Result Codes

Every verification returns a status code. Here's what each one means and what to do with it.

Status values

Status	Meaning	Safe to Send	Recommended Action
valid	The email address exists and can receive email. MX and SMTP checks passed.	✅ Yes	Send with confidence
risky	Detected on a catch-all domain. The domain accepts mail to any address, so the individual mailbox cannot be confirmed.	⚠️ Conditional	Send only to contacts you have another reason to trust; skip for cold outreach
unknown	Cannot determine validity. Server didn't respond or timed out.	❓ Use judgment	Skip for cold outreach; retry for high-value contacts
invalid	The email address does not exist or the domain has no MX records.	❌ No	Remove from your list
disposable	Temporary/throwaway email address from a known disposable provider.	❌ No	Remove from your list

The safe_to_send field

safe_to_send is a boolean convenience field that summarizes our recommendation:

true. We recommend sending. The address is valid and the mailbox was confirmed.
false. We recommend not sending. The address is invalid, disposable, or could not be confirmed.

For most use cases, filtering by safe_to_send: true is the simplest and most effective approach.

ℹ️

Addresses on catch-all domains return status: risky. Because a catch-all domain accepts mail to every address, VeriMails cannot confirm the individual mailbox, so these addresses are flagged for your review rather than marked safe.

Catch-all detection

A catch-all domain is configured to accept mail to any address, whether or not a mailbox actually exists. That means a standard SMTP check always succeeds and cannot prove a specific mailbox is real.

VeriMails detects catch-all domains with a live SMTP handshake. During verification it probes the receiving mail server with a random, almost certainly non-existent address. If the server accepts that probe, the domain is a catch-all and the result is flagged. VeriMails reports catch-all status as a flag, not a numeric score.

Signal	Meaning	Recommendation
`is_catchall: false`	The domain rejected the probe address. The mailbox-level SMTP check is reliable for this domain.	✅ Trust the status
`is_catchall: true`	The domain accepted the probe address. The individual mailbox cannot be confirmed and the status is set to `risky`.	⚠️ Apply your own risk tolerance

Additional detail fields

Field	Description
`is_role_account`	Addresses like info@, admin@, support@ — often monitored by multiple people or filtered. Lower engagement expected.
`is_free_provider`	Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc. Useful for segmenting B2B vs B2C lists.
`mx_found`	Domain has valid mail exchange records. If false, the domain can't receive email at all.
`smtp_check`	The mailbox-level SMTP handshake accepted the address. Most reliable signal for non-catch-all domains.