How to Connect Instantly to n8n

Instantly handles the sending side of every library system: warmed inboxes, campaign sequences, and the reply webhook that feeds the reply handler workflow. n8n pushes enriched prospects into Instantly campaigns through its v2 REST API.

What you need

• An Instantly account on a plan with API access. The Growth tier at $37 per month is what the system cost tables assume as of 2026.
• At least one sending domain and mailbox connected in Instantly. This guide covers the API connection only; domain setup is its own project.
• A running n8n instance.
• About 10 minutes.

Get the API key

1. Sign in to Instantly.
2. Open Settings, then the Integrations area, and find API keys.
3. Create a new key and give it a label like “n8n”.
4. Copy the value immediately and store it in your password manager.

Make sure you are creating a v2 key. Instantly ran a v1 API for years and older tutorials still reference it, but the library workflows call api.instantly.ai/api/v2 endpoints and a v1 key will be rejected there.

Create the credential in n8n

The workflows authenticate with a bearer token in the Authorization header, stored as a generic Header Auth credential.

1. In Credentials, click Add credential and choose Header Auth.
2. Name field: Authorization.
3. Value field: the word Bearer, a single space, then your key. Forgetting the Bearer prefix is the top setup mistake with this tool.
4. Save it as “Instantly LGL”, the name the library workflows look for.

Test it

1. HTTP Request node, method GET, URL https://api.instantly.ai/api/v2/campaigns.
2. Authentication: Generic Credential Type, Header Auth, “Instantly LGL”.
3. Execute the step.

A 200 response lists your campaigns, or an empty array on a fresh account. Either confirms the credential. A 401 means the prefix or the key is wrong; re-check step 3 above before regenerating anything.

Cost and one gotcha

Plan on $37 per month for the platform plus a few dollars per sending domain and mailbox. The gotcha is warmup patience. A fresh mailbox needs 2 to 3 weeks in Instantly’s warmup pool before it can carry real volume, and the temptation to start campaigns early is exactly how new domains get burned. Wire up the whole system, let sourcing and enrichment fill the prospect sheet, and hold outreach until warmup scores look healthy. The prospects keep.

Where the library uses Instantly

The outreach workflow adds ready prospects to the right campaign with their personalization fields, and the reply handler receives every response through an Instantly webhook, classifies it, and updates the CRM. Sequences themselves live in Instantly, so you edit copy there rather than in n8n.