Answer Demo Requests Within Minutes, Even After Hours

Part 1: Before you start

1. 1.Install the Clay CLI

   Use version 1.3.1 or later, installed from Clay's own instructions. This page does not include an install command because the CLI reference it was written from does not list one. You also need jq, which the script uses to read the JSON the CLI prints.

2. 2.Log in to your workspace

   Browser login is the default. Use the device flow on a headless machine. A static key in the CLAY_API_KEY environment variable also works. Workflow commands need the terracotta:cli scope, so an auth error that names it means your login cannot manage workflows.

   Log in with a browser

   $ clay loginCopy

   Log in on a headless machine

   $ clay login --deviceCopy

   Confirm who you are logged in as

   $ clay whoamiCopy

3. 3.Pick the workspace to build in

   The workflow is created in your active workspace. Switch first if you belong to more than one.

   List workspaces

   $ clay workspaces listCopy

   Show the active workspace

   $ clay workspaces currentCopy

   Switch workspace

   $ clay workspaces switch <workspaceId>Copy

4. 4.Find your action keys

   Action package ids and keys are specific to your workspace. Save the catalog, search it for your CRM lookup action, person and company enrichment, an AI text action, an email send action (or an HTTP request to a relay), your CRM create or update action, and Slack, then paste their ids into the top of the script. Skip "clay workflows actions test": it spends credits.

   Save the action catalog

   $ clay workflows actions list > catalog.jsonCopy

   Search the catalog

   $ grep -Eio '"[^"]*(hubspot|salesforce|lookup|enrich|use ai|generate|gmail|outlook|send email|http|slack)[^"]*"' catalog.json | sort -uCopy

   See an action's inputs and outputs

   $ clay workflows actions schema <packageId> <actionKey>Copy

5. 5.Decide what sends form fills to the webhook

   Send only demo requests and the high-intent forms you choose (contact sales, pricing page), from a HubSpot workflow or Salesforce flow where your edition can call a webhook, or from a Zapier or Make relay on new form submissions. Include the submission timestamp so response time can be measured.

6. 6.Create the CRM fields and the approved list

   Add contact fields for fit tier, request type, escalation topics, agent reply text, first reply at, and reply minutes. Write the approved capabilities list and the booking link per territory before you turn the workflow on; the reply prompt only uses what you give it.

Part 2: Workflow spec

What the script builds: Inbound speed-to-lead.

1. 1

   Check customers and open deals

   action

   Looks up the contact by email and the company by domain, and returns lifecycle or account type, open deal and stage, and owner.

   Reads

   email

   Writes

   contact_idis_customeropen_deal_stageowner_email

   Verify in your workspace: Customers and contacts with an open deal should not get an agent reply. That needs a run condition on steps 3 to 5, which the CLI help does not document, so set it in the Clay UI. Steps 6 and 7 still run so the owner hears about it.
2. 2

   Enrich the lead

   action

   Adds title, seniority, company name, headcount, industry, and country from the work email.

   Reads

   emailcompany

   Writes

   titlecompany_nameemployee_countindustrycountry
3. 3

   Classify fit and escalations

   action

   An AI text action returns fit tier, request type, escalation topics, and whether the agent should reply at all.

   Reads

   form_namemessagetitlecompany_nameemployee_countindustrycountry

   Writes

   fit_tierrequest_typeescalation_topicsshould_replyreason

   Prompt

   Copy

   Classify this inbound form fill for {{your_company}}. Form: {{form_name}}. Message: {{message}} Person: {{title}} at {{company_name}} ({{employee_count}} employees, {{industry}}, {{country}}). Our ICP: {{your_icp}} Return JSON with: - fit_tier: A, B, or C against the ICP - request_type: demo, pricing, support, partnership, job, or other - escalation_topics: any of pricing, discount, contract, security, compliance, legal, refund, complaint, integration_commitment, or empty - should_reply: false for support, job, partnership, competitors, students, spam, or an empty message with no company; otherwise true - reason: one sentence
4. 4

   Write the first reply

   action

   An AI text action writes a short reply with the booking link that follows the guardrails in the prompt. Runs only when should_reply is true.

