Docs · LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn profile

A member's public profile: headline, about, experience, education, latest posts and articles.

1 credit per callFresh within 6 hoursMCP tool: linkedin_profile

GEThttps://api.lurkapi.com/v1/linkedin/profile

When to use this

Returns what LinkedIn shows a logged-out visitor. For most members that is the name, location, photo, follower and connection counts, the start of About, the current company, some schools and their latest posts; LinkedIn hides their headline and blurs the rest of their work history, which experienceHidden reports and no logged-out request can read. Creators and public figures show their headline, full experience with descriptions, and education with degrees. Hidden values are null, never asterisks. LinkedIn answers a profile it won't show logged-out visitors exactly like one that doesn't exist, so both are a free upstream_error, not not_found: check the URL if it persists. Contact info and activity beyond the latest posts need a login; skills, certifications, volunteering and recommendations aren't included.

Parameters

All parameters go in the query string.

Parameter	Description
`url` stringrequired	Public profile URL, e.g. https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhgates. Country subdomains such as uk.linkedin.com work too. Example `https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhgates`

Example request

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your key, or set LURKAPI_KEY for the code. Get a free key.

curlJavaScriptPython

JavaScript · reads your key from LURKAPI_KEY

const params = new URLSearchParams({
  url: "https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhgates",
});
const res = await fetch(`https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/linkedin/profile?${params}`, {
  headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.LURKAPI_KEY },
});
const data = await res.json();
if (!data.success) throw new Error(`${data.code}: ${data.error}`);
console.log(data.experience);

Python · reads your key from LURKAPI_KEY

import os
import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/linkedin/profile",
    params={
        "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhgates",
    },
    headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["LURKAPI_KEY"]},
    timeout=60,
)
data = res.json()
if not data["success"]:
    raise RuntimeError(f"{data['code']}: {data['error']}")
print(data["experience"])

Example response

A real response from this endpoint, captured from the live API and trimmed to a couple of items. Strings over 96 characters (mostly signed media URLs) are cut short and end in ….

Show the example response (4 KB)

{
  "success": true,
  "credits_remaining": 999999,
  "credits_charged": 1,
  "id": "251749025",
  "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhgates",
  "name": "Bill Gates",
  "headline": "Chair, Gates Foundation and Founder, Breakthrough Energy",
  "location": "Seattle, Washington, United States",
  "countryCode": "US",
  "image": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D5603AQF-RYZP55jmXA/profile-display…",
  "coverImage": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D5616AQEjhPbTCeblYg/profile-display…",
  "followers": 40736671,
  "connections": 8,
  "about": "Chair of the Gates Foundation. Founder of Breakthrough Energy. Co-founde…",
  "experienceHidden": false,
  "experience": [
    {
      "title": "Co-chair",
      "company": "Gates Foundation",
      "companyUrl": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/gates-foundation",
      "companyLogo": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D560BAQEgMqqFTd40Tg/company-logo_10…",
      "location": null,
      "startDate": "2000",
      "endDate": null,
      "duration": "26 years",
      "description": null
    },
    {
      "title": "Founder",
      "company": "Breakthrough Energy",
      "companyUrl": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/breakthrough-energy",
      "companyLogo": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D560BAQFRMYiQN7-2kA/company-logo_10…",
      "location": null,
      "startDate": "2015",
      "endDate": null,
      "duration": "11 years",
      "description": null
    }
  ],
  "education": [
    {
      "school": "Harvard University",
      "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/school/harvard-university/",
      "logo": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/C4E0BAQF5t62bcL0e9g/company-logo_10…",
      "degree": null,
      "field": null,
      "startDate": "1973",
      "endDate": "1975"
    },
    {
      "school": "Lakeside School",
      "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/school/lakeside-school/",
      "logo": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D560BAQGFmOQmzpxg9A/company-logo_10…",
      "degree": null,
      "field": null,
      "startDate": null,
      "endDate": null
    }
  ],
  "posts": [
    {
      "id": "7517635773937025025",
      "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/williamhgates_we-can-drastically-cut-avia…",
      "text": "Contrails.org is doing amazing research and developing software (includi…",
      "datePublished": "2026-10-18T17:20:39.424Z",
      "likeCount": 985
    },
    {
      "id": "7517390588447621121",
      "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/williamhgates_made-in-africa-new-measles-…",
      "text": "With measles outbreaks rising around the world, catching cases early mak…",
      "datePublished": "2026-10-18T01:06:22.648Z",
      "likeCount": 854
    }
  ],
  "articles": [
    {
      "title": "For an affordable climate win, look to the sky",
      "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/affordable-climate-win-look-sky-bill-gates-eoj7e",
      "datePublished": "2026-10-12T20:10:59.000Z",
      "likeCount": 3899,
      "image": null
    },
    {
      "title": "AI, equity, and the choice we can’t delay",
      "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-equity-choice-we-cant-delay-bill-gates-d1gte",
      "datePublished": "2026-09-17T15:18:20.000Z",
      "likeCount": 2999,
      "image": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4E12AQFwjr3EOC2slQ/article-cover_i…"
    }
  ],
  "similarProfiles": [
    {
      "name": "Melinda French Gates",
      "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindagates",
      "headline": "Pivotal",
      "location": "United States",
      "image": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D5603AQEnhirBBhb5kg/profile-display…"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tyler Alterman",
      "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyleralterman",
      "headline": "Fractal University",
      "location": "Brooklyn, NY",
      "image": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4D03AQHicg8rnDPxbQ/profile-display…"
    }
  ]
}

Response fields

Every field of a successful response. [] marks a list: a[].b is the b of each item in a. nullable fields can be null; optional fields can be missing.

