How Adding One Email Provider Can Silently Break Your SPF Authentication
SPF records are limited to 10 DNS-triggering lookups during a single evaluation, and exceeding this limit causes a PermError that can disrupt email delivery. The 10-lookup cap applies to the entire recursive evaluation tree, not just the visible mechanisms in the root record, so even three include statements can quietly exceed the limit. When a PermError occurs, delivery outcomes vary by receiving provider depending on whether DKIM passes and how the domain's DMARC policy is configured. Common causes include outdated providers, duplicate authorization paths, and nested includes that consume more lookups than expected. Resolving the issue requires mapping the full lookup tree, removing unused or redundant entries, and flattening records only with a clear strategy for tracking provider infrastructure changes.
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