# Bulk Email List Cleaner API - Dedupe, Verify, Score (`vonsensey/bulk-email-list-cleaner-api`) Actor Clean an email list before you import it: duplicates collapsed (Gmail dots and +tags too), syntax and MX checked, disposable and role addresses flagged, typos suggested, mailboxes verified where the server answers. - **URL**: https://apify.com/vonsensey/bulk-email-list-cleaner-api.md - **Developed by:** [Blackcube](https://apify.com/vonsensey) (community) - **Categories:** Lead generation, Automation, Developer tools - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $1.00 / 1,000 email verified (with mailbox check)s This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows. 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. Actors are written with capital "A". ## 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. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. - **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use). - **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`. - **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`. - **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`. - **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Bulk Email List Cleaner API - Dedupe, Verify, Score #### The contact validation suite - [Email Verifier & Validator API](https://apify.com/vonsensey/email-verifier-validator-api) — emails and phone numbers verified in one run, priced by what could be checked - [Disposable Email Checker API](https://apify.com/vonsensey/disposable-email-checker-api) — the fast, cheap check: throwaway providers, role addresses, free mail, typos, MX - [Phone Number Validator API](https://apify.com/vonsensey/phone-number-validator-api) — numbers in any format in, validity, line type, country and E.164 out - [MX Record Checker API](https://apify.com/vonsensey/mx-record-checker-api) — domains in, mail hosts in priority order and an accepts-mail flag out Paste a whole email list and get it back deduplicated, checked and scored: syntax, domain mail records, disposable and role flags, free-mail flags, typo suggestions and a 0–100 score you can filter on. Pure computation — nothing is scraped, nothing is sent, no proxy, no API key. **Invalid input is free**, and **you pay less when less could be checked**. ### Quick start 1. Press **Start** — the defaults are a working run that shows every verdict. 2. Replace them with your own addresses, one per line — or objects from your CRM under **Records**. 3. Take the dataset as JSON, CSV or Excel, or via the API. Every row has a `type`; the free `coverage` row says what was asked for, what arrived, and whether mailbox checks were possible from this network. ### What people use it for - **Clean a list before you import it.** Drop the invalid, the disposable and the dead domains; keep the score so you can decide where to draw the line. - **Protect your sender reputation.** A bounce rate above a few percent gets a domain throttled; verifying first is cheaper than warming a domain back up. - **Feeding an AI agent or workflow.** Send objects from n8n, Make or a sheet as `records`; the email or phone field is found by name and every other field comes back on the row as `passthrough`. ### What the rows look like #### An email row ```json { "type": "email", "input": "John.Doe+newsletter@Gmail.com", "email": "John.Doe+newsletter@gmail.com", "normalized": "johndoe@gmail.com", "domain": "gmail.com", "verdict": "deliverable", "score": 95, "reasons": ["free-mail-provider"], "checks": { "syntax": true, "mx": true, "disposable": true, "role": true, "freeMail": true, "smtp": true }, "hasMx": true, "mxHosts": ["gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com", "alt1.gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com"], "isDisposable": false, "isRole": false, "isFreeMail": true, "didYouMean": null, "smtp": { "status": "deliverable", "code": 250, "message": "2.1.5 OK", "host": "gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com" }, "passthrough": { "crmId": "c_1842" } } ``` `verdict` is one of `deliverable`, `undeliverable`, `risky` (disposable, role or catch-all) and `unknown` (the server gave no answer). `checks` says exactly which checks ran, and the price follows it. `normalized` is the inbox with Gmail dots and +tags removed — what duplicates are collapsed on. `didYouMean` suggests a provider when the domain has no mail records and is one or two letters from a big one. ### What it costs | You pay for | Price | |---|---| | Each address verified with a mailbox answer (deliverable, undeliverable or catch-all) | **$1.00 per 1,000 addresses** | | Each address checked without a mailbox answer (mailbox check off, or the server did not answer) | **$0.40 per 1,000 addresses** | **Free, always:** an input that is not an email, a phone number or a domain at all, a duplicate of something already in the run (one inbox spelled three ways is one charge), every input the run did not reach, every error row, the coverage row and the run summary. A run that checks nothing costs nothing. **You pay less when less could be checked.