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new-site/docs/deliverability.md
justin 3ca960aca5 docs+infra(deliverability): document bulk subdomain; ansible signs send.performancewest.net 
- infra/ansible/roles/mail: refactor OpenDKIM to support multiple signing domains
  via opendkim_signing_domains list (root + send.performancewest.net). Loops
  keygen/ownership/keytable/signingtable so the live two-domain setup is
  reproducible from ansible.
- infra/ansible group_vars: add bulk_mail_subdomain + campaign_from_* +
  campaign_reply_to documentation vars (map to CAMPAIGN_FROM / HC_CAMPAIGN_FROM
  env read by the builder scripts). smtp_from (transactional) stays on root.
- docs/deliverability.md: rewrite TL;DR with the carrierone-vs-performancewest
  A/B proof (same server/IPs, different From domain -> Inbox vs Junk) and the
  ~85% Microsoft / 14% Google / <1% Yahoo audience mix; add the bulk-subdomain
  section, SPF trim, rehab-disabled, and the Hestia DNS automation runbook.
2026-06-18 23:12:05 -05:00

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# Email Deliverability Runbook
**Owner action items are marked 🔴 MANUAL. Everything else is already done/automated.**
Last updated: 2026-06-19 (bulk subdomain + SPF trim + Microsoft/audience analysis).
---
## TL;DR of the 2026-06-18/19 deliverability incident
- **Symptom:** ~30% "open" rates but **0 human clicks, 0 sales** across both trucking
and healthcare streams.
- **Root cause:** NOT a blocklist, NOT the IPs. Proven by a controlled A/B test
(2026-06-19): from the **same mail server / same IPs**, a message From
`justin@carrierone.com` landed in the **Inbox** while From
`justin@performancewest.net` went to **Junk**. The variable is the **From
domain's reputation**. `carrierone.com` (reg. 2006, years of steady low-volume
mail, tight 2-IP SPF) is trusted; `performancewest.net` (only started bulk in
~May 2026, broken DKIM until 2026-06-17, 21-IP snowshoe SPF, May 30-31
over-volume blast) is cold/damaged.
- **Where the audience actually is (24h receiver mix):** **~85% Microsoft**
(M365/Outlook/Hotmail), ~14% Google, <1% Yahoo. Our list is B2B, so Microsoft
is the game, not Gmail. **Microsoft is NOT reputation-blocking us** (only ~1.6%
5.7.x/S3150 rejects; it accepts ~2,138 msgs/24h) — but acceptance != inbox, so
the engagement problem there is likely Junk-foldering, same domain-reputation
cause. Gmail rejects ~95% of its (smaller) slice on `550-5.7.1 ... very low
reputation of the sending domain`. The single biggest bounce bucket is actually
**list hygiene**: ~1,012/24h Microsoft `451 4.4.4 no mail-enabled subscriptions`
(dead tenant domains) + dead recipients.
- **Fixes applied (2026-06-18/19):**
1. Consolidated to ONE IP per stream (snowshoe was a band-aid for broken DKIM).
2. **Dedicated bulk subdomain** `send.performancewest.net` so bulk reputation is
isolated from the root domain (which stays clean for transactional mail).
3. Trimmed root SPF from 21 IPs to the real 3 (the bloated record was itself a
snowshoe signal).
4. Disabled the pointless `pw-ip-rehab` cron (we have no IP reputation problem).
---
## Bulk subdomain: send.performancewest.net (2026-06-19)
**Why:** isolate bulk/cold-campaign sending reputation from the root domain. The
root domain carries transactional/verification/receipt mail (via co.carrierone.com
relay + the .71 default egress) and must stay clean; cold campaigns are inherently
reputation-risky. Industry-standard (SendGrid/Mailchimp/etc.) split.
