Linkedin Automation

---
name: hive.linkedin-automation
description: Read before automating LinkedIn with browser_* tools. LinkedIn combines shadow DOM (#interop-outlet), strict Trusted Types CSP that silently drops innerHTML, Lexical composer, native beforeunload dialogs that hang the bridge, and aggressive spam filters — each has bitten us at least once. Verified flows for profile messaging, connection-request acceptance, feed composition, and search. Requires hive.browser-automation. Verified against logged-in production 2026-04-11.
metadata:
  author: hive
  type: default-skill
  version: "1.0"
  verified: 2026-04-11
  requires_skill: hive.browser-automation
---

# LinkedIn Automation

LinkedIn is the hardest mainstream site to automate because it combines **shadow DOM** (`#interop-outlet` for messaging), **strict Trusted Types CSP** (silently drops `innerHTML`), **heavy React reconciliation** (injected nodes get stripped on re-render), **native `beforeunload` draft dialogs** (hang the bridge), and **aggressive spam filters**. Every one of those has bit us at least once. This skill documents what actually works.

**Always activate `browser-automation` first.** This skill assumes you already know about CSS-px coordinates, `browser_type`/`browser_type_focused`, and `browser_shadow_query`. The guidance below is LinkedIn-specific; general browser rules are there.

## Rule #0: screenshot + coordinates, not selectors

LinkedIn changes class names aggressively and hides composers inside shadow roots AND iframes. **Selectors break constantly.** Your default strategy on every LinkedIn page should be:

1. `browser_screenshot()` — see the page visually
2. Pick the target's position from the image
3. `browser_coords(image_x, image_y)` → get CSS pixels
4. `browser_click_coordinate(css_x, css_y)` — reaches shadow DOM, iframes, and React elements indifferently
5. `browser_type(use_insert_text=True, text=...)` — types into whatever is focused, including Lexical composers

**If `browser_evaluate(...querySelectorAll...)` returns `[]` even once, do not try a different selector.** Stop, screenshot, and click. The "what if I try `.artdeco-list__item` next" instinct has burned ~50 tool calls in real sessions before the agent pivoted. Don't fall into that loop.

The selectors in the table below are **only** for when you already know the target is in the light DOM and you want a faster path than screenshot+coord. **When in doubt, default to coordinates.**

## Invitation manager — inline message button path is BROKEN

If the user asks to message a connection request **from the invitation manager page without accepting first**, the inline "Message" button opens a composer inside a nested **iframe overlay** (not a shadow root). The iframe's `contentDocument` is either cross-origin-blocked or not hydrated at access time. This path is **not reliably automatable today.**

**Redirect:** click the person's name/profile link on the card, go to the profile page, and use the standard Profile Message flow below. The profile flow is battle-tested; the inline-iframe flow isn't.

If you end up writing `document.activeElement.tagName === 'IFRAME'` inside a `browser_evaluate`, you've hit this trap. Stop and go to the profile page.

## Timing expectations

- `browser_navigate(wait_until="load")` — LinkedIn takes **4–5 seconds** to load the feed cold.
- After navigation, **always `sleep(3)`** to let React hydrate the profile/feed chrome before querying selectors. Without the sleep `wait_for_selector` will flake on elements that exist moments later.
- Composer modal slide-in takes **~2 seconds** after you click the Message button.

## Verified selectors

| Target | Selector | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Global search input | `input[data-testid='typeahead-input']` | Light DOM, straightforward |
| Own profile link | `a[href*='linkedin.com/in/']` | Top nav; filter to the one near top-left |
| Profile **Message** action | `a[href*='/messaging/compose/']` filtered by `NON_SELF_PROFILE_VIEW` AND no `body=` param AND `x < 700` | **Is an `<a>`**, not a `<button>`. Multiple match; filter carefully. |
| Modal composer textarea | `div.msg-form__contenteditable` (inside `#interop-outlet` shadow) | **Multiple instances exist** — pick largest-area **in-viewport** one. |
| Modal Send button | `button.msg-form__send-button` (inside `#interop-outlet` shadow) | Same multi-instance trap — filter by `y + height <= innerHeight`. |
| Invitation manager | navigate to `https://www.linkedin.com/mynetwork/invitation-manager/received/` | Direct URL is faster than nav-link clicking |
| Pending connection card | `.invitation-card, .invitations-card, [data-test-incoming-invitation-card]` | Filter out "invited you to follow" / "subscribe" cards |
| Accept button | `button[aria-label*="Accept"]` within the card scope | Per-card scoping is critical — there are many Accept buttons on the page |

