MCP serverTool reference
get_dns_record
DNS record reference — read-only
inetGeek's reference page for one DNS record type or email-authentication mechanism, as text — what it does, how it behaves, and the common mistakes. Reference text, not a live lookup; use check_dns for a domain's actual records. Types: a-record, aaaa-record, cname-record, mx-record, txt-record, ns-record, soa-record, caa-record, ptr-record, srv-record, alias-record, wildcard-record, glue-records, spf, dkim, dmarc, dnssec, ttl, mta-sts, bimi, email-authentication.
This tool is read-only.
Arguments
| Argument | Type | Required | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
type | string | yes | e.g. "cname", "mx-record", "spf", "dmarc", "ttl" |
Example
Arguments:
{
"type": "spf"
}The server's answer on 2026-10-25 (first 1,400 characters):
# SPF: Sender Policy Framework
Canonical: https://inetgeek.com/dns/spf/
SPF publishes the list of servers allowed to send mail using your domain in the envelope sender.
## What SPF is
SPF, specified in RFC 7208, is a TXT record on the domain itself listing which servers may send mail using that domain in the envelope sender — the address used in the SMTP exchange, not the From header a reader sees.
A domain must publish at most one SPF record. Two is a permanent error, and receivers are expected to treat the result as unusable rather than choosing one.
## Reading the mechanisms
Mechanisms are evaluated left to right and the first match wins. "ip4:" and "ip6:" authorise addresses directly. "a" and "mx" authorise the domain's own address and mail-exchanger hosts. "include:" brings in another domain's policy, which is how hosted providers are authorised.
"include:" imports a policy for evaluation; it does not delegate the whole result. A failure inside an included policy does not by itself fail the check.
## The all qualifiers
The final term decides what happens when nothing matched. "-all" is a hard fail, "~all" is a soft fail asking receivers to accept but mark the message, and "?all" expresses no opinion.
"+all" authorises every server on the internet. It appears occasionally in real zones and is almost always a mistake.
## What an SPF record looks like
SPF is publish
…