timeout
The mail server did not answer within the probe's time limit
A connection was opened but the server went silent before the recipient reply. The mailbox is left unverified.
- appears in
- smtp_reason
- credits
- Free: an answer the mailbox check could not settle costs nothing and leaves no 7-day repeat marker; the settling re-checks bill 1 credit only when they confirm the mailbox. A verdict another signal decides, such as role, bills 1 credit as that verdict.
What it means
Some providers slow every session down on purpose to frustrate address harvesting; others are simply overloaded. Either way the probe gave up before an answer, smtp_checked is false and mailbox_exists is null.
What to do
Pass callback_url with the lookup: Spaw re-checks the address after 5 and 20 minutes and pushes the settled verdict to you, billing 1 credit only if a re-check confirms the mailbox. Or re-verify later: an unverified answer leaves no repeat marker, so once its 15-minute probe result has expired the next lookup asks the server again.
Example response
{
"deliverable": "risky",
"reason": "unverified",
"smtp_checked": false,
"smtp_reason": "timeout",
"mailbox_exists": null
}Abbreviated: a real answer carries all 46 fields, listed in the verify-email reference.
Related
- no_mailbox · the server answered that the mailbox does not exist
- disabled · the server reported the mailbox as disabled or suspended
- greylisted · the server deferred the handshake and asked the sender to come back later
- no_connect · no mail server accepted a connection on port 25
- mx_unreachable · the mail exchangers could not be reached from the verification network
- delivered_recently · your own delivery report confirmed this mailbox
- provider_unavailable · the verification provider itself could not answer
- All verdict reasons
- Verdicts and the risk score
- API reference
markdown version: /docs/reasons/timeout.md