# Email Validator: Syntax, MX, Disposable and Role Check (`pistachio_implementation/email-validator-mx-check`) Actor

Bulk email list cleaning without sending mail. Checks syntax, whether the domain exists and accepts email (MX and null MX), disposable providers, role accounts and free webmail, and suggests fixes for typos like gmial.com. $0.50 per 1,000.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/pistachio\_implementation/email-validator-mx-check.md
- **Developed by:** [Hay Equipos](https://apify.com/pistachio_implementation) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Marketing, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$0.50 / 1,000 email 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 Validator: Syntax, MX, Disposable and Role Check

Clean an email list before you send to it. For every address this actor checks the syntax, whether the domain exists, whether the domain accepts email (MX and null MX records), whether the provider is disposable, whether the address is a shared role inbox such as info@ or sales@, and whether it is free webmail. It also suggests a fix for common typos, so `someone@gmial.com` comes back with `someone@gmail.com`.

It never sends an email and never connects to anyone's mail server, so it is fast, cheap and safe for your sending reputation.

**Price: $0.50 per 1,000 emails.** Rows the actor could not check (a DNS timeout) are free.

### What you get for each email

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `verdict` | `deliverable_domain`, `risky`, `invalid` or `unknown` (see below) |
| `reason` | One plain sentence explaining the verdict |
| `isValidSyntax` | The address is well formed |
| `domainExists` | The domain is registered and resolves |
| `hasMx`, `mxRecords` | The domain publishes mail servers, and which ones |
| `mailProvider` | Who runs the mailbox: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Proton, Zoho and others |
| `isNullMx` | The domain says outright that it accepts no email |
| `isDisposable` | A throwaway provider such as Mailinator (list of about 9,000 domains) |
| `isRoleAccount` | A shared inbox: info, sales, support, admin, noreply and about 90 more |
| `isFreeProvider` | Free webmail such as Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, GMX |
| `suggestedEmail` | Corrected address when the domain looks like a typo |
| `spfRecord`, `dmarcPolicy` | Optional, the domain's SPF record and DMARC policy |

**Verdicts**

- `deliverable_domain`: valid syntax, the domain exists and accepts email, not disposable, not a role inbox.
- `risky`: the domain works but the address is disposable, a role inbox, has no MX record (mail falls back to the A record), or the domain's name servers fail.
- `invalid`: bad syntax, the domain does not exist, or it publishes a null MX.
- `unknown`: the DNS lookup timed out. Free of charge; run it again.

### Input

```json
{
  "emails": ["hello@apify.com", "someone@gmial.com", "test@mailinator.com", "not-an-email"],
  "checkDns": true,
  "checkSpfDmarc": false
}
```

You can also paste a whole column from a spreadsheet into `emailsText`; commas, semicolons and new lines all work. Duplicates are skipped (turn off `dedupe` to keep them).

### Output example

```json
{
  "input": "someone@gmial.com",
  "email": "someone@gmial.com",
  "verdict": "risky",
  "reason": "Disposable or temporary email provider",
  "isValidSyntax": true,
  "domain": "gmial.com",
  "domainExists": true,
  "hasMx": false,
  "isDisposable": true,
  "isRoleAccount": false,
  "isFreeProvider": false,
  "suggestedEmail": "someone@gmail.com"
}
```

```json
{
  "input": "jane@proton.me",
  "verdict": "deliverable_domain",
  "reason": "Valid syntax and the domain accepts email",
  "domainExists": true,
  "hasMx": true,
  "mxRecords": ["10 mail.protonmail.ch", "20 mailsec.protonmail.ch"],
  "mailProvider": "Proton",
  "isFreeProvider": true
}
```

A run summary (counts per verdict) is saved in the key value store as `SUMMARY`.

### Pricing

Pay per event: **$0.0005 per email checked ($0.50 per 1,000)**. No start fee and no platform usage on top. Rows with verdict `unknown` are not charged. SPF and DMARC come at no extra cost. You can cap the spend of any run with the maximum charge setting in Apify.

### Limits, stated plainly

- **No mailbox probing.** This actor does not connect to mail servers to ask whether a specific mailbox exists (SMTP verification). That means it cannot tell you that `jane@company.com` exists while `jnae@company.com` does not. What it removes is everything that is certain to fail or likely to hurt you: broken syntax, dead domains, domains without mail, disposable and role addresses, and typos. For many lists that is most of the bounces, at a fraction of the price of SMTP verifiers.
- Catch all domains are not detected (that also needs SMTP).
- Up to 100,000 addresses per run. About 1,000 addresses a minute; lists with many repeated domains go faster because each domain is looked up once.
- Disposable domain list is a snapshot of the public domain blocklist maintained on GitHub (CC0), updated with each actor release.

### FAQ

**Why is it so much cheaper than other email verifiers?** It does DNS lookups only. No mail server connections, no proxy networks. Use it as a first pass, and send only the `deliverable_domain` rows to an SMTP verifier if you need mailbox level certainty.

**Does it send anything to the people on my list?** No. Nothing is sent to any address, and no mail server is contacted.

**What do you do with my list?** The addresses stay in your own Apify storage. The actor only looks up the domain part in public DNS.

**Can I use it from an AI agent or an API?** Yes. Give it an `emails` array and read the dataset. Every row has the same fields, and `verdict` plus `reason` are written to be read by a program or a person.

**Is a role account bad?** Not always. info@ and sales@ are real inboxes, but they are shared, often filtered, and many email platforms penalize bulk sends to them. The actor marks them `risky` so you can decide.

# Actor input Schema

## `emails` (type: `array`):

Email addresses to check, one per line.

## `emailsText` (type: `string`):

Optional. Paste addresses separated by new lines, commas or semicolons (for example a column copied from a spreadsheet).

## `checkDns` (type: `boolean`):

Look up MX, null MX and address records to see whether the domain exists and accepts email. Turn off for a syntax only check.

## `checkSpfDmarc` (type: `boolean`):

Adds the domain's SPF record and DMARC policy to each row. Same price.

## `dedupe` (type: `boolean`):

Check each address once, ignoring case.

## `maxEmails` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many addresses (up to 100,000 per run).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "emails": [
    "hello@apify.com",
    "someone@gmial.com",
    "test@mailinator.com",
    "not-an-email"
  ],
  "checkDns": true,
  "checkSpfDmarc": false,
  "dedupe": true,
  "maxEmails": 10000
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

All rows the run saved to the default dataset.

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

The SUMMARY record: counts and problems for the whole run.

# 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 = {
    "emails": [
        "hello@apify.com",
        "someone@gmial.com",
        "test@mailinator.com",
        "not-an-email"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("pistachio_implementation/email-validator-mx-check").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 = { "emails": [
        "hello@apify.com",
        "someone@gmial.com",
        "test@mailinator.com",
        "not-an-email",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("pistachio_implementation/email-validator-mx-check").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 '{
  "emails": [
    "hello@apify.com",
    "someone@gmial.com",
    "test@mailinator.com",
    "not-an-email"
  ]
}' |
apify call pistachio_implementation/email-validator-mx-check --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/e2tWkejdHEcxiJjx6/builds/U0ff7oHxOjBRYuZbz/openapi.json