The catch_all status

Catch-all1 credit per result · default action: Send with caution

Catch-all (catch_all) means the domain accepts mail for every address during a check, real or not, so no check can tell whether this specific mailbox exists without sending a message. It costs 1 credit, and the action is send_with_caution.

How to decide

Keep catch-all addresses in a separate segment, and send to them only if they matter to you, such as customers or leads you expect to reply.
Watch bounces and complaints for that segment, and remove the addresses that bounce.
When the domain has a strong record of delivering mail, we return valid with the reason trusted_catch_all instead. A team or function address on a catch-all domain is do_not_mail with the reason role_catch_all.

Reasons

Catch-all domain

catch_all: The domain accepts mail for every address, so this specific mailbox cannot be confirmed.

Recommended action: Send with caution. Send only if the address matters to you, and watch bounces and complaints for this segment.
Credit: 1 credit when it comes from a completed check.
Test address: catch_all@sandbox.email-validation.org (free)

Example response

{
  "email": "catch_all@sandbox.email-validation.org",
  "status": "catch_all",
  "reason": "catch_all",
  "action": "send_with_caution",
  "account": "catch_all",
  "domain": "sandbox.email-validation.org",
  "did_you_mean": null,
  "free_email": false,
  "role_account": false,
  "disposable": false,
  "catch_all_domain": true,
  "mx_found": true,
  "mx_record": "mx.sandbox.email-validation.org",
  "smtp_provider": "other",
  "domain_age_days": 3650,
  "processed_at": "2026-10-20T09:30:00.000Z",
  "credits_used": 0,
  "request_id": "req_7Hq2LmX9cV4bN8tR1zK6wD"
}