# Domain & Email Deliverability Auditor (SPF, DMARC, MX, SSL) (`knobby_wallpaper/domain-email-deliverability-auditor`) Actor

Instant DNS, email deliverability, and domain health audit for cold email, sales teams, and AI agents. Checks SPF, DMARC policies, MX mail servers, SSL certificate expiry, and delivers a 0-100% Health Score in seconds.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/knobby_wallpaper/domain-email-deliverability-auditor.md
- **Developed by:** [Apex Data Solutions](https://apify.com/knobby_wallpaper) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $5.00 / 1,000 results

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

## 🛡️ Domain & Email Deliverability Auditor (SPF, DMARC, MX, SSL)

Instant DNS, email deliverability, and domain health audit for **cold email campaigns**, **sales automation**, and **AI agents**.

Audit any domain in **under 1 second** to verify whether it complies with modern inbox requirements (Google, Yahoo, Microsoft), detect missing SPF or DMARC policies, inspect MX mail servers, check SSL certificate expiration, and receive an actionable **0–100% Deliverability Health Score (Grade A–F)**.

***

### ⚡ Why Deliverability Matters in 2026

Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft enforce strict email authentication rules:

- **Missing or misconfigured SPF**: Messages are flagged as spam or dropped.
- **Missing DMARC policy**: Bulk senders without DMARC face immediate rejections.
- **Dangerous qualifiers (`+all` or `?all`)**: Allows spoofers to forge emails from your domain.
- **Expiring SSL certificates**: Triggers browser and security gateway warnings.

This Actor allows sales teams, email marketers (Instantly, Smartlead, Lemlist), and AI agents to audit domains before launching outreach campaigns or adding sending accounts.

***

### 🔍 What Data Is Audited?

| Check | What It Validates | Example Result |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **Health Score** | Overall deliverability rating (0–100) & Grade | `95 / 100 (Grade A - Inboxing Ready)` |
| **SPF** | Record presence, multiple record check, qualifiers, ESP includes | `{"valid": true, "status": "softfail", "qualifier": "~all"}` |
| **DMARC** | Record presence, policy enforcement (`p=reject/quarantine/none`), `rua` | `{"valid": true, "policy": "reject", "rua": ["dmarc@..."]}` |
| **MX Records** | Mail exchange servers, priorities, and email provider | `[{"host": "aspmx.l.google.com", "provider": "Google Workspace"}]` |
| **SSL Certificate** | Certificate validity, issuer, and days until expiration | `{"valid": true, "issuer": "Let's Encrypt", "daysRemaining": 78}` |
| **DKIM** | Common selector detection (google, default, k1, s1) | `{"found": true, "selector": "google"}` |
| **Recommendations** | Actionable next steps to reach 100% inbox deliverability | `["Upgrade DMARC policy from none to quarantine"]` |

***

### 🤖 MCP (Model Context Protocol) Integration

Plug this Actor directly into **Claude Desktop**, **Cursor**, or custom autonomous agents using Apify MCP:

#### Claude Desktop Configuration (`claude_desktop_config.json`)

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@apify/mcp-server",
        "--actors",
        "knobby_wallpaper/domain-email-deliverability-auditor"
      ],
      "env": {
        "APIFY_TOKEN": "YOUR_APIFY_API_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Now your AI agent can automatically audit domains:

> *"Audit stripe.com and tell me if their DMARC policy is set to reject."*

***

### 📥 Input Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| `startUrls` | Array | Yes | `[{"url": "https://apify.com"}]` | Domains or website URLs to audit. |
| `checkSsl` | Boolean | No | `true` | Verify SSL certificate validity and expiration days. |
| `checkDkim` | Boolean | No | `true` | Test standard DKIM selectors (google, default, k1, etc.). |
| `customDkimSelector` | String | No | `""` | Optional specific DKIM selector if known. |

#### Example Input

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    { "url": "https://apify.com" },
    { "url": "stripe.com" }
  ],
  "checkSsl": true,
  "checkDkim": true
}
```

***

### 📤 Example Output

```json
{
  "domain": "apify.com",
  "score": 95,
  "grade": "A",
  "summary": "Excellent - Inboxing Ready. High deliverability and strong authentication.",
  "spf": {
    "status": "softfail",
    "valid": true,
    "record": "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:sendgrid.net ~all",
    "qualifier": "~all",
    "includes": ["_spf.google.com", "sendgrid.net"],
    "providers": ["Google Workspace", "SendGrid"],
    "warning": null
  },
  "dmarc": {
    "status": "valid",
    "valid": true,
    "record": "v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@apify.com",
    "policy": "reject",
    "percentage": 100,
    "rua": ["mailto:dmarc@apify.com"],
    "warning": null
  },
  "mx": [
    {
      "host": "aspmx.l.google.com",
      "priority": 1,
      "provider": "Google Workspace / Gmail"
    }
  ],
  "ssl": {
    "valid": true,
    "daysRemaining": 84,
    "expiresAt": "2026-12-28T12:00:00+00:00",
    "issuer": "Let's Encrypt",
    "warning": null
  },
  "dkim": {
    "found": true,
    "selector": "google",
    "record": "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCg..."
  },
  "recommendations": [
    "All SPF, DMARC, MX, and SSL records are configured according to industry best practices."
  ],
  "auditedAt": "2026-10-05T08:00:00.000Z"
}
```

***

### 🚀 Key Advantages

1. **100% Reliable & Immune to Blocking**: Operates on pure DNS and SSL protocols. Zero Cloudflare blocks, zero captchas, zero browser overhead.
2. **Sub-Second Speed**: Audits each domain in **300ms to 800ms**.
3. **Agency & Automation Ready**: Easily integrates into n8n, Make.com, Zapier, or Google Sheets workflows for bulk domain health verification.

***

### 💬 Support & Customization

Developed and maintained by **Apex Data Solutions**. For feedback, custom integrations, or questions, reach out via the Apify Console or open an issue on GitHub.

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

List of domains or URLs to audit (e.g. apify.com, stripe.com, https://google.com).

## `checkSsl` (type: `boolean`):

Verify SSL certificate validity, issuer, and days remaining until expiration.

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

Test common DKIM selectors (google, default, k1, s1, dkim, mail) for DKIM public key setup.

## `customDkimSelector` (type: `string`):

Specify a specific DKIM selector if known (e.g. 's1' or 'mandrill').

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://apify.com"
    }
  ],
  "checkSsl": true,
  "checkDkim": true,
  "customDkimSelector": ""
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `auditedDomains` (type: `string`):

Primary dataset containing detailed SPF, DMARC, MX, SSL and deliverability health scores.

# 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 = {
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://apify.com"
        }
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("knobby_wallpaper/domain-email-deliverability-auditor").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 = { "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://apify.com" }] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("knobby_wallpaper/domain-email-deliverability-auditor").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 '{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://apify.com"
    }
  ]
}' |
apify call knobby_wallpaper/domain-email-deliverability-auditor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/Hs1StxtQbEaxsyPy7/builds/eyYtCKkX9qaBRyly8/openapi.json