orthogonal-sh/verify-email

Email Verification

Check if an email address is valid, exists, and can receive mail. Prevent bounces before sending.

When to Use

• User wants to verify an email before sending
• User asks "is this email address real?"
• Cleaning an email list
• Before cold outreach to avoid bounces
• Validating user-provided email addresses

How It Works

Uses Hunter or Tomba APIs to verify email deliverability through multiple checks including syntax, domain, and mailbox verification.

Usage

Verify with Hunter

orth run hunter /v2/email-verifier --query '[email protected]'

Verify with Tomba

orth run tomba /v1/email-verifier --query '[email protected]'

Parameters

• email (required) - The email address to verify

Response

Hunter Response

Returns data object:

• status (string) - valid, invalid, accept_all, or unknown
• score (integer) - Confidence score 0-100
• result (string) - deliverable, undeliverable, or risky (deprecated — use status)
• regexp (boolean) - Syntax is valid
• gibberish (boolean) - Address looks random
• disposable (boolean) - Temporary email service
• webmail (boolean) - Free webmail provider (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.)
• mx_records (boolean) - Domain has MX records
• smtp_server (boolean) - SMTP server responds
• smtp_check (boolean) - Mailbox exists on server
• accept_all (boolean) - Server accepts all addresses
• block (boolean) - Email is blocked
• sources (array) - Web pages where this email was found

Tomba Response

Returns data.email object:

• status (string) - valid, invalid, or accept_all
• result (string) - deliverable, undeliverable, or risky
• score (integer) - Confidence score 0-100
• smtp_provider (string) - Email provider name (e.g., "Google Workspace")
• mx (object) - records array of MX hostnames
• mx_check, smtp_server, smtp_check (boolean) - Verification checks
• accept_all, greylisted, block (boolean) - Server behavior flags
• gibberish, disposable, webmail, regex (boolean) - Address quality checks
• whois (object) - Domain registration: registrar_name, referral_url, created_date

Also returns data.sources array with uri, website_url, extracted_on, last_seen_on, still_on_page.

Result Types

| Status | Meaning | Action | |--------|---------|--------| | valid | Mailbox exists and accepts mail | Safe to send | | invalid | Mailbox doesn't exist or domain has no MX | Don't send | | accept_all | Server accepts any address — can't confirm mailbox | Send with caution | | unknown | Couldn't verify (timeout, greylisting) | Verify manually |

Examples

User: "Check if [email protected] is a real email"

orth run hunter /v2/email-verifier --query '[email protected]'

User: "Verify [email protected] before I send my pitch"

orth run tomba /v1/email-verifier --query '[email protected]'

Error Handling

• 400 - Missing or malformed email parameter
• 401 - Invalid API key — check orth auth
• 429 - Rate limit exceeded — wait and retry
• If both APIs return unknown, the mail server is likely blocking verification — try later
• Tomba may return greylisted: true — means the server deferred; retry after a few minutes

Tips

• Always verify emails before bulk sending to protect sender reputation
• "Valid" doesn't guarantee delivery - content still matters
• Role-based emails (info@, sales@) may be valid but less effective for outreach
• Disposable emails (tempmail, etc.) are detected and flagged
• Some corporate domains block verification - "unknown" doesn't mean invalid