# Email Domain Health & Deliverability Checker (`itzcloud/email-health`) Actor

Bulk SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MTA-STS, TLS-RPT, BIMI and blacklist checker with a 0-100 deliverability score, A-F grade and plain-English issues to fix. Counts SPF DNS lookups recursively. Paste domains or email addresses. $2 per 1,000 domains.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/itzcloud/email-health.md
- **Developed by:** [Juan Orjuela](https://apify.com/itzcloud) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 domain 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 Domain Health & Deliverability Checker — SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI, Blocklists

**Bulk-check the email authentication of any list of domains** and get a **0-100 deliverability score with an A-F grade**, a plain-English list of issues to fix, and every underlying record: MX provider, SPF (with recursive DNS lookup count), DMARC, DKIM, MTA-STS, TLS-RPT, BIMI and blocklists.

Built for **cold email teams, deliverability consultants, MSPs, email agencies and security analysts**.

- 📬 **Everything in one row.** It replaces 5-6 separate lookup tools (SPF checker, DMARC checker, DKIM lookup, MTA-STS, BIMI, blacklist check).
- 🔁 **Accurate SPF.** It follows `include:` and `redirect=` recursively and counts the real number of DNS lookups. More than 10 breaks SPF, and most checkers miss this.
- 🔑 **DKIM discovery.** It probes 36 selectors used by Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Mailchimp, SendGrid, Klaviyo, Zoho, Proton, Fastmail, Zendesk, Help Scout and others, and estimates the key size (1024 vs 2048-bit).
- 🧾 **Paste anything.** Domains, URLs or full email addresses (`jane@acme.com` → `acme.com`), deduplicated automatically.
- ⚡ **DNS only, very cheap.** **$2 per 1,000 domains**, and domains that don't exist are free.

***

### What data do you get?

| Group | Fields |
|---|---|
| **Score** | `score` (0-100), `grade` (A-F), `issues` (what to fix, in plain English) |
| **MX** | `mxPresent`, `mxRecords`, `emailProvider` (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho, Proton…), `emailSecurityGateway` (Mimecast, Proofpoint, Barracuda…) |
| **SPF** | `spf.present`, `spf.record`, `spf.valid`, `spf.allQualifier` (`-all`/`~all`/`?all`/`+all`), `spf.includes`, `spf.totalLookups` (recursive), `spf.issues`, plus `emailSendingServices` authorized in SPF (SendGrid, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Salesforce, Klaviyo…) |
| **DMARC** | `dmarc.present`, `dmarc.policy`, `dmarc.subdomainPolicy`, `dmarc.pct`, `dmarc.reportingEmails` |
| **DKIM** | `dkim.found`, `dkim.selectors`, `dkim.keyBits` |
| **Transport & brand** | `mtaSts.present`, `mtaSts.mode` (enforce/testing), `mtaSts.maxAge`, `tlsRpt.present`, `tlsRpt.reportingUris`, `bimi.present`, `bimi.logoUrl`, `bimi.hasVmc` |
| **Blocklists** | `blocklists.listed`, plus the result per list (`listed` / `clean` / `unknown`): the domain on SURBL and Spamhaus DBL, and the sending IPs in SPF on SpamCop, PSBL and Spamhaus ZEN |

### Use cases

- **Cold email & outbound.** Before you send, check that every sending domain has SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Gmail and Yahoo require them for bulk senders.
- **Deliverability consulting & MSPs.** Audit hundreds of client or prospect domains in minutes, then send each one its grade and the exact issues to fix.
- **Lead generation for email/security vendors.** Find companies with no DMARC, a `p=none` policy, or a broken SPF: they're prospects for your service.
- **Security & brand-protection research.** Spot domains that are easy to spoof (no DMARC enforcement, `+all`), and track MTA-STS and BIMI adoption.

### How to use it

1. Paste domains, URLs or email addresses into **Domains, URLs or email addresses**, or paste a whole column into **Bulk paste**.
2. Optional: turn off DKIM, blocklists or MTA-STS policy reading for even faster runs.
3. Click **Start**, then export the results as CSV, Excel or JSON, or use them via API, webhooks, Make, Zapier or Google Sheets.

