LinkedIn InMail API: How to Send InMails Programmatically (2026)

There is no official LinkedIn InMail API — LinkedIn's public API has no endpoint to send an InMail. To send InMails programmatically you use a third-party LinkedIn messaging API that acts on a seat you connect (a Sales Navigator or Premium account with InMail credits). One REST call sends the InMail; the API handles pacing so the account stays safe.

Is there a LinkedIn InMail API?

Not officially. LinkedIn's Marketing and partner APIs don't expose InMail sending, and mass messaging is prohibited under LinkedIn's terms. In practice, teams send InMail via API through a third-party provider that drives a connected seat — see the LinkedIn API landscape for what the official API does and doesn't allow.

How to send an InMail via API

1. Connect a seat with InMail credits — a Sales Navigator or Premium account. With a Sales Navigator API, the seat's InMail allowance is what you send against.
2. Call the InMail action with the recipient's profile URL/ID, a subject, and a body — e.g. Send Sales Navigator InMail. The response confirms the send and returns a thread you can track.
3. Handle replies via webhooks so your app or agent can follow up automatically, within the seat's pacing limits.

InMail limits & credits

InMail is credit-based, and the allowance depends on the plan: Sales Navigator Core typically gives ~50 InMail credits/month (rolling, up to ~150 accrued), and Premium plans fewer (~5–15/month). Credits are often refunded when a recipient replies within 90 days. A good messaging API sends within these limits and paces per identity so you don't burn credits or trigger restrictions — see LinkedIn messaging limits for safe benchmarks. (Figures are community-observed and vary by plan.)

InMail vs connection request vs DM

InMail reaches people you're not connected to (using credits); a connection request opens a relationship with a short note; a direct message (DM) is free once you're connected. Most outreach mixes all three — a single messaging API that supports connection requests, DMs, and InMail lets you pick the cheapest channel that fits each prospect.

Common questions

Can I send InMail without Sales Navigator?

You need a seat with InMail credits — Sales Navigator or a Premium plan. The API sends against that seat's allowance; it doesn't create InMail credits out of nothing.

How many InMails can I send per day via API?

It's bounded by your monthly InMail credits and safe daily pacing rather than a fixed daily cap. Spread sends through the day and stay within the seat's allowance; see the limits guide.

Can AI agents send InMail?

Yes — a REST InMail action is one call, so an agent can send and follow up via webhooks, as long as it respects the seat's credit and pacing limits.

Want to send InMails, DMs, and connection requests from one REST API with per-identity pacing and reply webhooks? See the Edges LinkedIn messaging API.