Allowlist + Blocklist: The 15‑Minute Setup That Reduces Inbox Noise Fast

What are Allowlists and Blocklists?

An email allowlist and blocklist system is the foundation of effective email filtering. An allowlist (also called a whitelist) is a list of email addresses or domains whose emails should always reach your inbox, regardless of filters. A blocklist is a list of senders whose emails should be automatically filtered or deleted. Instead of creating individual filters for each sender, you maintain centralized lists that all your filters respect. This 15-minute setup reduces inbox noise while protecting important emails.

Why lists beat one-off filtering

Lists are more efficient than individual filters for several reasons:

Centralized management:

Instead of adding exceptions to every filter, you maintain one allowlist that all filters respect. This makes it easier to:

• Add new VIP contacts (update one list, not multiple filters)
• Remove outdated contacts
• Ensure consistency across all filters
• Reduce the risk of missing important emails

Efficiency:

• One update affects all filters: Add someone to your allowlist, and all filters automatically respect it
• Less maintenance: Update lists instead of dozens of individual filters
• Fewer mistakes: Centralized lists reduce the risk of forgetting to add exceptions

Scalability:

• Grows with your needs: Add contacts as relationships develop
• Easy to audit: Review one list instead of many filters
• Team-friendly: Shared lists work for team inboxes

Better protection:

• Allowlist protection: VIP contacts are protected from all filtering rules
• Blocklist consistency: Blocked senders are consistently filtered across all filters
• Reduced false positives: Centralized lists reduce the risk of filtering important emails

The list advantage:

Lists give you a single source of truth for who to protect and who to block. This makes email management simpler, more reliable, and easier to maintain.

Building your allowlist

Your allowlist (VIP list) ensures important emails always reach you:

Who belongs on your allowlist:

1. Key customers or clients

   • Enterprise customers
   • High-value accounts
   • Strategic partnerships
   • Customer success contacts

2. Team members

   • Co-workers
   • Direct reports
   • Managers
   • Key stakeholders

3. Investors and advisors (if applicable)

   • Board members
   • Investors
   • Advisors
   • Key stakeholders

4. Family (if using work email)

   • Personal emergencies
   • Important family matters

5. Important vendors (if applicable)

   • Critical service providers
   • Key suppliers
   • Strategic partners

Building your allowlist:

1. Start with domains:

   • Your company domain (all internal emails)
   • Key client domains
   • Partner domains
   • Vendor domains you work with

2. Add specific emails:

   • Individual customers
   • Key contacts
   • Personal contacts

3. Gmail allowlist setup:

   • Go to Gmail Settings -> Filters and Blocked Addresses
   • Create a filter: From -> enter all allowlist emails/domains
   • Action: "Never mark as spam", optionally star or label
   • This ensures allowlist emails always reach inbox

4. Add exceptions to other filters:

   • Edit all existing filters
   • Add "Doesn't have" -> enter allowlist domains
   • This ensures allowlist emails bypass all filtering

Email Ferret allowlist:

Email Ferret makes allowlist management easy:

• Automatically suggests contacts based on email history
• Protects allowlist emails from all filtering rules
• Easy to update as relationships change
• Works across all your email management tools

Building your blocklist

Your blocklist filters unwanted senders automatically, reducing inbox noise from persistent spammers and unwanted vendors.

Who Belongs on Your Blocklist

1. Persistent Spammers

These are senders who continue emailing despite your attempts to stop them:

• Senders who keep emailing after you've unsubscribed
• Senders who ignore "remove me" requests
• Known spam domains with poor reputation
• Malicious senders (phishing, scams, malware)
• Senders who send from multiple addresses to bypass blocks

When to add: After multiple unwanted emails and failed unsubscribe attempts.

2. Unwanted Vendors

Vendors you've explicitly said no to:

• Vendors you've told "not interested" multiple times
• Persistent sales teams that won't take no for an answer
• Unwanted service providers you don't need
• Vendors who send excessive follow-ups
• Sales teams that use aggressive tactics

When to add: After explicitly declining and they continue sending.

3. Cold Outreach Senders

Senders who send multiple cold emails:

• Senders who send multiple cold emails over time
• Domains known for aggressive cold outreach
• Sales teams that send weekly/monthly follow-ups
• Senders who don't respect "not interested" responses
• AI-generated cold outreach from specific domains

When to add: After 2-3 unwanted cold emails from the same sender.

How to Build Your Blocklist

Step 1: Start with Specific Emails

Add email addresses of persistent unwanted senders:

• Add after multiple unwanted emails (not just one)
• Be conservative to avoid false positives
• Start with the most persistent senders
• Document why you're blocking them

Example blocklist entries:

• spam@unwanted-vendor.com
• sales@persistent-company.com
• noreply@spam-domain.com

Step 2: Add Domains (Use Carefully)

Only block domains you're certain about:

• Block specific vendor domains (e.g., @unwanted-vendor.com)
• Avoid blocking large email providers (gmail.com, outlook.com, etc.)
• Block domains known for spam or cold outreach
• Be very careful with domain blocks (affects all emails from that domain)

When to block a domain:

• Entire domain is known for spam
• Multiple senders from same domain send unwanted emails
• Domain has poor reputation
• You're certain you'll never want emails from that domain

