lemlist

lemlist is a sales engagement platform for cold outreach. It lets you find leads, enrich contact data, create multi-channel campaigns (email, LinkedIn, phone, WhatsApp), and manage replies — all from one place.

Prefer MCP over REST API

lemlist has a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that wraps the API with better ergonomics for AI agents. Use it when available.

MCP endpoint: https://app.lemlist.com/mcp
Auth: OAuth (automatic) or X-API-Key header

Setup for Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http lemlist https://app.lemlist.com/mcp

Setup for Claude Desktop / Cursor: see MCP Setup If MCP is not available, use the REST API at https://api.lemlist.com/api with Basic auth (username is always empty, password is the API key):

Authorization: Basic {base64(":YOUR_API_KEY")}

Common workflows

1. Find leads and launch a campaign

The most common workflow: find your ideal customers, create a campaign, and start outreach. Steps:

Search the People Database (450M+ B2B contacts) by role, industry, company size, location
Create a campaign with an email sequence
Add leads to the campaign (with optional email enrichment)
Review and start the campaign

MCP tools: lemleads_search → create_campaign_with_sequence → add_sequence_step → add_lead_to_campaign → set_campaign_state API equivalent:

POST /people-database/search
POST /campaigns
POST /campaigns/{id}/sequences
POST /campaigns/{id}/leads
PUT  /campaigns/{id}/start

Important:

Always confirm with the user before starting a campaign
Adding leads with enrichment consumes credits
Campaigns need at least one connected sending channel (email, LinkedIn, etc.)

2. Enrich contacts

Find emails, phone numbers, and professional data for your leads. Enrichment is asynchronous — you submit the request and poll for results. Steps:

Submit enrichment request (single or bulk, max 500)
Poll for results using the enrichment ID
Optionally push enriched data to CRM contacts

MCP tools: enrich_data or bulk_enrich_data → get_enrichment_result → push_leads_to_contacts API equivalent:

POST /enrich              (single, async)
POST /enrich/bulk         (batch, async)
GET  /enrich/{id}/result  (poll status)

Important:

Enrichment costs credits — always warn the user before proceeding
Poll with reasonable intervals (5-10 seconds), results typically arrive within 30 seconds
Bulk enrichment accepts up to 500 contacts per request

3. Monitor campaign performance

Analyze how campaigns are performing and identify what needs attention. Steps:

List campaigns (filter by status: running, paused, draft)
Get stats for specific campaigns or bulk reports across all campaigns
Compare metrics: open rate, click rate, reply rate, bounce rate

MCP tools: get_campaigns → get_campaign_stats or get_campaigns_reports API equivalent:

GET /campaigns
GET /campaigns/{id}/stats?startDate=YYYY-MM-DD&endDate=YYYY-MM-DD
GET /campaigns/reports

Key metrics to track: sent, opened, clicked, replied, bounced, unsubscribed. Reports include 65+ detailed metrics.

4. Handle inbox replies

Read and respond to lead replies across all channels (email, LinkedIn, SMS, WhatsApp). Steps:

List inbox conversations (filter by channel, status, campaign)
Read conversation thread for context
Compose and send a reply on the appropriate channel

MCP tools: get_inbox_conversations → get_inbox_conversation → send_inbox_email / send_inbox_linkedin / send_inbox_sms / send_whatsapp_message API equivalent:

GET  /inbox/conversations
GET  /inbox/conversations/{id}
POST /inbox/conversations/{id}/email
POST /inbox/conversations/{id}/linkedin
POST /inbox/conversations/{id}/sms
POST /inbox/conversations/{id}/whatsapp

5. Sync with your CRM

Keep lemlist and your CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, etc.) in sync. Push leads to CRM contacts: MCP tools: get_contact_lists → push_leads_to_contacts Update lead data from external sources: MCP tools: search_campaign_leads → update_lead_variables API equivalent:

GET  /contacts/lists
POST /contacts/push
GET  /campaigns/{id}/leads?search=email@example.com
PATCH /campaigns/{id}/leads/{leadId}/variables

Tip: Use custom variables to store CRM IDs, deal stages, or any metadata on leads.

6. Check email deliverability

Ensure your sending infrastructure is healthy before launching campaigns. Steps:

Check domain DNS health (MX, SPF, DMARC, blacklists)
Connect an email account (custom SMTP/IMAP)
Test connectivity

MCP tools: check_domain_health → connect_email_account → test_email_account

7. Set up webhook automations

Get real-time notifications when events happen in lemlist (replies, clicks, bounces, etc.). Steps:

List existing webhooks
Create a webhook for specific events
Your endpoint receives POST requests with event data

MCP tools: get_webhooks → create_webhook API equivalent:

GET    /webhooks
POST   /webhooks
DELETE /webhooks/{id}

Common webhook events: emailReplied, emailClicked, emailBounced, emailUnsubscribed, linkedinInviteAccepted

8. Write outreach sequences

Create or improve multi-step email sequences with best practices. Steps:

Get current campaign sequences to review existing content
Compose new messages or improve existing ones
Add or update sequence steps (email, LinkedIn, phone, delay)

MCP tools: get_campaign_sequences → compose_messages → add_sequence_step or update_sequence_step Best practices:

Keep emails under 100 words
One clear call-to-action per email
Personalize beyond — mention company, industry, recent news
Space follow-ups: Day 3, 7, 14 pattern
Mix channels: email → LinkedIn → phone

Constraints

Constraint	Detail
Rate limit	20 requests per 2 seconds per API key
Credit costs	Email enrichment, phone enrichment, email verification, and lead addition with enrichment all consume credits. Always check `get_team_info` for remaining credits and warn the user.
Async enrichment	Enrichment requests return an ID — you must poll `get_enrichment_result` for the actual data.
Campaign safety	Never start, pause, or delete a campaign without explicit user confirmation.
Lead vs Contact	A “lead” belongs to a campaign. A “contact” lives in the CRM. They are separate objects — pushing leads to contacts creates a copy.
Bulk limits	Bulk enrichment: max 500 per request. People Database search: paginated results.
Auth format	REST API uses Basic auth with an empty username and the API key as password. Do not use Bearer tokens with the REST API.

Getting started

Popular Resources

Endpoints

Objects & Definitions

Skill

lemlist

Prefer MCP over REST API

Common workflows

1. Find leads and launch a campaign

2. Enrich contacts

3. Monitor campaign performance

4. Handle inbox replies

5. Sync with your CRM

6. Check email deliverability

7. Set up webhook automations

8. Write outreach sequences

Constraints

Reference

​lemlist

​Prefer MCP over REST API

​Common workflows

​1. Find leads and launch a campaign

​2. Enrich contacts

​3. Monitor campaign performance

​4. Handle inbox replies

​5. Sync with your CRM

​6. Check email deliverability

​7. Set up webhook automations

​8. Write outreach sequences

​Constraints

​Reference

lemlist

Prefer MCP over REST API

Common workflows

1. Find leads and launch a campaign

2. Enrich contacts

3. Monitor campaign performance

4. Handle inbox replies

5. Sync with your CRM

6. Check email deliverability

7. Set up webhook automations

8. Write outreach sequences

Constraints

Reference