> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://formcarry.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Automatic Spam Protection

> formcarry automatically detects and flags spam submissions, keeping your dashboard clean and your submission counts accurate on every plan.

formcarry uses several different techniques along with it's own algorithm to detect spam submissions. When we find a spam submission, we mark it as a spam.

## How It Works

* **Flagged, not deleted.** Every spam submission is preserved in your account. You can inspect it at any time by filtering for spam in your dashboard.
* **Dashboard filtering.** The Submissions view hides spam by default so your inbox stays clean without any manual work on your part.
* **Email notifications.** formcarry does not send self email notifications for spam submissions by default. You can change this from your form settings.
* **Submission limits.** On the free plan, spam submissions count toward your total monthly submission limit. On paid plans, only legitimate (non-spam) submissions count.

<Note>
  For the Baby 👶 plan, we include the spam submission inside the total submissions count, but the paid plans only count the normal submissions.
</Note>

## Best Practices

Follow these steps to give formcarry the strongest possible spam signals and reduce the volume of junk that reaches your dashboard.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Include an email field">
    An email address is one of the most reliable spam signals formcarry uses. Add a standard email input with `name="email"` to your form:

    ```html theme={null}
    <input type="email" name="email" />
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a honeypot field">
    A honeypot is a hidden field that real users never see or fill in. Bots almost always do. formcarry automatically treats any submission where `_gotcha` has a value as spam:

    ```html theme={null}
    <input type="hidden" name="_gotcha" />
    ```

    <Tip>
      The `_gotcha` honeypot is a simple, zero-effort way to filter most bot spam without adding any friction for real users.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable Google reCAPTCHA for persistent spam">
    If you are still receiving a high volume of spam after adding an email field and honeypot, enable the [Google reCAPTCHA integration](/docs/integrations/google-recaptcha) to help stop sophisticated bots.
  </Step>
</Steps>