Clay
Connect Clay to find people and companies, run your enrichment functions and workflows at any scale, and read your Clay tables.
You paste one Clay API key. It belongs to your Clay user and works in the workspace you create it in.
- Setup time
- 3 min
- Auth
- API credentials
- API base URL
- https://api.clay.com/public/v0
- Rate limits
- Clay applies a per-workspace request rate limit and does not publish the number. Over it, Clay returns 429 with a Retry-After header in seconds, and X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining and X-RateLimit-Reset when available.
Before you begin
- A Clay account and the workspace you want the AI to work in
- API access turned on for each Clay function the AI should run (Functions, Details, API). Without it a run answers 404.
- Clay credits for function and workflow runs. Searches spend no credits but count toward your plan's result limits.
- A Clay Enterprise plan, only if you want the AI to query Clay tables
Get your credentials
Open API keys in Clay
Sign in to Clay, switch to the workspace you want to connect, and open API and CLI, then the API keys tab. If your workspace does not show API and CLI, look under Settings, Account, API keys.
API and CLI
Keys for the Clay Public API and the clay CLI.
| Name | Created | Last used |
|---|---|---|
| Warehouse syncCreated by you | Sep 2, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
A key is tied to your Clay user and to the workspace you create it in.
Create a key and copy it
Create a new API key, name it PopMCP so you can recognize it later, and copy it straight away: Clay returns the full key only once.
Turn on API access for the functions the AI will run
Open Functions, select a function, open Details and enable API. Copy the function's t_... id (or its URL) so you can hand it to the AI, because the Public API cannot list functions. Turning on MCP or Claygent access does not turn on API access.
Score account
function:t_0te9****BXu
Each access setting is separate, and workspace and role permissions still apply.
Paste the key into PopMCP
In PopMCP, paste the key into API key and connect. There is no OAuth app or redirect URL to set up.
Connect in PopMCP
Open your workspace, choose Clay in the marketplace, and fill in the connect dialog:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| API keysecret | In Clay, open API and CLI, then the API keys tab. Create a key and copy it (Clay shows it only once). It works for the workspace you created it in. Stored encrypted and used only on our servers.Encrypted with AES-256-GCM on save and never shown again. |
PopMCP verifies the credential against Clay immediately. On success the connection flips to Verified and its MCP tools are provisioned.
Verify it worked
PopMCP shows Clay as Connected with your workspace name and email, and clay_get_credit_balance returns the workspace's credit balances without spending any.
Troubleshooting
"Clay rejected this API key"
Why: Clay answered 401 or 403 (body: "Authentication failed"): the key was revoked, mistyped or cut off.
Fix: Create a new key under **API and CLI**, **API keys**, copy it while it is on screen, and paste it into **API key**.
Running a function returns 404
Why: API access is off for that function, the id is wrong, or the function lives in a different workspace from the key.
Fix: Open the function under **Functions**, **Details**, enable **API**, and give the AI its `t_...` id or URL from the same workspace as the key.
A search returns HTTP 402
Why: The search hit your plan's result limit. Free and Trial plans cap a search at 50 results.
Fix: Narrow the search or ask for fewer rows, or move to a plan with higher limits.
Table queries fail
Why: Tables are an Enterprise feature, and there is no endpoint that lists tables.
Fix: On Enterprise, give the AI the table's `t_...` id from its URL (app.clay.com/workspaces/<workspace>/tables/t_...).
A run stays in_progress or answers 202
Why: Runs are asynchronous, and 202 means the run has not finished.
Fix: Poll again after a few seconds, or use clay_run_routine_and_wait for up to 100 rows, which waits and returns every row's result.
429 Too Many Requests
Why: The workspace went over Clay's per-workspace request rate.
Fix: Wait for the Retry-After interval Clay sends and retry. PopMCP retries rate-limited calls automatically.
Reference
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