Build an Instantly lead list with Leadsets

To build an Instantly lead list with Leadsets, connect your AI agent to the Leadsets MCP server (https://mcp.leadsets.ai) or REST API, describe your ideal customer, and let it search, enrich and verify contacts. Leadsets works with Instantly through free skills and CSV export: verified contacts go into your campaign, catch-alls are segmented separately, and Leadsets itself never sends email.

How Leadsets works with Instantly

Instantly is an email sequencer that teams use to send outbound campaigns. Leadsets sits before it: it finds the people, returns a verified work email when one exists, and labels every address so you know what is safe to load. On the integrations page, Instantly is listed as Skill + CSV. That means the handoff happens through free, open-source SKILL.md playbooks and CSV files, not through a dedicated Instantly connector.

The Leadsets site does not document any settings inside Instantly. The steps below cover the generic MCP, REST, skill and CSV setup from the Leadsets docs, and leave the Instantly side to Instantly's own import flow.

With Leadsets connected, an agent can:

Build a send-ready list from a plain-language ICP with the Build an outbound prospect list skill (search_companies, search_people, enrich_person, verify_email).
Load contacts into a sequencer with the Push to Instantly or Smartlead skill, which loads verified, segmented contacts into your email sequencer with custom fields.
Check a loaded campaign with the Pre-send campaign check skill, which runs a final verification and pauses risky contacts before launch.
Write opening lines with the Personalized first lines skill, which writes one specific opening line per prospect from their company's site and hiring (scrape_company, scrape_jobs).
Clean or segment a list you already have, using the Clean a list before sending and Catch-all segmenter skills.

All 50 playbooks are in the full skills list.

Connect Leadsets step by step

Get a key. Create a free account for 1,000 records, one time, with no card. API keys start with ls_live_ and should be kept server-side.
Connect your agent over MCP. In Claude on the web or desktop, open Customize, Connectors, click + Add, then Add custom connector. Name it Leadsets, paste https://mcp.leadsets.ai as the MCP server URL, click Continue, choose Sign in now, click Add and sign in. It uses OAuth, so there is no key to paste. In a chat, click +, Connectors and switch Leadsets on. In Claude Code, run claude mcp add --transport http leadsets https://mcp.leadsets.ai. In Cursor, add a server named leadsets in ~/.cursor/mcp.json with the URL and an Authorization: Bearer ls_live_… header. Full details are in the MCP docs.
Check the connection. Ask "What's my Leadsets usage?" If the agent calls get_usage and reports your remaining balance, you are connected.
Add a skill. Download the skill folder and upload it in Claude under Settings, Skills, or clone the library with git clone github.com/leadsets/leadsets-skills. Skills work on the free key.
Or call REST from a workflow. From n8n, Make or your own code, call https://api.leadsets.ai/v1 with a bearer key. TypeScript and Python SDKs are available.

curl https://api.leadsets.ai/v1/people/search -H "Authorization: Bearer $LEADSETS_KEY" -d '{ "title": ["VP Sales"], "country": ["US"], "employees": "50-200", "has_verified_email": true, "limit": 25 }'

Hand off to Instantly. Use the Push to Instantly or Smartlead skill, or export a CSV and bring it in through Instantly's own import. This page does not describe Instantly's screens.

Example: a RevOps list for an Instantly campaign

Maya Chen runs revenue operations at Northwind Analytics (northwind.co) and wants a new campaign aimed at peers. With Leadsets connected in Claude and the prospect list skill installed, she asks:

"Build a list of 100 heads of RevOps at US B2B SaaS companies with 50 to 200 people. Split it into CSVs for Instantly."

The agent checks remaining limits with get_usage, probes the filters with a one-record search_companies call, finds people with search_people, then runs enrich_person and verify_email. An illustrative run returns 132 matching people, 118 enriched, 96 verified, 14 catch-all and 8 with no email. The 96 verified contacts go in the main CSV, the 14 catch-alls go in a separate file to send at lower volume, and the 8 without an email are left out. Once the campaign is loaded, Maya runs the Pre-send campaign check skill to pause anything that has turned risky.

What to watch for

Records and requests. A record counts only when data comes back, so an empty search uses no records but still counts as one request. The request limit is five times the record allowance.
Plan limits. Free is 1,000 records shared across search and enrichment, and they do not refill. Solo ($29 a month) allows 1,000 enrichments and 500 search records per five hours, with 5,000 enrichments a week. Compare plans on pricing.
Verification cost. Emails from enrich_person are already verified at no extra charge. Standalone verify_email calls, such as a pre-send check on an existing list, count toward the enrichment limit.
Status labels. Verified means the mailbox accepts mail. Catch-all means the domain accepts everything, so send at lower volume; read more on catch-all emails. Unknown means the server gave no clear answer, so treat it as unconfirmed. Invalid addresses are never served as contact emails.
Errors. Over a limit, Leadsets returns 429 with a Retry-After time and the blocked call counts against nothing. When free records run out, it returns 402 free_records_exhausted.
Scraping. The first-lines skill uses scrape_company and scrape_jobs, which are not on Free. Scraping is a paid add-on in units, from $9 for 1,000.
Outreach law. You are responsible for CAN-SPAM, GDPR, CASL, unsubscribes and your own suppression lists. See is cold email legal.

What this integration does not do

Leadsets is not a sending tool. Sending, scheduling and replies stay in your sequencer.
There is no documented native Instantly connector. The handoff is skill and CSV.
Leadsets does not return phone numbers yet, and it holds business data only.
It will not mark catch-all or unknown addresses as valid. You decide how to send to them.

Questions and answers

How do I get a lead list into Instantly with Leadsets?

Connect your agent to the Leadsets MCP server at https://mcp.leadsets.ai or call the REST API, describe your ideal customer, and let it search, enrich and verify contacts. Then hand the list off with the Push to Instantly or Smartlead skill or as a CSV through Instantly's own import.

Does Leadsets have a native Instantly integration?

The Leadsets integrations page lists Instantly as Skill plus CSV. The handoff runs through free SKILL.md playbooks and CSV export rather than a dedicated connector, and Leadsets does not document settings inside Instantly.

Should I load catch-all emails into an Instantly campaign?

Leadsets suggests sending to catch-all addresses at lower volume rather than dropping them, because the domain accepts everything and no one can confirm the mailbox. Keeping them in a separate file or campaign makes that easy, and unknown addresses should be treated as unconfirmed.

Does verifying emails before an Instantly campaign use Leadsets limits?

Emails returned by enrich_person are already verified with no extra charge. Standalone verify_email calls, such as a pre-send check on a list you already have, count toward your enrichment limit.

Can I try the Leadsets and Instantly workflow for free?

Yes. The free plan gives 1,000 records one time with no card, shared across search and enrichment, and the skills work on the free key. Scraping for personalized first lines is not on Free and needs a paid plan with scrape units.

Does Leadsets send the emails for my Instantly campaign?

No. Leadsets is not a sending tool; it finds, enriches and verifies contacts and feeds the sequencer you already use. You remain responsible for outreach laws, unsubscribes and suppression lists.

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