   Reads

   first_namemessagebooking_linkescalation_topics

   Writes

   reply_subjectreply_body

   Prompt

   Copy

   Write a first reply from {{reply_sender_name}} at {{your_company}} to {{first_name}}, who asked: {{message}} Rules: - 3 or 4 short sentences, plain text, no em dashes - Refer to what they asked about in their own terms - Offer this booking link for a call: {{booking_link}} - If escalation_topics is not empty ({{escalation_topics}}), say a teammate will answer that part during business hours; do not answer it - Never mention prices, discounts, trials, contract terms, delivery dates, security or compliance claims, or features not in this approved list: {{approved_capabilities}} - Do not claim to be a person; sign as "{{reply_sender_name}}, {{your_company}} team"
5. 5

   Send the reply

   action

   Sends the reply from a shared sales inbox or the assistant address and records the send time.

   Reads

   emailreply_subjectreply_body

   Writes

   sent_at

   Verify in your workspace: Check your catalog for a Gmail or Outlook send action. If there is none, POST to a Zapier or Make relay that uses Gmail or Outlook "Send Email", or add the lead to a Clay email campaign set to the "As fast as possible" schedule.
6. 6

   Update the CRM record

   action

   Creates or updates the contact with fit tier, request type, escalation topics, agent reply, first reply at, and reply minutes, and lets assignment rules set the owner when there is none.

   Reads

   contact_idemailfit_tierrequest_typeescalation_topicsreply_bodysent_atsubmitted_at

   Writes

   CRM record
7. 7

   Post the handoff in Slack

   action

   Messages the owner with who asked, what they asked, what the agent sent, and any escalation, so they pick it up first thing.

   Reads

   owner_emailfirst_namelast_nametitlecompany_namefit_tiermessagereply_bodyescalation_topicsopen_deal_stageis_customer

   Writes

   Slack message

   Verify in your workspace: Direct messages need the Slack user, not the email. Check whether your Slack action looks users up by email or needs a separate lookup step.

Part 3: Build script

Creates the workflow, the webhook trigger, and seven steps, then pauses so you can map step inputs and the run conditions. It validates the graph, offers one test run, and asks before publishing.

Save it as build-speed-to-lead.sh, fill in the 14 action ids at the top, then run bash build-speed-to-lead.sh.

