its sourcing first. Apollo is the usual pick at 35.4 credits, and Clado or Tomba add contact details. If your team already pays for Apollo, its own MCP server does the same lookups on your plan.

• Apollo MCP server guide
• Best MCP servers for sales