LinkedIn Auto Blogger (Free)

Automated short cybersecurity & AI posts to your LinkedIn personal profile every 2 days between 08:00–17:00 America/Toronto, with ntfy push notifications 10 minutes before and immediately after posting. No paid services: GitHub Actions + LinkedIn Posts API + ntfy.

Features

• Every 2 days cadence (no duplicates).
• Randomized posting time inside 8AM–5PM.
• Pre-notification (10 min ahead) and post-notification via ntfy.
• Content from topics.csv using a concise template (no paid AI).
• Uses LinkedIn Posts API (w_member_social scope).

Repository structure

/ (repo root)
  topics.csv
  scripts/
    run.py
  .github/
    workflows/
      linkedin.yml
  README.md

Quick start

1. Create a LinkedIn Developer App and authorize your account to get:

   • LINKEDIN_CLIENT_ID, LINKEDIN_CLIENT_SECRET
   • LINKEDIN_REFRESH_TOKEN (authorization code flow)
   • LINKEDIN_MEMBER_URN (format: urn:li:person:XXXXXXXX)

2. Add GitHub Actions secrets Repo → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret:

   • LINKEDIN_CLIENT_ID
   • LINKEDIN_CLIENT_SECRET
   • LINKEDIN_REFRESH_TOKEN
   • LINKEDIN_MEMBER_URN
   • NTFY_TOPIC (pick a hard-to-guess topic, e.g., chat-sec-ai-7k2p9)

3. Subscribe to notifications Open https://ntfy.sh/<your-topic> in a browser or the ntfy mobile app and Subscribe.

4. Confirm files are in place

   • topics.csv at the repo root.
   • scripts/run.py exists.
   • .github/workflows/linkedin.yml exists.

5. Run once (optional) Go to Actions → linkedin-auto-blogger → Run workflow to test. (Posting still respects the every-2-days gate and random time window.)

Scheduling behavior

• Workflow triggers at 12:00 UTC and 17:00 UTC daily.

• The Python script:

  • Posts only on alternate days (every 2 days) relative to ANCHOR_DATE.
  • Chooses morning or afternoon window on that day (alternates).
  • Waits a random offset within the window, sends a 10-minute heads-up, then posts.

Change timezone or cadence

• Timezone: set TIMEZONE (default America/Toronto) in the workflow env.
• First posting day: edit ANCHOR_DATE in scripts/run.py (ISO date).
• CSV path: change TOPICS_CSV in the workflow env if you move the file.

Configuration (env vars)

Defined in .github/workflows/linkedin.yml:

Variable	Purpose	Example
TIMEZONE	Local time zone for messaging	America/Toronto
TOPICS_CSV	Path to your topics CSV	topics.csv
LINKEDIN_VERSION	REST API version header (YYYYMM)	202507
NTFY_URL	ntfy endpoint	https://ntfy.sh
CRON_SCHEDULE	Populated by GitHub on schedule	(auto)

Secrets (Actions → Secrets): LINKEDIN_CLIENT_ID, LINKEDIN_CLIENT_SECRET, LINKEDIN_REFRESH_TOKEN, LINKEDIN_MEMBER_URN, NTFY_TOPIC.

Content: topics.csv

Required header:

id,title,outline,cta,hashtags

• outline uses | to separate bullet points.
• The composer creates a short, practical post + CTA + hashtags and trims to stay under LinkedIn’s limit.

Example row

1,Zero Trust for small teams,"Map critical assets|Segment access by role|Continuous verification|Kill legacy implicit trust|Pilot one app","What’s one app you’d move to Zero Trust this quarter?",#ZeroTrust #Cybersecurity #Identity

Manual run & quick tests

• Manual run: Actions → linkedin-auto-blogger → Run workflow.
• Force a same-day test: temporarily set ANCHOR_DATE in scripts/run.py to today, commit, run once, then revert.
• Reduce waiting during tests: change random.randint(...) to 0 in run.py to skip the random delay, then revert.

Troubleshooting

python: can't open file '.../scripts/run.py'

• Cause: scripts/run.py missing or wrong path/case.
• Fix: Ensure scripts/run.py exists exactly at that path; commit it.

“Not a posting day” / “This slot is not chosen window today.”

• The cadence guard is working. See “Manual run & quick tests.”

LinkedIn post failed: 401/403

• Wrong/expired tokens, missing scope, or URN mismatch. Re-authorize for w_member_social, refresh tokens, and confirm LINKEDIN_MEMBER_URN.

Missing CSV

• If you moved it, update TOPICS_CSV in the workflow env.
• Optional sanity step before the run:

- name: Sanity check
  run: |
    echo "TOPICS_CSV=$TOPICS_CSV"
    ls -la
    test -f "$TOPICS_CSV" || (echo "❌ Missing $TOPICS_CSV"; exit 1)

Security

• Keep tokens in GitHub Secrets (never commit them).
• Rotate your refresh token periodically or if you suspect exposure.

License

MIT