If you received a Razor2 warning in the content checker, your sending domain has been associated with spam-like content or behavior. Your CRM uses an internal content-checking system that analyzes email content, URLs, HTML structure, formatting, sending patterns, and spam-detection signals — including Apache SpamAssassin and its Razor2 component. This article explains what a Razor2 domain listing means, how your CRM responds to one, and what steps you can take to protect your email deliverability.

Why a Razor2 Listing Puts Your Email Deliverability at Risk

Email deliverability determines whether the messages you send actually reach your clients' inboxes. When your sending domain is listed on Razor2, mailbox providers and email security systems that honor Razor2 data may automatically flag, quarantine, or block your emails before they are ever seen. This means contacts who should be receiving your campaigns, follow-ups, or invoices may never get them — with no error message on your end to tell you why.

Unlike IP-based blocklists, a Razor2 listing is driven by the content of your emails and your sending behavior — not just where the mail originates. That means changing your sending IP alone will not resolve the issue. The only path forward is to identify and correct the content and behavior patterns that triggered the listing in the first place.

What Is Razor2 and How Does It List Domains?

Razor2 is a distributed, content-based spam-detection network used as one component of Apache SpamAssassin. Unlike traditional IP-based blocklists that flag sending addresses, Razor2 maintains a database of content signatures and domain associations observed across global spam activity. When Razor2 detects that a domain's URLs appear inside content matching known spam signatures — and that mail from that domain repeatedly generates negative indicators such as spam complaints, bounces, or spam-trap hits — the domain is added to the Razor2 database and treated as high-risk.

The content is the root cause of the Razor2 listing. The domain becomes listed because the content sent from that domain resembles known spam and produces negative engagement signals. Once listed, Razor2 treats the domain as high-risk and flags or blocks messages containing it across all mail systems that use Razor2 data.

What a Razor2 Domain Listing Means for Your Emails

When your sending domain is listed on Razor2, the following may occur across mail systems that honor Razor2 data:

• Emails that use the listed domain in their content are flagged as matching known spam patterns.

• Security systems honoring Razor2 may block, quarantine, or filter those emails before they reach the recipient's inbox.

• The domain is treated as high-risk due to its association with spam-like content or behavior, regardless of whether the current email content is clean.

Content and Behavior Factors That Trigger a Razor2 Listing

Razor2 evaluates a combination of content signatures, associated domains, and user-generated spam signals to determine whether a domain becomes listed. The following content and behavior patterns are the most common causes of a Razor2 domain listing:

• Spam-like phrases or email templates that match known Razor2 signatures

• Reuse of content previously seen in spam campaigns

• Links that redirect, forward, or point to risky or flagged sources

• Overly promotional or spam-like HTML structures in email templates

• Repetitive mass-marketing emails with consistently low engagement rates

• Messages that generate high spam complaint rates or elevated bounce rates

Delisting: Why There Is No Removal Process

There is no official or unofficial delisting mechanism for Razor2. The third party maintaining Razor2's database refuses all delisting requests, including those submitted by email service providers. This means:

• Your CRM cannot submit a delisting request on your behalf.

• You cannot submit a delisting request for your own domain.

• The listing remains active until the domain stops appearing in high-risk content at scale across the Razor2 network.

How Your CRM Responds to a Razor2 Domain Listing

When the content-checking system detects that a sending domain used in your email is listed on Razor2, the system takes the following steps to provide transparency and guidance while protecting the sending network.

1. The content checker flags the Razor2 listing

The content-checking system displays the following information when a Razor2 listing is detected:

• A Razor2 domain-listing warning identifying the affected domain

• Indicators showing which part of your email content triggered the Razor2 match

• Content patterns associated with the Razor2 signature that was matched

• Recommendations for remediation steps you can take to reduce risk

2. You can still save and send the email

Previously, emails containing a Razor2-listed domain were blocked from being saved or sent. The current policy has been updated: the content checker will still detect and warn you when a Razor2-listed domain is present in your content, but you are no longer blocked from saving or sending the email.

This change was made because Razor2 has no delisting mechanism — blocking legitimate email content with no available path forward was not in the best interest of users. The updated approach focuses on transparency, education, and clear remediation guidance so you can fix the underlying issues while continuing to operate your business.

