home / skills / jeremylongshore / claude-code-plugins-plus-skills / clay-install-auth

This skill installs and authenticates Clay SDK/CLI in your project, enabling secure API access and quick setup.

npx playbooks add skill jeremylongshore/claude-code-plugins-plus-skills --skill clay-install-auth

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

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SKILL.md
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---
name: clay-install-auth
description: |
  Install and configure Clay SDK/CLI authentication.
  Use when setting up a new Clay integration, configuring API keys,
  or initializing Clay in your project.
  Trigger with phrases like "install clay", "setup clay",
  "clay auth", "configure clay API key".
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash(npm:*), Bash(pip:*), Grep
version: 1.0.0
license: MIT
author: Jeremy Longshore <[email protected]>
---

# Clay Install & Auth

## Overview
Set up Clay SDK/CLI and configure authentication credentials.

## Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ or Python 3.10+
- Package manager (npm, pnpm, or pip)
- Clay account with API access
- API key from Clay dashboard

## Instructions

### Step 1: Install SDK
```bash
# Node.js
npm install @clay/sdk

# Python
pip install clay
```

### Step 2: Configure Authentication
```bash
# Set environment variable
export CLAY_API_KEY="your-api-key"

# Or create .env file
echo 'CLAY_API_KEY=your-api-key' >> .env
```

### Step 3: Verify Connection
```typescript
// Test connection code here
```

## Output
- Installed SDK package in node_modules or site-packages
- Environment variable or .env file with API key
- Successful connection verification output

## Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|-------|-------|----------|
| Invalid API Key | Incorrect or expired key | Verify key in Clay dashboard |
| Rate Limited | Exceeded quota | Check quota at https://docs.clay.com |
| Network Error | Firewall blocking | Ensure outbound HTTPS allowed |
| Module Not Found | Installation failed | Run `npm install` or `pip install` again |

## Examples

### TypeScript Setup
```typescript
import { ClayClient } from '@clay/sdk';

const client = new ClayClient({
  apiKey: process.env.CLAY_API_KEY,
});
```

### Python Setup
```python
from clay import ClayClient

client = ClayClient(
    api_key=os.environ.get('CLAY_API_KEY')
)
```

## Resources
- [Clay Documentation](https://docs.clay.com)
- [Clay Dashboard](https://api.clay.com)
- [Clay Status](https://status.clay.com)

## Next Steps
After successful auth, proceed to `clay-hello-world` for your first API call.

Overview

This skill installs the Clay SDK/CLI and configures authentication so your project can call Clay APIs. It guides you through installing the Node or Python package, setting the CLAY_API_KEY environment variable or .env file, and verifying a successful connection. Use it to get a new integration ready for development or CI environments.

How this skill works

The skill installs the official Clay client package for Node.js or Python and helps you persist an API key either as an environment variable or inside a .env file. It then runs a quick verification step that initializes a Clay client with the configured key and attempts a simple API call to confirm connectivity. It surfaces common errors and actionable fixes when verification fails.

When to use it

  • Initializing a new project that will call Clay APIs
  • Adding Clay authentication to CI/CD pipelines or server environments
  • Rotating or updating a Clay API key across environments
  • Troubleshooting failed Clay API requests due to auth issues
  • Setting up developer machines for local Clay integration work

Best practices

  • Store CLAY_API_KEY in environment variables or managed secrets, not in source control
  • Use least-privilege API keys and rotate them periodically via the Clay dashboard
  • Verify network egress to Clay endpoints (HTTPS) when running in restricted networks
  • Add a lightweight connection test during CI to catch invalid keys early
  • Pin SDK versions in package.json or requirements to avoid unexpected breaking changes

Example use cases

  • Local development: npm install @clay/sdk and export CLAY_API_KEY before running a dev server
  • Python backend: pip install clay and set CLAY_API_KEY in your container or virtualenv
  • CI pipeline: inject CLAY_API_KEY as a secret and run a connection check step
  • Key rotation: update the secret in your environment and re-run verification
  • Troubleshooting: use the verification client to confirm whether errors are auth, rate-limiting, or network-related

FAQ

What if verification reports an invalid API key?

Check the key in the Clay dashboard, confirm you copied it exactly, and ensure you restarted the process or shell so the environment variable is available.

Can I use multiple keys across environments?

Yes—use environment-specific secrets (local .env, CI secrets, cloud secret manager) and avoid checking keys into source control.