Email authentication

SPF Lookup Counter

Count the DNS lookups in your SPF record against the 10-lookup limit. See a full recursive breakdown of every include, a and mx — free, using live DNS.

Count your SPF DNS lookups

Enter a domain, or paste a v=spf1 record, to see the full recursive lookup breakdown.

What this SPF lookup counter does

Resolves your live SPF record over DNS-over-HTTPS — real data

Recursively follows every include and redirect chain

Counts a, mx, ptr and exists mechanisms toward the limit

Shows a nested tree of exactly where each lookup comes from

Flags when you are close to or over the 10-lookup limit

Accepts a domain or a pasted v=spf1 record

Common use cases

1Diagnosing a "too many DNS lookups" SPF permerror
2Finding which include is eating your lookup budget
3Checking headroom before adding a new email provider
4Auditing SPF after a provider migration
5Deciding what to flatten or remove
6Verifying a record you are about to publish stays under 10

About the SPF 10-lookup limit

SPF validation is capped at 10 DNS-querying mechanisms per RFC 7208. Each include, a, mx, ptr, exists and redirect counts — and because includes chain their own includes, the real total is usually higher than the number of terms you can see. Exceed 10 and receivers return a permerror, treating your domain as if SPF were never configured.

This counter expands the whole chain so you can see precisely where the lookups accumulate. To get back under the limit, remove senders you no longer use, consolidate providers, or flatten the heaviest includes into raw IP addresses.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Got Questions? We Have Answers.

What is the SPF 10 DNS lookup limit?

RFC 7208 allows an SPF record to trigger at most 10 DNS-querying mechanisms during evaluation. Exceeding it produces a permerror, and receivers treat your domain as if it had no SPF record at all.

Which SPF mechanisms count as DNS lookups?

include, a, mx, ptr, exists and redirect each count as one lookup. ip4, ip6 and the all mechanism do not require a DNS query, so they are free.

Why is my count higher than the number of includes I see?

Each include can reference a record that contains its own includes, and those nested lookups all count. This tool expands the entire chain so the real total is visible.

How do I reduce my SPF lookup count?

Remove providers you no longer send from, consolidate services, and flatten the heaviest includes into raw IP addresses. Our SPF Flattener automates the last step.

Does this counter use my real DNS records?

Yes. It resolves your live SPF record and every include over DNS-over-HTTPS at the moment you run it — no cached or sample data.

What happens if I exceed 10 lookups?

Receiving servers return a permerror. SPF authentication fails "open", so spoofing protection is lost and legitimate mail can be flagged or rejected depending on your DMARC policy.