How to remove your domain from Spam Eating Monkey SEM-URI

SEM-URI flags domains seen in the body of unwanted mail, not your sending IP. Here is what a listing means and how to clear it.

Check your domain free → Spam Eating Monkey SEM-URI removal tool ↗

What it is

The list, in plain terms.

SEM-URI is a domain-based blocklist (a URIBL) published by Spam Eating Monkey in the zone uribl.spameatingmonkey.net. It lists domains and URIs that have appeared, a required number of times, inside messages Spam Eating Monkey classifies as unwanted. It is not an IP blocklist: what is flagged is a domain that turns up in the body of a message, not the server that sent it.

Because it looks at message content, a SEM-URI listing can be triggered by any domain in your mail — the link you are promoting, a click-tracking or redirect domain, a landing page, an image host, a shortened URL, or an unsubscribe domain. A shared vendor domain used by many senders can be listed on the strength of other people's traffic.

Spam Eating Monkey does not block any mail itself. It publishes reputation data that receiving mail administrators may query and weigh at their own discretion, so SEM-URI is consulted by a much narrower set of receivers than the large lists such as Spamhaus, SURBL or URIBL. A listing is worth clearing, but it rarely blocks mail on its own.

Why you get listed

What a listing on Spam Eating Monkey SEM-URI means.

A domain seen in spam The listed domain appeared in messages Spam Eating Monkey classifies as unwanted, enough times to cross its threshold. This is the core reason: something in your message body, not your IP, is the trigger.

Tracking, redirect or shortener domains Click-tracking, open-tracking, redirect and URL-shortener domains are common triggers because they appear in bulk across many campaigns. A separate domain used only for tracking can be listed without your primary domain being touched.

Landing pages, image and unsubscribe hosts Any domain your mail points at can be flagged: the landing page, the host serving your images, or the domain behind your unsubscribe link. Check every hostname in the message, not just the visible from-domain.

A shared or reused domain Domains shared across many senders — vendor tracking domains, shortener services, bulk platforms — can be listed on other customers' behaviour. If you do not control the domain, the fix is to raise it with the provider that does.

How to get removed

Delisting, in order.

Removal is free. Fix the cause first — a listing you clear without a fix comes straight back.

1 Find which domain was listed. Look the domain up with the query tool at spameatingmonkey.com. Test every hostname that appears in your message body — the promoted link, tracking and redirect domains, shorteners, the image host and the unsubscribe domain — not only your main sending domain.
2 Fix the cause before requesting removal. Identify why that domain reached recipients in unwanted mail: stop the spammy campaign, remove the abused link, secure a compromised account, or drop a tracking or shortener domain that has picked up a bad reputation. Removal before the cause is gone will not hold.
3 Request removal through the lookup tool. When a domain is shown as listed, Spam Eating Monkey's lookup result provides a removal request form. Submit the delisting request there. There is no charge, and no third party can request removal on your behalf.
4 Or let the listing expire. SEM-URI listings expire automatically after roughly 15 days once the domain stops appearing in unwanted mail. If you have fixed the cause and the domain is not urgent, you can simply stop the offending traffic and wait for it to age out.
5 Re-check before you rely on the domain. After a removal request is processed, look the domain up again to confirm it is clear. Allow time for DNS to propagate before you resume sending mail that references it.

The official route

Straight to the source.

Removal happens on Spam Eating Monkey SEM-URI's own tool — never through a paid service.

Spam Eating Monkey SEM-URI removal tool ↗

Return codes

127.0.0.2 SEM-URI — domain or URI listed as seen in unwanted mail

How long it takes

Removal requests submitted through the lookup tool are typically reviewed within about 24 hours, and a request may be declined if the listing is judged valid. Listings that are not actively renewed expire on their own after roughly 15 days of the domain no longer appearing in unwanted mail.

Common questions

About Spam Eating Monkey SEM-URI, specifically.

Does Spam Eating Monkey charge to remove a domain? No. Removal through the lookup tool at spameatingmonkey.com is free. Any service offering to clear a SEM-URI listing for a fee is a scam — no third party can influence a Spam Eating Monkey removal.

How long does SEM-URI removal take? Removal requests are usually reviewed within about 24 hours, though a request can be denied if the listing is valid. If you do nothing, a listing expires on its own after roughly 15 days once the domain stops appearing in unwanted mail.

Why is my domain listed when my IP is clean? SEM-URI is a domain blocklist, not an IP one. It flags a domain seen in the body of unwanted mail, regardless of which server sent the message. Check every link, tracking domain, shortener, image host and unsubscribe domain in your mail to find the one that was listed.

Does a SEM-URI listing block my mail? Not by itself. Spam Eating Monkey does not block mail; it publishes reputation data that receiving administrators may query at their discretion. It is consulted by fewer receivers than the major lists, so a listing is worth clearing but rarely the sole cause of a bounce.

I got removed but was listed again — why? The underlying cause was still there. If the domain keeps appearing in unwanted mail it will be relisted. Stop the offending campaign, remove the abused link or retire the bad tracking domain before requesting removal.

The listed domain is not one I control — what do I do? If it is a shared tracking, shortener or vendor domain, you cannot request its removal yourself. Contact the provider that operates the domain so they can address the reputation, or switch to a domain you control.

The bounce behind the listing.

554 5.7.1 message rejected → The permanent bounce a listing most often triggers — what it means and how to clear it. 550 5.7.1 blocked → A rejection on reputation grounds — usually the same listing, seen from the sender side. Blacklist checker → Re-check your domain and every sending IP once the cause is fixed.

Do not fix it blind.

See every list you are on and every authentication problem behind the listing in one 40-second check — then let monitoring tell you the day a listing comes back.

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