Setting up a LinkedIn developer app for the API

What do you need for the LinkedIn API?

How to create an app in the LinkedIn Developer Portal

1. 1

   Create the app

   developer.linkedin.com → My apps → Create app. Enter the App name, LinkedIn Page (company page name or URL), Privacy policy URL and a logo, accept the terms and create the app. If you have no LinkedIn Page, create one first.

2. 2

   Verify the Page association

   On the Settings tab click Verify → Generate URL, copy the link and send it to the Page super admin. The super admin has 30 days to approve or deny it. Certain products and functionality require this verification.

3. 3

   Add the products

   On the Products tab add “Sign In with LinkedIn using OpenID Connect” (openid, profile, email) and “Share on LinkedIn” (w_member_social). Both are self-serve and available to all developers.

4. 4

   Add the redirect URL

   On the Auth tab add your HTTPS callback address to Authorized redirect URLs. Rules: the URL must be absolute, can't contain #, query parameters are ignored, and the redirect_uri in the request must match an entry in the list.

5. 5

   Copy the Client ID and Client Secret

   Both are on the Auth tab. Don't share the Client Secret, and never pass it in a URL or query string.

6. 6

   Check the scopes

   The Auth tab shows the scopes currently available to the app. If a request contains a scope not assigned to the app, LinkedIn returns “Invalid scope”.

How to connect the LinkedIn app to Socialift

1. 1

   “Kalitlar” (Keys) → “LinkedIn app”

   In the dashboard open “Kalitlar” and the “LinkedIn app” card. Paste the Redirect URI from the “Konsolga ko'chiring” (Copy to console) block into Auth → Authorized redirect URLs. LinkedIn has no webhook URL here — only the redirect URI.

2. 2

   Enter the Client ID and Client secret

   “Scope'lar” (Scopes) is optional: when empty, openid profile email w_member_social is used. Any extra scope must already be granted to your app by LinkedIn.

3. 3

   Click “Saqlash va tekshirish” (Save and verify)

   Socialift sends a client credentials request to LinkedIn's token endpoint. A wrong ID or secret gets the key rejected. A “no app token for this client” response means the key is valid — that's normal for member sign-in apps.

4. 4

   Connect the account

   In “Ulanishlar” (Connections) click “Ulash” (Connect) on the LinkedIn card. The access token lasts 60 days. LinkedIn issues programmatic refresh tokens only to a limited set of partners — without one, sign in again via “Ulash” before it expires.

Which scopes do you need and why?

LinkedIn keys in the Python SDK

LinkedIn.from_env() reads LINKEDIN_CLIENT_ID, LINKEDIN_CLIENT_SECRET and LINKEDIN_API_VERSION.

import asyncio
import secrets

from socialift import LinkedIn

REDIRECT_URI = "https://example.com/auth/linkedin/callback"  # same as Authorized redirect URLs


async def main() -> None:
    # LINKEDIN_CLIENT_ID, LINKEDIN_CLIENT_SECRET, SOCIALIFT_LICENSE_KEY
    async with LinkedIn.from_env() as li:
        state = secrets.token_urlsafe(32)
        print(li.login_url(redirect_uri=REDIRECT_URI, state=state))

        code = input("code: ")  # the code lives 30 minutes
        bundle = await li.exchange_code(code, redirect_uri=REDIRECT_URI)
        me = await li.me(bundle.access_token)
        await li.create_post(bundle.access_token, author=li.person_urn(me.id), text="Hello, LinkedIn!")


asyncio.run(main())

Common mistakes

• ▸The redirect URL differs from the Auth tab entry or uses http:// — “Redirect_uri doesn't match”.
• ▸The required product isn't added on the Products tab — “Invalid scope”.
• ▸Scopes joined with commas — LinkedIn expects a space-delimited list.
• ▸The authorization code isn't exchanged right away — it expires after 30 minutes.
• ▸The scope set changed and old tokens are expected to keep working — they're invalidated.
• ▸Nobody tracks the 60-day token lifetime or plans for the missing refresh token.
• ▸The Client Secret is sent from the frontend or in URL parameters.