** The verified price is charged only when a mail server actually answered about the mailbox. **On Apify's network that connection is not currently possible** (outbound port 25 is closed — measured 2026-09-02), so every address is billed at the checked price and `smtp.status` says `blocked`. Syntax, MX, disposable, role, free-mail, typo and score are all delivered regardless. Set **Cost ceiling (USD)** to stop any run before it passes a number you choose; the free summary row reports what the run actually spent. ### FAQ #### Does it send an email to the address? No. Nothing is ever sent. The mailbox check opens a connection to the domain's mail server and asks whether it would accept mail for that address, then hangs up before any message is sent — the same question every mail server asks before delivering. #### What does "catch-all" mean? The domain's server says yes to every address, so a yes for yours proves nothing. The row is marked `risky` with the reason `catch-all-domain`; whether to send is your call. #### Why is the mailbox status "blocked" on every row? Apify's network does not allow outbound connections to mail servers (port 25), so the mailbox check cannot run there — measured on 2026-09-02 and stated here rather than discovered on your invoice. Every row is billed at the cheaper checked price. Everything else (syntax, MX, disposable, role, free-mail, typo, score) is delivered in full. #### Do I need an API key for anything? No. Everything is handled for you and there is nothing to buy on top. Pure computation — no website is scraped, no proxy is used. #### Can I send my CRM rows instead of a plain list? Yes. Put objects in **Records**. The email, phone or domain field is found by name (email, e-mail, phone, mobile, tel, domain, website…) and every other field is returned on the row as `passthrough`, so your ids come back attached. #### Will I be charged twice for the same address? No. Addresses are collapsed on their normalised form — Gmail dots and +tags, upper and lower case — so one inbox is one row and one charge. ### Limits, stated plainly **Mailbox checks do not run on Apify today.** The code can ask a domain's mail server whether a mailbox exists, but Apify's network closes outbound port 25 (measured 2026-09-02), so `smtp.status` is `blocked` on every row, the verdict is `unknown` or `risky` from the other checks, and you are billed the lower checked price. If that changes, the verified rows and price switch on automatically. Where a mailbox check can run, some servers still refuse to answer: catch-all domains accept everything, greylisting servers say "try later", and a few big providers rate-limit unknown connections. Those rows are `risky` or `unknown` with the reason stated, never a guess dressed as a verdict. A verified "deliverable" is the server's word at that moment, not a guarantee the mailbox is read. Nothing here contacts WhatsApp, Telegram or any messaging service — those checks need an unofficial client and are not sold. ### Use it from n8n, MCP, the API or a schedule Built to be called by a workflow, not only from the Store form. The Actor is `vonsensey/bulk-email-list-cleaner-api`; every snippet below sends `{}`, which runs the defaults shown on the form — replace it with your own input. #### n8n Install the **Apify** community node (`@apify/n8n-nodes-apify` under *Settings → Community Nodes*, or search "Apify" on n8n Cloud). Add **Apify → Run Actor** with Actor `vonsensey/bulk-email-list-cleaner-api` and your input JSON, then **Apify → Get Dataset Items** on the run's `defaultDatasetId` and pipe the rows anywhere. For scheduled runs, the **On new Apify Event** trigger fires when a run of this Actor finishes. #### MCP (Claude, Cursor, VS Code, any MCP client) ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=vonsensey/bulk-email-list-cleaner-api", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer " } } } } ``` Your agent then calls `vonsensey/bulk-email-list-cleaner-api` as a tool with the same input the form takes and reads the dataset back. #### REST API (one call, rows in the response) ```bash curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/vonsensey~bulk-email-list-cleaner-api/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{}' ``` #### Python ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient client = ApifyClient("") run = client.actor("vonsensey/bulk-email-list-cleaner-api").call(run_input={}) for row in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(row) ``` #### JavaScript ```js import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN }); const run = await client.actor('vonsensey/bulk-email-list-cleaner-api').call({}); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); ``` #### Make, Zapier, LangChain, CrewAI The Apify app in **Make** and **Zapier** has a *Run an