diff --git a/lib/pleroma/web/activity_pub/mrf/dns_rbl_policy.ex b/lib/pleroma/web/activity_pub/mrf/dns_rbl_policy.ex
index 37e13d4dd..a119073eb 100644
--- a/lib/pleroma/web/activity_pub/mrf/dns_rbl_policy.ex
+++ b/lib/pleroma/web/activity_pub/mrf/dns_rbl_policy.ex
@@ -10,8 +10,14 @@ defmodule Pleroma.Web.ActivityPub.MRF.DnsRblPolicy do
 
   defp check_rbl(%{host: actor_host} = _actor_info, object) do
     rblconfig = Config.get([:mrf_dnsrbl])
-    rblhost = rblconfig[:nameserver]
 
+    # :nameserver is the RBL server we want to query
+    rblhost = rblconfig[:nameserver]
+ 
+    # We have to query the nameserver's by IP, so look it up if an IP address wasn't
+    # provided in the config.
+    # You may want this to be a hostname with round-robin A records for basic load
+    # balancing, so we try that.
     {:ok, rblnsip} =
       case rblhost |> String.to_charlist() |> :inet_parse.address() do
         {:ok, _} -> rblhost |> String.to_charlist() |> :inet_parse.address()
@@ -20,10 +26,20 @@ defmodule Pleroma.Web.ActivityPub.MRF.DnsRblPolicy do
 
     rblport = rblconfig[:port]
 
+    # If the provided nameserver was an IP, we also need to know the zone because we can't
+    # derive it from the hostname. If the DNSRBL server software is configured to use "bl.pleroma.com"
+    # -- irrespective of the actual hostname/IP used to reach it -- we need to know this as all queries
+    # are nested under the zone. e.g., if you're checking the status of pleroma.host you are querying for:
+    # dig @nameserverip pleroma.host.bl.pleroma.com. in A
     rblzone = rblconfig[:zone] || rblhost
 
-    query = (actor_host <> "." <> rblzone) |> String.to_charlist()
+    # concatenate the host we're checking with the zone, e.g., "pleroma.host" <> . <> "bl.pleroma.com" <> .
+    query = (actor_host <> "." <> rblzone <> ".") |> String.to_charlist()
 
+    # Timeout of 1s, retry 1
+    # We will only be using UDP for queries, so I think if the DNSRBL server is > 500ms away it won't work
+    # with these values, but you also wouldn't want it to be so far away or it will slow things down.
+    # I think we should probably try to cache entries in cachex too, maybe 300s TTL ?
     rbl_response =
       :inet_res.lookup(query, :in, :a, nameservers: [{rblnsip, rblport}], timeout: 1000, retry: 1)