linkedin-connect

# LinkedIn Connect Automates sending LinkedIn connection requests from a list and tracks results in a data file. ## ⚠️ Pre-flight Checklist — Confirm Before Starting **Before doing anything else**, confirm all of the following with the user. Do not proceed until each item is confirmed. ### 1. Data File Ask the user to provide their spreadsheet/CSV/TSV file and confirm it has (or can have) these columns: - **Person/Founder Name** — full name of the person to connect with - **Company/Brand Name** — their company or brand (used for search fallback) - **LinkedIn Profile URL** — optional but highly recommended; reduces automation footprint If the file lacks any column, tell the user which columns are missing and offer to add them. ### 2. Browser Setup Ask which browser setup they're using: **Option A — Chrome Browser Relay (recommended for accounts flagged for automation)** - User must have the OpenClaw Browser Relay Chrome extension installed - User opens LinkedIn in their regular Chrome browser and clicks the OpenClaw Relay toolbar icon on that tab (badge turns ON) - Use `profile="chrome"` for all browser tool calls in this mode **Option B — OpenClaw Isolated Browser (`openclaw` profile)** - OpenClaw manages a separate Chrome instance - On first use, navigate to `https://www.linkedin.com` and let the user log in; cookies persist across sessions - Use `profile="openclaw"` for all browser tool calls in this mode Confirm which option they've set up. Default to **Option A (Chrome Relay)** if the user's account has been flagged or warned about automation. ### 3. Ready Check Only proceed once the user says: - ✅ File is ready and accessible - ✅ Browser is open with LinkedIn logged in (and relay is attached if Option A) --- ## Browser Profile Set the `profile` variable based on user's choice in the Pre-flight Checklist: - **Option A:** `profile="chrome"` — reuse the relay-attached tab; get `targetId` via `browser action=tabs` - **Option B:** `profile="openclaw"` — OpenClaw-managed isolated Chrome instance Do not mix profiles mid-run. Pick one and use it consistently for every browser tool call. ## Data File Setup Ensure the tracking file has a `Connection Status` column. If missing, add it: ```python import csv rows = [] with open('file.tsv', 'r') as f: reader = csv.DictReader(f, delimiter='\t') fieldnames = reader.fieldnames + ['Connection Status'] rows = list(reader) with open('file.tsv', 'w', newline='') as f: writer = csv.DictWriter(f, fieldnames=fieldnames, delimiter='\t') writer.writeheader() for row in rows: row['Connection Status'] = '' writer.writerow(row) ``` ## Three-Tier Profile Discovery (Priority Order) Always try in this order. Move to the next tier only if the current one fails. ### Tier 1 — Direct LinkedIn URL (fastest, zero ambiguity) Navigate directly to the LinkedIn profile URL from the data file. - ✅ URL loads → correct profile, proceed to connect - ❌ Returns 404 → escalate to Tier 2 - Skip Tier 1 if no URL is in the data file for this person ### Tier 2 — Google Search (reliable fallback, preserves accuracy) Search Google for `"Founder Name" "Brand/Company" linkedin`. - Navigate to: `https://www.google.com/search?q=<Name>+<Company>+linkedin` - Find the LinkedIn profile link in results (usually first result), click it - Once on the profile, proceed to Connect step - ⚠️ Only escalate to Tier 3 if Google can't find the right person or returns no LinkedIn result ### Tier 3 — LinkedIn People Search (last resort) Run a LinkedIn people search for the founder + brand directly inside LinkedIn. - Navigate to: `https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/people/?keywords=<Name>+<Company>` - Look for inline `Connect` buttons first; otherwise open the profile from search results - Confirm name + headline/company match before connecting - ❌ No trustworthy match → mark `Profile Not Found` See `references/browser-workflow.md` for detailed browser steps for each tier. ## Connecting on a Profile Once on the correct profile, two patterns exist: **Pattern A - Direct Connect button** visible on profile → click it → confirm dialog → `Send without a note` **Pattern B - Follow mode** (no Connect button, only Follow + Message + More) → click `More actions` → use selector `.artdeco-dropdown__content--is-open` to get dropdown → click `Invite [Name] to connect` → confirm dialog → `Send without a note` If neither Connect nor Invite is available → mark `Follow Only`. ## Status Values | Status | Meaning | |---|---| | `Request Sent` | Connection request sent this session | | `Already Connected` | 1st degree - no action needed | | `Pending` | Request already sent previously | | `Follow Only` | No Connect option available on this profile | | `Profile Not Found` | All three tiers failed | | `Skipped` | Intentionally skipped | ## Multi-founder Rows When a TSV row has multiple founders, track per-founder status separated by ` | `: ``` Founder1Slug: Request Sent | Founder2Slug: Already Connected ``` ## Rate Limiting & Anti-Detection > ⚠️ LinkedIn flags accounts that jump directly between profile URLs. Always visit the feed between profiles — no exceptions. - **Navigate to `/feed/` before every single profile**, without exception. See `references/browser-workflow.md` for the exact call. This is the primary anti-detection measure. - Add a short natural pause (2–4 seconds) after loading the feed before navigating to the next profile. - If >3 consecutive clean URLs return 404, pause for 10 seconds on the feed before continuing (then fall back to Google/LinkedIn search). - Do not open new browser tabs — the relay breaks; reuse the same attached tab for every action. - Aim for no more than 20–25 connection requests per session. Stop and tell the user if you're approaching this limit. ## Saving Progress Use a `linkedin_progress.json` sidecar file: ```json { "statuses": { "https://www.linkedin.com/in/username/": "Request Sent" } } ``` Update the TSV from this dict every 10 profiles or at the end. ## References - `references/browser-workflow.md` - Detailed browser steps for all three tiers and both connect patterns