Analyze, plan, and execute Clay SDK upgrades with breaking change detection.
Use when upgrading Clay SDK versions, detecting deprecations,
or migrating to new API versions.
Trigger with phrases like "upgrade clay", "clay migration",
"clay breaking changes", "update clay SDK", "analyze clay version".
Guide for navigating Clay plan upgrades and the March 2026 pricing overhaul. Clay restructured from Starter/Explorer/Pro to Launch/Growth tiers, split credits into Data Credits + Actions, and cut data costs 50-90%. This skill covers migration decisions, integration impact, and adaptation strategies.
Prerequisites
Active Clay account
Understanding of current credit consumption
Access to Clay billing dashboard
Instructions
Step 1: Understand the 2026 Pricing Change
Old Plans (Legacy -- available until April 10, 2026):
Plan
Price
Credits
Key Limits
Starter
$149/mo
Limited
No HTTP API, no webhooks
Explorer
$349/mo
25K
400 records/hour throttle
Pro
$800/mo
50K
HTTP API, webhooks, priority support
New Plans (March 2026+):
Plan
Price
Data Credits
Actions
Key Features
Launch
$185/mo
2,500
15,000
Phone enrichment, signal tracking
Growth
$495/mo
6,000
40,000
CRM sync, HTTP API, web intent, ads
Key changes:
Credits split into Data Credits (buying enrichment data) and Actions (using the platform)
Data costs cut 50-90% (each enrichment is cheaper)
No enrichment charges on failed lookups (no data = no charge)
Credit rollover capped at 2x monthly limit
Step 2: Audit Your Current Usage
# Check current plan and credit usage from Clay dashboard
# Navigate to Settings > Plans & Billing
# Record:
# - Current plan tier
# - Monthly credits used (average over 3 months)
# - Which enrichment providers consume most credits
# - Whether you use HTTP API columns
# - Whether you use webhook sources
Decision matrix for migration:
If you currently...
Recommended new plan
Use < 2,500 data credits/mo
Launch ($185)
Need HTTP API columns
Growth ($495)
Need CRM sync
Growth ($495)
Use webhooks + high volume
Growth ($495)
Stay on legacy Explorer
Keep legacy if 400/hr limit works
Have Enterprise contract
Contact Clay sales
Step 3: Adapt Integration Code for New Credit Model
No-charge on failed lookups changes the cost equation:
// Old model: every enrichment attempt cost credits, even if no data returned
// New model: only charged when data is actually returned
// This makes wider waterfall enrichments cheaper:
// Before: 5-provider waterfall = 5 charges even if only 1 finds data
// After: 5-provider waterfall = 1 charge if only 1 finds data
// Strategy: wider waterfalls are now more cost-effective
Connect your own API keys for maximum savings:
Provider
Clay Credits (managed)
Own Key
Apollo
2 data credits
0 credits
Clearbit
2-5 data credits
0 credits
Hunter
2 data credits
0 credits
ZoomInfo
5-13 data credits
0 credits
Step 5: Migrate Webhook Integrations
If moving from a plan without webhooks to one with them (or vice versa):
# Test webhook availability on new plan
curl -X POST "$CLAY_WEBHOOK_URL" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"migration_test": true, "timestamp": "'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'"}'
# Verify HTTP API columns still work after plan change
# HTTP API columns are only available on Growth plan
