# Email Verifier: Bulk, SMTP & Catch-All Checks (`toolmill/email-verifier`) Actor Most verifiers report "valid" after a DNS check. That's how clean lists still bounce. We ask the mail server whether the mailbox exists, flag catch-all, disposable and role addresses, and give you one verdict per address with the reason. Honest "unknown" beats a confident guess. - **URL**: https://apify.com/toolmill/email-verifier.md - **Developed by:** [toolmill](https://apify.com/toolmill) (community) - **Categories:** Lead generation, Developer tools - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $3.50 / 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 ![Toolmill Email Verifier](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ToolMill/brand/main/email-verifier-banner.png) ## Email Verifier with Reasons: SMTP, Catch-All, No False Valids Thousands of listings claim SMTP checks. This one shows you the mail server's answer for every address in the `checks` field, and says "unknown" when there isn't one instead of guessing. One verdict per address, with the reason, so you decide what to do with the risky ones. ### Three promises 1. **We only say *deliverable* when a mail server confirmed the mailbox** and the domain is not catch-all. 2. **We say *unknown* when we can't confirm.** An honest unknown beats a confident guess that bounces. 3. **Every result carries the reason and the raw checks**, so you can apply your own rules to risky and unknown addresses instead of throwing them away. ### Use cases - **Clean a list before cold outreach.** Drop undeliverables, decide what to do with catch-all and role addresses, protect your sending domain. - **Verify sign-ups in real time.** Call it from your app with one address and act on `status` and `reason`. - **Check a scraped lead list.** Chain it after any contact or lead scraper; the output keeps your original address next to the verdict. - **Agents.** Pass a list of emails, read back `status`, `reason` and `score`, no parsing. Pairs with the [Email Finder](https://apify.com/toolmill/email-finder). ### Verdicts at a glance | Verdict | Meaning | What to do | |---|---|---| | ๐ŸŸข **deliverable** | Mail server confirmed the mailbox; domain is not catch-all | Send | | ๐Ÿ”ด **undeliverable** | Bad syntax, no mail server, or mailbox does not exist | Drop | | ๐ŸŸก **risky** | Mailbox exists but it is a catch-all domain, a role inbox, or a disposable provider | Your call; `reason` tells you which | | โšช **unknown** | The server would not say: greylisting, policy block, timeout | Retry later or treat as risky | ### How this compares | | DNS-only verifiers | Toolmill Email Verifier | |---|---|---| | Syntax and MX | โœ… | โœ… | | Disposable and role detection | sometimes | โœ… | | Asks the mail server if the mailbox exists | โŒ | โœ… | | Detects catch-all domains | โŒ | โœ… | | Says "unknown" instead of guessing | โŒ | โœ… | | Reason and raw checks on every row | โŒ | โœ… | | Typo suggestions (`gmial.com` โ†’ `gmail.com`) | โŒ | โœ… | ### What it checks | Check | What it means | |---|---| | Syntax | Address is well-formed. Gmail dots and `+tags` are normalized so duplicates collapse. | | MX | The domain has a mail server (MX record, or A record fallback). | | Disposable | Domain is a throwaway provider (mailinator, guerrillamail, ...). | | Role account | `info@`, `support@`, `sales@` and similar shared inboxes. | | Free provider | gmail.com, outlook.com, yahoo.com, ... | | Typo | `gmial.com` โ†’ suggests `gmail.com`. | | SMTP mailbox | Connects to the mail server and asks whether the mailbox exists. No email is ever sent. | | Catch-all | Probes a random address on the domain; if it is accepted, the domain accepts anything and a "deliverable" verdict would be meaningless. | ### Input ```json { "emails": ["jane@example.com", "support@github.com", "someone@gmial.com"], "smtpCheck": true, "catchAllCheck": true, "timeoutMs": 8000, "concurrency": 10 } ``` ### Output (one item per email) ```json { "email": "someone@gmial.com", "normalized": "someone@gmial.com", "status": "unknown", "reason": "smtp_unreachable", "score": 50, "suggestion": "someone@gmail.com", "domain": "gmial.com", "mxHost": "mail.gmial.com", "checks": { "syntax": true, "mx": true, "disposable": false, "role": false, "free": false, "catchAll": null, "smtp": { "result": "unreachable" } }, "durationMs": 779 } ``` `score` is 0โ€“100: 95 confirmed mailbox, 70 role account, 60 catch-all, 50 syntax + MX only, 10 disposable, 0 undeliverable. ### Pairs