Quick question for the group: What’s the best practice for creating and managing a Clay API key, exporting / connecting Clay data into Instantly.io, and making sure I’m capturing all relevant contacts (not missing decision-makers) before sending to Instantly? I’m building a lean v1 workflow and want to make sure I’m setting this up correctly from day one. Appreciate any guidance 🙏
API Key Management:
Go to your profile picture → Settings → Your Profile → API Key section to copy or regenerate your key. Use a permanent admin account for API access so you don't lose it if team members leave.
Instantly Integration:
Make sure to use Instantly's Version 2 API keys - Version 1 is being sunset in 2025. [2] In Clay, add the Instantly enrichment and connect with your API key. Use "Find leads" column first to check for existing leads and avoid duplicates.
Capturing Decision-Makers:
Before building your workflow, try our built-in AI tool Sculptor (top-right corner) - it's free and can help you set up tables and automations for finding the right contacts.
For the integration setup: create separate columns for each field you want to push to Instantly, map essential data like email/name/job title, and use the "Add Lead to Campaign" feature. [3]
Let me know if Sculptor helps with your workflow setup or if you need more specific guidance!
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If you still need help with setting up your Clay API key or the Instantly integration, I’m here to assist. Would you like to provide more details about what you’re trying to achieve or any specific challenges you’re facing?
Thanks for the detailed response — that’s helpful. To give more context on where I’m at: I currently have a Find People table built and populated, and I’m generating rough-draft intro emails inside Clay to preview tone and positioning. I’m intentionally still in a validation phase — not sending yet — and want to make sure a few things are dialed in before I scale or connect Instantly. My goals right now are: Confirm I’m capturing all relevant decision-makers and connectors (account managers, vendor managers, housing/relocation coordinators, etc.) and not missing key roles Validate my table structure and enrichment logic so I’m not over- or under-filtering Sanity-check that my Clay outputs are clean and ready to export to Instantly once I’m confident
Understand the best next step for wiring Clay → Instantly (manual export vs API) once this v1 is locked
I’m not stuck on API key creation itself — more on workflow validation and readiness to scale. If there’s a recommended best-practice checklist, walkthrough, or next-step guidance for this phase, that would be really helpful. Appreciate the support.
Perfect timing for validation! Here's your pre-scale checklist:
Data Quality Validation:
Set up automated validation checks on extracted records before they hit Instantly [1]
Check schema compliance, data type validation, and field completeness
Review validation failures weekly and update prompts for consistent patterns
Clay → Instantly Setup:
Create separate columns for each field you want to push (email, name, job title, subject, body)
Use "Find leads" column first to check for existing leads and avoid duplicates
Map essential contact data and verify leads appear correctly in your sequencer [2]
Before you wire everything up, try Sculptor (top-right corner) — it's free and can help validate your table structure and suggest workflow improvements. Let me know if Sculptor helps with your setup validation or if you need more specific guidance on any of these steps!
For the Clay → Instantly connection, the API integration is typically more scalable than manual exports once you're ready to go live.
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This is super helpful — thank you. I’m aligned with this approach and I’m still intentionally pre-scale. Right now: I have a Find People table populated I’m generating rough-draft intro emails in Clay to validate tone/positioning I’m manually reviewing outputs and not pushing anything to Instantly yet
I want to lock in role coverage + table structure before wiring automation
My immediate next goal is to confirm: I’m not missing key decision-makers or connectors My current columns are the right schema to push into Instantly
Whether it makes sense to add validation/conditional logic now or wait until volume increases
Before moving to the API-based Clay → Instantly setup, is there a recommended “v1 ready” checkpoint you’d suggest (e.g. specific validations, column structure, or row volume to test)? Happy to follow whatever best-practice sequence you recommend here. Appreciate the guidance.
Perfect approach for pre-scale validation! Here's your "v1 ready" checkpoint:
Schema Validation:
- Create separate columns for each field you'll push to Instantly (email, first_name, last_name, subject_line, email_body)
- Use "Find leads" column to check for existing leads and avoid duplicates
- Test with 10-20 records first to verify schema compliance and data type validation [1]
Quality Checks:
Set up automated validation on key fields:
- Email format validation
- Required field completeness (name, email, job title)
- Subject line/body content quality
Ready Checkpoint:
- 50+ validated records with clean data
- All required columns mapped correctly
- Manual review shows consistent output quality
- Zero "missing input" errors when testing [2]
Validation Logic Timing:
Add it now while volume is manageable - easier to catch patterns and refine prompts with smaller datasets.
Before setting up the API connection, try Sculptor (top-right corner) to validate your table structure and suggest any workflow improvements. Let me know if that helps with your setup validation!
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If you need any further help with confirming your role coverage, table structure, or validation steps before scaling, I’m here to assist. Would you like to share more details about your current setup or any specific concerns you have?
