Needle

Needle MCP

The Needle outbound engine, as tools an agent can call. Build lead lists and run outreach on LinkedIn, Instagram, and email from Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, Grok, OpenCode, or any MCP client.

This repository is the setup guide. The server is hosted at:

https://needle.app/mcp/v1

Parameters, limits, and the full tool list are in the Needle MCP docs.

What you can do

• Leads. Build lead lists from LinkedIn and Places.
• Campaigns. Run multi-channel, multi-account outreach on LinkedIn and Instagram.
• Drafts. Draft messages for a person to review and approve before they send.
• LinkedIn. Search people and run outreach from connected accounts.
• Instagram. Reach people on Instagram from connected accounts.
• Events. Search activity across campaigns, leads, and connected accounts.
• Places. Find companies and locations to source lists.
• Connected accounts. Connect LinkedIn and Instagram accounts to send from.
• Suppressions. Keep people and companies you should not contact off the list.
• Webhooks. Receive every outbound event at your own URL as it happens.
• Compose. Preview a message before you send it.
• Files. Store a private file, then attach it to a LinkedIn message or InMail.

Prefer HTTP? Use the API reference. New to Needle? Start with the onboarding skill.

Install the Needle agent skill:

npx skills add needle-ai/needle-mcp

Example prompts

Paste one of these into your agent once Needle is connected.

Finish onboarding

Help me finish my Needle onboarding. Read my onboarding info to see my ideal customer profile, the leads Needle found, and my draft campaign. Then activate my campaign, and after that start looking for more leads.

Leads from a LinkedIn post

Pull the people who commented on and reacted to this LinkedIn post: [paste the post URL]. Add the ones who fit my ideal customer as leads, skip anyone already in my workspace, and draft a short first message for the best fits.

Warm intros

Look through my LinkedIn connections and find who can give me a warm intro to [name or company]. Rank the best paths, say why each person is a good route, and draft a short note I can send them.

Set up

Every app signs you in with OAuth in the browser. An API key in the Authorization header works too. See Authentication.

Listing tools at https://needle.app/mcp/v1/tools does not require sign-in.

Claude

Add Needle to Claude on the web and desktop. Claude opens its add dialog with Needle filled in. Click Continue, then Connect. Sign in to Needle and click Allow.

ChatGPT

Add Needle as a custom MCP app. Developer mode has to be on.

1. In ChatGPT, open Settings, then Security and login, and turn on Developer mode.
2. Open chatgpt.com/plugins and click +.
3. Click Create custom MCP server, then Create MCP App.
4. Enter Needle as the name. Under Connection, keep Server URL and paste https://needle.app/mcp/v1.
5. Keep Authentication on OAuth, tick I understand and want to continue, and click Create.

ChatGPT asks you to add Needle. Click Sign in with Needle, sign in, and click Allow.

Codex

codex mcp add needle --url https://needle.app/mcp/v1

Then run codex mcp login needle, sign in, and click Allow. codex mcp list shows needle as enabled.

Cursor

Add Needle to Cursor. Cursor opens Needle in the browser. Sign in and click Allow.

Or paste this into .cursor/mcp.json (this project) or ~/.cursor/mcp.json (every project):

{

"mcpServers": { "needle": { "url": "https://needle.app/mcp/v1" } } }

Grok

1. Open grok.com/connectors.
2. Click New Connector, then Custom.
3. Enter Needle as the name and https://needle.app/mcp/v1 as the server URL.
4. Click Add Connector.

Grok opens Needle in the browser. Sign in and click Allow.

Grok Bot

Grok Bot adds connectors from chat.

1. Open Grok Bot on desktop or iOS and start a chat.
2. Send this message:

Add a custom MCP server called needle at https://needle.app/mcp/v1. It supports OAuth.

1. When Grok Bot asks to confirm, click Add it.
2. Click the connect card, sign in to Needle, and click Allow.

Needle's tools are ready from the next message.

OpenCode

Add this to opencode.json:

{

"mcp": { "needle": { "type": "remote", "url": "https://needle.app/mcp/v1", "enabled": true } } }

Run opencode mcp auth needle, sign in, and click Allow.

Another app

Paste https://needle.app/mcp/v1 where the app asks for an MCP server. On first use it opens a Needle sign-in page. Sign in and click Allow.

Authentication

Sign in, click Allow, and the connection is done. Each connection is bound to one user and one workspace. Tokens expire after an hour and refresh on their own. Sessions are listed under Settings → Sessions, where you can disconnect one.

To use an API key, send the same header as the REST API:

Authorization: Bearer sk-ndl-…

Create a key under API keys. Each key is bound to one user and one workspace.

Docs

• Needle MCP — setup and every tool
• Authentication
• API reference
• Onboarding skill
• Agent docs index