domain-setup-spf-dkim-dmarc
Installation
SKILL.md
SPF, DKIM, DMARC Setup
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are DNS records that authenticate your sending domain. Without them, receiving mail servers treat your emails as unverified and route them to spam. With them, you prove to Google, Microsoft, and every other mail provider that emails from your domain are legitimate. These three records are the foundation of email deliverability. Nothing else matters until they're correct.
The principle: set up all three before sending a single cold email. Not after. Not "when we start having deliverability problems." Before the first send. Fixing authentication after your domain has already been flagged as spam is 10x harder than setting it up correctly from day one.
The Three Records Explained
| Record | What it does | Analogy |
|---|---|---|
| SPF | Lists which mail servers are allowed to send email from your domain | A bouncer with a guest list. "Only these servers can send as @yourdomain.com" |
| DKIM | Adds a digital signature to every email proving it wasn't tampered with | A wax seal on a letter. The recipient verifies the seal matches your public key |
| DMARC | Tells receiving servers what to do with emails that fail SPF or DKIM | The policy enforcement. "If SPF or DKIM fails, reject the email (or quarantine it, or do nothing)" |