# Publishing LinkedIn MCP Server to PyPI
This guide explains how to publish your LinkedIn MCP Server package to PyPI.
## Prerequisites
1. **PyPI Account**: Create an account at [https://pypi.org/account/register/](https://pypi.org/account/register/)
2. **API Token**: Generate an API token at [https://pypi.org/manage/account/#api-tokens](https://pypi.org/manage/account/#api-tokens)
3. **Build Tools**: Already installed (`build` and `twine`)
## Step 1: Verify Package Structure
Your package should have this structure:
```
linkedin_custom_mcp/
├── linkedin_mcp_server/ # Package directory
│ ├── __init__.py # With __version__ = "1.0.0"
│ ├── __main__.py # CLI entry point
│ ├── server.py # Main server code
│ ├── config.py # Configuration
│ ├── utils.py # Utilities
│ └── tools/ # Tool implementations
├── pyproject.toml # Package metadata
├── README.md # Documentation
├── LICENSE # MIT License
└── MANIFEST.in # Package data
```
## Step 2: Clean Previous Builds
```bash
cd "C:\Users\saram\OneDrive\Desktop\mcp-servers\linkedin_custom_mcp"
rm -rf dist/ build/ *.egg-info
```
## Step 3: Build the Package
```bash
python -m build
```
This creates two files in `dist/`:
- `linkedin_mcp_server-1.0.0.tar.gz` (source distribution)
- `linkedin_mcp_server-1.0.0-py3-none-any.whl` (wheel distribution)
## Step 4: Test on TestPyPI (Optional but Recommended)
### Upload to TestPyPI
```bash
python -m twine upload --repository testpypi dist/*
```
When prompted:
- **Username**: `__token__`
- **Password**: Your TestPyPI API token (starts with `pypi-`)
### Test Installation from TestPyPI
```bash
pip install --index-url https://test.pypi.org/simple/ linkedin-mcp-server
```
### Test the Command
```bash
linkedin-mcp-server
```
## Step 5: Publish to PyPI
Once you've verified everything works on TestPyPI:
```bash
python -m twine upload dist/*
```
When prompted:
- **Username**: `__token__`
- **Password**: Your PyPI API token (starts with `pypi-`)
## Step 6: Verify Publication
1. Visit your package page: [https://pypi.org/project/linkedin-mcp-server/](https://pypi.org/project/linkedin-mcp-server/)
2. Check that README renders correctly
3. Verify badges display properly
4. Test installation:
```bash
pip install linkedin-mcp-server
```
## Configuration for Claude Desktop
After publishing, users can configure Claude Desktop like this:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"linkedin": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["linkedin-mcp-server"]
}
}
}
```
Or with pip:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"linkedin": {
"command": "linkedin-mcp-server"
}
}
}
```
## Updating the Package
### 1. Update Version
Edit `linkedin_mcp_server/__init__.py`:
```python
__version__ = "1.0.1" # Increment version
```
Update `pyproject.toml`:
```toml
version = "1.0.1"
```
### 2. Update Changelog
Document changes in README.md
### 3. Rebuild and Upload
```bash
rm -rf dist/
python -m build
python -m twine upload dist/*
```
## Troubleshooting
### Error: "File already exists"
You cannot upload the same version twice to PyPI. Increment the version number in:
- `linkedin_mcp_server/__init__.py`
- `pyproject.toml`
### Error: "Invalid package name"
- Package names must use hyphens, not underscores (✓ `linkedin-mcp-server`, ✗ `linkedin_mcp_server`)
- This is already correctly configured
### Error: "README rendering issues"
- Ensure README.md uses standard Markdown
- Check that all image URLs are absolute, not relative
- Validate with: `python -m readme_renderer README.md`
### Error: "Missing dependencies"
Ensure all dependencies are listed in `pyproject.toml` under `[project.dependencies]`
## Best Practices
1. **Semantic Versioning**: Follow [SemVer](https://semver.org/)
- MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g., 1.0.0)
- Increment MAJOR for breaking changes
- Increment MINOR for new features
- Increment PATCH for bug fixes
2. **Test Before Publishing**:
- Always test on TestPyPI first
- Install in a fresh virtual environment
- Verify CLI commands work
3. **Documentation**:
- Keep README.md up-to-date
- Include usage examples
- Document breaking changes
4. **Git Tags**:
```bash
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Release version 1.0.0"
git push origin v1.0.0
```
5. **GitHub Release**:
- Create a GitHub release matching the PyPI version
- Include changelog
- Attach wheel and source distributions
## Security
- **Never commit API tokens** to git
- Store tokens securely (password manager or keyring)
- Use scoped tokens (limited to this package)
- Regularly rotate tokens
## Resources
- [PyPI Help](https://pypi.org/help/)
- [Python Packaging Guide](https://packaging.python.org/)
- [Twine Documentation](https://twine.readthedocs.io/)
- [setuptools Documentation](https://setuptools.pypa.io/)
## Support
If you encounter issues:
1. Check the [PyPI Help](https://pypi.org/help/)
2. Review [Python Packaging tutorials](https://packaging.python.org/tutorials/)
3. Ask in [Python Packaging Discussions](https://discuss.python.org/c/packaging/)