Actor* module: pick `vonsensey/bulk-email-list-cleaner-api`. In **LangChain** and **CrewAI** the Apify tool wrappers take the same Actor id. A daily **schedule** needs nothing but the Console: *Schedules → Create → this Actor → cron*, and the dataset fills on its own. # Actor input Schema ## `emails` (type: `array`): One address per line. Each is checked for syntax, the domain's mail records, disposable and role addresses, free-mail providers, a typo suggestion, and — when the mail server answers — whether the mailbox exists. Anything that is not an email at all is a free row. ## `phones` (type: `array`): One number per line, in any format. Numbers without a + prefix are read in the default country below. Each returns valid/possible, E.164, national and international formats, country, and the line type (mobile, fixed line, toll-free, VoIP…). ## `domains` (type: `array`): Domains or website URLs to check for mail records only: MX hosts in priority order, A-record fallback, whether it accepts mail, disposable or free-mail provider. ## `records` (type: `array`): For pipelines: an array of objects such as rows from a CRM or a sheet. The email / phone / domain field is found by name (case-insensitive: email, e-mail, phone, mobile, tel, domain, website…) and every other field is returned on the row as `passthrough`, so you get your own ids back. ## `defaultCountry` (type: `string`): Two-letter ISO code used for numbers written without a + prefix (US when left empty). Numbers with an international prefix ignore it. ## `smtpCheck` (type: `boolean`): Connect to the domain's mail server and ask whether the mailbox exists (deliverable, undeliverable, or catch-all). Turn it off for a faster, cheaper check of syntax, domain and lists only. When a server does not answer, the row says so and is billed at the cheaper 'checked' price. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Hard cap on billable rows for this run. Inputs not reached get a free row saying so. ## `maxCostUsd` (type: `integer`): Stop the run before it spends more than this. Leave empty for no ceiling. The free summary row always reports what the run actually spent. ## Actor input object example ```json { "emails": [ "support@apify.com", "Support@Apify.com", "press@github.com", "hello@n8n.io", "info@nasa.gov", "contact@wikimedia.org", "john.doe@gmail.com", "johndoe@gmail.com", "john.doe+promo@gmail.com", "someone.random.4f7a9@gmail.com", "test@mailinator.com", "temp@guerrillamail.com", "jane@gmial.com", "bob@hotmial.com", "admin@example.com", "nobody@this-domain-does-not-exist-4f7a9.com", "sales@example.org", "not an email", "a@@b.com", "info@wikipedia.org" ], "defaultCountry": "US", "smtpCheck": true, "maxItems": 1000 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `dataset` (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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "emails": [ "support@apify.com", "Support@Apify.com", "press@github.com", "hello@n8n.io", "info@nasa.gov", "contact@wikimedia.org", "john.doe@gmail.com", "johndoe@gmail.com", "john.doe+promo@gmail.com", "someone.random.4f7a9@gmail.com", "test@mailinator.com", "temp@guerrillamail.com", "jane@gmial.com", "bob@hotmial.com", "admin@example.com", "nobody@this-domain-does-not-exist-4f7a9.com", "sales@example.org", "not an email", "a@@b.com", "info@wikipedia.org" ], "defaultCountry": "US" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("vonsensey/bulk-email-list-cleaner-api").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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "emails": [ "support@apify.com", "Support@Apify.com", "press@github.com", "hello@n8n.io", "info@nasa.gov", "contact@wikimedia.org", "john.doe@gmail.com", "johndoe@gmail.com", "john.doe+promo@gmail.com", "someone.random.4f7a9@gmail.com", "test@mailinator.com", "temp@guerrillamail.com", "jane@gmial.com", "bob@hotmial.com", "admin@example.com", "nobody@this-domain-does-not-exist-4f7a9.com", "sales@example.org", "not an email", "a@@b.com", "info@wikipedia.org", ], "defaultCountry": "US", } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("vonsensey/bulk-email-list-cleaner-api").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": [ "support@apify.com", "Support@Apify.com", "press@github.com", "hello@n8n.io", "info@nasa.gov", "contact@wikimedia.org", "john.doe@gmail.com", "johndoe@gmail.com", "john.doe+promo@gmail.com", "someone.random.4f7a9@gmail.com", "test@mailinator.com", "temp@guerrillamail.com", "jane@gmial.com", "bob@hotmial.com", "admin@example.com", "nobody@this-domain-does-not-exist-4f7a9.com", "sales@example.org", "not an email", "a@@b.com", "info@wikipedia.org" ], "defaultCountry": "US" }' | apify call vonsensey/bulk-email-list-cleaner-api --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,vonsensey/bulk-email-list-cleaner-api" } } } ``` 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/HSkWuC7Xc1wxClDbD/builds/loeM6uwlnUCJPJthd/openapi.json