LinkedIn API Setup Guide

Step 1: Create a LinkedIn App

1. Go to LinkedIn Developer Portal
2. Click "Create app"
3. Fill in the form:
4. App name: CMMC Watch Monitor
5. LinkedIn Page: Your personal LinkedIn page (or create a company page)
6. App logo: Upload any image (512x512px recommended)
7. Legal agreement: Check the box
8. Click "Create app"

Step 2: Configure Products

1. In your app dashboard, go to the "Products" tab
2. Request access to:
3. ✅ "Sign In with LinkedIn using OpenID Connect" (usually instant approval)
4. ✅ "Share on LinkedIn" (usually instant approval)
5. ⏳ "Marketing Developer Platform" (may require review - this gives you access to Organization Posts)

Note: For personal profiles, you may need "Marketing Developer Platform" access, which requires LinkedIn review (can take 1-2 weeks). For company pages, "Share on LinkedIn" may be sufficient.

Step 3: Get Your Credentials

1. Go to the "Auth" tab
2. Copy these values:
3. Client ID: 78xxxxxxxxxxxxx
4. Client Secret: xxxxxxxxxxxx
5. Add Redirect URLs:
6. Add: http://localhost:8888/callback
7. Add: https://cmmcwatch.com/callback (if deploying)

Step 4: Add Credentials to .env

# LinkedIn API (Official)
LINKEDIN_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id_here
LINKEDIN_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret_here
LINKEDIN_ACCESS_TOKEN=  # Will be generated by oauth script
LINKEDIN_REFRESH_TOKEN=  # Will be generated by oauth script

Step 5: Run OAuth Flow

cd scripts
python3 linkedin_oauth.py

This will: 1. Open a browser window for LinkedIn authorization 2. Redirect you to localhost:8888/callback after authorization 3. Automatically extract and save your access token to .env

Step 6: Test the API

python3 linkedin_fetch.py --test

Should output your recent LinkedIn posts.

Step 7: Integrate into Pipeline

Once working, the daily trend collector will automatically use linkedin_fetch.py instead of Apify.

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Troubleshooting

"access_denied" Error

• Make sure you've requested the correct Products in Step 2
• Wait for "Marketing Developer Platform" approval if needed

"Invalid redirect_uri"

• Double-check that http://localhost:8888/callback is added in the Auth tab

"Expired token"

• LinkedIn tokens expire after 60 days
• Re-run python3 linkedin_oauth.py to refresh

Can't Access Profile Posts

• LinkedIn API has limited access to personal profiles
• You may only be able to fetch organization/company page posts
• Alternative: Use RSSHub or continue with Apify for personal profiles

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API Limits (Free Tier)

• Rate limit: 500 requests/day
• Typical usage: 4 profiles × 3 posts/day = ~50 requests/day
• Cost: FREE

Much better than Apify's $5-50/month! 🎉