Clay loops toolkit

Clay Loops Toolkit

Location: tools/clay-loops-toolkit · Skill name: clay-loops-toolkit

Overview

Clay Loops are the GTM tool for recurring signal automation — funding, job changes, hiring spikes, stale opps, champion moves. They run on cadence and fire when source data changes. The mistake: a loop that enriches every row and routes nothing — an expensive Slack feed.

Every production loop follows monitor cheap → enrich on signal → LeadMagic verify → score → route. LeadMagic is the default email/waterfall provider in the enrich table (find → verify → person enrich). Load leadmagic-toolkit for API/credit details.

Not this skill:

• One-time table builds → clay-toolkit (tools/clay-toolkit)
• Automation process / when to use Clay → clay-automation (automation/)
• Complex multi-system branching → n8n-toolkit

When to Use

• "Build a Clay Loop for funding / job change / hiring"
• "Monitor accounts for signals in Clay"
• "Route Clay loop output to HubSpot / Smartlead"
• "LeadMagic waterfall in a Clay Loop"
• "Weekly stale opp refresh loop"
• "Champion move detection loop"

Authoritative Foundations

• Clay Loops. Recurring: SOURCE → MONITOR → ENRICH (conditional) → ACTION. Re-runs on schedule or when monitor column detects change.
• LeadMagic on Clay. Default waterfall for loops: Find Email (1 cr) → Verify (1 cr) → Enrich Person (2 cr) on signal_detected = true only. Job Change detection column for SIG-02 loops (leadmagic-job-change).
• ColdIQ Signal-to-Action. One signal → one play → one template. Never mix funding and job change in one loop.
• Winning by Design SPICED. Signal = Critical Event. Required on every routed row: why_now, source_url, signal_type, signal_date.
• GTME Pulse. Separate monitor table from enrich/action tables — credit control.

Clay Tool Stack

Skill	Path	Role
clay-toolkit	tools/clay-toolkit	Tables, waterfalls, formulas, CRM push
clay-loops-toolkit	tools/clay-loops-toolkit	Recurring signal loops (this skill)
clay-automation	automation/	Process: when to build, data quality, rollout

Step-by-Step: Build a Loop

Phase 1 — Pick Loop Type

Loop	Monitor Source	Cadence	Play Skill	LeadMagic Columns
Funding	Funding enrich / news	Daily	funding-signal-play	Find → Verify → Person
Job change	LeadMagic Job Change / LI	Daily	job-change-play	Job Change → Find → Verify
Hiring	Job postings enrich	Weekly	hiring-signal-play	Find → Verify (contacts)
Stale opp	CRM last_activity	Weekly	pipeline-management	Re-verify email only
Champion move	Job change + open opp	Daily	job-change-play	Job Change → Verify
ICP net-new	Firmographic filter	Weekly	lead-finding	Full waterfall
Post-meeting	CRM meeting, no task	Daily	meeting-prep	Verify only

Full specs: references/loop-catalog.md.

Rule: One signal per loop.

Phase 2 — 4-Table Architecture

[1. SOURCE]     CRM export, watchlist, or Clay source — raw accounts/contacts
[2. MONITOR]    Cheap columns only — signal_detected boolean + signal_date
[3. ENRICH]     LeadMagic waterfall ONLY IF signal_detected = true
[4. ACTION]     Score → route → CRM / sequencer / Slack / stop

Credit rule: Monitor first. Enrich conditionally. Cap 5 credits/row on signal=true rows. See references/leadmagic-waterfall.md.

Phase 3 — LeadMagic Enrich Table (Standard)

Run only when signal_detected = true:

Column A: LeadMagic Find Email (first + last + domain)     — 1 credit
Column B: LeadMagic Verify Email (email from A)            — 1 credit
  → IF invalid: stop row, flag email_invalid, no sequencer
Column C: LeadMagic Enrich Person (verified email)         — 2 credits
Column D: Formula — email_valid = (verify status = valid)

Job change loops add before Find Email:

Column 0: LeadMagic Job Change (linkedin_url or email)     — see leadmagic-job-change
  → Sets previous_company, new_company, title_changed

Phase 4 — Signal Score

Score	Meaning	Action
80–100	Tier-1 ICP + strong signal + LeadMagic valid	Sequencer or AE queue
50–79	Good signal, partial data	Human review queue
20–49	Weak signal / poor ICP	Log only
0–19	Suppressed, customer, invalid email	Stop

Inputs: icp_tier, signal_strength, email_valid, suppression_flag. Template: templates/routing-matrix.md.

Phase 5 — Action Routing

Destination	When	Required Fields
HubSpot/SF task	Score 50+	why_now, source_url, SPICED-lite
Sequencer	Score 80+, email_valid, approved	Email, play ID, personalization
Slack	Tier-1 any signal	Account, signal, owner
CRM properties	All processed	last_signal, signal_type, signal_date
n8n webhook	Complex branch	clay-loops-toolkit → n8n-toolkit OUT-02

Gates before sequencer: LeadMagic verify = valid, suppression check, source_url on every personalization claim, human_approved if auto-enroll.

Phase 6 — Cadence & Maintenance

Loop	Cadence	Signal stale after
Funding / job change	Daily	14 days
Hiring	Weekly	30 days
Stale CRM	Weekly	by activity date
Account refresh	Monthly	90 days enrichment TTL

Weekly review: credit burn, signal→meeting %, false positives.

Output Format

Clay Loop blueprint using templates/loop-blueprint.md:

• Loop type + GTM play skill
• 4-table column map with LeadMagic waterfall
• Monitor formula + signal age filter
• Score bands + routing matrix
• Credit budget (per row + monthly cap)
• Integration endpoints (CRM, sequencer, n8n)

Run scripts/check-output.py before delivery.

Quality Check

• One signal type per loop
• Monitor columns are cheap; enrich only on signal_detected = true
• LeadMagic Verify gate before sequencer or CRM outbound
• why_now, source_url, signal_date on every routed row
• Suppression check before any send action
• Signal age filter (14d funding/job change)
• Matching play skill referenced for message template
• Credit cap documented per row and monthly

Common Pitfalls

1. Enrich all rows. Burns credits. Fix: conditional enrich on monitor.
2. Skip LeadMagic verify. Bounces destroy domain rep. Fix: verify gate.
3. Mixed signals. One loop for funding + hiring. Fix: separate loops.
4. Stale triggers. 6-month-old funding. Fix: signal_date < 14 days.
5. Claygent for email in loops. Expensive + risky. Fix: LeadMagic waterfall; Claygent only for why_now copy via ai-prompts-toolkit P03/P04.
6. No action routing. Alerts pile up. Fix: score → CRM task → owner.

Execution Artifacts

• references/framework-notes.md — SPICED + signal-to-action mapping
• templates/output-template.md — Primary deliverable shell
• scripts/check-output.py — Blueprint validator
• references/loop-catalog.md — Loop types, cadences, LeadMagic columns
• references/leadmagic-waterfall.md — Find → verify → enrich for loops
• templates/loop-blueprint.md — Loop design doc
• templates/routing-matrix.md — Score → action table

Related Skills

• clay-toolkit — tools/clay-toolkit — table architecture, static waterfalls
• leadmagic-toolkit — LeadMagic API, credits, Clay column setup
• leadmagic-job-change — Job change column for SIG loops
• ai-prompts-toolkit — P03/P04 for why_now and email draft columns
• clay-automation — Rollout process, data quality (not tool config)
• sequencing-toolkit — Enroll from action table
• n8n-toolkit — When loop output needs complex routing