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DNS Conflict Cleanup: Avoiding Broken Authentication

DNS conflicts are one of the most common reasons domains fail to verify or experience poor deliverability. These issues usually happen when multiple DNS records of the same type exist—causing email authentication to fail silently.

 

❗ Why DNS Conflicts Matter

Email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX depend on clean, conflict-free DNS entries. If multiple records exist for the same protocol, it would not verify on Mission Inbox.

Mission Inbox will not be able to verify your domain properly until these conflicts are resolved.

🔍 Common DNS Conflicts to Watch For

1. Multiple MX Records to Different Destinations

If you're bringing your domains from a different provider, chances are the MX records are pointing to that specific provider and not Mission Inbox. MX records can only point to one single place, otherwise, it won't authenticate.  

  • ❌ Problem: Having MX records pointing to several providers at the same time can confuse mail servers.
  • 🔧 Fix: Keep only the MX records that reflect your current mailbox provider (Mission Inbox).

2. Duplicate DKIM Records for the Same Selector

  • ❌ Problem: Two mi._domainkey records? That’s a conflict.
  • 🔧 Fix: Keep only one DKIM TXT entry per selector.

✅ Tip: If you’re switching providers (e.g., Smartlead to MI), delete old DKIMs first.

3. Multiple SPF Records

  • ❌ Problem: You can only have one SPF record per domain.
  • 🔧 Fix: Only use the SPF record found in Mission Inbox.

Example:

txt
CopyEdit
v=spf1 include:spf.secureoutboxment.com ~all

✅ Tip: Always end your SPF with ~all or -all.

4. More Than One DMARC Policy

  • ❌ Problem: You should only have one _dmarc record per domain.
  • 🔧 Fix: Choose one policy and delete any extras.

Example:

txt
CopyEdit
v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:abuse@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:abuse@coldmissioninbox.com; sp=quarantine; adkim=r; aspf=r; fo=1; ri=864000;

🧠 DMARC policies define how mail servers should handle failed authentication. Multiple policies = ambiguity = risk.

🧰 How to Clean Up Conflicting Records

✅ Step-by-Step Cleanup:

  1. Open your DNS dashboard (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.)
  2. Search for TXT, MX, and CNAME records related to:
    • SPF (v=spf1)
    • DKIM (_domainkey)
    • DMARC (_dmarc)
    • MX (mail delivery servers)
  3. Delete any duplicates
  4. Save changes
  5. Wait 5–10 minutes, then re-verify in Mission Inbox

Use  MXToolbox to check what records are live globally.

🛠️ Tools to Help You

  • 🔎 MXToolbox SPF Lookup
  • 🔎 MXToolbox DKIM Lookup
  • 🔎 MXToolbox DMARC Lookup

🧭 Need More Help?

If you’re not sure which record is conflicting, or you’re worried about deleting the wrong one—don’t guess. Message our support team via chat or email and we’ll walk you through your specific DNS config live.

✅ Cleaning your DNS is one of the most important things you can do to protect your sender reputation and make sure warm-up and campaigns actually work.