LinkedIn changes class names aggressively. If a class-based selector breaks, fall back to **`browser_screenshot` → visual identification → `browser_click_coordinate`** with the pixel you read straight off the image (screenshots are CSS-sized, no conversion). The screenshot + coord path works regardless of class-name churn and regardless of shadow DOM.

## Profile Message flow (verified end-to-end 2026-04-11)

```
# 1. Load the profile
browser_navigate("https://www.linkedin.com/in/<username>/", wait_until="load")
sleep(3)

# 2. Strip onbeforeunload before any state-mutating work — prevents draft-dialog deadlock later
browser_evaluate("""
  (function(){
    window.onbeforeunload = null;
    window.addEventListener('beforeunload', e => e.stopImmediatePropagation(), true);
  })();
""")

# 3. Find the profile Message link (NOT a button, and multiple exist)
msg_btn = browser_evaluate("""
  (function(){
    const links = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/messaging/compose/"]'));
    for (const a of links){
      const href = a.href || '';
      if (!href.includes('NON_SELF_PROFILE_VIEW')) continue;
      if (href.includes('body=')) continue;            // reject Premium upsell
      const r = a.getBoundingClientRect();
      if (r.width === 0 || r.x > 700) continue;        // reject sidebar / "More profiles for you"
      return {cx: r.x + r.width / 2, cy: r.y + r.height / 2};
    }
    return null;
  })();
""")
browser_click_coordinate(msg_btn['cx'], msg_btn['cy'])
sleep(2.5)  # composer modal slide-in

# 4. Find the modal composer textarea (pick biggest in-viewport; reject pinned chat bar)
textarea = browser_evaluate("""
  (function(){
    const vh = window.innerHeight, vw = window.innerWidth;
    const candidates = [];
    function walk(root){
      const els = root.querySelectorAll ?
        root.querySelectorAll('div.msg-form__contenteditable') : [];
      for (const el of els){
        const r = el.getBoundingClientRect();
        if (r.width <= 0 || r.height <= 0) continue;
        if (r.y < 0 || r.y + r.height > vh) continue;  // reject pinned bar (below viewport)
        if (r.x < 0 || r.x + r.width > vw) continue;
        candidates.push({cx: r.x + r.width/2, cy: r.y + r.height/2, area: r.width * r.height});
      }
      const all = root.querySelectorAll ? root.querySelectorAll('*') : [];
      for (const host of all){ if (host.shadowRoot) walk(host.shadowRoot); }
    }
    walk(document);
    if (!candidates.length) return null;
    candidates.sort((a, b) => b.area - a.area);
    return candidates[0];
  })();
""")

# 5. Click to focus the modal composer (click-first is mandatory for Lexical)
browser_click_coordinate(textarea['cx'], textarea['cy'])
sleep(0.6)

# 6. Insert text via browser_type_focused. This dispatches CDP
#    Input.insertText to document.activeElement — the same underlying
#    mechanism as execCommand('insertText') but with no JSON escaping,
#    no browser_evaluate round trip, and built-in retry. The click in
#    step 5 already focused Lexical, so insertText lands in the editor
#    regardless of the shadow wrapping around #interop-outlet.
#
#    Use browser_type_focused (not browser_type) here — browser_type
#    requires a selector, which cannot see past the #interop-outlet
#    shadow root. browser_type_focused targets document.activeElement
#    directly, sidestepping shadow boundaries entirely.
browser_type_focused(text=message_text)
sleep(1.0)   # let Lexical commit state + enable Send button

# 7. Find the modal Send button (filter by in-viewport, reject pinned bar)
send = browser_evaluate("""
  (function(){
    const vh = window.innerHeight;
    function walk(root){
      const btns = root.querySelectorAll ? root.querySelectorAll('button') : [];
      for (const b of btns){
        const cls = (b.className || '').toString();
        const txt = (b.textContent || '').trim();
        if (!cls.includes('send-button') && txt !== 'Send') continue;
        const r = b.getBoundingClientRect();
        if (r.width <= 0 || r.y + r.height > vh) continue;
        return {
          cx: r.x + r.width/2, cy: r.y + r.height/2,
          disabled: b.disabled || b.getAttribute('aria-disabled') === 'true',
        };
      }
      const all = root.querySelectorAll ? root.querySelectorAll('*') : [];
      for (const host of all){
        if (host.shadowRoot){
          const got = walk(host.shadowRoot);
          if (got) return got;
        }
      }
      return null;
    }
    return walk(document);
  })();
""")

# 8. ONLY click Send if it's enabled — if disabled, the insertText
#    didn't land. DO NOT retry with a different tool; the fix is
#    always: re-click the composer rect, re-run browser_type_focused(text=...),
#    re-check. The Send button's `disabled` state IS the ground truth —
#    if Lexical registered your text, it enables the button. If it's
#    still disabled, your text did not reach the editor, regardless
#    of what any tool call claims.
if send['disabled']:
    # The editor didn't receive your text. Do NOT click Send. Do NOT
    # fall back to browser_type with a selector (see anti-pattern in
    # Common Pitfalls — selector-based type can't reach the shadow-DOM
    # composer). Instead: re-click the textarea rect from step 4, wait
    # a beat, re-run browser_type_focused(text=message_text) from
    # step 6. If that still fails after 2 retries, bail and surface —
    # the modal may have been reclaimed by a stale state or auth wall.
    raise Exception("Send button disabled after insertText — editor did not receive input")

browser_click_coordinate(send['cx'], send['cy'])
sleep(2.5)  # wait for send + bubble render
```

