Formula to Extract Company Name from Email Domain - Troubleshooting Error

Mark M. · 2026-02-04T20:32:20.364Z

@Clay S. I created a formula to separate a person's email address from their domain, and then to find the company name based on the domain. But, I'm getting the following error. What am I doing wrong?

Formula to Extract Company Name from Email Domain - Troubleshooting Error | Clay

Clay Support
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The "Unable to parse the output schema" error typically happens when your formula is referencing an entire JSON object instead of a specific field within it.
Click into the specific cell where you're seeing the error to get more details about what's causing the issue.
Most likely, your formula needs to reference a specific key within the JSON response rather than the whole object. For example, if your formula currently references something like .response, you'll need to update it to target the specific field you want, like .companyName or whatever the actual field name is.
Can you share the actual formula you're using in that Company Name column? That'll help me pinpoint exactly what needs to be adjusted. [1]
Clay Support
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If you still need help resolving the formula error, I’m here to assist. Would you like to provide more details about the formula you’re using or the data you’re working with?
Mark M.
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Here is a video and explanation that discusses the issue: In this video, I'm explaining my process for extracting company names from email addresses when the company name field is blank. I'm separating the email from the domain and using that to generate the company name, referencing the email domain in my formula. However, I'm encountering issues when the company name field is empty, as I can't retrieve the necessary information. I would appreciate any insights or suggestions on how to effectively reference the company name when it's not available. Your feedback would be really helpful! https://www.loom.com/share/859dc39f2b2b419d8dab851f29c5463a
Clay Support
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The "Unable to parse the output schema" error happens when your formula references an entire JSON object instead of a specific field within it.
Since you mentioned JSON issues, can you copy and paste the actual JSON from your formula into the chat? This will help me troubleshoot the specific formatting problem.
Most likely your formula needs to target a specific key in the JSON response rather than the whole object. For example, instead of referencing .response, you'd need something like .companyName or whatever the actual field name is.
Also make sure any dynamic column references in your formula are wrapped in quotes - like "/Email Domain" instead of /Email Domain. [1]
Clay Support
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If you still need help with the formula error or the JSON parsing issue, I’m here to assist. Would you like to share the exact formula or JSON content you’re working with so we can continue troubleshooting?
Mark M.
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{{Email}}?.split("@")?.[1] || ""
Mark M.
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Are either of these what you want?
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Perfect! The second screenshot shows the issue. In your "Company Name result" configuration, you're referencing just "result" which is pulling the entire JSON object instead of a specific field.
You need to reference a specific key within the AI response. Try changing "result" to something like "result.companyName" or whatever the actual field name is in your AI output.
Click into that specific cell where you're seeing the error to get more details about the JSON structure, then update your reference to target the specific field you want. [1] [2]
Clay Support
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Is that what you were looking for?
Mark M.
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These are my only options for field references
Clay Support
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I see the issue now. Since "result" is your only option from the AI Web Researcher, you're referencing the entire JSON object instead of a specific field within it.
The AI Web Researcher is returning a JSON object, but you need to drill down to a specific endpoint within that result. Try changing your reference from just "result" to something like "result.companyName" or whatever the actual field name is in the AI's response. [1]
If that doesn't work, click into the specific cell showing the error to see the actual JSON structure that's being returned, then reference the specific key you need from that data. [2]
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Did that answer your question?
Mark M.
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Now it says this but still not working
Clay Support
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You're now referencing the "Company Name" column instead of the AI result. You need to reference the actual AI output from your web researcher.
Go back to your dropdown and select "result" (the AI Web Researcher output), not "Company Name". The AI is returning text directly, so you shouldn't need to drill down into specific fields.
If you're still getting the schema error with "result", click into the error cell to see the actual JSON structure being returned. The AI might be returning an object instead of plain text.
Try switching your AI prompt to be more explicit about returning only text, like "Return only the company name as plain text, no JSON formatting." [1]
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