Learn how SPF flattening solves the "too many DNS lookups" problem and how to enable it in DMARC Monitor.
SPF records have a strict limit of 10 DNS lookups. Each include:, a:, mx:, and redirect: mechanism counts as a lookup. When you exceed this limit, SPF fails completely.
Modern businesses use multiple email services. Each service requires an include: in your SPF record, and these includes often have nested includes themselves:
This looks like 5 includes, but Google alone expands to 4+ additional includes. You can easily hit 15-20 lookups with just a few services.
SPF flattening resolves all include: mechanisms to their actual IP addresses. Instead of nested DNS lookups, you get a single record with explicit IPs.
Navigate to Domains, click on a domain, and scroll to the "SPF Flattening" section.
We'll analyze your current SPF record and show you how many lookups it uses.
We'll give you a new SPF record that includes our hosted, flattened version.
Replace your existing SPF record with the new one in your DNS provider.
Use unlimited email services without hitting the lookup limit.
Fewer lookups means faster email delivery checks.
When Google or Microsoft change IPs, we update automatically.
No more SPF permerrors means more emails reach the inbox.
Yes. We simply resolve includes to IP addresses - the same IPs that the original includes would resolve to. Your authorized senders remain exactly the same.
We monitor for IP changes and update the flattened record automatically. Major providers like Google and Microsoft occasionally update their IP ranges, and we catch these changes.
Yes. You can disable SPF flattening at any time from your domain settings. Just remember to update your DNS back to your original SPF record.
Yes. We support all major providers including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, SendGrid, Mailchimp, Amazon SES, Mailgun, Postmark, and more.