How Auto-Healing Works
Understanding the 5-phase pipeline that automatically recovers your infrastructure
What Is Auto-Healing?
Auto-healing is Superkabe's automatic recovery system. When a mailbox, domain, or campaign gets paused due to health issues, the system doesn't just leave it broken - it walks it through a **graduated recovery process** to safely bring it back online.
Think of it like physical therapy after an injury. You don't go from bed rest to running a marathon. You gradually rebuild strength through controlled exercises. Auto-healing does the same for your email infrastructure.
The 5 Recovery Phases
Phase 1: PAUSED (Cooldown)
What happens: Mailbox stops all sending. This gives the infrastructure time to "cool down" and receiving servers time to forget the bad behavior.
Duration:
- • First pause: 4 hours
- • Second pause (relapse): 24 hours
- • Third+ pause: 48 hours
Graduation criteria: Wait for cooldown timer to expire
Phase 2: QUARANTINE (Validation)
What happens: DNS health is re-checked. The system verifies SPF/DKIM are valid and domain isn't blacklisted.
Checks performed:
- ✓ SPF record valid
- ✓ DKIM record valid
- ✓ Not on Spamhaus/Barracuda/SORBS/SpamCop
Graduation criteria: Pass all DNS checks
Phase 3: RESTRICTED_SEND (Proof of Life)
What happens: Very limited sending begins (5 emails/day). The system monitors every single send to ensure zero bounces.
Limits:
- • Max 5 sends per day
- • Must achieve 10-20 clean sends (0 bounces)
- • Any bounce resets counter to zero
Graduation criteria: 10-20 consecutive clean sends (varies by history)
Phase 4: WARM_RECOVERY (Volume Ramp)
What happens: Volume slowly increases (25 emails/day). System continues monitoring bounce rate closely.
Limits & Requirements:
- • Max 25 sends per day
- • Must achieve 50-100 clean sends
- • Must maintain bounce rate <2% (strict during recovery)
- • Must stay in phase for 3-7 days minimum
Graduation criteria: 50-100 clean sends + 3-7 days + bounce rate <2% (industry standard)
Phase 5: HEALTHY (Full Recovery) ✅
What happens: Mailbox is fully recovered! All volume restrictions are lifted. Mailbox is automatically re-added to production campaigns.
Benefits:
- ✓ No volume restrictions
- ✓ Automatically re-added to campaigns
- ✓ Full sending privileges restored
- ✓ Notification sent to your team
How Long Does It Take?
Best Case Scenario
First-time pause, clean DNS, good behavior:
Phase 1 (4h) + Phase 2 (instant) + Phase 3 (2 days) + Phase 4 (7 days) = ~9 days
Worst Case Scenario
Multiple relapses, DNS issues, slow clean send accumulation:
Phase 1 (48h) + Phase 2 (blocked until DNS fixed) + Phase 3 (4 days) + Phase 4 (14 days) = ~18+ days
What If I Relapse?
A **relapse** happens when you bounce again during recovery (Phase 3 or 4). The system gets stricter each time:
First Relapse:
Reset to QUARANTINE with 2x cooldown (8 hours)
Second Relapse:
Reset to PAUSED with 24-hour cooldown
Third+ Relapse:
Reset to PAUSED with 48-hour cooldown + manual intervention required
Tip: If you keep relapsing, it means the root cause isn't fixed. Check your email list quality and DNS setup.
Can I Speed Up Recovery?
✅ Yes, By:
- •Fixing DNS issues immediately (unblocks Phase 2)
- •Cleaning your email list (prevents bounces in Phase 3/4)
- •Using only verified, high-quality contacts
- •Removing blacklist listings quickly
❌ You Cannot:
- •Skip phases (they're mandatory)
- •Bypass cooldown timers
- •Override volume limits
- •Force immediate resumption
Why Auto-Healing Exists
Prevents Permanent Damage
Jumping straight back to full volume would burn your reputation permanently. Graduated recovery keeps you safe.
Fully Automatic
No manual intervention needed. The system handles everything - you just fix root causes when notified.
Adaptive Learning
Repeat offenders get longer cooldowns. The system learns which mailboxes need stricter recovery paths.
Platform Integration
When mailboxes recover to healthy, they're automatically re-added to campaigns. Zero manual work.