bounce-handling

What problem does it solve?

High email bounce rates damage sender reputation, trigger provider throttling or permanent blocks, and waste resources sending to invalid or unreachable addresses. This Skill provides expert, production-grade guidance to correctly classify, handle, and prevent bounces to maintain consistent email deliverability.

Core Features & Use Cases

• SMTP Bounce Code Classification: Accurately distinguish between hard (permanent) and soft (temporary) bounces using RFC 3463 enhanced status codes to apply the correct handling rules.
• Retry & Suppression Logic: Implement escalating retry schedules for soft bounces and automated suppression rules with appropriate expiry timelines to avoid wasted sends.
• Provider Webhook Normalization: Parse and standardize bounce event payloads from Amazon SES, Postmark, Resend, and SendGrid into a consistent internal format for reliable processing.
• Monitoring & Compliance: Track bounce rate thresholds aligned with 2025 Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook bulk sender requirements, with auto-pause safety nets to prevent reputation damage.
• Use Case: If your bounce rate spiked after a recent list import, use this Skill to classify the bounce types, set up automated suppression rules for invalid addresses, and configure retry logic for temporarily unreachable mailboxes to recover deliverability.

Quick Start

Use the bounce-handling skill to classify the recent bounce events from your SES webhook, set up 90-day expiring suppressions for soft bounces, and configure alerts for bounce rates exceeding 2%.