Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about SPF flattening and how AutoSPF keeps your email deliverable.
What does AutoSPF do?
AutoSPF offers an automatic SPF flattening service that fixes the "too many DNS lookup" error in your SPF record. It works by replacing all the domains in your SPF record with their IP addresses to eliminate the need for frequent DNS lookups.
What does it mean to flatten an SPF record?
Flattening an SPF record means simplifying it by replacing nested "include" statements with the actual IP addresses they resolve to. This reduces the number of DNS lookups required during email authentication, keeping you within the 10-lookup limit imposed by RFC 7208.
How does AutoSPF help improve email deliverability?
AutoSPF simplifies and condenses SPF TXT records, which minimizes the risk of SPF failures and contributes to a more reliable email authentication process. This reduces false positives and improves the chances of legitimate emails being successfully delivered to recipients' inboxes.
Why is manually flattening your SPF records not a good idea?
Manual SPF record flattening involves the risk of human error, impacts readability, and can lead to unintended misconfigurations. When the IP addresses behind your includes change (which happens regularly), a manually flattened record becomes stale. Automated tools like AutoSPF ensure accuracy and update in real-time.
Do you need to update a flattened SPF record once configured with AutoSPF?
No — that's the whole point. AutoSPF automatically rescans your SPF includes every ~15 minutes and updates the flattened record when any underlying IP addresses change. You only need to touch it when you add or remove an email sending service.
Can flattening SPF records compromise security?
No. Correctly flattened SPF records maintain the same security posture as unflattened records — they authorize the exact same IP addresses. The risk only comes from manual flattening where human error can introduce inaccuracies or omissions.
Are there any risks associated with SPF flattening?
With manual flattening, yes — misconfigurations, stale records, and oversights can compromise email authentication. With AutoSPF's automated approach, these risks are eliminated through continuous monitoring and real-time updates.
How does SPF flattening affect DKIM and DMARC?
SPF flattening doesn't impact DKIM or DMARC when done correctly. In fact, fixing SPF failures through flattening often resolves DMARC alignment issues, since DMARC requires either SPF or DKIM to pass and align with the "From" domain.
What is the "Too many DNS lookups" error?
This error occurs when your SPF record requires more than 10 DNS queries to fully evaluate. Each "include", "a", "mx", and "redirect" mechanism counts as a lookup. When you exceed 10, the SPF check returns a permanent error (permerror), and receiving servers may reject or spam-folder your email.
What is the 60-second guarantee?
If your SPF record setup takes longer than 60 seconds, you get one full year of AutoSPF completely free. Our setup process is copy-paste-replace — add a single CNAME or TXT record to your DNS, and AutoSPF handles the rest.
Does AutoSPF include DMARC reporting?
No — and that's by design. AutoSPF is a dedicated SPF management tool with enterprise-grade SLAs specifically for serving and maintaining your SPF record. We don't measure our uptime by whether we're processing DMARC reports. We measure it by whether your SPF record is resolving correctly, globally, 99.99% of the time. If you need DMARC reporting, we run one of the most popular DMARC reporting tools called DMARC Report (dmarcreport.com) — a separate, purpose-built product.
Why doesn't AutoSPF bundle DMARC reporting like competitors?
Bundling SPF management with DMARC reporting creates conflicting priorities. When a vendor's SLA covers both, a DMARC reporting outage can mask an SPF serving issue. AutoSPF's entire infrastructure is optimized for one thing: keeping your SPF record accurate, updated, and available. That focus is why we achieve 99.99% DNS uptime.
I'm a small business — do I even need AutoSPF?
If your SPF record has fewer than 10 DNS lookups, you might not need us yet. Use our free SPF checker to find out. But if you're using 5+ email services (Google Workspace, Mailchimp, HubSpot, CRM, helpdesk), you're likely at or over the limit. Our SMB plan is $37/month with unlimited emails.
What's the difference between AutoSPF and DMARC Report?
AutoSPF manages your SPF record — flattening, monitoring, and serving it via enterprise DNS infrastructure. DMARC Report (dmarcreport.com) analyzes your DMARC aggregate and forensic reports to show you who's sending email as your domain. They're complementary: AutoSPF fixes your SPF, DMARC Report shows you who's passing or failing authentication.
Does AutoSPF provide around-the-clock customer support?
Yes. We offer 24/7 support via email at support@duocircle.com, phone at +1-855-700-1386, and through our support portal at support.autospf.com. Our CEO Brad personally handles escalations.
Is there a knowledge base I can refer to for assistance?
Yes. Visit our knowledge base at support.autospf.com for self-service assistance, setup guides, and troubleshooting articles.
Still have questions?
Our team is here to help. Reach out via email, phone, or chat — we typically respond within minutes.
Fix your SPF record in 60 seconds
Start your 30-day free trial today. No credit card required.
View Plans & PricingWorld-Class Support
"Helped us go beyond capacity"
AutoSPF did exactly as described, it helped us get past our 10 lookup limit. Afterwards, we hit another limit regarding overall capacity and when contacted, they quickly provided us with a new solution to eliminate capacity issues entirely going forward, so now we can add as many SPF records as needed. They also provided us with a personalized support video explaining their new method in its entirety using our instance as the example.
Verified User
Financial Services · Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Great service and great support"
AutoSPF was easy to initially set up on our own and a great cost effective entry into spf flattening. Needed our first support assistance today and got great response including a video demonstrating the issue I was trying to solve, a quick fix, and more detailed followup.
Greg F.
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Robust and useful product with incredible support"
AutoSPF is a simple tool to solve a significant problem. It does it so very well without any issues. Additionally, the support is very professional and goes above and beyond to help resolve any email-related issues for their customers.
Verified User
Insurance · Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)