Dns vs Mail7 Email Validation
A side-by-side look at the Dns and Mail7 Email Validation MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Dns for communication work as a local process; choose Mail7 Email Validation for communication as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Dns when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
check_mx, check_spf, check_dmarc.
Choose Mail7 Email Validation when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
MAIL7_API_KEY, MAIL7_BASE_URL. - You want tools like
validate_email, validate_emails, check_domain.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Communication | Communication |
| Quality signal | 61/100 · Good | 56/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | MAIL7_API_KEYMAIL7_BASE_URL |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 9 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 81 | 4 |
| Full listing | View Dns | View Mail7 Email Validation |
Tools & capabilities
Dns tools 81
check_mxLook up MX records for a domain. Identifies which mail servers receive inbound email for the domain and which email hosting provider is used (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Proofpoint, etc.). Use when asked which email provider hosts inbound mail for a domain, or to see MX record configuration. Part of the scan_domain audit.check_spfLook up and validate the SPF record for a domain. Lists all IP addresses and third-party senders authorised to send email on behalf of the domain, flags syntax errors, and shows the trust surface (which mail servers are whitelisted). Use when you need to know who is permitted to send email as a domain. Part of the scan_domain audit.check_dmarcLook up and validate the DMARC record for a domain. Shows the enforcement level (none/quarantine/reject), alignment mode (strict/relaxed), and aggregate/forensic reporting destinations. Use to determine a domain's DMARC enforcement level, whether it sends aggregate reports, or if it is protected against email impersonation — distinct from check_shadow_domains (which checks TLD variants) and assess_spoofability (composite score). Part of the scan_domain audit.check_dkimLook up DKIM records for a domain. Probes common selectors, validates the signing algorithm used for outgoing email (RSA-1024/2048, Ed25519), and reports key strength. Use to verify that outbound email signatures are cryptographically sound. Part of the scan_domain audit.check_dnssecCheck DNSSEC status for a domain. Verifies whether DNS is tamper-proof and protected against cache poisoning and DNS spoofing attacks by validating DNSKEY and DS records. Reports whether DNSSEC is enabled and validating. Part of the scan_domain audit.check_sslCheck the HTTPS/TLS posture of a domain: HTTPS reachability, HSTS policy, and HTTP-to-HTTPS redirect. Also returns certificate metadata (issuer, expiry date, days remaining, SAN count) read from public Certificate Transparency logs — this describes the most recently LOGGED certificate, which may differ from the one currently served. Origin TLS protocol support and cipher suites are not assessed; legacy-TLS detection is withdrawn because the probe cannot observe the origin handshake. Use to verify HTTPS/HSTS configuration and certificate issuer/expiry. Part of the scan_domain audit.check_mta_stsCheck whether a domain enforces SMTP TLS for inbound mail via MTA-STS, protecting against downgrade attacks. Queries _mta-sts.<domain> and fetches the policy file, reports mode (enforce/testing/none) and MX coverage. Use to verify whether inbound SMTP is protected against TLS downgrade or MITM — distinct from check_dane which uses TLSA pinning. Part of the scan_domain audit.check_nsAudit a domain’s nameserver delegation and redundancy. Identifies the DNS hosting provider and, when the infrastructure probe is available, directly compares parent and child NS sets, verifies authoritative AA responses, and checks required glue addresses. Use to detect stale registrar delegations, lame nameservers, and intermittent resolution risk. Part of the scan_domain audit.check_caaLook up CAA records for a domain. Shows which Certificate Authorities are authorized to issue certificates. Part of the scan_domain audit.check_bimiCheck the BIMI brand-logo record at default._bimi.<domain>. Validates the logo URL (l=) and the presence of mark-certificate authority evidence (a=) — the a= tag is a bare URL, so the certificate type (VMC or CMC) is not determined — and verifies the DMARC enforcement prerequisite (p=quarantine/reject) that mail clients require before displaying a BIMI logo. Returns findings for a missing/malformed record or unmet prerequisites. Use to assess brand-indicator readiness in inboxes. Part of the scan_domain audit.check_tlsrptCheck whether a domain has SMTP TLS Reporting (TLS-RPT) configured. Queries _smtp._tls.<domain> for the v=TLSRPTv1 record and validates its reporting destination (rua= mailto:/https:), flagging a missing record, duplicate records, or an invalid/absent reporting URI. Complements MTA-STS by giving visibility into TLS delivery failures. Part of the scan_domain audit.check_http_securityAudit a domain's browser-facing HTTP security headers over HTTPS. Inspects Content-Security-Policy (flagging unsafe-inline/unsafe-eval/wildcards), X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy, Permissions-Policy, and the cross-origin isolation headers (COOP/COEP/CORP), and detects CDN/WAF interception. Returns per-header findings for missing or weak protections against XSS, clickjacking, and cross-origin attacks. Part of the scan_domain audit.- +69 more on the listing page
Mail7 Email Validation tools 4
validate_emailCheck whether a single email address is deliverable: syntax, domain MX records, disposable-domain database and a live SMTP mailbox probe. Status is one of "Valid", "Not Valid", "Unknown". Unknown means the mailbox could NOT be checked (catch-all domain, greylisting, blocked SMTP port) - it is NOT a bad address. Never delete, reject or report Unknown addresses as invalid; present them separately and let the user decide. Use validate_emails instead when you have more than one address.validate_emailsCheck up to 50 email addresses in one call and get a per-address verdict plus a summary. Status is one of "Valid", "Not Valid", "Unknown". Unknown means the mailbox could NOT be checked (catch-all domain, greylisting, blocked SMTP port) - it is NOT a bad address. Never delete, reject or report Unknown addresses as invalid; present them separately and let the user decide. Requires MAIL7_API_KEY (anonymous callers get a 25-address free sample only). Each address takes a few seconds of real SMTP work, so this call is slow by nature: for a longer list, split it and call this tool repeatedly with the next 50 addresses. Never run two calls in parallel - the API serialises one bulk job per client and the second call fails.check_domainAudit a domain's email setup in one call: MX records, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MTA-STS, TLS-RPT, DNSSEC and BIMI, graded A-F with a fix for every problem found. Use this to answer "can this domain send and receive mail" or "why do our messages land in spam". Takes a domain (example.com), not an email address. The default answer summarises every section; pass `section` to get the full records and findings of one of them.check_spfFetch and analyse the SPF record of a domain: the raw record, its mechanisms, lookup count and common misconfigurations. Use check_domain instead when the question is about overall deliverability rather than SPF specifically.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Dns
{
"mcpServers": {
"dns": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"-p",
"blackveil-dns",
"blackveil-dns-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Mail7 Email Validation
{
"mcpServers": {
"mail7-email-validation": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mail7-mcp"
],
"env": {
"MAIL7_API_KEY": "YOUR_MAIL7_API_KEY_HERE",
"MAIL7_BASE_URL": "YOUR_MAIL7_BASE_URL_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Dns is categorized under Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Mail7 Email Validation belongs to Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Dns for communication work and Mail7 Email Validation for communication.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Dns is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Mail7 Email Validation has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add dns and mail7-email-validation as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Dns has a quality signal of 61/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 9 GitHub stars. Mail7 Email Validation has 56/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.