Operator vocabulary
Cold email infrastructure terms tied to real GTM workflows.
Plain-English definitions for readiness, DNS authentication, launch gates, and sequencer exports, with the GTM checks that make each term operational.
Readiness
SMTP readiness
SMTP readiness is the operational check that an inbox can authenticate and submit mail through the managed SMTP path without exposing its password.
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Launch gates
Seed placement
Seed placement is pre-launch evidence from controlled mailbox tests that shows inbox, spam, or missing counts by provider.
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Launch gates
Cold email launch gate
A cold email launch gate is the approval checkpoint that blocks prospect traffic until required readiness and seed-placement evidence is fresh and passing.
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DNS and authentication
SPF lookup limit
The SPF lookup limit is the maximum number of DNS lookups an SPF evaluation may require before receivers treat the record as too expensive to process.
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DNS and authentication
DMARC alignment
DMARC alignment is the match between the visible From domain and the authenticated SPF or DKIM domain used to evaluate a message.
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DNS and authentication
DKIM selector
A DKIM selector is the selector value in a DKIM signature that maps to a public key record under the sending domain.
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DNS and authentication
Return-path
The return-path is the envelope sender address that receives bounces and commonly determines which domain SPF evaluates.
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Readiness
SMTP smoke test
An SMTP smoke test checks whether one managed inbox can decrypt its stored credentials, authenticate, and submit a controlled test message.
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Readiness
Inbox warmup
Inbox warmup is a cautious ramp period where a mailbox builds operating history before it is treated as ready for normal prospect traffic.
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Sequencer exports
Readiness-gated export
A readiness-gated export is a sequencer export that partitions ready inboxes from blocked rows using GTM readiness checks.
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Readiness
IMAP smoke test
An IMAP smoke test verifies that one managed inbox can authenticate over IMAP and access its mailbox using stored credential metadata.
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Sending infrastructure
Shared vs dedicated SMTP IP
A shared SMTP IP carries traffic from many senders, while a dedicated SMTP IP carries traffic that a single workspace controls and is accountable for.
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DNS and authentication
DMARC rua report
A DMARC rua report is aggregate feedback from receivers listing sending sources, message volumes, and SPF, DKIM, and DMARC results for a domain.
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Sending infrastructure
DNS blacklist (DNSBL)
A DNSBL is a blocklist published over DNS: querying a specially formed name reveals whether an IP or domain is currently listed by that operator.
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Readiness
Domain age
Domain age measures how long a domain has existed since registration, which readiness reviews use as a conservative risk signal for cold email launch timing.
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Recovery
SMTP recovery event
An SMTP recovery event records that a sending resource failed, what containment applied, and where the fix stands, so recovery is a tracked workflow instead of ad hoc firefighting.
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Launch gates
Pre-send content check
A pre-send content check is a heuristic inspection of subject and body copy that flags risky patterns before a message enters any sending workflow.
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Launch gates
Tiny-batch launch
A tiny-batch launch is a deliberately small first send of prospect traffic, approved through a go/no-go decision after seed-only validation passes.
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Use the term, then verify the workflow.
These definitions help operators speak precisely, but they are not launch approval. Verify domains, inbox readiness, seed placement, active alerts, and exportability before moving prospect traffic.