Show all 51 fields

Field	Type	Description
success	true	Always true here; errors have `success: false`.
credits_remaining	number	Your balance after this call. On anonymous playground calls: free tries left today.
credits_charged	number	Credits this call cost; 0 on free endpoints. On anonymous playground calls: tries used (1).
id	stringnullable	LinkedIn member id, when the page exposes it.
url	string	Canonical public profile URL.
name	string	Member's full name.
headline	stringnullable	Headline under the name, e.g. their role and company. Null when LinkedIn hides it, as it does for members whose work history it blurs.
location	stringnullable	Location as LinkedIn shows it, e.g. Seattle, Washington, United States.
countryCode	stringnullable	Two-letter country code from the profile's address.
image	stringnullable	Profile photo URL; may expire.
coverImage	stringnullable	Background banner URL; may expire.
followers	numbernullable	Exact follower count.
connections	numbernullable	Connections LinkedIn shows. It shows 500 or more as 500+, returned as 500.
about	stringnullable	The About section. LinkedIn cuts it short, ending in …, for most members.
experienceHidden	boolean	True when LinkedIn blurs this member's work history for logged-out visitors, as it does for most members. experience then holds only the current positions LinkedIn reveals, with hidden titles as null.
experience	object[]	Positions in LinkedIn's order, newest first. Hidden entries are left out.
experience[].title	stringnullable	Job title; null when LinkedIn hides it.
experience[].company	stringnullable	Company or organization name.
experience[].companyUrl	stringnullable	The organization's LinkedIn page.
experience[].companyLogo	stringnullable	Organization logo URL; may expire.
experience[].location	stringnullable	Where the role is based, when shown.
experience[].startDate	stringnullable	Start of the role: YYYY-MM, or YYYY when LinkedIn shows only the year.
experience[].endDate	stringnullable	End of the role: null while it's current or when not shown; YYYY-MM, or YYYY when LinkedIn shows only the year.
experience[].duration	stringnullable	Tenure as LinkedIn shows it, e.g. 12 years 9 months.
experience[].description	stringnullable	The role's description, when public.
education	object[]	Education in LinkedIn's order. Hidden entries are left out.
education[].school	string	School name.
education[].url	stringnullable	The school's LinkedIn page.
education[].logo	stringnullable	School logo URL; may expire.
education[].degree	stringnullable	Degree, e.g. Bachelor's Degree.
education[].field	stringnullable	Field of study.
education[].startDate	stringnullable	Start: YYYY-MM, or YYYY when LinkedIn shows only the year.
education[].endDate	stringnullable	End: YYYY-MM, or YYYY when LinkedIn shows only the year.
posts	object[]	The member's latest public posts and reposts with commentary that LinkedIn shows on the profile, usually up to 8. Not a complete history.
posts[].id	string	Activity id, kept as a string to preserve all digits.
posts[].url	string	Public post URL.
posts[].text	string	Post text. Empty when the post only contains media.
posts[].datePublished	stringnullable	Publication time in UTC.
posts[].likeCount	numbernullable	Reactions LinkedIn shows.
articles	object[]	Newsletter and long-form articles the member published, latest first, as many as the profile shows (often up to 10).
articles[].title	string	Article headline.
articles[].url	string	Article URL on linkedin.com/pulse.
articles[].datePublished	stringnullable	Publication time in UTC.
articles[].likeCount	numbernullable	Reactions LinkedIn shows.
articles[].image	stringnullable	Cover image URL; may expire.
similarProfiles	object[]	Other profiles LinkedIn suggests next to this one. Empty when the page has none.
similarProfiles[].name	string	Member's name.
similarProfiles[].url	string	Their public profile URL.
similarProfiles[].headline	stringnullable	Their headline or current company, as the card shows it.
similarProfiles[].location	stringnullable	Their location.
similarProfiles[].image	stringnullable	Profile photo URL; may expire.

Caching and freshness

Responses are cached for up to 6 hours, so a repeat call within that window can return the same data. It still costs 1 credit.

Errors

Errors return { success: false, error, code, docs } with the HTTP status below. Validation errors, 401/402/429 rejections and 5xx failures are free; not_found is charged (how charging works). All error codes.

Status	Code	Meaning
401	`missing_api_key`	No API key. Send it in the `x-api-key` header.
401	`invalid_api_key`	The key is unknown or was revoked.
402	`insufficient_credits`	Not enough credits for this call. Buy a pack or wait for tomorrow's top-up.
403	`account_suspended`	This account is suspended. Contact support@lurkapi.com. Never charged.
405	`method_not_allowed`	Endpoints take GET with query params.
429	`rate_limited`	Too many calls at once. Wait for the `retry-after` seconds, then retry.
500	`internal_error`	Something broke on our side. Retry; 5xx errors are free.
502	`upstream_error`	The platform didn't give a usable answer. Retry; 5xx errors are free.
503	`upstream_busy`	All our connections to the platform are busy. Retry in a few seconds; 5xx errors are free.
504	`upstream_timeout`	The platform took over 30 seconds to answer (90 for web pages). Retry; timeouts are free.

Use it in Claude

Once LurkAPI is connected to Claude, this endpoint is the linkedin_profile tool. Ask in plain English, for example:

Ask Claude

Use LurkAPI's linkedin_profile with url "https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhgates" and summarize what you find.

Claude calls linkedin_profile with arguments like these, and each call costs 1 credit:

Tool arguments

{
  "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhgates"
}

Tool results are compact to save tokens: no nulls or empty lists, one URL per image or video, transcripts as plain text unless you pass timestamps=true. A result over 45,000 characters comes in parts: its _note gives the offset for the rest, and later parts are free for 15 minutes. trim=false returns the full response.

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