**Customer experience is unchanged:** From is the subdomain, but **Reply-To stays
`info@performancewest.net`**, so replies land in the real inbox and look normal.
| Piece | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Trucking From | `Performance West <noreply@send.performancewest.net>` |
| Healthcare From | `Performance West Compliance <compliance@send.performancewest.net>` |
| Reply-To (both) | `info@performancewest.net` |
| DKIM selector | `send` (`send._domainkey.send.performancewest.net`), 2048-bit |
| SPF | `v=spf1 ip4:207.174.124.94 ip4:207.174.124.107 -all` |
| DMARC | inherits root `p=reject` (explicit `_dmarc.send` also published) |
| MX / Return-Path | `co.carrierone.com` (bounces) |
| Egress IPs | .94 (trucking) / .107 (HC) — unchanged |
**Code:** `from_email` is set in `scripts/build_trucking_campaigns.py` (`FROM_EMAIL`,
env `CAMPAIGN_FROM`) and `scripts/build_healthcare_campaigns_cron.py` (`FROM_EMAIL`,
env `HC_CAMPAIGN_FROM`). Bounce-watchers (`scripts/bounce-watcher.sh`,
`scripts/hc-bounce-watcher.sh`) track the new subdomain sender (and keep the legacy
root sender so the pre-cutover queue drains).
**Infra:** OpenDKIM signs both domains — see `infra/ansible/roles/mail`
(`opendkim_signing_domains` list generates per-domain keys + KeyTable/SigningTable).
DNS published on the Hestia master (see DNS automation note below). Verified
end-to-end 2026-06-19: a test send signs `d=send.performancewest.net; s=send;` and
egresses out05/.94.
**Listmonk global `app.from_email`** was also updated in both DBs as a fallback for
any UI/test send that doesn't set From explicitly.
> ⚠️ The subdomain starts at NEUTRAL reputation (not negative, not warm). It still
> needs the same warm-up discipline: steady low volume to engaged recipients. It is
> NOT a magic reset — but it protects the root domain and starts cleaner than the
> damaged root.
---
## Sending architecture (after 2026-06-18/19 consolidation)
| Stream | IP | PTR / HELO | Path |
|--------|----|-----------|----|
| **Trucking** (listmonk) | **207.174.124.94** | mta05.performancewest.net | listmonk -> :25 -> `randmap:{out05:}` |
| **Healthcare** (listmonk-hc) | **207.174.124.107** | hcmta01.performancewest.net | listmonk-hc SMTP server 1 -> :2526 -> hcout1 |
| Transactional / verification | 207.174.124.71 + co.carrierone.com (.15) | perfwest | default `smtp_bind_address` (.71) + :587 relay (.15) |
| Yahoo/AOL trickle | 207.174.124.90 | mta01 | `yahooslow` transport (hash:transport) |
| Retired (torched May 30-31) | .91 / .92 / .93 | mta02-04 | rehab02-04 — **`pw-ip-rehab` cron DISABLED 2026-06-19** |
| Dormant (re-expand later) | .95-.105, .108-.109 | mta06-17, hcmta02-03 | disabled |
**Root SPF (trimmed 2026-06-19):** `v=spf1 a mx ip4:207.174.124.15
ip4:207.174.124.94 ip4:207.174.124.107 -all` — `a`=.71, `mx`=co.carrierone.com(.15),
plus the two bulk IPs. The old 21-IP record was a snowshoe signal; this matches
carrierone.com's tight style.
**To re-expand after reputation is established:** add transports back to `ALL=()`
in `infra/postfix/pw-mta-warmup.sh` and re-enable the HC SMTP servers (ports
2527/2528) in the `listmonk_hc` DB `settings.smtp`. Re-expand SLOWLY (one IP at a
time, days apart) and only after Postmaster Tools shows a green/medium reputation.
If you re-expand, also add the IPs back to BOTH the root SPF and the `send`
subdomain SPF.
---
## DNS automation (Hestia is the master)
**DNS is fully automatable** — Hestia (`cp.carrierone.com`, 207.174.124.22) is the
DNS master; HE.net are slaves. Access: `ssh -p 22022 root@cp.carrierone.com` using
the **local workstation's** `~/.ssh/id_ed25519` (NOT the app server, NOT justin@
which is SFTP-only). The `justin` Hestia user owns the `performancewest.net` zone.
```
# add (note: Hestia appends the base domain to the RECORD name, so a record at
# send._domainkey.send.performancewest.net needs RECORD = "send._domainkey.send")
v-add-dns-record justin performancewest.net "<record>" <TYPE> "<value>" [prio]
# change / delete (find the numeric id with v-list-dns-records ... plain)
v-change-dns-record justin performancewest.net <id> "<record>" <TYPE> "<value>" "" yes <ttl>
v-delete-dns-record justin performancewest.net <id>
# list
v-list-dns-records justin performancewest.net plain
```
Each write triggers a ~30s zone rebuild + DNSSEC re-sign; slaves sync via NOTIFY /
SOA refresh, usually within a minute. Verify on `@8.8.8.8` AND the master
`@207.174.124.22` (the master is authoritative; public resolvers may lag).
