n8n template
n8n: verify an Apollo or Clay export, write a first line with AI, add to Smartlead
Import one JSON file into n8n. It verifies each address from your export, writes a one-sentence first line with your own AI key and adds the lead to a Smartlead campaign.
About 25 minutes to set upTeams that enrich in Apollo or Clay and want a verified, personalized lead in Smartlead without copy and paste.
How it runs
- 1
Read export
Paste the Apollo or Clay CSV into a sheet; the Sheets node reads it.
- 2
Verify
SimpleVerifier checks each address.
- 3
Keep sendable
Only action = send continues.
- 4
Write first line
One AI call per lead, using only the fields in the sheet.
- 5
Add to Smartlead
The lead and its first_line custom field go into your campaign.
What you need
- An n8n account or a self-hosted n8n
- A Google Sheet holding your export, with columns email, first_name, last_name, title, company and website
- A SimpleVerifier API key from simpleverifier.com/api-keys (starts with sv_live_)
- Your own Anthropic API key (the AI step bills your Anthropic account, not SimpleVerifier)
- A Smartlead account, its API key and the ID of an existing campaign
Set it up
- Import the JSON into n8n (Create workflow, menu, Import from file).
- Create three credentials: Header Auth for SimpleVerifier (Name Authorization, Value Bearer plus your key), Header Auth for Anthropic (Name x-api-key, Value your Anthropic key) and Query Auth for Smartlead (Name api_key, Value your Smartlead key).
- The AI node uses claude-haiku-5-5, a fast low-cost model. Swap in another Anthropic model ID if you prefer. The node uses the Messages API directly, so it works on any n8n version.
- Set your Sheet ID and replace YOUR_SMARTLEAD_CAMPAIGN_ID. In Smartlead add a custom field named first_line and use it in your email as {{first_line}}.
- Run 10 rows, read every first line, then run the rest.
Where your judgment still matters
The AI only sees the title, company and website in your sheet, and the prompt forbids invented news. It can still write a flat or wrong line. Read a sample before every run and delete the lines you would not send yourself. Do not turn on a campaign until a person has read the first batch.
Tested on 14 November 2026 with n8n 2.47.7: the file imports and runs, and the branch step and the first-line and Smartlead request bodies ran with sample data. It was not run with an API key. The Anthropic and Smartlead calls were checked against their published API docs but not run against live accounts.
Start with your own key
Every template calls the SimpleVerifier API with your key. Create one, then run the template on a handful of rows. To check a whole list without any setup, upload it as a CSV.
Common questions
- Can I use OpenAI instead of Anthropic?
- Yes. Replace the AI node with n8n's OpenAI node or an HTTP Request to the OpenAI API, and keep the Set node that turns the reply into a first_line field. You use your own key either way.
- Does SimpleVerifier see my AI prompts?
- No. The AI call goes from your n8n to the AI provider with your key. SimpleVerifier only receives the email address in the verify step.
- Which SimpleVerifier plan do I need?
- Pro is $39/month with 10,000 API and MCP calls included, then $1.50 per 1,000. Cancel anytime. Each key can make 120 calls a minute.
- What do valid, risky and invalid mean here?
- The result has a status and an action. Action send means the mail server confirmed the mailbox. send_with_care is a catch-all, role inbox or provider that hides mailbox status. retry_later means the check could not finish. do_not_send means the address will bounce or is a throwaway. Catch-all addresses are never marked valid.
Related: Verify emails in n8n · Smartlead integration · Apollo integration · Clay integration
More n8n templates: n8n: verify a lead sheet, then add only the sendable leads to Instantly
All workflow templates · By SimpleVerifier Team