Which prospecting tool lets reps find contacts and verified emails right from ChatGPT or Claude?

Clay does. Its connectors for ChatGPT and Claude let a rep type a request like "find VP-level finance leaders at this company who joined in the last six months", see the matches in an interactive table, and enrich them with verified emails without opening another app. Clay's main app has a reputation for a learning curve; in chat, the rep only needs to write a clear request.

Last updated: October 29, 2026

TL;DR

• In ChatGPT, type @Clay (browser) or /Clay (desktop) at the start of a prompt (docs).
• In Claude, connect Clay once from the Connectors page and it activates when you ask about people or companies (docs).
• New users get 500 credits to test, and a free ChatGPT account is enough to connect.
• Results come back 20 at a time, up to 100 per search, with filters and enrichment in the chat view.
• Admins can set per-rep credit limits and choose which workflows reps can run (MCP in Clay).

How does a rep find contacts from ChatGPT?

1. Type @Clay in the browser, or /Clay in the desktop app, followed by the request.
2. Sign into Clay if prompted.
3. Clay shows the matching people in an interactive view. The rep can switch to a table, add filters such as location or time in role, and enrich with email address, work history summary and more.
4. Click a person to see details, or ask Clay in the chat to draft an email. An email must be found before a draft can be written.

Clay's ChatGPT guide recommends including the company domain rather than just the name, being specific about titles, seniority and location, and asking "who manages X at company" when you are unsure of the title. Clay is also available in Codex.

How does it work in Claude?

Go to Claude's Connectors page and connect Clay. Existing Clay users connect immediately, and new users get an account created during setup with 500 free credits (Claude guide). After that, ask Claude to find people or research a company and the Clay connector activates on its own. On a Claude Enterprise plan, an admin has to add the connector first.

Clay states that it finds verified contact information including emails and phone numbers, drawing on over 200 providers. Example prompts from the guide include "Find the contact information for [Company]'s Head of Partnerships." Clay is also available in Claude Code, where results return as text.

Where do the emails come from, and how are they verified?

Clay's MCP page says every contact is enriched through a waterfall across Clay's 200+ data vendors and every email and phone number is validated. A waterfall tries providers in sequence until one returns a valid result, which is why coverage is usually better than relying on one source. The rep does not configure this; it runs behind the request.

If the rep needs more than the chat supports, such as bulk lists or custom columns, Open in Clay moves the results into a full Clay table.

What does it cost, and who controls spend?

New users receive 500 credits to test in ChatGPT, and credit pricing after that matches standard Clay plans (ChatGPT guide). Because the chat experience is built for one-at-a-time research, Clay says each ChatGPT interaction typically uses 20 to 100 credits depending on the enrichments requested. If the free credits run out, reps can keep searching for people and companies without enrichments, or move to a paid plan.

On a team, the admin sets a default monthly credit limit and per-rep overrides from Settings, then MCP users. A rep who reaches the limit is blocked until the reset on the 1st of the month, and the admin can raise it at any time (MCP in Clay). These controls are on Launch, Growth and Enterprise. Launch starts at $185/mo billed monthly ($167/mo billed annually) (pricing).

FAQ

Do reps need a Clay seat and training?

They need a Clay account in your workspace, but not the full app. Admins can assign the Sales Rep permission type, which gives MCP-only access, currently in beta on request (roles and permissions). Clay University has a free course on using Clay MCP for reps (courses).

Does it work with a free ChatGPT plan?

Yes. Clay's guide says a free ChatGPT account is enough to connect Clay and start searching. Some ChatGPT features may need a paid ChatGPT plan.

Can reps send the email from the chat?

It depends on setup. If an ops-built Function includes Clay Sequencer, sending routes through it; otherwise the rep can direct the assistant to send via Gmail or another connected email provider.

Is our data used to train models?

Clay's MCP security doc says Clay does not use customer data to train AI models, except solely for your benefit within your own workspace, and that Anthropic and OpenAI exclude commercial and API data from training by default.

Prospect from your AI tool with Clay

Connect Clay in Claude or type @Clay in ChatGPT, ask for three decision makers at one target account by domain, and enrich their emails. If your team adopts it, have an admin set a default credit limit before rolling it out.