How the limit works
SPF allows at most 10 terms that cause a DNS lookup: include, a, mx, ptr, exists and redirect count, ip4, ip6 and all do not (RFC 7208, section 4.6.4). Include chains count too: a single include can trigger several more lookups. On top of that at most two “void” lookups (target without an answer) are allowed.
If the limit is exceeded the receiver returns permerror: SPF counts as failed — and with DMARC mail may be rejected or land in spam.
What to do if there are too many lookups
- Remove services you no longer use from the record.
- Use
ip4/ip6instead ofinclude/a/mxwhere the addresses are stable. - Move services to a subdomain (e.g.
news.example.comwith its own SPF). - Remove
ptr: deprecated and slow. - “SPF flattening” (resolving includes into IP addresses) only with automatic updates — providers change their addresses.
Privacy
The domain you enter is sent to this server and queried via DNS (TXT, A, AAAA, MX). Nothing is stored; to prevent abuse a salted hash of your IP address is kept for one hour. The “paste a record” mode runs entirely in your browser.