managing-sparkpost

name	managing-sparkpost
description	Use when working with Sparkpost — sparkPost email delivery service management including sending domains, IP pools, message events, deliverability metrics, templates, webhooks, and suppression lists. Covers bounce classification, engagement tracking, and inbox placement analysis.
connection_type	sparkpost
preload	false

SparkPost Management Skill

Monitor and manage SparkPost email delivery and reputation.

MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

Always discover sending domains and IP pools before querying delivery metrics.

Phase 1: Discovery

#!/bin/bash
SP_API="https://api.sparkpost.com/api/v1"
AUTH="Authorization: ${SPARKPOST_API_KEY}"

echo "=== Account Info ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$SP_API/account" | \
  jq -r '.results | "Company: \(.company_name)\nPlan: \(.subscription.name)\nStatus: \(.status)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Sending Domains ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$SP_API/sending-domains" | \
  jq -r '.results[] | "\(.domain) | Status: \(.status.ownership_verified) | DKIM: \(.status.dkim_status) | SPF: \(.status.spf_status) | Compliance: \(.status.compliance_status)"'

echo ""
echo "=== IP Pools ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$SP_API/ip-pools" | \
  jq -r '.results[] | "\(.name) | ID: \(.id) | IPs: \(.ips | length)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Webhooks ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$SP_API/webhooks" | \
  jq -r '.results[] | "\(.name) | Target: \(.target) | Active: \(.active) | Events: \(.events | length)"'

Phase 1 outputs: Account plan, sending domains, IP pools, webhooks

Phase 2: Analysis

#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Deliverability Metrics (7 days) ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$SP_API/metrics/deliverability?from=$(date -v-7d +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M 2>/dev/null || date -d '7 days ago' +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M)&metrics=count_targeted,count_injected,count_delivered,count_bounce,count_hard_bounce,count_soft_bounce,count_spam_complaint,count_unique_opened,count_unique_clicked" | \
  jq -r '.results[] | "Targeted: \(.count_targeted)\nDelivered: \(.count_delivered)\nBounced: \(.count_bounce) (Hard: \(.count_hard_bounce))\nSpam: \(.count_spam_complaint)\nOpened: \(.count_unique_opened)\nClicked: \(.count_unique_clicked)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Bounce Classification ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$SP_API/metrics/deliverability/bounce-reason?from=$(date -v-7d +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M 2>/dev/null || date -d '7 days ago' +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M)&metrics=count_bounce&limit=10" | \
  jq -r '.results[:5] | .[] | "\(.reason): \(.count_bounce) (\(.bounce_class_name))"'

echo ""
echo "=== Domain Performance ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$SP_API/metrics/deliverability/sending-domain?from=$(date -v-7d +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M 2>/dev/null || date -d '7 days ago' +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M)&metrics=count_delivered,count_bounce" | \
  jq -r '.results[] | "\(.sending_domain) | Delivered: \(.count_delivered) | Bounced: \(.count_bounce)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Suppression List Size ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$SP_API/suppression-list?limit=1" | \
  jq -r '"Total suppressed: \(.total_count)"'

Output Format

SPARKPOST STATUS
================
Plan: {plan} | Status: {status}
Domains: {verified}/{total} verified
7-Day: Targeted={count} Delivered={count} Bounced={count}
Delivery Rate: {percent}% | Bounce Rate: {percent}%
Spam Complaint Rate: {percent}%
Suppressions: {count}
Issues: {list_of_warnings}

Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. NEVER assume resource names — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions — verify against the service documentation or --help output.
3. NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

Counter-Rationalizations

Shortcut	Counter	Why
"I'll skip discovery and check known resources"	Always run Phase 1 discovery first	Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors
"The user only asked for a quick check"	Follow the full discovery → analysis flow	Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures
"Default configuration is probably fine"	Audit configuration explicitly	Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled
"Metrics aren't needed for this"	Always check relevant metrics when available	API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues
"I don't have access to that"	Try the command and report the actual error	Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative

Common Pitfalls

• EU vs US: EU accounts use api.eu.sparkpost.com — check account region
• Bounce classes: SparkPost uses 100 bounce categories — group by class for actionable data
• Subaccounts: Metrics can be scoped to subaccounts — always specify if using them
• Rate limits: Vary by plan — Enterprise has higher limits than free tier