Does every AE and SDR need to connect with their own API key? No. An admin creates one Service key in Salesmotion and adds the connector once for the whole Claude workspace; everyone inherits it. Here is how, and how it differs from a personal key.
Two kinds of key
The Salesmotion connector for Claude authenticates with a Salesmotion API key. There are two kinds, and which one you use decides who gets connected.
| Personal key | Workspace (Service) key | |
|---|---|---|
| Who creates it | Any user | An organization admin |
| Where | Salesmotion → Settings → API | Same page, key type Service |
| Belongs to | That user | The organization — no user behind it |
| Connects | One person's Claude | Every member of a Claude workspace |
| Quota | Counts against the organization quota | Counts against the organization quota |
| Revoke | Deletes that person's access | Disconnects the whole workspace at once |
A personal key is right for an individual or a small team where each person manages their own tools. A Service key is right when an admin wants to switch the connector on for everyone, once.
Connecting a workspace (Claude Team or Enterprise)
- Create the Service key. In Salesmotion, go to Settings → API, create a new key, and choose type Service. Give it a name you will recognize later, such as
Claude workspace. Copy the key; it is shown once. - Add the connector for the organization. In Claude, go to Admin settings → Connectors and add a custom connector with the URL
https://mcp.salesmotion.io. When Claude opens the Salesmotion connect page, paste the Service key. - Done. Every member of the workspace now has the Salesmotion connector available in their chats. They do not need a Salesmotion API key of their own.
Members use it like any other connector: enable it in a chat and ask — "brief me on Honeywell", "show me Bayer", "who decides at Hitachi". See Using Salesmotion skills in Claude.
What the connect page checks
Whether you paste a personal key or a Service key, the Salesmotion connect page validates it against Salesmotion before Claude finishes connecting. If the key is wrong, expired, inactive, or belongs to an organization without API access enabled, the page says so immediately and lets you try again. A key that passes never fails on the first tool call in a conversation.
If you see "Salesmotion rejected this key", check in Salesmotion that:
- the key is active and has not expired,
- API access is enabled for your organization (an admin can confirm under Settings → API),
- you copied the whole key, starting with
sk_.
Managing a connected workspace
- Usage. Everything the connector does counts against the organization's API quota, whichever key type you use. Ask Claude for your Salesmotion usage, or check Settings → API in Salesmotion, to see requests used and the reset date.
- Rotating the key. Create a new Service key, update the connector in Claude's admin settings with the new key, then delete the old one in Salesmotion.
- Revoking access. Delete the Service key in Salesmotion. The connector stops working for the whole workspace on the next request. To remove one person instead, remove them from the Claude workspace.
- Mixing both. A workspace connected with a Service key and an individual who also added the connector with a personal key both work; the individual's chats use whichever connector they enabled.
Frequently asked questions
Is MCP access included in my plan?
MCP uses the Salesmotion API. If your organization has API access enabled, the connector works. If you are not sure, an admin can check under Settings → API, or ask support@salesmotion.io.
Can members see which key they are using?
The connector does not show the key. Ask Claude for your Salesmotion usage: the quota and reset date it returns are the organization's, which is the same whichever key connected you.
Does a Service key have more permissions than a personal key?
No. Both give read access to your organization's accounts, contacts, signals, and company intelligence through the API. Neither can change data in Salesmotion.
What if a member leaves the company?
Remove them from your Claude workspace. Because the workspace was connected with a Service key rather than their personal key, nothing else needs to change.