SPF neutral
The SPF result when the domain's record explicitly makes no assertion about the sending IP address, usually from a ?all ending.
What it means
neutral comes from a ?all ending, a ?-qualified mechanism, or a record that ends without all or redirect (which implies ?all). The domain has published SPF but declines to say whether the address is allowed.
RFC 7208 requires receivers to treat neutral exactly like none; the distinction exists only for information. For DMARC purposes it is not a pass.
A neutral result for your own legitimate server means the server is missing from the record: add it rather than accepting the neutral.
Related terms
On this site
Sources
What this definition rests on. The wording is ours; the facts are theirs.
- RFC 7208: Sender Policy Framework (SPF), section 2.6.2rfc-editor.org
- RFC 7208: Sender Policy Framework (SPF), section 8.2rfc-editor.org
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