Clay

Orchestrate enrichment calls over a user-owned list and inspect every transformation

NOT REALLY · consider alternatives
price variesestimated build time closest consolation build: one sittingreplaced by 0 people

A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Clay, orchestrate enrichment calls over a user-owned list and inspect every transformation. The hard boundary is broad provider ecosystem, proprietary signals, workflow flexibility, and data partnerships, plus proprietary data, deliverability, and network effects.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • broad provider ecosystem, proprietary signals, workflow flexibility, and data partnerships
  • proprietary contact database
  • inbox warm-up network
  • deliverability reputation
  • large-scale enrichment and compliance tooling

Why people still pay

People still pay for Clay because the durable value is accurate contact data and deliverability infrastructure; a sequence editor alone is not the product. The recurring cost buys consent records, suppression lists, DNS, bounces, reputation, abuse complaints, provider limits, and changing email rules, not just the visible interface.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • legally obtained contact list
  • sending-domain authentication
  • email provider credentials
  • PostgreSQL
  • public HTTPS endpoint
01
Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and a user-chosen transactional email provider.
02
Model forms, field definitions, responses, consent flags, and exports; store source IDs and timestamps for each.
03
Interface for this lead discovery and outbound sequences workflow: a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views.
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1, architecture and data

Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and a user-chosen transactional email provider. Model forms, field definitions, responses, consent flags, and exports; store source IDs and timestamps for each.

2

Phase 2, implement

Show deliverability warnings, daily send totals, and a mandatory preview before activation.

3

Phase 3, implement

Import a permissioned lead list, orchestrate enrichment calls and inspect every transformation, personalize a modest sequence, enforce sending limits, and track replies without supplying proprietary contact data.

4

Phase 4, review and output

Orchestrate enrichment calls over a user-owned list and inspect every transformation.

5

Phase 5, recovery and acceptance

Record delivery failures and retries by message ID; never duplicate a send after restart. Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: An opt-out suppresses every future step; retrying a timed-out send cannot silently duplicate it. State the practical limit: broad provider ecosystem, proprietary signals, workflow flexibility, and data partnerships.

the pro prompt
Build me a focused lead discovery and outbound sequences workflow for the personal core of Clay. Requirements:

- Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and a user-chosen transactional email provider. Model forms, field definitions, responses, consent flags, and exports; store source IDs and timestamps for each.
- Paid product context: Orchestrate enrichment calls over a user-owned list and inspect every transformation. Build only this DIY scope: Import a permissioned lead list, orchestrate enrichment calls and inspect every transformation, personalize a modest sequence, enforce sending limits, and track replies without supplying proprietary contact data.
- Show deliverability warnings, daily send totals, and a mandatory preview before activation.
- Import a permissioned lead list, orchestrate enrichment calls and inspect every transformation, personalize a modest sequence, enforce sending limits, and track replies without supplying proprietary contact data.
- Orchestrate enrichment calls over a user-owned list and inspect every transformation.
- Use a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views. Required input or access: legally obtained contact list; sending-domain authentication.
- Recovery: Record delivery failures and retries by message ID; never duplicate a send after restart.
- Acceptance: with one labelled sample, show the input, saved intermediate state, and exported result; verify this invariant: An opt-out suppresses every future step; retrying a timed-out send cannot silently duplicate it.
- Out of scope: broad provider ecosystem, proprietary signals, workflow flexibility, and data partnerships; proprietary contact database. Keep this a personal, inspectable workflow.
- Include a README with setup, a sample input, required keys or permissions, data location, and the supported scope.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan

prior art · use these instead of building, if you'd ratherMauticOpen-source marketing automation platform with campaigns, contacts, and email workflows.↗
share on X ↗

Clay pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
free$0/workspace$0/workspace500 actions/month, 100 data credits/month, unlimited seats/tables, 200 rows/table, BYO API, Claygent, sequencer.
launch$167/workspace—15,000 actions/month and 3,000 data credits/month at the captured slider; annualized display showed 180,000 actions/year.Pricing slider exposed multiple values; stored the live card value shown in crawl.
growth$446/workspace—40,000 actions/month and 6,000 data credits/month at the captured slider.Pricing slider exposed multiple values; stored the live card value shown in crawl.
enterprise——Custom actions, credits, security and support.Contact sales.

free tier$0; 500 actions/month, 100 data credits/month, unlimited seats/tables, 200 rows/table.

billingusage/credit-based pricing; annual discount not verified from crawled text

hidden costsCredits/actions are the real unit; phone enrichment is paid-only; prices change with action/credit slider.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-10 · pricing source ↗

Questions about Clay

Can you build your own Clay with AI?

A full replacement is not the recommended project. A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Clay, orchestrate enrichment calls over a user-owned list and inspect every transformation. The hard boundary is broad provider ecosystem, proprietary signals, workflow flexibility, and data partnerships, plus proprietary data, deliverability, and network effects.

What does the Clay build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Import a permissioned lead list, orchestrate enrichment calls and inspect every transformation, personalize a modest sequence, enforce sending limits, and track replies without supplying proprietary contact data. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: broad provider ecosystem, proprietary signals, workflow flexibility, and data partnerships; proprietary contact database; inbox warm-up network. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Clay prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Clay project take?

The catalogue estimate is closest consolation build: one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Clay?

broad provider ecosystem, proprietary signals, workflow flexibility, and data partnerships; proprietary contact database; inbox warm-up network; deliverability reputation; large-scale enrichment and compliance tooling. People still pay for Clay because the durable value is accurate contact data and deliverability infrastructure; a sequence editor alone is not the product. The recurring cost buys consent records, suppression lists, DNS, bounces, reputation, abuse complaints, provider limits, and changing email rules, not just the visible interface.

What can I use instead of building Clay?

The prior-art section lists Mautic as starting points. Review their current scope, license and maintenance before adopting one.

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