---
name: "spfquery.mail-spf-query-perl"
section: "1p"
platform: "linux"
package: "libmail-spf-query-perl"
version: "1:1.999.1-3"
release: "Debian 5.0 (Lenny)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/spfquery.mail-spf-query-perl"
---

# spfquery.mail-spf-query-perl(1p)

checks if an IP address is an SPF-authorized SMTP sender for a domain

## NAME

spfquery - checks if an IP address is an SPF-authorized SMTP sender for a domain

## VERSION

2\.3

## SYNOPSIS

**spfquery** **--mail-from**\|**-m**\|**--sender**\|**-s** *email-address*\|*domain* **--helo**\|**-h** *hostname* **--ip**\|**-i** *ip-address* \[*OPTIONS*\]

**spfquery** **--helo**\|**-h** *hostname* **--ip**\|**-i** *ip-address* \[*OPTIONS*\]

**spfquery** **--file**\|**-f** *filename*\|**-** \[*OPTIONS*\]

**spfquery** **--version**\|**-V**

**spfquery** **--help**

## DESCRIPTION

**spfquery** performs Sender Policy Framework (SPF) authorization checks based on the command-line arguments or data given in a file or on standard input. For information on SPF see \<http://www.openspf.org\>.

The **--mail-from** form checks if the given *ip-address* is an authorized SMTP sender for the given envelope sender *domain* or *email-address* and `"HELO"` *hostname* (so-called `"MAIL FROM"` check).  If a *domain* is given, `"postmaster"` will be substituted for the localpart.

The **--helo** form checks if the given *ip-address* is an authorized SMTP sender for the given `"HELO"` *hostname* (so-called `"HELO"` check).

The **--file** form reads "*ip-address* *sender-address* *helo-hostname*" tuples from the file with the specified *filename*, or from standard input if *filename* is **-**.

The **--version** form prints version information of spfquery.  The **--help** form prints usage information for spfquery.

## OPTIONS

The **--mail-from**, **--helo**, and **--file** forms optionally take any of the following additional *OPTIONS*:

- **--debug**

  Print out debug information.

- **--default-explanation** *string*

  Use the specified *string* as the default explanation if the SPF record does not specify an explanation string itself.

- **--guess** *spf-terms*

  Use *spf-terms* as a default record if no SPF record is found.  **This is a** **non-standard feature.**

- **--keep-comments**

  - **--no-keep-comments**

  Do (not) print any comments found when reading from a file or from standard input.

- **--local** *spf-terms*

  Process *spf-terms* as local policy before resorting to a default result (the implicit or explicit `"all"` mechanism at the end of the domain's SPF record).  For example, this could be used for white-listing one's secondary MXes: `"mx:mydomain.example.org"`.

- **--max-lookup-count** *n*

  Perform a maximum of *n* SPF record lookups.  Defaults to **10**.

- **--name** *hostname*

  Use *hostname* as the hostname of the local system instead of auto-detecting it.

- **--override** *domain***=***spf-record*

  - **--fallback** *domain***=***spf-record*

  Set overrides and fallbacks.  Each option can be specified multiple times.  For example: `"--override example.org='v=spf1 -all' --override` `'*.example.net'='v=spf1 a mx -all' --fallback example.com='v=spf1 -all'"`. **This is a non-standard feature.**

- **--rcpt-to** *email-addresses*

  Automatically allow the secondary MXes of the comma-separated list of *email-addresses*.

- **--sanitize**

  - **--no-sanitize**

  Do (not) sanitize the output by condensing consecutive white-space into a single space and replacing non-printable characters with question marks. Enabled by default.

- **--trusted**

  - **--no-trusted**

  Do (not) perform `"trusted-forwarder.org"` accreditation checking.  Disabled by default.  **This is a non-standard feature.**

## RESULT CODES

- **pass**

  The specified IP address is an authorized mailer for the sender domain/address.

- **fail**

  The specified IP address is not an authorized mailer for the sender domain/address.

- **softfail**

  The specified IP address is not an authorized mailer for the sender domain/address, however the domain is still in the process of transitioning to SPF.

- **neutral**

  The sender domain makes no assertion about the status of the IP address.

- **unknown**

  The sender domain has a syntax error in its SPF record.

- **error**

  A temporary DNS error occurred while resolving the sender policy.  Try again later.

- **none**

  There is no SPF record for the sender domain.

## EXIT CODES

- **0**

  pass

- **1**

  fail

- **2**

  softfail

- **3**

  neutral

- **4**

  unknown

- **5**

  error

- **6**

  none

## EXAMPLES

```
    spfquery -i 11.22.33.44 -m user@example.com -h spammer.example.net
    spfquery -f test_data
    echo "127.0.0.1 user@example.com helohost.example.com" | spfquery -f -
```

## SEE ALSO

Mail::SPF::Query, spfd

## AUTHORS

This version of **spfquery** was written by Wayne Schlitt \<wayne@midwestcs.com\>.

This man-page was written by Julian Mehnle \<julian@mehnle.net\>, based on a man-page written by S. Zachariah Sprackett for an older version of **spfquery**.