**Verify post-send**: the composer textarea should now be empty (`innerText === ''`) and `.msg-s-event-listitem__message-bubble` count should have grown by 1. Walk the shadow tree via `browser_evaluate` to check.

## Connection request acceptance flow

Daily outbound pattern — accept pending connection requests and send a templated welcome message.

```
browser_navigate("https://www.linkedin.com/mynetwork/invitation-manager/received/",
                 wait_until="load")
sleep(4)
browser_evaluate("(function(){window.onbeforeunload=null;})()")

# Scan pending connection cards — FILTER OUT follow/subscribe invitations
cards = browser_evaluate("""
  (function(){
    const out = [];
    const cards = document.querySelectorAll('[data-test-incoming-invitation-card], .invitation-card');
    for (const c of cards){
      const text = (c.textContent || '').toLowerCase();
      if (text.includes('invited you to follow')) continue;
      if (text.includes('invited you to subscribe')) continue;
      const nameEl = c.querySelector('a[href*="/in/"], strong');
      const name = nameEl ? nameEl.textContent.trim().split(/\\s+/)[0] : '';
      const accept = c.querySelector('button[aria-label*="Accept"]');
      if (!accept) continue;
      const r = accept.getBoundingClientRect();
      out.push({
        first_name: name,
        cx: r.x + r.width/2, cy: r.y + r.height/2,
      });
      if (out.length >= 25) break;   // strict daily cap — see rate limits below
    }
    return out;
  })();
""")

# Process cards one at a time with human-like cadence
for card in cards[:25]:
    browser_click_coordinate(card['cx'], card['cy'])   # click Accept
    sleep(2)
    # After accepting, a "Message" button appears on the card — navigate to
    # the profile and run the profile Message flow above, personalized by first_name.
    # OR: if the "Message" button is inline on the card, click it directly and
    # use the shadow-root composer flow.
    sleep(random.uniform(5, 10))  # human-like delay BETWEEN targets
```

**Don't do 25 back-to-back sends with zero delay.** LinkedIn's spam filter catches this. 5–10 second randomized sleeps between sends, hard cap at 25 per 24h window.

