Claude + Apollo.io
Describe the account you want and Apollo returns the people. Wire it to Claude and the list, the research, and the first email happen in one conversation.
- Category
- B2B Contact Database
- Connect via
- MCP · API · Clay
- Data
- Read + write (search, enrich, create and update contacts, enroll in sequences; writes gated)
- Stage
- Discover
- Best for
- Outbound teams who want list building, enrichment, and sequencing driven from one Claude conversation
Apollo.io, and why connect it to Claude
Apollo is the all-in-one outbound stack for teams that do not want five tools: a contact and company database with hundreds of millions of records, enrichment with verified emails and phones, and sequencing in the same product. It is where a lot of SDR teams build their lists and send their first touch.
Connecting Claude turns list building into a conversation. Describe the ICP in plain language and Claude runs the search, enriches the hits, writes the first line from what it found, and offers to enroll the prospect in a sequence. The parts Apollo does well, data and delivery, stay in Apollo; Claude adds the reasoning about who is worth it and what to say.
Three ways to wire Claude to Apollo.io
Three ways to wire Claude to Apollo, and the first is a login in the connector directory.
The native Apollo connector (MCP)
Apollo hosts an official remote MCP server and is a native connector in Claude, launched in early 2026. Open Customize, then Connectors in the Claude app, pick Apollo, and sign in with OAuth; no API key. From a chat Claude can search people and companies, enrich contacts, create or update records, add prospects to sequences, and read campaign metrics. Every action respects your Apollo permissions, plan, and credits. Apollo also publishes a Claude Code plugin for the same server.
The REST API, via Claude Code or the Agent SDK
For scheduled or bulk work, call the Apollo API from Claude Code or the Agent SDK: enrich every new inbound overnight, refresh a target account list weekly, or rebuild a segment when the ICP changes. Enrichment consumes credits, so batch it and cache what you already know.
Clay as the bridge
If Clay is already your list workbench, use Apollo as one provider in the enrichment waterfall, Claude as the reasoning step in the table, and push the winners into Apollo sequences. Fastest when the plumbing already exists and you are adding judgment, not data.
See every GTM MCP server Claude can connect to →
Read first, write on purposeSearching and enriching are cheap to reverse and expensive in credits, so the gate there is a budget, not an approval. Creating records and enrolling in sequences are send decisions: let Claude propose the prospects and the copy, and a human ticks the box. Keep updates to existing contacts reviewable until the pattern has proven itself.
What you can do once they're connected
A target list from a plain-English ICP, with each hit enriched and a one-line reason it fits.
Verified emails and phones for the people Claude decides are worth the credit, not the whole export.
First lines written from the enriched record, so the sequence opens with something true about the prospect.
Sequence enrollment as a proposal you approve, with campaign metrics read back in plain language.
What to build with Apollo.io and Claude
Each is a full playbook or skill you can ship, wired to Apollo.io.
Build an ICP list
The list-building play, with Apollo as the source and Claude scoring every row.
Account brief from a URL
Enrich the account in Apollo, then brief the rep before the first touch.
Personalize cold email at scale
Write the first line from the enriched record and hand it to the sequence.
Inbound lead enrichment & routing
Enrich inbound through Apollo before a rep sees it.
Connect it, step by step
- In the Claude app, open Customize, then Connectors, search for Apollo, and connect. Sign in with OAuth using your Apollo account.
- In Claude Code, install Apollo's plugin or add the same remote MCP server, then authenticate with /mcp.
- Run a small search first, twenty people against a tight ICP, and check the hits in Apollo before enriching anything.
- Enrich the shortlist, write the first lines, and enroll one prospect by hand from Claude's recommendation.
- For nightly enrichment or weekly list refreshes, move to the REST API from Claude Code and put a credit budget on the job.
Gotchas worth knowing first
- Enrichment spends credits, and a chatty agent can spend them fast. Search wide, enrich narrow, and cache the records you already paid for.
- The connector is scoped to your Apollo permissions and plan limits. If a tool fails, check the plan before you debug the prompt.
- Sequence enrollment is a send. Treat it like one and keep a human on the approval, at least until you have watched a few dozen go out clean.
- Apollo's data is broad, and breadth means some records are stale. Verify the title and company on the shortlist before the first line references them.
Claude + Apollo.io: common questions
Does Claude integrate with Apollo.io?
Yes. Apollo is a native connector in Claude, backed by Apollo's own hosted MCP server, and there is an official Claude Code plugin for the same server. Connect it from Customize, then Connectors, with your Apollo login. For bulk or scheduled work, the Apollo REST API works from Claude Code or the Agent SDK.
What can Claude do in Apollo?
Search people and companies from a plain-English ICP, enrich contacts with verified emails and phones, create or update contact records, add prospects to sequences, and read campaign and team performance metrics. Each action follows your Apollo permissions, plan limits, and credits.
Does it cost extra?
Apollo says the connector is available across its plans at no additional charge; your normal credits and plan limits apply to the actions Claude takes. Enrichment still spends credits, so budget the agent like you would a rep.
Do I need an API key?
No. The connector authenticates with OAuth through Claude's connector directory. You only touch API keys if you build a scheduled job on the REST API.
What is the first play to run?
A twenty-person list from a tight ICP, enriched, with a first line written per person. It exercises search, enrichment, and writing in one pass and shows you where the data is stale before you scale it.