CRED API: Automating CRED from Make, n8n, Postman, Python or Your AI Agent
Last updated: November 3, 2026
Watch: the CRED API in 4 minutes
A 4-minute walkthrough covering how to create a token in CRED API Access, test a call in the API playground, and run a Make.com workflow that turns a company list into a list of contacts.
Why use the CRED API
The CRED API gives you programmatic access to the same data and actions you use in the app. You can build repeatable workflows in any API client, script or AI agent, and they run as you, using only the data you can already see.
Use it when you want to:
Turn a company list into a contact list in one click, as often as you need
Run CRED automatically inside your own tools, such as Make.com, n8n, Postman, Python or LangChain
Have your AI agent pull CRED data or act in CRED from the terminal for one-off jobs
Feed CRED contacts into enrichment, exports, sequences or your CRM without copying anything by hand
Try an idea in the browser before you build anything
Where to find it
In CRED: go to Settings and search for API Access, then open CRED API Access. This is where you create tokens and see what each one can do.
API docs and playground: api.external.credplatform.com/playground. Every endpoint is listed by category, with request examples and a Try It! button.
Reference: API Docs covers authentication, scopes, errors and rate limits.
API access must be turned on for your workspace. If you don't see CRED API Access in Settings, ask your account manager.
How to set it up
Prerequisites:
API access turned on for your workspace
An API client if you plan to automate, such as Make.com, n8n or Postman. To test calls, the playground is enough.
1. Create a token
In CRED API Access, open Tokens and click + Create token. Name it, choose only the scopes your workflow needs, and set an expiry. For a one-off demo or test, a one-day expiry is enough.
Copy the token straight away. CRED shows it only once.
💡 Tip: Store your token as a secret in your API client, such as a Make.com keychain, an n8n credential or a Postman secret variable. Don't paste it into an AI chat. If you give an agent our docs to build a workflow, have it reference the secret, not the token itself.
2. Check what the token can reach
Open the Exposed fields & operations tab to see which fields and actions this token can use.
3. Test a call in the playground
Open the playground, pick an endpoint from the left rail, paste your token into the Bearer field, fill in the inputs and click Try It!. The response appears on the page, so you can test without setting up an API client.
4. Build your workflow
Switch the playground's language tab (Shell, Node, Python and others) and copy the generated request into your API client or script. The example in the video is a reusable Make.com scenario with three steps:
Pull the company list. Read the companies on a CRED list.
Preview contacts (free). Use the preview of Advanced Generate Contacts to see how many people match your filters, such as "2 Sales & Marketing leaders per company", before any credits are spent.
Generate contacts. Create the contact list, but only if the preview count is under the spend cap you set.
From there you can pull the contacts' emails, send them to an enrichment endpoint, start an automation or export them.
💡 Tip: For one-off jobs you don't need a full workflow. Give your AI agent the API docs and have it call the endpoint from your terminal.
5. Confirm it worked
Back in CRED API Access, open Usage & live activity. Every call your token made is listed there. Then open the list your workflow created in Lists and check that the new contacts are there.
Credits
Action | Credit cost |
|---|---|
Creating tokens, browsing the docs and playground | Free |
Reading data you already have access to (lists, companies, people) | Free |
Previewing contact generation | Free |
Generating contacts, enriching emails and phone numbers, and other paid actions | Same as in the app |
The API uses the same credit pool as your workspace. Credits are taken when a paid action runs, not when you preview it. Use the preview step and a spend cap in your workflow to stay in control.
Full breakdown: credit consumption table · FAQs (Credits)
Permissions
API access is turned on per workspace. Your account manager can enable it.
Tokens are tied to the user who creates them. A token can only reach data and actions that user can access, and only the scopes chosen when it was created.
Each token's activity is shown in Usage & live activity. You can revoke a token at any time from Tokens.
More on roles: CRED Role Overview: Admin & Member
Data privacy
The API returns only data the token's user is already allowed to view in CRED.
Data leaves CRED only when your workflow sends it somewhere, such as your API client, warehouse or CRM. Treat those destinations as you would an export.
All traffic is encrypted (TLS), and every call is logged against its token.
Contact data returned by the API is processed under the same GDPR commitments as in the app.
Details: GDPR & Data Privacy in CRED · CRED API Data Encryption & Storing Standards
FAQs
Does using the CRED API consume credits?
Reading data and previewing contact generation are free. Paid actions such as generating or enriching contacts cost the same as in the app and come from your workspace's credit pool.
Why don't I see CRED API Access in Settings?
API access hasn't been turned on for your workspace yet. Ask your account manager to enable it.
Why does my call return a 403 error?
Your token doesn't have the scope that endpoint needs. Create a new token with that scope in CRED API Access → Tokens. The playground shows the scope each operation requires.
Which API clients can I use?
Any client that can send an HTTP request, such as Make.com, n8n, Postman, Python, LangChain or an AI agent in your terminal. The API uses GraphQL, and the playground generates ready-to-use requests for Shell, Node, Ruby, PHP and Python.
Can I try the API without building anything?
Yes. Paste your token into the playground, fill in the inputs and click Try It!.
Is it safe to give my token to an AI agent?
Store the token as a secret in your API client and let the agent reference it, not see it. If you must share it for a quick test, give it a short expiry and revoke it afterwards.
Where can I see what my token has done?
Open CRED API Access → Usage & live activity.