clay-upgrade-migration

What this skill does

# Clay Upgrade & Migration

## Overview

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

```bash
# 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

```typescript
// src/clay/credit-tracker.ts — track new split credit model
interface CreditUsage {
  dataCredits: { used: number; limit: number; rolloverMax: number };
  actions: { used: number; limit: number };
}

class CreditTracker {
  private usage: CreditUsage;

  constructor(plan: 'launch' | 'growth') {
    this.usage = plan === 'launch'
      ? { dataCredits: { used: 0, limit: 2500, rolloverMax: 5000 }, actions: { used: 0, limit: 15000 } }
      : { dataCredits: { used: 0, limit: 6000, rolloverMax: 12000 }, actions: { used: 0, limit: 40000 } };
  }

  recordEnrichment(dataCreditsUsed: number) {
    this.usage.dataCredits.used += dataCreditsUsed;
    this.usage.actions.used += 1; // Each enrichment = 1 action

    if (this.usage.dataCredits.used > this.usage.dataCredits.limit * 0.8) {
      console.warn(`Data credits at ${((this.usage.dataCredits.used / this.usage.dataCredits.limit) * 100).toFixed(0)}% of monthly limit`);
    }
  }

  canAfford(estimatedCredits: number): boolean {
    return (
      this.usage.dataCredits.used + estimatedCredits <= this.usage.dataCredits.limit &&
      this.usage.actions.used + 1 <= this.usage.actions.limit
    );
  }
}
```

### Step 4: Optimize for the New Model

**No-charge on failed lookups** changes the cost equation:

```typescript
// 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):

```bash
# 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
```

## Error Handling

| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|-------|-------|----------|
| Features disappeared | Downgraded plan | Check feature availability per tier |
| HTTP API columns disabled | Moved to Launch (no HTTP API) | Upgrade to Growth or use webhooks only |
| Higher credit usage than expected | Actions now counted separately | Monitor both Data Credits and Actions |
| Webhook stopped working | Plan change affected access | Verify webhook feature on current plan |

## Resources

- [Clay Pricing Change 2026](https://www.clay.com/pricing)
- [Clay Plans & Billing](https://university.clay.com/docs/plans-and-billing)
- [Clay Community -- Pricing Discussion](https://community.clay.com)

## Next Steps

For CI integration during upgrades, see `clay-ci-integration`.