How to Install and Use LinkedIn API in OpenClaw

Open your terminal and run the clawhub install command to add the linkedin-api skill to your OpenClaw instance. ClawHub downloads the skill package from the registry and registers it with your local OpenClaw configuration. The skill requires a LinkedIn access token, which you will configure in the next step. After installation, run `clawhub info linkedin-api` to see the required configuration keys and supported API operations. The key required variable is `LINKEDIN_ACCESS_TOKEN`. Some advanced operations may require additional scopes on your access token or additional configuration. The skill will not activate until the LINKEDIN_ACCESS_TOKEN is configured. Attempting to use it before configuration returns a clear error message pointing you to the missing token.

1clawhub install linkedin-api

LinkedIn uses OAuth 2.0 for API authentication. You need an access token with the appropriate scopes for the operations you plan to perform. There are two ways to get a LinkedIn access token: using LinkedIn's Developer Portal to create an app and generate a token, or using an existing token from a LinkedIn app you have already created. To create a LinkedIn Developer App and get an access token: 1. Go to developer.linkedin.com and sign in with your LinkedIn account. 2. Click 'Create App', fill in the required details (App Name, LinkedIn Page, App Logo, Legal Agreement). 3. Once the app is created, go to the 'Auth' tab and note the Client ID and Client Secret. 4. Under 'OAuth 2.0 scopes', request the scopes you need: `w_member_social` for posting, `r_liteprofile` for profile reading, `r_organization_social` for company page operations. 5. Use the OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code flow or LinkedIn's token generator tool to exchange your authorization code for an access token. LinkedIn access tokens expire after 60 days by default. Refresh tokens can extend this, but most personal use cases simply require generating a new token periodically. Keep your access token private — it provides posting and reading access to your LinkedIn account. Never commit it to version control or share it in chat logs.

1# After obtaining your token, configure it in OpenClaw
2clawhub config set LINKEDIN_ACCESS_TOKEN AQX...your-token-here
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4# Verify the token is stored
5clawhub config get LINKEDIN_ACCESS_TOKEN
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7# Reload OpenClaw configuration
8clawhub reload

Before testing any write operations (posting), verify the skill is working correctly by making a read-only API call — fetching your own profile data. This confirms the token is valid and has the expected permissions without risking unintended published content. In OpenClaw chat, ask the skill to fetch your LinkedIn profile information. If the API call succeeds, you will see your LinkedIn profile data returned as structured information. If the call fails with a 401 error, the token is invalid or expired. If it fails with a 403 error, the token lacks the required scope for that operation. Once you have confirmed read access works correctly, you can test write operations — start with a draft post or a post on a test LinkedIn account before publishing to your actual profile.

With the skill configured and tested, you can now use the full range of LinkedIn API operations from OpenClaw chat. For content publishing, the skill supports text posts, article shares, image posts, and video posts depending on the LinkedIn API version and your app's permissions. For analytics retrieval, the skill can fetch impressions, engagement metrics, and audience data for your posts and company pages. This data is useful for understanding content performance and can be exported to spreadsheets or databases via other OpenClaw skills for ongoing tracking. RapidDev offers configuration support for teams building LinkedIn content automation pipelines — particularly useful when combining the LinkedIn API skill with AI content generation skills (like ai-ppt-generator or summarize) to create end-to-end content workflows that generate and publish without manual steps. Note that LinkedIn's API has posting rate limits and content policies — automated or high-volume posting may trigger LinkedIn's spam detection. Keep posting frequency within reasonable bounds (2-3 posts per day maximum for individual accounts) and ensure all content is genuine and adds value.

1# Example: Retrieve analytics for recent posts via clawhub CLI
2clawhub run linkedin-api --action get-post-analytics --limit 10
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4# Example: Post a text update
5clawhub run linkedin-api --action create-post --text 'Your post text here' --visibility public