Inbound API
How it works
Kernel operates differently from static database providers (like ZoomInfo/Cognism).
We collect and classify data in real time, which means the process is asynchronous.
You initiate an enrichment task and periodically poll for results as data becomes available.
There are two main ways to use inbound enrichment:
API‑triggered inbound — Your systems call the Inbound API directly for just‑in‑time enrichment of a specific record, then poll for results.
Scheduled inbound via your CRM — Kernel polls configured objects in your CRM (for example, Salesforce) on a schedule, automatically enriching new or updated records that meet your criteria.
Understanding Data Availability (Fast vs. Slow)
Asynchronous Population: The output JSON payload populates gradually. When you poll, fields for which data hasn't been found or processed yet will typically have a value of
null.Fast Data Points: For example, certain firmographic data points are usually available relatively quickly (potentially within minutes). These often include:
Country
State/Region
Industry
Headcount
Headcount Growth
Slower Data Points: Other data points may require more extensive analysis or different data sources and can take longer (potentially hours) to populate.
Polling Strategy: Your polling logic should handle partially populated payloads and continue polling until the
statusiscompleteorerror. The specifics regarding the fast/slow data points depend on your custom setup.
Error Handling Strategy
When interacting with the API, you might encounter different types of errors. Here's the recommended default strategy:
HTTP 502/503/504 Server Errors:
Meaning: These indicate a temporary issue, either on the server-side.
Default Action: Retry the request after some time.
GET Response
"status": "error":Meaning: The specific enrichment workflow identified by the
executionIdencountered an error during processing.Default Action: Retry the request after some time, if the error persists, contact Kernel support.
Rate Limits
The API enforces rate limiting to ensure fair usage:
Rate Limit: 5 requests per second per API key
Concurrency Limit: Maximum of 200 accounts can be processing simultaneously
429 Response: When rate limit is exceeded, you'll receive a 429 status code. Please wait before retrying.
Base path
Input Data Requirements:
salesforceId (string): This is the Salesforce record ID (e.g., Lead IDs often start with 00Q, Account IDs with 001).
You must provide either:
linkedinUrl (string): The LinkedIn profile URL (e.g., https://www.linkedin.com/company/example).
OR both name (string) and website (string).
Contextual Data (Optional but helpful): While the core requirement is above, providing additional context like emailDomain (e.g., kernel.ai from [email protected]) will be beneficial depending on the specific workflow configuration, even if it is not strictly required by the current endpoint setup. Check with your Kernel contact to see if these are utilized.
Data Privacy: Do not send Personally Identifiable Information (PII) such as first name or last name, unless explicitly part of the agreed schema. You should send email_domain if available and relevant to the configuration.
API key for authentication
Request body for initiating inbound enrichment
Note the executionId. You will need this unique identifier to poll for results.
400 Bad Request
Because enrichment happens asynchronously, you need to periodically check the status of your request using the executionId.
The executionId returned from the POST /enrichment request
12345API key for authentication
Enrichment status and results. The response includes dynamic fields based on your client configuration.
400 Bad Request
500 Internal Server Error
Scheduled inbound from Salesforce
In addition to just‑in‑time enrichments that you trigger directly via the API, Kernel can run the inbound process on a schedule using our existing Salesforce integration.
Kernel polls your Salesforce org on a defined cadence (for example, every minute, hourly, or daily) using the authorized integration user.
We identify new (or updated) records on a configured object (for example, Account, Lead) that match your agreed criteria for enrichment (such as record type, lifecycle stage, region, or other custom filters).
For each matching record, Kernel initiates an enrichment workflow.
Once enrichment is complete, Kernel writes the enriched fields back to those Salesforce records via the standard integration.
This pattern is useful when you want continuous, automatic enrichment of data in Salesforce without having to build or operate your own orchestration layer against the Inbound API. It works on any standard or custom object in your CRM that is included in your Kernel Salesforce configuration.
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