#### Input example

```json
{
  "domains": ["apify.com", "jane@yoast.com", "https://basecamp.com"],
  "checkDkim": true,
  "checkBlocklists": true,
  "checkMtaStsPolicy": true
}
```

#### Output example (a real result, trimmed)

```json
{
  "domain": "basecamp.com",
  "grade": "B",
  "score": 80,
  "issues": [
    "DMARC has no rua= address: you get no reports about who sends as your domain.",
    "DKIM key is 1024-bit; 2048-bit is recommended."
  ],
  "emailProvider": "Self-hosted",
  "spf": { "present": true, "valid": true, "allQualifier": "-", "totalLookups": 3 },
  "dmarc": { "present": true, "policy": "quarantine" },
  "dkim": { "found": true, "selectors": ["google", "k1", "mail"], "keyBits": 1024 },
  "bimi": { "present": true },
  "blocklists": { "checked": 2, "listed": [] }
}
```

The **Output** tab has two ready-made views: *Overview* (grade and every check in one table) and *Issues to fix*.

### How the score works

| Check | Points |
|---|---|
| MX records present | 10 |
| SPF present and valid (max 10 lookups, no `+all`) | 20 (10 if present with problems) |
| SPF ends in `-all` / `~all` | 5 / 3 |
| DMARC present | 15 |
| DMARC policy `reject` / `quarantine` | 15 / 10 |
| DMARC reporting address (`rua`) | 5 |
| DKIM key found | 15 |
| MTA-STS `enforce` / `testing` | 7 / 3 |
| TLS-RPT | 3 |
| BIMI | 5 |
| Each blocklist listing | −25 |

**A** ≥ 85 · **B** ≥ 70 · **C** ≥ 55 · **D** ≥ 40 · **F** < 40.

### Pricing

This actor uses **pay-per-event** pricing. Platform usage is included.

| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| Domain checked | **$0.002** ($2 per 1,000 domains) |
| Domain that doesn't exist in DNS | **Free** |
| Run start | Apify's standard start fee (a fraction of a cent per run) |

### FAQ

**"No DKIM found": does that mean the domain has no DKIM?**
Not necessarily. DKIM selectors can't be listed, only guessed. We probe the 36 selectors that the most common providers use, which covers most domains, but a custom selector won't be found. The issue text says so.

**Why do some blocklist results say `unknown`?**
Some blocklists refuse queries from large cloud networks. Every run first tests each list against its official test entry, and lists that don't answer correctly are reported as `unknown`, never as a false "clean". On Apify's network SURBL, SpamCop and PSBL answer normally, while Spamhaus usually refuses cloud queries, so its results appear as `unknown`.

**Does it send any email or connect to mail servers?**
No. Everything comes from public DNS records, plus one HTTPS request to read the MTA-STS policy when the domain publishes one.

### More tools from the same developer

- **[Website & Domain Intelligence](https://apify.com/itzcloud/website-intel)**: emails, phones, socials, 270+ technologies, email provider and domain age for any company domain.
- **[Shopify Store Intelligence](https://apify.com/itzcloud/shopify-intel)**: theme, installed apps, product count, pricing and markets for any Shopify store.

# Actor input Schema

## `domains` (type: `array`):

One per line. You can paste domains (<code>acme.com</code>), URLs or full email addresses (<code>jane@acme.com</code> → acme.com). Duplicates are checked once.

## `domainsText` (type: `string`):

Paste a whole column of domains or email addresses. Separated by new lines, commas, semicolons or spaces. Combined with the list above.

## `checkDkim` (type: `boolean`):

Probes 36 selectors used by Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Mailchimp, SendGrid, Klaviyo, Zoho, Proton, Fastmail, Zendesk, Help Scout and more.

## `checkBlocklists` (type: `boolean`):

Checks the domain on SURBL and Spamhaus DBL, and the sending IPs listed in SPF on SpamCop, PSBL and Spamhaus ZEN. Lists that refuse queries from the cloud are reported as "unknown", never as a false "clean".

## `checkMtaStsPolicy` (type: `boolean`):

If the domain publishes MTA-STS, downloads the policy to report its mode (enforce/testing).

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Check only the first N unique domains. 0 = no limit.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

How many domains are checked in parallel. Leave empty for automatic.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "domains": [
    "apify.com",
    "yoast.com",
    "basecamp.com"
  ],
  "checkDkim": true,
  "checkBlocklists": true,
  "checkMtaStsPolicy": true,
  "maxResults": 0
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

## `issues` (type: `string`):

No description

## `allFields` (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 = {
    "domains": [
        "apify.com",
        "yoast.com",
        "basecamp.com"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("itzcloud/email-health").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 = { "domains": [
        "apify.com",
        "yoast.com",
        "basecamp.com",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("itzcloud/email-health").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 '{
  "domains": [
    "apify.com",
    "yoast.com",
    "basecamp.com"
  ]
}' |
apify call itzcloud/email-health --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/qhe3vTl7WBaPP5TkU/builds/Ecls9Wt7G8HU87RsT/openapi.json