Automate Real-Time Email Search Results with Icypeas and n8n

Opening Problem Statement

Meet Julie, a sales manager at a mid-sized marketing agency. Every week, Julie runs bulk email searches to generate leads using the Icypeas platform. She used to manually monitor these searches and download results as they became available. This process takes hours of constant checking, slowing down her outreach campaigns and risking lost opportunities because of delayed follow-ups.

Julie needs a way to instantly receive new email search results as they appear, without refreshing or logging into multiple systems. Manual monitoring wastes at least 3-4 hours weekly and leads to missed leads or duplicated efforts—costing Julie valuable time and her company potential revenue.

What This Automation Does

This custom n8n workflow integrates with Icypeas to automate the reception and processing of email search results in real-time. Here’s exactly what happens when it runs:

• Receives live notifications from Icypeas via a webhook whenever new email or domain search results are ready.
• Extracts key information like the email address, first name, and last name from the search response automatically.
• Prepares this extracted data in a clean, usable format for subsequent actions.
• Eliminates the need for manual checking or downloading bulk search results.
• Enables easy integration with additional services (e.g., lead generation tools like Lemlist) for instant outreach.
• Greatly reduces lead processing time from hours to virtually instantaneous receipt.

This workflow saves at least a few hours per week for users like Julie and improves lead handling accuracy.

Prerequisites ⚙️

• n8n account: To design and activate the automation.
• Icypeas account: Specifically with API access enabled to send push notifications on new search results.
• Webhook setup: The ability to deploy webhooks in n8n that Icypeas can call.
• Optional integration accounts (like Lemlist) if you want to forward contact data downstream.

(Optional self-hosting tip: You can run n8n on a server using providers like Hostinger for full control.)

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Create a Webhook in n8n to Receive Icypeas Notifications

Navigate to Workflows → Add Node → select Webhook. Set the HTTP Method to POST. This webhook will receive JSON payloads from Icypeas when new email search results are ready.

You will see a unique webhook URL generated. This URL is what you will register in Icypeas, so keep it handy.

Expected outcome: A ready-to-use webhook URL endpoint.

Common mistake: Forgetting to switch from the test URL to the production URL before activating the workflow.

2. Register the Webhook URL in Icypeas User Profile

Log into your Icypeas account at the user profile page. Click your profile icon → Your Profile → scroll to the API section.

Enable API access by clicking Enable API Access, then paste the webhook URL into the field labeled Notification when each row is treated during a bulk search. Save the settings.

Expected outcome: Icypeas will push new search results to your webhook in real-time.

Common mistake: Leaving API access disabled or entering the URL incorrectly, preventing webhook calls.

3. Add the Set Node to Extract Relevant Data

After Webhook, add a Set node. Configure it to extract these fields from the webhook JSON:

• email: {{$json.body.data.results.emails[0].email}}
• firstname: {{$json.body.data.results.firstname}}
• lastname: {{$json.body.data.results.lastname}}

This ensures your workflow captures just the core contact info to forward or store.

Expected outcome: A clean JSON with only the email, first name, and last name fields extracted.

Common mistake: Incorrect JSON path expressions leading to empty or missing fields.

4. Connect and Activate Your Workflow

Connect the Webhook node’s output to the Set node input. Test the webhook by triggering a search in Icypeas and observe that the data flows correctly to the Set node.

Activate the workflow by toggling to live mode to start receiving real notifications.

Expected outcome: Automated real-time email search results processed and ready for downstream actions.

5. Optional: Add Additional Nodes for Integration

If you want, add nodes to send extracted email contacts to your CRM or email marketing tools like Lemlist, following similar node linking and configuration steps.

Customizations ✏️

• Email Verification Support: Modify the webhook registration and adjust JSON parsing in the Set node to handle upcoming Igypeas email verification data fields.
• Forward Data to Slack: Add a Slack node after the Set node to get instant team notifications of new leads.
• Save Results to Google Sheets: Add a Google Sheets node to log leads automatically for historical tracking.

Troubleshooting 🔧

Problem: “Webhook not triggered when Icypeas pushes data”
Cause: The webhook URL in Icypeas was not saved, or API access is disabled.
Solution: Double-check API settings, re-copy the webhook URL and save again in Icypeas profile.

Problem: “Set node outputs empty fields”
Cause: JSON path expressions used to extract email or names are incorrect.
Solution: Review the exact JSON structure in incoming webhook payload and adjust expressions accordingly in the Set node.

Pre-Production Checklist ✅

• Confirm the webhook URL is successfully registered and saved in Icypeas API settings.
• Perform a test bulk search in Icypeas and confirm webhook data arrives in n8n.
• Verify the extracted email, first name, and last name values in the Set node output.
• Test optional downstream integrations to ensure smooth data forwarding.
• Back up your workflow configuration before activating to avoid accidental data loss.

Deployment Guide

Activate your workflow in n8n by toggling the Active button. The webhook URL becomes live, and Icypeas will start pushing results. Monitor activity from the Executions tab in n8n to confirm real-time data flow.

For enterprise uses, consider logging webhook call responses or linking additional processing nodes for analytics or CRM updates.

FAQs

Q: Can I integrate this with other lead capture tools besides Lemlist?
A: Yes, n8n supports many third-party nodes; just add relevant nodes and map data accordingly.

Q: Does this workflow consume API credits in Icypeas?
A: API notifications typically count towards your Icypeas API usage plan; monitor your quota accordingly.

Q: Is my data secure in this webhook workflow?
A: Data is sent securely via HTTPS, but ensure your n8n instance is protected with reliable security measures.

Q: How many results per minute can this handle?
A: This depends on your n8n system resources and Icypeas API limits; design your workflow scale accordingly.

Conclusion

By following this tutorial, you set up a fully automated, real-time connection between Icypeas and n8n to immediately process email search results. You saved Julie—and yourself—hours each week by removing manual checks and downloads. Plus, with data extraction built-in, you can quickly push leads to your outreach or CRM tools.

Next, consider extending this automation with email verification support or multi-channel lead notifications to maximize your lead generation power. Dive in and make your sales process smarter and faster with this tailored n8n workflow!