When NOT to block a domain:

• Large email providers (gmail.com, etc.)
• Domains you might work with in the future
• Domains where you have legitimate contacts
• Domains you're not certain about

Step 3: Gmail Blocklist Setup

Option 1: Archive and Label (Recommended)

1. Go to Gmail Settings -> Filters and Blocked Addresses
2. Click "Create a new filter"
3. In "From", enter blocklist emails/domains:

   from:spam@vendor.com OR from:@unwanted-domain.com
   

4. Click "Create filter"
5. Check "Skip the Inbox (Archive it)"
6. Check "Apply the label" -> Create label "Blocked"
7. Important: Add allowlist exception in case of mistakes

Why archive instead of delete:

• Allows review if you made a mistake
• Can recover if you blocked someone incorrectly
• Helps you learn what you're blocking
• Provides safety net for false positives

Option 2: Delete (Use Carefully)

Only use deletion if you're 100% certain:

1. Create filter as above
2. Check "Delete it" instead of archive
3. Warning: Permanent deletion, no recovery

When to use deletion:

• Clearly malicious spam (phishing, scams)
• Domains you're absolutely certain about
• After extensive review and confirmation

Step 4: Combine with Other Filters

Blocklist works alongside other filters:

• Can be combined with keyword filters for better accuracy
• Works with content-based filters
• Always add allowlist exceptions (in case of mistakes)
• Test blocklist filters before relying on them

Example combined filter:

• From: \[Blocklist domains\]
• OR Has the words: \[Spam keywords\]
• Doesn't have: \[Your allowlist\]
• Action: Apply label "Blocked", Archive

Blocklist Best Practices

1. Start Conservative

Only block after multiple unwanted emails:

• Don't block after just one unwanted email
• Give senders a chance to respect unsubscribe requests
• Block only persistent offenders
• Review before blocking

2. Review Regularly

Check for false positives monthly:

• Review "Blocked" label for legitimate emails
• Unblock any incorrectly blocked senders
• Update blocklist criteria if needed
• Document why you blocked/unblocked senders

3. Use Labels, Not Deletion

Archive blocked emails instead of deleting:

• Allows review if you made a mistake
• Can recover if needed
• Helps you learn from blocking patterns
• Provides safety net

4. Document Why

Note why you blocked someone:

• Helps with future reviews
• Prevents re-adding by mistake
• Provides context for decisions
• Useful for team blocklists

5. Add Allowlist Exceptions

Always add allowlist exceptions to blocklist filters:

• Protects against mistakes
• Ensures important contacts aren't blocked
• Provides safety net
• Makes blocklist more reliable

6. Test Before Relying

Test blocklist filters before relying on them:

• Let filters run for a week
• Check "Blocked" label for false positives
• Adjust criteria based on results
• Only rely after confirming accuracy

Maintenance

Regular maintenance keeps your lists effective:

Monthly allowlist review:

1. Add new contacts:

   • New important customers
   • New team members
   • New key contacts

2. Remove outdated contacts:

   • Contacts you no longer work with
   • Old vendors
   • Inactive relationships

3. Check for false positives:

   • Review filtered emails
   • Add any incorrectly filtered senders to allowlist
   • Update filters if needed

Quarterly blocklist review:

1. Check for false positives:

   • Review "Blocked" label
   • Unblock any legitimate senders
   • Update blocklist criteria

2. Add new blocklist entries:

   • Persistent unwanted senders
   • New spam patterns
   • Unwanted vendors

3. Clean up blocklist:

   • Remove outdated entries
   • Consolidate similar entries
   • Document changes

Ongoing maintenance:

• Update immediately: When you notice false positives or negatives
• Document changes: Note why you added/removed contacts
• Review filter performance: Check if filters are working as expected
• Adjust as needed: Update lists based on email patterns

Email Ferret maintenance:

Email Ferret handles much of this automatically:

• Suggests contacts for allowlist based on behavior
• Learns from your actions (starring, replying, deleting)
• Adapts to new patterns
• Reduces manual maintenance

FAQs

What is an email allowlist?

An allowlist (also called a whitelist) is a list of email addresses or domains whose emails should always reach your inbox, regardless of filters or routing rules. These are your VIP contacts - people whose emails you never want to miss.

What is an email blocklist?

A blocklist is a list of email addresses or domains whose emails should be automatically filtered, archived, or deleted. These are senders you want to block permanently, such as persistent spammers or unwanted vendors.

Why use lists instead of individual filters?

Lists are more efficient than individual filters because they centralize your rules. Instead of adding exceptions to every filter, you maintain one allowlist that all filters respect. This makes maintenance easier and reduces the risk of missing important emails.

How do I create an allowlist in Gmail?

Create a Gmail filter for your allowlist contacts. Use "From" criteria with all your VIP email addresses and domains, then set the action to "Never mark as spam" and optionally star or label these emails. All other filters should exclude your allowlist.

How often should I update my allowlist and blocklist?

Review your allowlist monthly to add new important contacts and remove outdated ones. Review your blocklist quarterly to ensure you're not blocking legitimate senders. Update both lists immediately when you notice false positives or negatives.