Does every AE and SDR need to manage their own API key? No. An admin creates one Service key in Salesmotion and adds the connector once at the org level; each teammate then connects once with that shared key. 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 | An organization admin | An organization admin |
| Where | Salesmotion → Settings → API | Same page, key type Service |
| Belongs to | One user | The organization - no user behind it |
| Connects | One person's Claude | Any teammate who connects with it |
| Quota | Counts against the organization quota | Counts against the organization quota |
| Revoke | Deletes that person's access | Ends access for everyone connected with it |
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 one shared credential the whole team can connect with, so nobody has to hold a key of their own.
Connecting Your Team (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. This makes the Salesmotion connector available to everyone in the workspace. - Share the key and have each teammate connect once. Share the Service key internally. When a teammate opens Salesmotion in Claude, Claude prompts them to connect: they paste the shared key on the Salesmotion connect page and click Connect. That is a one-time step per person, and nobody needs a key of their own - everyone uses the same shared key.
After connecting, 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.
Connecting the Team Automatically
Some Claude workspaces can store the shared key centrally in the connector's request headers, with Authentication set to "No sign-in", so members are connected automatically and are never prompted to paste the key. This is enabled per workspace by Anthropic - a Claude admin can ask Anthropic whether it is available for yours. Where it is on, the key lives in the connector configuration and each teammate simply enables Salesmotion in their chats.
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 the Shared Key
- 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, share it internally, and have each teammate reconnect with it, then delete the old key in Salesmotion. Where the key is stored centrally in the connector's request headers, update it once in the connector configuration instead.
- Revoking access. Delete the Service key in Salesmotion. It stops working for everyone connected with it on the next request. To remove one person instead, remove them from the Claude workspace.
- Mixing both. A teammate who connected with a personal key rather than the shared Service key still works; their 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; their connector access ends with it. Because everyone shares one Service key, there is no personal key to clean up. As standard key hygiene, rotate the shared Service key when someone who held it leaves, then have the remaining team reconnect once with the new key.