Does flattening SPF always fix errors?

Myth: Flattening your SPF record will solve all SPF issues.

Reality: Flattening trades one problem for another.

What flattening fixes:

Exceeding 10 DNS lookup limit

What flattening does not fix:

Syntax errors

Missing authorized senders

Overly permissive policies

New problems from flattening:

Stale IP addresses when providers change

Maintenance burden to keep updated

Longer records (may hit size limits)

Manual flattening errors

Address the root cause. If using many services, consider subdomain delegation or reducing services.

Copying addresses from reference documents solves one problem but requires ongoing maintenance.