How to remove your IP from SpamEatingMonkey BL (SEM-BLACK)

SEM-BLACK lists IPs that hit a spamtrap or breach policy. Here is what a listing means and how to clear it.

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What it is

The list, in plain terms.

SEM-BLACK is an IP-based DNS blocklist published at the zone bl.spameatingmonkey.net by SpamEatingMonkey.com, a reputation service running since 2015. It lists IPv4 addresses that have sent mail to one of its spamtraps, or that it has listed by policy. A parallel IPv6 list is published separately at bl.ipv6.spameatingmonkey.net.

SpamEatingMonkey does not block your mail. It only publishes reputation data; the administrator of the receiving mail server decides whether to defer, reject or merely score mail from a listed IP. SEM-BLACK is typically used as a scoring signal (for example in SpamAssassin) rather than an outright block, so its impact varies by receiver.

The list covers IP addresses, not domains, so it is your sending server that is flagged rather than anything in the message body. A single positive lookup returns 127.0.0.2 — there is no multi-code table to decode.

Why you get listed

What a listing on SpamEatingMonkey BL (SEM-BLACK) means.

Spamtrap hits Your IP sent mail to one of SpamEatingMonkey's spamtrap addresses. Legitimate senders reach traps through a compromised account, an open relay, or mailing to scraped or stale lists that contain trap addresses.

Policy: should not send directly The IP sits in a range the provider defines as one that should never send mail directly to other servers, such as a residential or dynamic connection. This is a policy listing, not evidence of spam.

Policy: known bad actors The IP is tied to a well-known spam operation (for example a ROKSO-listed group), is ignoring unsubscribe requests with no intent to change, or is acquiring lists through web scraping or similar methods.

Policy: reallocation and error Occasionally an address is reallocated to a new operator or listed in error. SpamEatingMonkey acknowledges this and provides a removal path for incorrect listings.

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 Confirm the listing and the cause. Look your IP up at spameatingmonkey.com/lookup. The result shows whether SEM-BLACK lists it and offers a small, redacted sample of the evidence — typically the spamtrap events — so you can see what triggered it.
2 Fix the root cause first. Secure any compromised account, close any open relay, and stop mailing to unverified or purchased lists that may contain trap addresses. If the cause is not resolved, further spamtrap hits reset the expiry clock and any manual removal can be refused.
3 Wait for automatic expiry, or request removal. Spamtrap listings clear on their own after 15 days with no further mail to a trap. If you need to move faster, submit the removal form at spameatingmonkey.com/remove with the listed IP and a justification; a contact email is optional.
4 Understand policy listings. Policy-based listings do not auto-expire and may be declined on review — for example if the IP genuinely sits in space that should not send mail directly. Route such mail through your provider's authenticated submission server instead of sending direct-to-MX.
5 Re-check before resuming. A removal request is reviewed and processed within 24 hours; note that a refusal is still a processed request. Re-query the lookup page to confirm the IP has cleared before you ramp sending back up.

The official route

Straight to the source.

Removal happens on SpamEatingMonkey BL (SEM-BLACK)'s own tool — never through a paid service.

SpamEatingMonkey BL (SEM-BLACK) removal tool ↗

Return codes

127.0.0.2 Listed on SEM-BLACK — the only positive response the zone returns

127.0.0.1 Test point that must never be listed; used to verify the zone is answering correctly

How long it takes

Spamtrap listings are removed automatically after 15 days with no further mail to a spamtrap; each new trap hit restarts that period. A manual removal request submitted at spameatingmonkey.com/remove is reviewed and processed within 24 hours, though policy-based listings can be refused. Policy listings do not auto-expire.

Common questions

About SpamEatingMonkey BL (SEM-BLACK), specifically.

Does SpamEatingMonkey charge to remove my IP? No. Checking the lookup page and submitting the removal form are free. Any third party offering paid removal from SEM-BLACK is a scam — nobody outside SpamEatingMonkey can influence or speed up a decision.

How long does SEM-BLACK removal take? Spamtrap listings expire on their own after 15 days with no further mail to a trap. If you submit the removal form, the request is reviewed and processed within 24 hours — and a refusal still counts as processed.

Is SpamEatingMonkey blocking my mail? No. SpamEatingMonkey only publishes reputation data. The administrator of the receiving mail server decides what to do with a listed IP, whether that is scoring, deferring or rejecting the message.

Why is my IP listed by policy when I never sent spam? Policy listings cover addresses that should not send mail directly (such as residential or dynamic ranges), known spam operations, senders ignoring unsubscribes, or scraped lists. If yours is a residential or dynamic IP, send through your provider's authenticated submission server rather than direct-to-MX.

What does a SEM-BLACK lookup return? A listed IPv4 address returns 127.0.0.2 from the zone bl.spameatingmonkey.net. There is no range of codes to interpret — either the IP is listed (127.0.0.2) or it is not. IPv6 addresses are listed separately at bl.ipv6.spameatingmonkey.net.

I was removed but got relisted — why? Because mail from your IP reached a spamtrap again, which restarts the listing and its 15-day clock. Fix the underlying cause — a compromised account, an open relay, or a dirty list — before requesting removal, or the listing simply returns.

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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