Build an SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record — the DNS TXT record that lists which servers may send mail for a domain. Pass the senders as `mechanisms`: `include` for a provider's own SPF (Google Workspace is `_spf.google.com`, Microsoft 365 is `spf.protection.outlook.com`, SendGrid is `sendgrid.net`), `ip4`/`ip6` for your own servers, plus `useMx`/`useA` to authorise the domain's own MX or A records. The `policy` decides what receivers do with mail from anywhere else: 'fail' (-all, the production choice), 'softfail' (~all, for testing), 'neutral', or 'pass' (+all, which authorises the entire internet and should never be published). SPF is limited to ten DNS-triggering terms during recursive evaluation. This pure builder counts direct mechanisms; include and redirect targets can add nested lookups, so validate the published record with check_spf before treating the count as final. Returns the record, direct lookup count, whether that direct count or the 255-character limit is exceeded, plain-language warnings, and the DNS entry to publish. Use check_spf to resolve and validate a live record, and flatten_spf only when an existing record is over the limit. Nothing is looked up or stored — this is computation only.
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