Email list provenance log: record where a list came from before you send to it
In short: Answer six questions, paste the list, and get a log with row counts, the source, how people joined and the steps to take before the first send. Limit: It records your answers. It does not verify them and does not check consent, permission or the law.
An email list provenance log is a short record of where a list came from, when you got it, how the people on it came to be there and who holds the file. This tool builds one from six answers and a pasted list, counts the rows and domains, and lists what to do before the first send. It records what you tell it and is not legal advice.
The log says the mailbox check is not done. Do it now.
Price: this tool is free. Checking a whole email list is from $9/mo, and the first 100 checks are free with Google, no card. Check your list free nowSee pricing
Sample result
A 4-address list from a webinar gets a log that says the mailbox check is not done yet.
- List
- Webinar sign-ups
- Unique addresses
- 4
- Domains
- 4
What this means for you
The log records what you said about the list. It checks no consent and no mailbox.
- Source and how people joined
- Row, address and domain counts
- Steps before the first send
- Copy, text or CSV row out
- Source
- Counts
- Log
By SimpleVerifier Team · Last updated · Runs in your browser; nothing you paste is sent to us
How do I check the whole list the log describes?
- Paste or upload the list above and write the log.
- Upload or paste it at /verify. Every address gets a live mailbox check, and the first 100 email checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card.
How do I write a provenance log for an email list?
- Paste the list or choose its CSV file. It is used only to count rows and domains.
- Name the list and pick where it came from and how the people came to be on it.
- Add when you got it, who holds the file and any notes, then press Write the log.
- Copy or download the log, keep it with the file, and read the steps listed under it before the first send.
Example
- You enter
- A 4-address list, named
Webinar sign-ups, sourceEvent, webinar or sign-up sheet, peoplesigned up to hear from me. - You get
- A log with the list name, the date, the source, how people joined, the holder,
4 rows (4 unique addresses on 4 domains)andMailbox check: not done yet, then the steps to take before the first send. - Limits
- It records what you tell it. It does not check consent or the law and is not legal advice. Runs in your browser.
Why keep a log of where a list came from?
A list that is passed between people loses its history fast: a purchased file becomes "the old list", an inherited file becomes "our customers". When a platform asks where the contacts came from, or a recipient asks why they were emailed, the answer should not depend on someone's memory.
Rules differ by country and by sending platform, and some platforms ban purchased lists outright. The purchased list checker shows the rules with their sources; the log is where you record which of them you checked.
What goes in the log?
The list name, the date of the log, the source, when you got the list, how the people came to be on it, who holds the file, the row count, unique addresses and domains, whether a mailbox check has been done, and your notes. It downloads as plain text or as one CSV row you can paste into a sheet that tracks all your lists.
What happens after the log?
The log says the mailbox check is not done yet, because it is the one thing it cannot do. Upload the list and add a line to the log when the check is finished, and each time the list is cleaned, merged or sent to.
Who uses this tool, and for what?
- Marketing teams
- Keep one record per list so the next person knows what each file is.
- Agencies
- Log each client list when it arrives, before the first campaign.
- Small organisations
- Write down where a membership or donor list came from before it is handed over.
What can’t this tool tell you?
- It records your answers. It does not verify them and does not check consent, permission or the law.
- It is not legal advice; rules differ by country and by sending platform.
- It counts rows and domains only; it does not check whether any mailbox exists.
Common questions
- Is this a consent record?
- No. It records what you tell it about the list. It does not check consent or the law, and it is not legal advice.
- Why does it need the list?
- Only to count rows, unique addresses and domains for the log. The list stays in your browser.
- What if I do not know where the list came from?
- Choose I do not know. The log then says to find out before you send anything and to treat the list as not sendable if you cannot.
- Should I put a person's name in the holder field?
- A team or role is better, so the log stays correct when people change jobs.
- Does it verify the addresses?
- No. The log marks the mailbox check as not done yet. Upload the list to check which addresses exist.
- Is anything uploaded?
- No. The log is built in your browser and nothing you type or paste is sent anywhere.
Sources
A tidy list can still be full of dead addresses.
Extracting, deduplicating and syntax checks all work on the text of an address. None of them can tell whether the mailbox exists. Only the server that hosts it can answer that, through an SMTP check, and that is what the paid product does.
- Upload the cleaned file as it is: CSVs up to 100,000 rows
- A real SMTP mailbox check on every row, with catch-all detection
- Small list? Starter at $9/mo covers 2,500 emails a month, cancel anytime
Plans from $9 a month, cancel anytime, no contract. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. The free tools stay free either way.