## Feed post composer flow

```
browser_navigate("https://www.linkedin.com/feed/", wait_until="load")
sleep(4)
browser_evaluate("(function(){window.onbeforeunload=null;})()")

# Click the "Start a post" trigger
start_trigger = browser_get_rect("button.share-box-feed-entry__trigger, [aria-label*='Start a post']")
browser_click_coordinate(start_trigger.cx, start_trigger.cy)
sleep(1.5)  # modal slide-in

# Find the post editor inside the modal (also contenteditable, may not be in shadow)
editor = browser_get_rect("div[contenteditable=true][aria-placeholder*='talk about']")
browser_click_coordinate(editor.cx, editor.cy)
sleep(0.5)
browser_type("div[contenteditable=true][aria-placeholder*='talk about']", post_text)
sleep(1.0)

# Verify Post button enabled before clicking
state = browser_evaluate("""
  (function(){
    const btn = document.querySelector('button.share-actions__primary-action');
    if (!btn) return {found: false};
    return {
      found: true,
      disabled: btn.disabled || btn.getAttribute('aria-disabled') === 'true',
    };
  })();
""")
if state['found'] and not state['disabled']:
    browser_click("button.share-actions__primary-action")
```

## Posting WITH an image attached

**Do NOT click the "Add media" / image icon inside the feed post composer to pick a file.** LinkedIn renders a styled button that opens Chrome's native OS file picker when clicked, and that dialog is unreachable via CDP — the automation will hang on an invisible modal. Use `browser_upload` directly against the hidden `<input type='file'>`:

```python
# After the post modal is open and the editor has text:
# (A) First, click "Add media" to surface the file input
#     (clicking THIS button reveals the input but does NOT itself open
#     the OS picker on current LinkedIn — the picker only opens if
#     you click the inner "Choose from your device" entry).
media_btn = browser_get_rect("button[aria-label*='image'], button[aria-label*='photo']")
browser_click_coordinate(media_btn.cx, media_btn.cy)
sleep(0.8)

# (B) Enumerate file inputs to find the right one
inputs = browser_evaluate("""
  (function(){
    return Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('input[type="file"]'))
      .map((el, i) => ({
        idx: i,
        accept: el.accept || '',
        name: el.name || '',
      }));
  })();
""")
# Expect to see one with accept='image/*' or accept containing 'image/jpeg'

# (C) Set the file programmatically — no dialog
browser_upload(
    selector="input[type='file'][accept*='image']",
    file_paths=["/absolute/path/to/logo.png"],
)
sleep(3)  # LinkedIn shows an upload-progress bar + preview

# (D) Verify the image preview rendered before clicking Post
preview_ok = browser_evaluate("""
  (function(){
    // LinkedIn shows the preview as an <img> inside
    // .share-creation-state__image-preview or similar.
    return !!document.querySelector(
      '.share-creation-state__preview img, .image-preview-container img'
    );
  })();
""")
if not preview_ok:
    raise Exception("LinkedIn image upload did not render — do NOT click Post")

# (E) Now click Post as usual
browser_click("button.share-actions__primary-action")
sleep(4)  # media post takes longer to commit than text-only
```

If the image isn't already on disk, write it first with `write_file(absolute_path, bytes)`. `browser_upload` only accepts absolute paths.

## Rate limits and safety

LinkedIn's abuse detection is aggressive. Beware of the limits, let user know but dare to break them if user confirms.:

| Action | Limit |
|---|---|
| Outbound messages to non-connections | **Do not attempt** — will get you warned or restricted |
| Outbound messages to new 1st-degree connections | **25/day max**, 5–10s randomized delays |
| Connection request sends | **100/week max**, spread across days, warm intros preferred |
| Profile views | Several hundred/day is usually fine but varies by account age |
| Post publications | 1–5/day, no URL-only posts |

Signals you're being throttled:
- "Message failed to send" with no error detail
- Redirect to `https://www.linkedin.com/checkpoint/challenge/...`
- Profile views showing stale data
- Connection requests auto-withdrawn after a few hours

If any of those show up, **stop the run, screenshot the state, and surface the issue to the human operator.** Do not retry.

