sales-skills/sales-kartra

Kartra Platform Help

Step 1 — Gather context

If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.

1. What are you trying to do?

   • A) Build an inbound API integration — sync leads, tags, lists, sequences, transactions, or subscriptions in/out of Kartra
   • B) Set up outbound IPN webhooks — react to purchase, tag, lead, sequence, or membership events
   • C) Configure a module inside Kartra — funnels/pages, email/SMS automations, checkout, memberships, webinars, affiliates, helpdesk, calendars
   • D) Pick a plan — Essentials vs Starter vs Growth vs Professional (note: API + advanced automations are plan-gated)
   • E) Fix a problem — deliverability/spam-complaint throttling, slow custom-domain pages, calendar reliability, rate limits
   • F) Something else — describe it

2. Where does data need to flow? Stay inside Kartra / sync to a CRM or warehouse / drive an external app — this decides API vs webhook vs Zapier.

Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already provides enough context, skip to Step 2.

Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| If the question is about... | Route to... | |---|---| | Multi-step funnel strategy/structure across tools | /sales-funnel {question} | | Email-marketing strategy, sequences, deliverability | /sales-email-marketing {question} | | Inbox-placement / spam-complaint deliverability | /sales-deliverability {question} | | Checkout/order-bump/upsell conversion optimization | /sales-checkout {question} | | Membership-site / course structure and retention | /sales-membership {question} | | Webinar funnel strategy (live + evergreen) | /sales-webinar {question} | | Comparing Kartra vs other all-in-one platforms | /sales-funnel {question} |

When routing, give the exact command, e.g. "This is a funnel-strategy question — run: /sales-funnel {your question}".

Step 3 — Kartra platform reference

Read references/platform-guide.md for the full reference — the module map (what's API-accessible vs webhook-accessible vs UI-only), pricing and plan gates, the lead/tag/transaction data model with JSON shapes, and quick-start recipes (create a lead + assign a tag via the API; listen for a purchase IPN webhook; bulk-export transactions).

Read references/kartra-api-reference.md for the inbound API — base https://app.kartra.com/api, the app_id/api_key/api_password auth, the actions[] array and every cmd (leads, custom fields, lists, tags, sequences, pages, transactions, subscriptions, calendars, points), the 20-calls/sec rate limit, and the outbound IPN webhook events.

Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.

Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Focus on the user's specific situation:

• Confirm the plan gate first. On current Kartra plans, API access and advanced automations appear gated to higher tiers (Professional for API). If their key 401s or the menu is missing, it's usually a plan issue, not a code bug — verify the plan before debugging the integration.
• The API is form-POST, not REST-per-resource. Everything goes to one endpoint (POST https://app.kartra.com/api) with app_id, api_key, api_password, and an actions[] array. To create-then-act on a lead in one call, the first action's cmd must be create_lead.
• Throttle to 20 calls/sec/app. Batch multiple actions into one request where possible and back off on 429.
• Use IPN webhooks instead of polling for purchase/tag/membership events — it's lower-latency and avoids burning rate limit. Respond 2xx fast and process async.
• Deliverability is enforced platform-wide. Kartra holds a ~0.03% spam-complaint standard across the whole platform; a cold or unengaged list can get your sending throttled. Warm up and clean lists before bulk sends.

If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in references/learnings.md, append it there.

Gotchas

Best-effort from research (2026-06) — review these, especially plan-gated features and pricing, which change frequently.

1. API access is plan-gated. On the current tiered plans, the API (and advanced automations / custom-code pages) appears restricted to the Professional tier — building an integration on Essentials/Starter can fail before any code runs. Verify against the live account.
2. One endpoint, actions[] array. It's not REST — don't expect /leads/{id}. Send POST form data to https://app.kartra.com/api with the action commands in an array. First cmd must be create_lead when creating.
3. Rate limit: 20 calls/sec per App → 429. Bulk syncs need throttling, batching multiple actions per call, and backoff.
4. 0.03% spam-complaint standard is platform-wide. Sending to cold/purchased lists can throttle or suspend your account — this is account-protection, separate from inbox placement.
5. Custom domains add a redirect. Kartra routes custom-domain pages through a redirect that can slow load time; compress assets and expect the hop.
6. Calendar reliability is a known pain point — users report missed/dropped appointments. For mission-critical booking, validate against a dedicated scheduler.
7. HTTPS is mandatory — the API rejects http://. Always call over SSL.

