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Authentication

Audit SPF without guessing at DNS

Short answer

Build an inventory before editing the record.

Use authoritative setup instructions#

Collect the current sending services and each service’s domain instructions. Inspect the published TXT response, including whether more than one SPF policy appears. Keep your current DNS values before making any change.

Evaluate the whole policy#

Includes and redirects can create dependencies beyond the top-level text. A record that exists may still fail during evaluation. Check the actual SPF result on a received message and use an evaluator when you need lookup-budget or mechanism analysis.

Keep diagnostics precise#

MailMaid DomainGuard shows matching DNS records. It does not flatten SPF, authorize a sender or certify the policy. Use the observation as a starting point, then test the intended sending path after a controlled change.

Primary references

Consult the current specification or provider guidance when applying these checks.

SPF specification

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