How to integrate Truelist with ActiveCampaign

Truelist has a direct integration with ActiveCampaign that validates your contact list and writes the validation result back to each contact as a custom field. This guide walks you through setup and day-to-day management.

How the integration works

When you connect ActiveCampaign, Truelist fetches all contacts from the list you select and runs each email address through its full validation pipeline. Once validation is complete, Truelist updates each contact with a custom field called TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE:

  • valid — The email address is valid and safe to send to.
  • risky — The email address may be valid but carries some risk (e.g. disposable or role address).
  • invalid — The email address is invalid and should not be sent to.
  • unknown — Truelist could not determine the validity of the email address.

You can use this field in ActiveCampaign to build segments, suppress invalid addresses from campaigns and automations, and keep your contact list clean over time.

After setup, Truelist can validate your list automatically on a weekly basis, or you can trigger a sync manually at any time.

Before you begin

You will need an ActiveCampaign API key and your account URL.

Finding your API key and account URL

  1. Log in to your ActiveCampaign account.
  2. Go to Settings (bottom-left) → Developer.
  3. Your API key and API Access URL are shown on this page.
  4. Copy both — the URL looks like https://youraccountname.api-us1.com.

Step-by-Step Setup

  1. Go to Settings → Integrations in your Truelist account.

  2. Find the ActiveCampaign card under Available integrations and click Set up.

  3. Enter your API Key and Account URL, then click Save.

    Truelist will verify the credentials and create the integration.

  4. You will be taken to the ActiveCampaign settings page. Use the Contact List dropdown to select the list you want to validate.

  5. Click Save.

  6. Click Sync now to kick off your first validation run.

    Important: You must select a list and click Save before clicking Sync now. The sync button is disabled until a list is selected.

Making the TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE field visible as a column

After the first sync, ActiveCampaign will have the TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE custom field on your contacts. To see it as a column in your contacts list:

  1. Go to Contacts in ActiveCampaign.
  2. Click the dropdown arrow at the top-left corner of the contacts list (next to the checkboxes).
  3. Find TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE in the list and select it.

The column will now appear in your contacts table, showing the validation result for each contact.

Managing the Integration

Selecting a list

Use the Contact List dropdown to choose which ActiveCampaign list Truelist should validate. After changing the list, click Save to apply.

Sync settings

Use the Status dropdown to control how syncing works:

  • Enabled, sync automatically — Truelist will validate your contact list on a weekly basis without any manual action.
  • Enabled, but sync manually — Syncing is enabled but will only run when you click Sync now.
  • Disabled — Syncing is paused. No new validations will run until you re-enable it.

Syncing now

Click the Sync now button to immediately kick off a validation of your selected ActiveCampaign list. Truelist will only validate email addresses that have not been validated recently. Existing results are cached and re-used based on your revalidation settings.

Deleting the integration

Click the Delete ActiveCampaign integration button to remove the connection entirely. This stops all syncing. It will not delete any data in ActiveCampaign or Truelist — your existing TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE field values and validation history are preserved. You can reconnect the integration at any time.

Using validation results in ActiveCampaign

Once a sync completes, each contact will have their TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE field updated. Here are some common ways to put the results to use.

Suppress invalid addresses from campaigns

When creating a campaign, add a segment condition to exclude contacts where TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE equals invalid. This prevents sending to bad addresses that would raise your bounce rate.

Build a clean segment for high-value sends

Create a segment in ActiveCampaign with the condition TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE = valid. Use this segment for re-engagement campaigns or any send where deliverability is critical.

Quarantine risky addresses

Create a separate segment for contacts where TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE = risky. You can choose to suppress these from regular sends while continuing to email validated addresses, or review them manually before deciding.

Remove unknowns after repeated syncs

If a contact still has TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE = unknown after two or three sync cycles, consider suppressing or removing them. A persistent unknown result often indicates a problematic address.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often will my ActiveCampaign list sync automatically?

When set to automatic, Truelist will sync your list once per week.

Will Truelist re-validate contacts it has already checked?

Yes. Truelist re-validates existing contacts according to the revalidation period configured in your validation settings. The default is 60 days.

Can I validate my list on demand?

Yes. Click Sync now on the ActiveCampaign integration settings page to trigger an immediate validation run. Make sure you have selected a list and clicked Save first.

Does Truelist validate all contacts or just new ones?

Each sync fetches all contacts from your selected ActiveCampaign list. Truelist skips addresses that were validated recently (within your revalidation window) and only runs validation on new or stale addresses, so credits are not wasted on re-checking recent results.

Will the integration change any contact data other than TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE?

Truelist only writes the TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE custom field. It does not modify any other contact fields, delete contacts, or unsubscribe anyone.

What happens if my ActiveCampaign API key changes?

If Truelist cannot authenticate with ActiveCampaign during a sync, the integration will be automatically disabled and you will receive an email notification. Go to Settings → Integrations → ActiveCampaign and re-enter your API key to reconnect.

Why can’t I see TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE as a column in my contacts list?

You need to add the column manually. In ActiveCampaign, go to Contacts, click the dropdown arrow at the top-left of the contacts list, and select TRUELIST_EMAIL_STATE. It will then appear as a column for all contacts.