1#!/usr/bin/env bash2# Builds the "Inbound speed-to-lead" Clay workflow3# in YOUR Clay workspace, using YOUR Clay CLI login.4# Written against Clay CLI v1.3.1. Not run or tested by GTM Playbooks.5# Lines tagged VERIFY use a shape the CLI help does not document.6set -euo pipefail7 8# Copy these from catalog.json (see "Find your action keys").9LOOKUP_PACKAGE_ID="" # HubSpot or Salesforce: lookup record10LOOKUP_ACTION_KEY=""11ENRICH_PACKAGE_ID="" # Enrich person from work email12ENRICH_ACTION_KEY=""13TRIAGE_PACKAGE_ID="" # Use AI or another AI text action14TRIAGE_ACTION_KEY=""15WRITER_PACKAGE_ID="" # Use AI or another AI text action16WRITER_ACTION_KEY=""17SENDER_PACKAGE_ID="" # Gmail or Outlook: send email, or HTTP request to a relay18SENDER_ACTION_KEY=""19CRM_PACKAGE_ID=""    # HubSpot or Salesforce: create or update record20CRM_ACTION_KEY=""21SLACK_PACKAGE_ID=""  # Slack: send message22SLACK_ACTION_KEY=""23 24# One input to test before real traffic. Use yourself or a teammate.25TEST_ROW='{"email":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","company":"","form_name":"","message":"","submitted_at":"","booking_link":""}'26 27for v in LOOKUP_PACKAGE_ID LOOKUP_ACTION_KEY ENRICH_PACKAGE_ID ENRICH_ACTION_KEY TRIAGE_PACKAGE_ID TRIAGE_ACTION_KEY WRITER_PACKAGE_ID WRITER_ACTION_KEY SENDER_PACKAGE_ID SENDER_ACTION_KEY CRM_PACKAGE_ID CRM_ACTION_KEY SLACK_PACKAGE_ID SLACK_ACTION_KEY; do28  [[ -n "${!v}" ]] || { echo "Set $v at the top of this script." >&2; exit 1; }29done30command -v clay > /dev/null || { echo "Clay CLI not found on PATH." >&2; exit 1; }31command -v jq > /dev/null || { echo "jq is required to read CLI output." >&2; exit 1; }32clay whoami > /dev/null || { echo "Not logged in. Run: clay login" >&2; exit 1; }33 34# VERIFY: only "workflows create" documents an "id" field in its output.35read_id() {36  local id37  id=$(jq -r '.id // empty' "$1")38  [[ -n "$id" ]] || { echo "No id found in $1. Open it and adjust read_id." >&2; exit 1; }39  echo "$id"40}41 42mkdir -p clay-speed-to-lead43cd clay-speed-to-lead44 45echo "1/11 Create the workflow"46clay workflows create --name "Inbound speed-to-lead" > workflow.json47WF_ID=$(read_id workflow.json)48WF_URL=$(jq -r '.url // empty' workflow.json)49 50echo "2/11 Add the webhook trigger"51clay workflows triggers create "$WF_ID" --input '{"triggerType":"webhook","inputSchema":{"type":"object"}}' > trigger.json52TRG_ID=$(read_id trigger.json)53 54echo "3/11 Step 1: check customers and open deals"55# VERIFY: help shows nodeType and name only; actionPackageId and actionKey are a guess.56STEP1=$(jq -nc --arg p "$LOOKUP_PACKAGE_ID" --arg k "$LOOKUP_ACTION_KEY" '{nodeType: "tool", name: "Check customers and open deals", actionPackageId: $p, actionKey: $k}')57clay workflows nodes create "$WF_ID" --input "$STEP1" > step1.json58STEP1_ID=$(read_id step1.json)59 60echo "4/11 Step 2: enrich the lead"61# VERIFY: action fields inside "step" are inferred from the documented utility example.62STEP2=$(jq -nc --arg n "$STEP1_ID" --arg p "$ENRICH_PACKAGE_ID" --arg k "$ENRICH_ACTION_KEY" '{target: {type: "after-node", nodeId: $n}, step: {kind: "action", actionPackageId: $p, actionKey: $k}}')63clay workflows nodes insert "$WF_ID" --input "$STEP2" > step2.json64STEP2_ID=$(read_id step2.json)65 66echo "5/11 Step 3: classify fit and escalations"67# VERIFY: same inferred insert shape as step 2.68STEP3=$(jq -nc --arg n "$STEP2_ID" --arg p "$TRIAGE_PACKAGE_ID" --arg k "$TRIAGE_ACTION_KEY" '{target: {type: "after-node", nodeId: $n}, step: {kind: "action", actionPackageId: $p, actionKey: $k}}')69clay workflows nodes insert "$WF_ID" --input "$STEP3" > step3.json70STEP3_ID=$(read_id step3.json)71 72echo "6/11 Step 4: write the first reply"73# VERIFY: same inferred insert shape as step 2.74STEP4=$(jq -nc --arg n "$STEP3_ID" --arg p "$WRITER_PACKAGE_ID" --arg k "$WRITER_ACTION_KEY" '{target: {type: "after-node", nodeId: $n}, step: {kind: "action", actionPackageId: $p, actionKey: $k}}')75clay workflows nodes insert "$WF_ID" --input "$STEP4" > step4.json76STEP4_ID=$(read_id step4.json)77 78echo "7/11 Step 5: send the reply"79# VERIFY: same inferred insert shape as step 2.80STEP5=$(jq -nc --arg n "$STEP4_ID" --arg p "$SENDER_PACKAGE_ID" --arg k "$SENDER_ACTION_KEY" '{target: {type: "after-node", nodeId: $n}, step: {kind: "action", actionPackageId: $p, actionKey: $k}}')81clay workflows nodes insert "$WF_ID" --input "$STEP5" > step5.json82STEP5_ID=$(read_id step5.json)83 84echo "8/11 Step 6: update the crm record"85# VERIFY: same inferred insert shape as step 2.86STEP6=$(jq -nc --arg n "$STEP5_ID" --arg p "$CRM_PACKAGE_ID" --arg k "$CRM_ACTION_KEY" '{target: {type: "after-node", nodeId: $n}, step: {kind: "action", actionPackageId: $p, actionKey: $k}}')87clay workflows nodes insert "$WF_ID" --input "$STEP6" > step6.json88STEP6_ID=$(read_id step6.json)89 90echo "9/11 Step 7: post the handoff in slack"91# VERIFY: same inferred insert shape as step 2.92STEP7=$(jq -nc --arg n "$STEP6_ID" --arg p "$SLACK_PACKAGE_ID" --arg k "$SLACK_ACTION_KEY" '{target: {type: "after-node", nodeId: $n}, step: {kind: "action", actionPackageId: $p, actionKey: $k}}')93clay workflows nodes insert "$WF_ID" --input "$STEP7" > step7.json94clay workflows graph get "$WF_ID" --mode full > graph.json95 96echo "10/11 Map step inputs"97cat <<EOF98 99Step inputs are specific to your workspace. Map them before validating:100  Step 1 lookup:  email (and company domain)101  Step 2 enrich:  email, company102  Step 3 triage:  form_name, message, enrichment fields, the prompt with your ICP103  Step 4 reply:   first_name, message, booking_link, escalation_topics,104                  and the prompt with your approved capabilities list105  Step 5 send:    email, reply subject and body106  Step 6 CRM:     contact id, fit tier, request type, escalations, reply,107                  first reply at = sent_at, reply minutes from submitted_at108  Step 7 Slack:   owner_email and the handoff fields109  Run conditions: steps 3 to 5 skip customers and open deals;110  steps 4 and 5 run only when should_reply is true.111Map them in the Clay UI${WF_URL:+ at $WF_URL}, or per node with:112  clay workflows nodes get $WF_ID <nodeId>113  clay workflows nodes update $WF_ID <nodeId> --input node.json114graph.json in this folder shows the current nodes and edges.115 116EOF117read -r -p "Press Enter when inputs are mapped. "118 119echo "11/11 Validate, test once, publish"120clay workflows graph validate "$WF_ID"121clay workflows diagram "$WF_ID"122 123if jq -e 'all(.[]; . != "")' <<< "$TEST_ROW" > /dev/null; then124  read -r -p "Run TEST_ROW once? It can spend Clay credits, send a real email, update your CRM, and post to Slack. [y/N] " answer125  if [[ "$answer" == [yY] ]]; then126    clay workflows runs test "$WF_ID" --inputs "$TEST_ROW" > test-run.json127    echo "Saved test-run.json. Check each step with: clay workflows runs steps $WF_ID <runId>"128  fi129else130  echo "TEST_ROW is empty, skipping the test run."131fi132 133read -r -p "Publish the workflow now? [y/N] " answer134if [[ "$answer" == [yY] ]]; then135  clay workflows publish "$WF_ID" --name v1136fi137 138echo "Workflow $WF_ID, webhook trigger $TRG_ID. All responses are saved in $(pwd)."

