Use case: email list cleaning in Claude

# Check an email list without leaving Claude

Add PingValid to Claude as a connector. Paste your list into a chat and ask Claude to validate it. PingValid runs the checks, and Claude tells you which addresses came back valid, risky, invalid or unknown.

[Add PingValid to Claude](https://claude.ai/customize/connectors?modal=add-custom-connector&connectorName=PingValid&connectorUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fpingvalid.com%2Fmcp) · [Create a free PingValid account](/register?from=use-case-claude)

You need both. The Free plan gives you 100 validations a month on the Quick and Standard tiers, with no card. The Deep tier needs a paid plan or a top-up. What each tier checks is in the [tier table](/use-cases/email-list-cleaning).

One job takes up to 1,000 addresses, and each address uses a credit, so the Free plan covers a list of up to 100. For a bigger list, [upload the CSV in the dashboard](/use-cases/email-list-cleaning).

## What you need

- **A Claude account.** Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans can all add a connector by its address. On Claude's Free plan you can add one custom connector. On a Team or Enterprise plan, an Owner has to add PingValid for the organization first; after that you connect with your own account.
- **A PingValid account.** The Free plan is enough to try it.

## Set it up once

**1. Create your PingValid account.** It is free and needs no card.

**2. Add the connector in Claude.** Use the "Add PingValid to Claude" button above. The button works on Free, Pro and Max accounts. Claude opens its "Add custom connector" dialog with the name and address already filled in, and shows a notice that the connector was suggested by an external link. Check that the address is `https://pingvalid.com/mcp`, then continue.

You can also do it by hand. On a Free, Pro or Max plan: in Claude, open Customize, then Connectors, click "Add custom connector", enter the name PingValid and the address `https://pingvalid.com/mcp`, and follow the dialog to add it. On a Team or Enterprise plan, an Owner adds it under Organization settings, then Connectors (select "Add", then "Custom"). After that you open Customize, then Connectors, find PingValid with the "Custom" label and click "Connect".

![Claude's Add custom connector dialog with PingValid and the address filled in](/images/use-cases/claude-add-custom-connector.webp)

**3. Sign in to PingValid when Claude sends you there, and approve access.** There is no key to copy and nothing to install.

**4. Turn it on in a chat.** Click the "+" button in the chat, choose Connectors, and check that PingValid is on.

## Check a list

**1. Give Claude the addresses.** Paste them into the chat.

**2. Say what you want in plain words.** Examples are under "Things to ask" below.

**3. Confirm you have a lawful basis for the list.** A bulk job is submitted with a confirmation that you have a legitimate reason to process every address in it, such as an existing customer relationship or an opt-in. Claude passes that confirmation to PingValid for you, so only ask for a job on a list where it is true. If Claude asks you to confirm, answer it yourself.

**4. Approve the request if Claude asks.** Claude can ask for your approval before it uses a PingValid tool. Select "Allow once" to continue, or "Always allow" to skip the prompt for that tool from now on.

**5. Read the answer.** Claude reports how many addresses came back valid, risky, invalid and unknown, and lists the ones you asked for. To see why one address got its verdict, ask Claude to validate that address on its own and explain it. The explanation is free; the single check is charged like any other validation.

**6. Get the file.** The job also appears on the Bulk page of your PingValid dashboard, listed by the time you submitted it. You can download the results there as a CSV.

## Things to ask

- "Validate jane@example.com with PingValid and explain the verdict."
- "Here are 40 addresses from my newsletter export. Run a PingValid bulk job and list only the invalid ones."
- "Submit these 20 addresses to PingValid as a bulk job, then check the job status and tell me how many came back valid, risky, invalid and unknown."

## What each verdict tells you to do

| Verdict | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| `valid` | The address passed the checks. | Keep it. |
| `invalid` | A blocking check failed (bad syntax, no domain, no MX, mailbox rejected), the address is on a disposable domain, or the risk signals add up to more than 70 (on Deep, a role account on a catch-all domain scores 75). | Remove or suppress it. |
| `risky` | The mailbox may exist, but a check raised the risk score: a role account, or a catch-all domain on the Deep tier. | Decide using the evidence. |
| `unknown` | A check could not finish, for example because the receiving server asked to retry later. | Check again later. You are not charged. |

The risk score runs from 0 to 100. A role account is a shared mailbox such as postmaster@. A catch-all domain accepts mail for any address, so a missing mailbox looks real. A disposable domain gives out throwaway addresses.

In Claude, a bulk result gives you the verdict and the risk score for each address. The result of each check is in the job's NDJSON export on the dashboard.

## Limits to know before you start

- **1,000 addresses per job.** A list of 3,000 addresses is three jobs and, on Standard, 3,000 credits. For a longer list, the dashboard upload is the better tool.
- **The Free plan is 100 validations a month.** It runs the Quick and Standard tiers. Standard includes the check with the receiving mail server.
- **Catch-all detection is on the Deep tier only.** Deep costs 2 credits per address and needs a paid plan or a top-up.
- **Claude summarizes; PingValid decides.** The verdicts come from PingValid's checks. The full result for every address is in your PingValid dashboard.

## What it costs

One validation uses 1 credit on Quick or Standard and 2 on Deep. The connector uses the same credits as PingValid's web app. There is no separate price for Claude.

| What you validate | Tier | Credits | Plan that covers it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 addresses | Standard | 40 | Free: 100 validations a month, no card |
| 5,000 addresses in a month | Standard | 5,000 | Starter: $19 a month |

- `unknown` verdicts are not charged.
- Asking for a job's status or for an explanation is free.
- There are no overage charges. When credits run out, new checks stop until you top up or upgrade.

The full table is on the [pricing page](/pricing).

## What it does not do

- **It does not send email.** It checks addresses.
- **It does not change your email platform.** PingValid does not connect to Klaviyo, Mailchimp or any other platform. You take the results and update your list there. The steps are in the [email list cleaning checklist](/blog/email-list-cleaning-checklist).
- **It does not control inbox placement.** Validation tells you whether an address can receive mail at the time of the check.
- **It does not make a list lawful to email.** PingValid checks whether an address can receive mail. It does not check whether you have permission to email it.

## Questions

**Do I need a paid Claude plan?**
No. On Claude's Free plan you can add one custom connector. Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise can add them too; on Team and Enterprise an Owner adds it for the organization.

**Will Claude ask before it uses PingValid?**
It can. Claude's own permission settings decide when it asks. When it does, select "Allow once", or "Always allow" to skip the prompt for that tool from now on. You can change this in Claude under Customize, then Connectors, then PingValid: each tool can be set to "Always allow", "Needs approval" or "Blocked". A request that runs without a prompt still uses your credits.

**Are my addresses sent to PingValid?**
Yes. The addresses you ask Claude to validate are sent to PingValid so they can be checked. See the [privacy policy](/legal/privacy).

**Can Claude check a list of 50,000 addresses?**
Not sensibly. One job takes 1,000 addresses. For a list that size, [upload the CSV in the dashboard](/use-cases/email-list-cleaning). A large list may need more than one job.

**Does it work in other AI assistants?**
The same connector works with Cursor, ChatGPT and other apps that support MCP, the standard this connector uses. Setup for those is in the [MCP docs](/docs/mcp).

[Add PingValid to Claude](https://claude.ai/customize/connectors?modal=add-custom-connector&connectorName=PingValid&connectorUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fpingvalid.com%2Fmcp) · [Create a free PingValid account](/register?from=use-case-claude)

The Free plan includes 100 validations a month on the Quick and Standard tiers, with no card. The Deep tier needs a paid plan or a top-up.