---
## Monitoring tools (set these up to SEE reputation directly)
These all require a provider account login + (for Google) a DNS TXT record on
HE.net, so they can't be fully automated. Steps are pre-filled below.
### 🔴 MANUAL 1 — Google Postmaster Tools (Gmail is our biggest blocker)
Gmail's verbatim rejection names "the sending **domain**", so this is priority #1.
**DNS is fully automatable** — Hestia (cp.carrierone.com) is the DNS master,
HE.net are slaves. Add records as root: `ssh -p 22022 root@cp.carrierone.com`
then `v-add-dns-record justin performancewest.net "@" TXT '"'"'"<value>"'"'"'`
(zone owner is the `justin` Hestia user; ~30s zone rebuild + slaves sync via the
2h SOA refresh / NOTIFY, usually within a minute).
Status 2026-06-18: **TXT added + verified live** (record id 14464,
`google-site-verification=p8s3RaN5wi81350wToMpdPMho5Gcel4RGT1Q1SXj7vg`),
resolving on 8.8.8.8/1.1.1.1/9.9.9.9 and 4/5 HE.net slaves. Owner just needs to
click **Verify** in the Postmaster console once. Data populates 24-48h after
volume flows from the consolidated IP.
To set up from scratch next time: postmaster.google.com -> +Add domain ->
performancewest.net -> copy the `google-site-verification=...` token -> add via
the Hestia command above -> Verify.
### 🔴 MANUAL 2 — Microsoft SNDS + JMRP (Outlook/Hotmail/Live)
SNDS is **IP-based** (register the sending IPs), JMRP is the complaint feedback loop.
1. **SNDS:** <https://sendersupport.olc.protection.outlook.com/snds/> -> "Request
access" -> register IPs: **207.174.124.94** and **207.174.124.107** (the two
live stream IPs; add .90 and .71 if you want full coverage). Verification goes
to a role address on the IP's domain — use `postmaster@performancewest.net` or
`abuse@performancewest.net` (ensure one of those receives mail via carrierone).
2. **JMRP:** <https://sendersupport.olc.protection.outlook.com/pm/> -> sign in with
a Microsoft account -> register the same IPs + a complaint-destination mailbox
(e.g. `fbl@performancewest.net`). Complaints then arrive as ARF emails.
### 🔴 MANUAL 3 — Yahoo Complaint Feedback Loop (Yahoo/AOL + att/sbcglobal/verizon)
1. <https://senders.yahooinc.com/complaint-feedback-loop/> -> sign in -> register
the domain `performancewest.net` (CFL is DKIM-d= based, so it covers all our
IPs automatically since they all sign with the same `mail._domainkey`).
2. Set the complaint destination to `fbl@performancewest.net`.
### ✅ AUTOMATABLE LATER — DMARC aggregate reports (all providers, free)
Gmail/Yahoo/Microsoft already send daily per-IP auth+disposition XML to
`dmarc@performancewest.net` (our DMARC record has `rua=mailto:dmarc@...`). Nobody
parses them yet. If we add IMAP creds for that mailbox (it's on carrierone MX) we
can build a small collector/parser worker to chart per-IP pass/fail without any
provider login. Deferred — provider dashboards above are faster to stand up.
---
## Ongoing hygiene (reduce reputation damage)
- **Dead-address scrub:** ~110 genuine `5.1.1 user unknown` bounces/day. listmonk
already blocklists hard bounces after 1 (`bounce.actions hard->blocklist`), so
these self-clean, but pre-scrubbing the dirtiest segments before send avoids the
reputation hit. See `data/` segment exports.
- **Don't re-expand IPs** until Postmaster Tools shows recovered reputation.
- **Volume discipline:** keep the global 200/hr sliding window until reputation is
green; concentrated low volume on one warm IP beats bursts.
- **Watch the rejection mix:** `5.7.1 reputation/spam/blocked` should fall over the
next 1-2 weeks as the single-IP reputation builds. Track via:
`ssh ... 'sudo grep status=bounced /var/log/mail.log | grep -c 5.7.1'`
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