Add New SPF Directive
The Add New SPF Directive drawer opens when you click Add New SPF Directive on the SPF Settings page. Each directive you add tells receiving mail servers whether to allow or reject email from a particular source.
You can optionally select a known sender from the Find Sender lookup to pre-fill the mechanism and value automatically. If you select a sender, the mechanism is set to Include and the value is set to the sender's SPF include string.
Fields
Type
The Type field determines what kind of source the directive authorizes.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| A Records | Authorizes IP addresses that are listed in the A records of a domain. |
| MX Records | Authorizes IP addresses that are listed in the MX records of a domain. |
| Include | Authorizes all sources listed in another domain's SPF record. Use this for third-party sending services. |
| IPv4 Address/Range | Authorizes a specific IPv4 address or CIDR range. |
| IPv6 Address/Range | Authorizes a specific IPv6 address or CIDR range. |
| Exists | Authorizes mail based on a DNS macro expression. This is an advanced option. |
Qualifier
The Qualifier controls how receiving servers treat mail that matches this directive.
| Qualifier | Description |
|---|---|
| + Pass | Mail from the matching source passes SPF authentication and is considered authorized. |
| - Fail | Mail from the matching source fails SPF authentication and should be rejected. |
Mechanism Domain
The Mechanism Domain toggle is available when the selected type is A Records or MX Records. When enabled, the directive applies to your own domain's A or MX records without needing to specify a hostname explicitly.
Host Value
The value field accepts the hostname, IP address, or other value that defines the source. This field is not shown when Mechanism Domain is enabled.
- For Include, enter the domain whose SPF record should be included (e.g.
_spf.example.com). - For IPv4 Address/Range or IPv6 Address/Range, enter the address or CIDR notation.
- For A Records or MX Records, enter the domain name (when not using Mechanism Domain).
- For Exists, enter the DNS macro string.
Description
An optional Description to give this directive a friendly name, such as the name of the service it represents.
Click Save to add the directive. The new directive appears in the Authorized Senders list on the SPF Settings page.
Note: Each SPF record is limited to 10 DNS lookups. If your directive list grows large, consider enabling SPF Flattening on the SPF Settings page to stay within this limit.
Related Topics
- SPF Settings: View and manage all SPF directives and settings for your domain
- What is SPF?: Introduction to SPF and its role in email authentication
- SPF Syntax: Detailed reference for SPF record syntax