> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sendpilot.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Send Message
> Send a direct message via LinkedIn to a recipient by their LinkedIn URL
Send a LinkedIn message directly to a recipient. The recipient must be a 1st-degree connection of the sender (connection must already be accepted).
## Request
Your API key
The LinkedIn sender account ID to use. Get available senders from the [List Senders](/api-reference/endpoint/get-senders) endpoint.
The LinkedIn profile URL of the recipient (e.g., `https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-doe`)
The message content to send (max 8000 characters)
## Response
Whether the message was sent successfully
Unique identifier for the sent message
The LinkedIn URL of the recipient
Message status: `sent`
ISO 8601 timestamp when the message was sent
```bash cURL theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.sendpilot.ai/v1/inbox/send \
-H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"senderId": "sender_abc123",
"recipientLinkedinUrl": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-doe",
"message": "Hi John! Thanks for connecting. I wanted to follow up on our conversation about..."
}'
```
```javascript Node.js theme={null}
const response = await fetch('https://api.sendpilot.ai/v1/inbox/send', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'X-API-Key': process.env.SENDPILOT_API_KEY,
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
senderId: 'sender_abc123',
recipientLinkedinUrl: 'https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-doe',
message: 'Hi John! Thanks for connecting...'
})
});
const result = await response.json();
```
```python Python theme={null}
import requests
response = requests.post(
'https://api.sendpilot.ai/v1/inbox/send',
headers={
'X-API-Key': 'YOUR_API_KEY',
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
json={
'senderId': 'sender_abc123',
'recipientLinkedinUrl': 'https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-doe',
'message': 'Hi John! Thanks for connecting...'
}
)
result = response.json()
```
```json 200 theme={null}
{
"success": true,
"messageId": "msg_xyz789",
"recipientLinkedinUrl": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-doe",
"status": "sent",
"timestamp": "2024-02-24T15:30:00.000Z"
}
```
```json 400 theme={null}
{
"statusCode": 400,
"error": "Bad Request",
"code": "SENDER_NOT_ACTIVE",
"message": "LinkedIn sender 'sender_abc123' is not active. Current status: disconnected"
}
```
```json 404 theme={null}
{
"statusCode": 404,
"error": "Not Found",
"code": "SENDER_NOT_FOUND",
"message": "LinkedIn sender with ID 'sender_abc123' not found in this workspace"
}
```
```json 429 theme={null}
{
"statusCode": 429,
"error": "Too Many Requests",
"code": "DAILY_LIMIT_EXCEEDED",
"message": "LinkedIn sender 'sender_abc123' has reached its daily message limit. Resets at midnight UTC."
}
```
Messages can only be sent to recipients who are 1st-degree connections of the sender. Attempting to message a non-connected profile will result in an error.
When a message is sent, a `message.sent` webhook event will be triggered if you have webhooks configured.
To send a message to a lead by their ID (with automatic LinkedIn URL lookup), use the [Send Message to Lead](/api-reference/endpoint/post-send-to-lead) endpoint instead.
## OpenAPI
````yaml POST /v1/inbox/send
openapi: 3.0.0
info:
title: SendPilot External API
description: >
The SendPilot API enables you to programmatically manage LinkedIn outreach
campaigns,
add leads, update lead statuses, send messages, and receive real-time
webhook notifications.
version: 1.0.0
contact:
name: SendPilot Support
email: support@sendpilot.ai
url: https://sendpilot.ai
servers:
- url: https://api.sendpilot.ai
description: Production server
security:
- ApiKeyAuth: []
tags:
- name: Credits
description: Credits and quota management
- name: Campaigns
description: Campaign management endpoints
- name: Leads
description: Lead management endpoints
- name: Lead Database
description: Lead Database search endpoints
- name: Lead Extractor
description: Lead extraction campaign endpoints
- name: Inbox
description: Direct messaging endpoints
paths:
/v1/inbox/send:
post:
tags:
- Inbox
summary: Send message
description: Send a direct message to a lead via LinkedIn
operationId: sendMessage
requestBody:
required: true
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/SendMessageRequest'
responses:
'200':
description: Message sent successfully
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/SendMessageResponse'
'400':
$ref: '#/components/responses/BadRequest'
'401':
$ref: '#/components/responses/Unauthorized'
'404':
$ref: '#/components/responses/NotFound'
components:
schemas:
SendMessageRequest:
type: object
properties:
senderId:
type: string
description: LinkedIn sender account ID to use
recipientLinkedinUrl:
type: string
description: LinkedIn profile URL of the recipient
message:
type: string
description: Message content (max 8000 characters)
maxLength: 8000
campaignId:
type: string
description: Optional campaign ID for tracking
leadId:
type: string
description: Optional lead ID for tracking
required:
- senderId
- recipientLinkedinUrl
- message
SendMessageResponse:
type: object
properties:
success:
type: boolean
messageId:
type: string
recipientLinkedinUrl:
type: string
leadId:
type: string
status:
type: string
enum:
- queued
- sent
timestamp:
type: string
format: date-time
required:
- success
- messageId
- recipientLinkedinUrl
- status
- timestamp
Error:
type: object
properties:
statusCode:
type: integer
error:
type: string
code:
type: string
message:
type: string
required:
- statusCode
- message
responses:
BadRequest:
description: Bad request
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
Unauthorized:
description: Unauthorized
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
NotFound:
description: Resource not found
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
securitySchemes:
ApiKeyAuth:
type: apiKey
in: header
name: X-API-Key
description: API key for authentication
````