with - [Email Finder](https://apify.com/toolmill/email-finder) finds the address first; this Actor confirms it. - [Hiring Signals](https://apify.com/toolmill/hiring-signals) tells you which companies are hiring; the Finder gets you the hiring manager; this Actor keeps your list clean. - [Toolmill Briefs](https://toolmill.github.io/briefs/): what each company is building, read from its hiring. Free. ### Use it from an AI agent This Actor works with the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp), so agents can call it as a tool: pass a list of addresses, get verdicts back as structured JSON. The `reason` and `score` fields are designed to be consumed by code. ### Notes - Per-domain concurrency is capped at 2 so no mail server sees a burst from you. - Some providers (Yahoo, some corporate gateways) refuse probes from everyone; those come back `unknown / smtp_blocked`, not a false "valid". - Nothing is stored beyond the run's dataset. ### Pricing Pay per result: one charge for each address written to the dataset, including ones rejected by syntax or DNS, since every address is processed. Duplicates are verified once. Set a maximum charge on the run if you want a hard cap. ***

Toolmill
Toolmill ยท small, reliable tools for agents and developers.
Every verdict with a reason. Checked by automated runs every day.
More Toolmill tools ยท Found a problem? Use the Issues tab, every report gets a reply.

# Actor input Schema ## `emails` (type: `array`): Email addresses to verify, one per line. Duplicates are verified once. ## `smtpCheck` (type: `boolean`): Connect to the recipient's mail server and ask whether the mailbox exists. Slower, but the only way to get a 'deliverable' verdict. Off = syntax, MX, disposable and role checks only. ## `catchAllCheck` (type: `boolean`): Also probe a random address on each domain. Domains that accept anything are reported as 'risky / catch_all' instead of 'deliverable'. ## `timeoutMs` (type: `integer`): Timeout for each DNS or SMTP step. ## `concurrency` (type: `integer`): How many emails to verify in parallel. Per-domain concurrency is capped at 2 regardless, to stay polite to mail servers. ## `fromEmail` (type: `string`): Sender address used in the SMTP probe. Never sends mail. ## `useCache` (type: `boolean`): Remember definitive results (mailbox exists / does not exist, catch-all domains) across runs so repeat addresses are instant and not re-charged. Addresses are stored hashed. ## `cacheTtlDays` (type: `integer`): How old a remembered result may be before it is re-checked. ## Actor input object example ```json { "emails": [ "support@github.com", "nobody-xyz-123456@gmail.com", "someone@gmial.com", "test@mailinator.com", "not-an-email" ], "smtpCheck": true, "catchAllCheck": true, "timeoutMs": 8000, "concurrency": 10, "fromEmail": "verify@toolmill.co", "useCache": true, "cacheTtlDays": 30 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): Each address with status, reason, score, suggestion and the raw checks. ## `summary` (type: `string`): Counts by verdict, provider calls, cache hits. # 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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "emails": [ "support@github.com", "nobody-xyz-123456@gmail.com", "someone@gmial.com", "test@mailinator.com", "not-an-email" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("toolmill/email-verifier").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`๐Ÿ’พ 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); }); // ๐Ÿ“š Want to learn more ๐Ÿ“–? Go to โ†’ 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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "emails": [ "support@github.com", "nobody-xyz-123456@gmail.com", "someone@gmial.com", "test@mailinator.com", "not-an-email", ] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("toolmill/email-verifier").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print(f"๐Ÿ’พ 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) # ๐Ÿ“š Want to learn more ๐Ÿ“–? Go to โ†’ https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "emails": [ "support@github.com", "nobody-xyz-123456@gmail.com", "someone@gmial.com", "test@mailinator.com", "not-an-email" ] }' | apify call toolmill/email-verifier --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,toolmill/email-verifier" } } } ``` 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 ` 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/KyOSEpe5ic1XOGk0x/builds/5HXVJxe0RP4rWcbFg/openapi.json