3. Compliance action may still occur if risk is high

If a Razor2 listing is associated with high-risk sending behavior, a compliance case may be issued — either a Self-Remediation case or an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) Review — depending on severity. The following factors increase the likelihood of a compliance case:

• High spam-complaint volume

• Compromised account activity

• Repeated Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) violations

• Large-scale risky sending behavior

• Very poor engagement rates across multiple campaigns

How to Fix the Issues That Caused a Razor2 Domain Listing

While you cannot remove your domain from the Razor2 database, you can prevent future deliverability problems by correcting the content and sending behavior that caused the listing. Work through each of the following remediation areas.

Step 1 — Update and repair your email content

Rewrite your email messages to avoid content patterns that match Razor2 spam signatures:

• Revise promotional copy that uses spam-like phrases or aggressive sales language

• Remove or replace links that redirect, forward, or point to flagged or risky sources

• Avoid reusing email templates or copy that may have appeared in global spam campaigns

• Fix HTML errors, excessive inline styling, or outdated code blocks in your email templates

• Reduce repetitive, boilerplate marketing content that generates low engagement

Step 2 — Stop sending content that generates complaints

High complaint rates are strongly tied to Razor2 domain associations. Take the following actions to reduce complaint volume:

• Pause campaigns that are generating spam complaints and review the content before resuming

• Segment disengaged or inactive contacts and remove them from active campaigns

• Clean your contact lists regularly to remove invalid or unresponsive addresses

• Remove purchased, rented, or shared contact lists from your account entirely

• Verify that all contacts on your active lists provided explicit opt-in permission to receive your emails

Step 3 — Improve account security if the listing involved compromised sending

If the Razor2 listing was caused by unauthorized or compromised sending activity on your account, take the following security steps immediately:

• Reset passwords for all account users

• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all account logins

• Audit all outbound automations for unauthorized or unexpected sending sequences

• Remove any unauthorized third-party integrations connected to your account

• Review sending logs for suspicious activity, including sends you did not initiate

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this article cover?
This article covers what Razor2 is, how a domain becomes listed on Razor2, what a Razor2 listing means for your email deliverability, how the content-checking system responds when a Razor2-listed domain is detected, and the steps you can take to fix the underlying issues. This article does not cover other types of blocklists, general email deliverability best practices, or how to resolve an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) compliance case. To learn about email deliverability best practices, see Email Deliverability Best Practices. To learn about AUP compliance cases, see Understanding Acceptable Use Policy Compliance Cases.

Can I request to have my domain removed from Razor2?
No. There is no official or unofficial delisting mechanism for Razor2. The third party maintaining the Razor2 database refuses all delisting requests, including those submitted by email service providers. Your CRM cannot submit a delisting request on your behalf. The only path forward is to correct the content and sending behavior that caused the listing.

Will fixing my email content remove my domain from Razor2?
Fixing your email content will not immediately remove your domain from the Razor2 database, but it will prevent new Razor2 associations from forming and will reduce the likelihood of future deliverability problems. Over time, as your domain stops appearing in high-risk content at scale, Razor2's association between your domain and spam-like activity will diminish.

Am I blocked from sending emails if my domain is listed on Razor2?
No. The content checker will display a Razor2 warning when a listed domain is detected in your email content, but you are not blocked from saving or sending the email. The warning provides visibility into the issue and recommendations for remediation. You are responsible for reviewing the warning and taking corrective action to protect your deliverability.

Does a Razor2 listing affect all of my emails or only certain ones?
A Razor2 listing affects emails that contain the listed domain in their content — for example, in a link, URL, or domain reference in the email body. Emails that do not reference the listed domain are not directly affected by the Razor2 listing. However, the sending behavior associated with the listing — such as high complaint rates or poor engagement — can affect the overall reputation of your sending account across all campaigns.

What is the difference between a Razor2 listing and an IP blocklist?
An IP blocklist flags the sending IP address — the server location from which your emails originate. Changing your sending IP can resolve an IP blocklist issue. A Razor2 listing is content-based and domain-based — it flags the domain associated with spam-like content and behavior. Changing your sending IP will not resolve a Razor2 listing. The content and sending behavior must be corrected.