How to Make Clay Search All Sources for Contact Information

Omar R. · 2026-01-19T14:03:45.632Z

Hi, I was wondering, when nurturing a person getting their phone number, or linkedin profile, etc - while using multiple sources; if clay found a valid result from 1 source, it stops searching for that entry in the next sources. Is this an error or it is the way clay behaves? if so, how to change this so it checks all sources? Thank you. #clay-support

How to Make Clay Search All Sources for Contact Information | Clay

9 comments

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Clay Support
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That's exactly how Clay waterfalls are designed to work - it's not an error. Once Clay finds what it needs from one provider, it won't check the others to save your credits and keep things running smoothly. [1]
The waterfall stops once a data point is found or all providers are exhausted. [2] This is the standard behavior for all Clay enrichments including phone numbers and other contact data.
Unfortunately, there isn't a built-in way to force Clay to check all sources even after finding a result. The waterfall system is specifically designed to be cost-effective by stopping at the first successful match. [3]
If you need data from multiple sources, you'd have to set up separate individual enrichment columns for each provider rather than using a waterfall.
Clay Support
APP
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Is that what you were looking for?

Omar R.

If you need data from multiple sources, you'd have to set up separate individual enrichment columns for each provider rather than using a waterfall.

How to do this?

Clay Support
APP
·
·
To set up separate enrichment columns for each provider instead of using a waterfall:
1.
Click "Add Enrichment" in the top-right corner of your table
2.
Search for the specific enrichment you want (like "work email")
3.
Instead of selecting the waterfall option, choose individual providers one by one
4.
For each provider, create a separate column by repeating this process
For example, if you want phone numbers from multiple sources, you'd create separate columns like "Phone - Provider A", "Phone - Provider B", etc. Each column will run independently and check its specific provider regardless of what the others find. [1]
This way you get results from all providers instead of stopping at the first successful match.
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Did that answer your question?
Omar R.
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for the credit cost, will runing them all each in a column will cost more credits, than if the waterfall stopped at a certain step? plz clarify this clearly
Clay Support
APP
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Yes, running separate columns for each provider will cost significantly more credits than using a waterfall.
Here's why: waterfalls are designed to save credits by stopping once they find what they need from one provider. [1] If a waterfall finds a phone number from the first provider, it stops there and only charges you for that one lookup.
But with separate columns, each provider runs independently regardless of what the others find. [2] So if you have 3 providers in separate columns, you'll pay for all 3 lookups even if the first one already found the data you needed.
The waterfall approach is specifically built to be cost-effective by querying providers in order until the data is found, then stopping to save your credits. [3]
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Was this helpful?
Clay Support
APP
·
·
If you need any more help understanding the credit costs or setting up enrichment columns, I’m here to assist. Would you like to provide more details about what you’re trying to achieve with your enrichments?

Clay Support
APP
·
·
That's exactly how Clay waterfalls are designed to work - it's not an error. Once Clay finds what it needs from one provider, it won't check the others to save your credits and keep things running smoothly. [1]
The waterfall stops once a data point is found or all providers are exhausted. [2] This is the standard behavior for all Clay enrichments including phone numbers and other contact data.
Unfortunately, there isn't a built-in way to force Clay to check all sources even after finding a result. The waterfall system is specifically designed to be cost-effective by stopping at the first successful match. [3]
If you need data from multiple sources, you'd have to set up separate individual enrichment columns for each provider rather than using a waterfall.
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Is that what you were looking for?

Omar R.

If you need data from multiple sources, you'd have to set up separate individual enrichment columns for each provider rather than using a waterfall.

How to do this?

Clay Support
APP
·
·
To set up separate enrichment columns for each provider instead of using a waterfall:
1.
Click "Add Enrichment" in the top-right corner of your table
2.
Search for the specific enrichment you want (like "work email")
3.
Instead of selecting the waterfall option, choose individual providers one by one
4.
For each provider, create a separate column by repeating this process
For example, if you want phone numbers from multiple sources, you'd create separate columns like "Phone - Provider A", "Phone - Provider B", etc. Each column will run independently and check its specific provider regardless of what the others find. [1]
This way you get results from all providers instead of stopping at the first successful match.
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Did that answer your question?
Omar R.
·
·
for the credit cost, will runing them all each in a column will cost more credits, than if the waterfall stopped at a certain step? plz clarify this clearly
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Yes, running separate columns for each provider will cost significantly more credits than using a waterfall.
Here's why: waterfalls are designed to save credits by stopping once they find what they need from one provider. [1] If a waterfall finds a phone number from the first provider, it stops there and only charges you for that one lookup.
But with separate columns, each provider runs independently regardless of what the others find. [2] So if you have 3 providers in separate columns, you'll pay for all 3 lookups even if the first one already found the data you needed.
The waterfall approach is specifically built to be cost-effective by querying providers in order until the data is found, then stopping to save your credits. [3]
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Was this helpful?
Clay Support
APP
·
·
If you need any more help understanding the credit costs or setting up enrichment columns, I’m here to assist. Would you like to provide more details about what you’re trying to achieve with your enrichments?