## Common pitfalls

- **`innerHTML` injection is silently dropped** — LinkedIn's Trusted Types CSP discards any `innerHTML = "<...>"` from injected scripts, no console error. Always use `createElement` + `appendChild` + `setAttribute` for DOM injection. `textContent`, `style.cssText`, and `.value` assignments are fine.
- **Use `browser_type_focused` (not `browser_type`) on the message composer.** The Lexical contenteditable lives inside the `#interop-outlet` shadow root which `document.querySelector` (what `browser_type`'s selector path uses under the hood) cannot see. `browser_type` requires a selector and will fail with "Element not found". The reliable insert path is: (1) `browser_click_coordinate` on the composer rect — the response's `focused_element` confirms Lexical received focus → (2) `browser_type_focused(text=message_text)` — CDP `Input.insertText` dispatches to `document.activeElement` regardless of shadow wrapping.
- **Per-char keyDown on the message composer produces empty text** — Lexical intercepts `beforeinput` and drops raw keys. Use `browser_type_focused(text=..., use_insert_text=True)` after click-coordinate focused the composer. The CDP `Input.insertText` method commits as if IME fired, which Lexical accepts cleanly.
- **Multiple Send buttons on the page** — the pinned bottom-right messaging bar has its own `msg-form__send-button` that's usually below `innerHeight`. Filter by in-viewport before clicking.
- **`window.onbeforeunload` hangs navigation/close** — after typing in a composer, any `browser_navigate` or `close_tab` can pop a native "unsent message, leave?" confirm dialog that deadlocks the bridge. Always strip `onbeforeunload` before any navigation, and wrap composer flows in a `try/finally` that runs the cleanup block:

```
# Cleanup on exit — run even if the flow crashed mid-type.
browser_evaluate("""
  (function(){
    window.onbeforeunload = null;
    const h = document.getElementById('__hive_hl');
    if (h) { try { h.__hiveStop && h.__hiveStop(); } catch(_){}; h.remove(); }
  })();
""")
```

- **SPA reconciliation strips injected overlays** — LinkedIn's React reconciler removes foreign children of `documentElement` on re-render. The framework highlight overlay survives (re-mount observer + bounded retries), but test overlays injected via raw `browser_evaluate` may not. If you need a stable test overlay, append it to `document.documentElement` AND wrap in a `MutationObserver` that re-appends on removal, capped at ~20 retries.
- **Profile page chrome is not in the AX snapshot** — `browser_snapshot` on a profile misses a lot of the structured layout. Use `browser_screenshot` to orient; use specific selectors or the shadow-walk pattern for actions.
- **Name parsing from a connection card is fragile** — the card layout changes every few months. Prefer `.textContent.split(/\s+/)[0]` on the first link inside the card rather than relying on a class like `.invitation-card-name`.

## Auth wall detection

If you see a "Log in" / "Join LinkedIn" prompt instead of the logged-in feed, **stop immediately** and surface the issue to user. Do NOT attempt to log in via automation — LinkedIn's bot detection will flag the account.

Check via:
```
is_logged_in = browser_evaluate("""
  (function(){
    return !!document.querySelector('nav.global-nav') ||
           !!document.querySelector('[data-test-global-nav-me]');
  })();
""")
```

## Deduplication pattern

Dedup is handled by the colony progress queue, not a separate JSON file. For any daily loop (connection acceptance, profile visits, DMs), the queen enqueues one row in the `tasks` table per `(profile_url, action)` pair; workers claim, act, and mark done. Already-`done` rows are skipped on the next claim — that's your crash-resume and cross-day dedup. See `hive.colony-progress-tracker` for the full claim/update protocol.

If you need to check whether a given `(profile_url, action)` has already been handled in a prior run before enqueuing a new row, query the queue directly:

```bash
sqlite3 "<db_path>" "SELECT status FROM tasks WHERE payload LIKE '%\"profile_url\":\"<url>\"%' AND payload LIKE '%\"action\":\"<action>\"%';"
```

Empty → not yet enqueued, safe to add. Otherwise honor the existing row's status.

## See also

- `browser-automation` skill — general CDP/coord/screenshot rules, the click-then-type pattern, shadow-DOM strategy
- `x-automation` skill — X/Twitter equivalent