Error: SPF not specified / softfailed

What can cause the "SPF not specified / SPF Softfailed" error code when joining the auto-warmer group?

The error message can happen if MailFlow identifies issues with the SPF record of the inbox, such as an unspecified SPF record for the domain or an SPF softfail.

These are some of the possible reasons why the SPF record might have an issue.

The domain doesn't have an SPF record or the syntax on the SPF record is incorrect
The SPF record has been deprecated
There are multiple SPF records
The SPF record allows sending emails only from a specific IP or email system

To check for your inbox' SPF records, search for the domain using this tool.

The domain doesn't have the correct SPF record

The SPF record is essential in preventing spammers from using your domain as a disguise to alter your emails. It goes hand in hand with DMARC and DKIM records. Your emails are highly likely to get blocked by email service providers or land in spam without them.

To fix this error, the SPF, DMARC, and DKIM records need to be set up correctly.

Here's what the correct SPF may look like:

The record will be highlighted in red and will show the error if there's something wrong with these records.

If the domain doesn't have an SPF, DMARC, or DKIM, check out these guides on setting them up.

For Outlook:

For GSuite:

For Custom Inboxes or if you're using custom SMTP: Refer to your email service's help page for instructions.

Note that these records need to be set up on your domain host but should point to your email service provider. Additionally, they must be added as a TXT record.

Here's what the SPF and DKIM may look like:

After configuring these records, verify if they already have propagated before sending another request to join the group. It may take up to 72 hours for these records to propagate, so give them some time.

If unsure what values to use, please contact your email service provider or domain host.

To check if the records are correctly set up please use this tool.

The SPF record has been deprecated

Certain SPF record types are no longer supported by DNS servers and provisioning systems. To see if your SPF record has been deprecated, you may use this tool.

To fix this change the SPF record to a TXT record if the SPF record of the domain has already been deprecated, or delete the existing SPF record and create another SPF as a TXT.

There are multiple SPF records

The domain should not have more than one SPF record or else it will fail.

If there are multiple SPF records published, please delete one of the SPF records or combine them.

Here's a helpful article on combining SPF records.

After configuring the SPF record, verify if it already has been propagated before sending another request to join the group. It may take up to 72 hours for the SPF record to propagate, so give it some time.

The SPF record allows sending emails only from a specific IP or email system

Some SPF record values allow sending emails only from a specific IP or email system. If the SPF record is not pointing to the correct IP or email server assigned to it, it's highly likely that the inbox will experience deliverability issues.

To solve the issue, check if the SPF states the correct IP address or name server

Check MXtoolbox to see if the SPF record states the IP address or email server the domain is using. If the IP is incorrect, change the IP values in the SPF.

Otherwise, use basic SPF values if possible

For Google, the basic SPF value is v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
For Outlook, the basic SPF value is v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com ~all

However, if unsure of what values to use, please get in touch with your domain host.