API Frequently Asked Questions

This article answers the questions we receive most often about the SalesQL API.

For endpoint documentation, request parameters, response schemas, and code examples, see the API Documentation

No. API access only requires a valid API key generated from your SalesQL dashboard. A LinkedIn account is not needed.

The SalesQL API lets you:

For endpoint details, request parameters, and response examples, see the API Documentation

Each successful person lookup that returns at least one email costs one credit, even if you've requested the same contact before. Responses with no results (404) don't consume credits.

Credits and API calls are tracked separately. A request counts toward your daily and per-minute limits even when it returns no result and no credit is charged. The API and the extension also each follow their own charging rules, so a contact revealed in the extension isn't free in the API, and vice versa.

Every call counts toward your daily limit, regardless of whether it returns results. The limits by plan are:

When you hit the daily limit, the API returns HTTP 429 with the message "Rate limit exceeded". To stay comfortably within the per-minute limit, a pause of around 200ms between consecutive calls is recommended.

SalesQL's search algorithm prioritizes accuracy. If it isn't confident enough in a match, it won't return a result rather than risk a false positive. This doesn't consume a credit.

Common reasons for no results: the LinkedIn profile is private or incomplete, the name/company input is ambiguous, or the contact isn't in our database yet.

The API and the Chrome extension retrieve data differently. The API only searches SalesQL's stored database. If the profile isn't there, it returns a 404 ("Person not found"). The extension works from the LinkedIn profile you have open, so it can retrieve profiles that aren't in our database yet.

Changing the format of the LinkedIn URL (with or without www, trailing slash, encoding, etc.) won't change the result. There is currently no API endpoint that performs the same live lookup as the extension.

API results are not saved to your SalesQL dashboard or extension automatically. If you need to store or reference them later, that's handled on your end.

Yes. You can configure calls to return only personal email addresses instead of a mix of personal and business. See the Person endpoint documentation for the exact parameter.

The API response includes a mail_status field that distinguishes between verified and unverified email addresses, and an is_valid boolean for phone numbers. Empty arrays mean no email or phone was found for that contact.

Making automated requests against non-public or undocumented endpoints is prohibited and can result in account suspension. Reselling or redistributing SalesQL data to third parties is also not permitted under our Terms of Service.