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CRITICALOften searched as: "spf permerror too many lookups"

SPF too many DNS lookups — how to flatten your record

WHAT YOU'RE SEEING

A check reports "SPF permanent error: too many DNS lookups" or your lookup count is > 10.

WHY IT'S HAPPENING

Each include:, a, mx, ptr, exists, or redirect mechanism in your SPF record counts as one lookup. Nested includes count too. Common culprit: stacking too many include: chains (Google + Mailchimp + SendGrid + HubSpot + etc).

How to fix it

  1. 1

    Run a full SPF expansion check — see exactly which mechanisms count.

  2. 2

    Identify includes you no longer use (old ESPs, abandoned tools). Remove them.

  3. 3

    For services still in use, consider an SPF flattening service (DMARC Analyzer, Valimail, EasyDMARC) — they replace include: chains with ip4: blocks under 10 lookups.

  4. 4

    Re-check after each change. You want < 10 total lookups.

Where do I add these records? (by DNS host)

Records go in the DNS panel of whoever hosts your domain, not inside Gmail or Outlook. Find your host below.

Cloudflare

  1. 1.Log in and pick your domain.
  2. 2.Open the DNS tab, then Records.
  3. 3.Click Add record, choose the type (TXT/CNAME), paste the Name and Value, Save.
  4. 4.Tip: Conductor can apply Cloudflare records for you. Connect a token on your domain page instead of doing this by hand.

GoDaddy

  1. 1.Go to My Products, find your domain, click DNS.
  2. 2.Under Records, click Add.
  3. 3.Pick the type, enter the Name (Host) and Value, Save. Use "@" for the root domain.

Crazy Domains

  1. 1.Log in, go to My Account, then Manage next to your domain.
  2. 2.Open DNS / Manage DNS.
  3. 3.Add a record, choose the type, enter the Hostname and Value, Save.

VentraIP

  1. 1.Log in to VIPControl, open Domain Names, click your domain.
  2. 2.Choose Manage DNS / DNS Zone.
  3. 3.Add a record with the type, name and content shown above, Save.

Squarespace / Google Domains

  1. 1.Open Settings, then Domains, and pick your domain.
  2. 2.Choose DNS Settings, scroll to Custom Records.
  3. 3.Add the record type, host and data, Save.

Namecheap

  1. 1.Go to Domain List, click Manage next to your domain.
  2. 2.Open the Advanced DNS tab.
  3. 3.Click Add New Record, set the type, host and value, and save with the green tick.

Not listed? The steps are the same everywhere: find DNS or Manage DNS, add a record, pick the type, paste the name and value shown above.

Not sure if this is your problem?

Paste an email →Check your domain

Related fixes

No SPF record published — quick fix for any DNS provider

SPF set to ~all (soft fail) — should you change it?