Skip to main content Implement Apollo.io lead search and enrichment workflow.
Use when building lead generation features, searching for contacts,
or enriching prospect data from Apollo.
Trigger with phrases like "apollo lead search", "search apollo contacts",
"find leads in apollo", "apollo people search", "enrich contacts apollo".
npx skills add jeremylongshore/claude-code-plugins-plus-skills --skill apollo-core-workflow-a ai automation claude-code devops mcp ai-agents
Apollo Core Workflow A: Lead Search & Enrichment
Overview
Build the core Apollo.io prospecting pipeline: search for people and organizations, then enrich the best leads. Key distinction — search is free (no credits), enrichment costs credits . This skill uses the correct endpoints and x-api-key header authentication.
Prerequisites
Completed apollo-install-auth setup
Valid Apollo API key with search + enrichment permissions
Understanding of your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Instructions
Step 1: Search for People (Free — No Credits)
The People API Search endpoint (POST /mixed_people/api_search) searches Apollo's 275M+ database. It does not return emails or phone numbers — use enrichment for that.
// src/workflows/lead-search.ts
import axios from 'axios';
const client = axios.create({
baseURL: 'https://api.apollo.io/api/v1',
headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json', 'x-api-key': process.env.APOLLO_API_KEY! },
});
interface PersonSearchParams {
domains: string[];
titles?: string[];
seniorities?: string[]; // "c_suite", "vp", "director", "manager", "senior"
locations?: string[]; // "United States", "San Francisco, California"
page?: number;
perPage?: number;
}
export async function searchPeople(params: PersonSearchParams) {
const { data } = await client.post('/mixed_people/api_search', {
q_organization_domains_list: params.domains,
person_titles: params.titles,
person_seniorities: params.seniorities,
person_locations: params.locations,
include_similar_titles: true,
page: params.page ?? 1,
per_page: params.perPage ?? 25,
});
return {
people: data.people,
total: data.pagination.total_entries,
totalPages: data.pagination.total_pages,
page: data.pagination.page,
};
}
Step 2: Search for Organizations (Free) // src/workflows/org-search.ts
interface OrgSearchParams {
keywords?: string;
locations?: string[];
employeeRanges?: string[]; // ["1,10", "11,50", "51,200", "201,500"]
industries?: string[];
revenueRanges?: string[]; // ["0,1000000", "1000000,10000000"]
}
export async function searchOrganizations(params: OrgSearchParams) {
const { data } = await client.post('/mixed_companies/search', {
q_organization_keyword_tags: params.keywords ? [params.keywords] : undefined,
organization_locations: params.locations,
organization_num_employees_ranges: params.employeeRanges,
organization_industry_tag_ids: params.industries,
organization_revenue_ranges: params.revenueRanges,
page: 1,
per_page: 25,
});
return data.organizations.map((org: any) => ({
id: org.id,
name: org.name,
domain: org.primary_domain,
industry: org.industry,
employees: org.estimated_num_employees,
revenue: org.annual_revenue_printed,
city: org.city,
state: org.state,
}));
}
Step 3: Enrich a Single Person (1 Credit) // src/workflows/enrich.ts
export async function enrichPerson(params: {
email?: string;
linkedinUrl?: string;
firstName?: string;
lastName?: string;
domain?: string;
}) {
const { data } = await client.post('/people/match', {
email: params.email,
linkedin_url: params.linkedinUrl,
first_name: params.firstName,
last_name: params.lastName,
organization_domain: params.domain,
reveal_personal_emails: false,
reveal_phone_number: true,
});
if (!data.person) return null;
const p = data.person;
return {
id: p.id,
name: p.name,
title: p.title,
email: p.email,
phone: p.phone_numbers?.[0]?.sanitized_number,
company: p.organization?.name,
companyDomain: p.organization?.primary_domain,
linkedinUrl: p.linkedin_url,
seniority: p.seniority,
city: p.city,
state: p.state,
};
}
Step 4: Bulk Enrich People (Up to 10 per Call) export async function bulkEnrichPeople(details: Array<{
email?: string;
linkedin_url?: string;
first_name?: string;
last_name?: string;
organization_domain?: string;
}>) {
const { data } = await client.post('/people/bulk_match', {
details,
reveal_personal_emails: false,
reveal_phone_number: false,
});
return (data.matches ?? []).map((match: any) => ({
id: match.id,
name: match.name,
email: match.email,
title: match.title,
company: match.organization?.name,
}));
}
Step 5: Build a Combined Lead Pipeline export async function buildLeadPipeline(targetDomains: string[]) {
const leads: any[] = [];
for (const domain of targetDomains) {
// Step A: Search for decision-makers (free)
const { people } = await searchPeople({
domains: [domain],
seniorities: ['vp', 'director', 'c_suite'],
});
// Step B: Score leads before enriching (save credits)
const worthEnriching = people.filter((p: any) => scoreLead(p) >= 50);
// Step C: Bulk enrich top leads (costs credits)
if (worthEnriching.length > 0) {
const enriched = await bulkEnrichPeople(
worthEnriching.map((p: any) => ({
first_name: p.first_name,
last_name: p.last_name,
organization_domain: domain,
})),
);
leads.push(...enriched);
}
}
return leads.sort((a, b) => scoreLead(b) - scoreLead(a));
}
function scoreLead(person: any): number {
let score = 0;
if (person.email) score += 30;
if (person.phone_numbers?.length) score += 20;
if (['c_suite', 'vp', 'founder', 'owner'].includes(person.seniority)) score += 30;
else if (['director'].includes(person.seniority)) score += 20;
if (person.linkedin_url) score += 10;
if (person.city) score += 10;
return score;
}
Output
People search via POST /mixed_people/api_search (free, no credits)
Organization search via POST /mixed_companies/search (free)
Single person enrichment via POST /people/match (1 credit)
Bulk enrichment via POST /people/bulk_match (up to 10 per call)
Lead scoring to minimize credit spend before enriching
Error Handling Error Cause Solution Empty people array Too narrow criteria Broaden seniority levels, add include_similar_titles: true null from enrichmentPerson not in Apollo database Try enriching via LinkedIn URL instead of name+domain 429 Rate Limited Too many requests/minute Batch requests with 500ms delays between calls 403 Forbidden Standard key used for enrichment Upgrade to master API key in Apollo dashboard
Examples
Quick ICP Search // Find Series B SaaS companies with 50-500 employees
const companies = await searchOrganizations({
keywords: 'SaaS',
employeeRanges: ['51,200', '201,500'],
locations: ['United States'],
});
// Find VPs of Sales at those companies
for (const company of companies.slice(0, 10)) {
const { people, total } = await searchPeople({
domains: [company.domain],
titles: ['VP Sales', 'Head of Sales', 'VP Revenue'],
});
console.log(`${company.name} (${company.domain}): ${total} contacts`);
}
Resources
Next Steps Proceed to apollo-core-workflow-b for email sequences and outreach.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Set up and use 1Password CLI (op). Use when installing the CLI, enabling desktop app integration, signing in (single or multi-account), or reading/injecting/running secrets via op.
CLI to manage emails via IMAP/SMTP. Use `himalaya` to list, read, write, reply, forward, search, and organize emails from the terminal. Supports multiple accounts and message composition with MML (MIME Meta Language).
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Set up and use 1Password CLI (op). Use when installing the CLI, enabling desktop app integration, signing in (single or multi-account), or reading/injecting/running secrets via op.
CLI to manage emails via IMAP/SMTP. Use `himalaya` to list, read, write, reply, forward, search, and organize emails from the terminal. Supports multiple accounts and message composition with MML (MIME Meta Language).