Part 4: Sample form fill payload

Save this as clay-speed-to-lead/sample-form-fill.json and put your own work email in the email field, so the test reply only reaches you.

1{2  "email": "jane@example.com",3  "first_name": "Jane",4  "last_name": "Doe",5  "company": "Example Co",6  "form_name": "Request a demo",7  "message": "We want to route inbound leads to 12 reps by territory.",8  "submitted_at": "2026-10-17T23:42:00Z",9  "booking_link": "https://meetings.example.com/sales-team"10}

Part 5: Send it a form fill

After publishing, read the webhook URL and send the sample payload once. Each POST is one run.

Verify in your workspace

The Clay CLI help does not document these details. Check each one before you rely on the build.

• The webhook trigger shape comes from the CLI help, but the help does not say how "triggers get" orders its arguments. If the run commands fail, copy the webhook URL from the Clay UI instead.
• The help documents "nodes create" with nodeType and name only. If it rejects actionPackageId and actionKey, create the node with a name only and pick the action in the Clay UI.
• The reference says action steps take actionPackageId and actionKey but shows only a utility example for "nodes insert", so the placement of those fields inside "step" is inferred.
• Only "workflows create" documents an id field in its response. The script reads .id from trigger and node responses too and stops if it is missing.
• Package ids and action keys differ by workspace and depend on which integrations you have connected. Copy them from your catalog; this page does not guess them.
• Step input mapping is dynamic per workspace. The CLI path is "nodes get" then "nodes update", where incomingEdges is a full replacement. The argument order for "nodes get" is inferred from "nodes update".
• The help does not say whether step 1 connects to the trigger automatically. "clay workflows graph validate" reports a disconnected graph.
• Reply minutes is submitted_at to sent_at. Compute it with a formula in Clay or a calculated field in the CRM, in the same unit as your baseline.
• "runs test" without --live is assumed to run the draft. The reference lists --live without describing it.
• Workflow runs can spend Clay credits and write to connected tools. Exit code 3 means re-run clay login, and exit code 4 means you are rate limited (wait for details.retryAfter).