# Email Blacklist Checker (`cobalt_relay/email-blacklist-checker`) Actor

Check domains and mail server IPs against email blocklists (SpamCop, Mailspike, PSBL, UCEPROTECT, DroneBL, SpamRATS, Spamhaus with your key). Finds a domain's mail IPs automatically and tells you exactly how to get delisted.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/cobalt_relay/email-blacklist-checker.md
- **Developed by:** [Cobalt Relay](https://apify.com/cobalt_relay) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $10.00 / 1,000 domain or ip checkeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Email Blacklist Checker

Find out whether your domain or mail server is on an email blocklist, and exactly how to get off it.

Give it a **domain** and it finds your real mail servers automatically from MX and SPF records, then checks every IP against the major blocklists. Give it an **IP** and it checks that directly. Check one domain or a thousand in one run.

### What makes it different

- **Finds the right IPs for you.** You don't need to know your mail server's IP; just enter the domain.
- **Knows shared servers.** If your mail runs on Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, GoDaddy and similar, a listing on their shared servers is *their* problem, not yours. The report says so instead of alarming you.
- **No false "clean" results.** Before checking, it runs a test lookup on every blocklist. Lists that don't answer are reported as *not checked*, never as clean. Refusal codes (like Spamhaus's `127.255.255.254`) are never mistaken for listings.
- **Tells you how to fix it.** Every listing comes with what it means, how serious it is, and the removal page.

### Blocklists checked

| Blocklist | Checks | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Spamhaus ZEN (SBL, XBL, PBL) | IPs | High (with your free key) |
| Spamhaus DBL | Domains | High (with your free key) |
| SpamCop | IPs | Medium |
| Mailspike | IPs | Medium |
| PSBL | IPs | Low |
| UCEPROTECT Level 1 | IPs | Low |
| DroneBL | IPs | Low |
| Backscatterer | IPs | Low |

#### About Spamhaus

Spamhaus is the blocklist most mailbox providers use, but it **refuses lookups from cloud servers** (including this one) on its free public mirrors. Get a free **Data Query Service (DQS)** key from Spamhaus and paste it into the input; the Actor will then include Spamhaus ZEN and DBL. Without a key the report tells you Spamhaus wasn't checked.

Barracuda's list isn't included because it only answers DNS servers registered with Barracuda.

### Input

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| **Domains or IPs** | One per line. Email addresses and URLs are accepted. |
| **Spamhaus DQS key** | Optional, stored as a secret. Adds Spamhaus ZEN and DBL. |
| **Blocklists** | Choose which free lists to check (default: all). |
| **Extra blocklist zones** | Advanced: add any other IP blocklist you're allowed to query. |

### Output

- **Readable report (HTML)**: a status for every domain, every listed IP, and a "What to do" list with removal links.
- **Results dataset**: one row per domain/IP with status and listings, ready for CSV/Excel export.
- **Full details (JSON)**: every check against every list.

#### Statuses

| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| **Clean** | No listings on any list that answered. |
| **Listed** | Your own mail server or domain is listed. Act on it. |
| **Provider IP listed** | A shared Microsoft/Google/etc. server is listed. The provider handles it. |
| **Minor issues** | Only policy listings, e.g. Spamhaus PBL on a residential IP, or missing reverse DNS. |
| **Not checked** | No blocklist answered for this target. |

### Monitor automatically

Schedule the Actor daily or weekly on Apify and connect an integration (email, Slack, Make, Zapier, n8n) to get alerted the moment one of your domains or clients is listed. MSPs can check all client domains in one run.

### Pricing

Pay per domain or IP checked. No subscription.

# Actor input Schema

## `targets` (type: `array`):

Domains (example.com) and/or IPv4 addresses. For a domain, its mail server IPs are found automatically from MX and SPF records. Email addresses and URLs are accepted too.

## `spamhausDqsKey` (type: `string`):

Spamhaus is the blocklist mailbox providers rely on most, but it refuses lookups from cloud servers. Get a free Data Query Service key at spamhaus.com (Free DQS) and paste it here to include Spamhaus ZEN (IPs) and DBL (domains).

## `blocklists` (type: `array`):

Free blocklists to check. Leave empty to check all of them.

## `extraZones` (type: `array`):

Advanced: additional IP blocklist DNS zones to query, e.g. dnsbl.example.org. Make sure you're allowed to query them.

## `dnsTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

How long to wait for each blocklist to answer.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "targets": [
    "example.com"
  ],
  "dnsTimeoutSecs": 4
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `report` (type: `string`):

No description

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "targets": [
        "example.com"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("cobalt_relay/email-blacklist-checker").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "targets": ["example.com"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("cobalt_relay/email-blacklist-checker").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "targets": [
    "example.com"
  ]
}' |
apify call cobalt_relay/email-blacklist-checker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,cobalt_relay/email-blacklist-checker"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/3OyJooRU0NSRo64nh/builds/12pKKsDLMk32c9wOr/openapi.json