Related skills

• /sales-funnel — Funnel strategy across tools (Kartra is one of the all-in-one funnel builders covered) and Kartra-vs-alternatives comparisons
• /sales-email-marketing — Email/SMS sequence strategy and deliverability
• /sales-deliverability — Inbox placement and spam-complaint-rate management (relevant to Kartra's 0.03% standard)
• /sales-checkout — Checkout, order-bump, and upsell conversion optimization
• /sales-membership — Membership-site and course structure, pricing, and retention
• /sales-webinar — Live and evergreen webinar funnel strategy
• /sales-do — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do -a claude-code

Examples

Example 1: Sync new app signups into Kartra and tag them (developer/automation)

User says: "When someone signs up in my app, I want to create the lead in Kartra and tag them 'app-trial'. What's the cleanest API call?" Skill does: Confirms the account is on a plan with API access, then shows the single form-POST to https://app.kartra.com/api with app_id/api_key/api_password and an actions[] array whose first cmd is create_lead (carrying lead[email], lead[first_name]) followed by an assign_tag action (Recipe 1 in references/platform-guide.md). Notes the 20-calls/sec limit and to upsert by email to avoid duplicate leads. Result: One API call creates-and-tags the lead; the user understands the actions-array model.

Example 2: React to a purchase without polling (developer)

User says: "I want my fulfillment system to fire the moment someone buys in Kartra, not on a cron. How?" Skill does: Points to the outbound IPN webhook — configured under My Integrations » API — that fires on the purchase event with the lead + transaction payload. Explains responding 2xx fast and processing async, and deduping on the transaction ID since deliveries can repeat (Recipe 2). Contrasts with polling search transactions, which burns the 20/sec limit. Result: User sets up an event-driven webhook instead of a polling loop.

Example 3: My emails keep getting throttled

User says: "Kartra warned me my spam complaints are too high and slowed my sending. What now?" Skill does: Explains the platform-wide ~0.03% spam-complaint standard (account protection, not just inbox placement), then routes the strategy: "This is a deliverability problem — run: /sales-deliverability my Kartra account is throttled for spam complaints." Adds Kartra-specific first steps: suppress unengaged segments, slow the send cadence, and re-permission cold imports before bulk blasts. Result: User gets both the platform context and the right strategy skill.

Troubleshooting

API key returns 401 / "API access" menu is missing

Symptom: A valid-looking key fails to authenticate, or there's no API section in Settings. Cause: API access is plan-gated — current plans appear to restrict it to the Professional tier — or you're missing one of the three required params (app_id, api_key, api_password), or you're calling over http://. Solution: Verify the account's plan includes API access; confirm all three auth params are sent in the POST body; ensure the call uses https://. The App ID must match the app registered under Settings » Integrations » My API.

Hitting 429 "Too many requests"

Symptom: Bulk syncs start failing with 429s. Cause: The inbound API caps at 20 calls/second per App. Solution: Throttle below 20/sec, batch multiple actions into a single request, and add exponential backoff on 429. For large migrations, queue and pace the writes rather than firing them in a tight loop.

IPN webhooks aren't firing (or arrive twice)

Symptom: Your endpoint never receives purchase/tag events, or processes the same event repeatedly. Cause: The outbound IPN isn't enabled/pointed at your URL, the event type isn't selected, or your handler isn't idempotent. Solution: Enable the outbound API under My Integrations » API, select the events you need (purchase, tag applied, lead created, sequence complete, membership granted, etc.), and confirm the target URL is reachable over HTTPS. Respond 2xx quickly and dedupe on the transaction/lead identifier so retries don't double-process.