Why are my DNS records not verifying?

This article helps when your sending domain stays Not verified after you’ve added the DNS records. A domain is verified when its SPF, DKIM and return-path records all show OK.

Symptoms

• The domain shows Not verified in Email API›Domains.
• One or more records show Missing or Invalid after you select Check DNS.
• The Error column shows a message such as An SPF record exists but it doesn't include _spf.emailit.com or The MX record at emailit.acme.com does not point to the expected mail server.

Cause

Emailit needs three records. All of them sit on subdomains, so they don’t touch your existing website or mailbox records:

Common mistakes:

• Doubled host name. Many DNS providers add your domain automatically, so typing emailit.acme.com creates emailit.acme.com.acme.com. Enter only emailit or emailit._domainkey.
• Extra MX records at emailit. The return-path name must have exactly one MX record, pointing to Emailit.
• Truncated or altered DKIM key. Part of the key is missing, or extra quotes or spaces were pasted in.
• SPF on the wrong name. Emailit’s SPF record goes on emailit.acme.com, not on acme.com.
• A CNAME on the same name. A CNAME at emailit.acme.com blocks the TXT and MX records there.
• Wrong DNS zone. You edited records at your registrar, but your nameservers point to another provider such as Cloudflare.
• Propagation. Most providers publish changes within minutes, but it can take up to 48 hours.

Fix

1. Read the error. Open the domain. The Error column next to each record explains what Emailit found.

2. Look up the records yourself.

   Terminal

   dig NS acme.com +short
   dig TXT emailit.acme.com +short
   dig TXT emailit._domainkey.acme.com +short
   dig MX emailit.acme.com +short

   The first command shows which provider hosts your DNS. Make your changes there. Each of the others should return exactly the value from the table.

3. Fix the host names. If a lookup returns nothing, check for a doubled host name and re-enter just the subdomain part.

4. Copy values with the copy button. Use the copy buttons in the dashboard. If your provider splits long TXT values into several strings, that’s fine.

5. Remove conflicting records. Delete other MX or CNAME records on emailit.acme.com.

6. Check again. Select Check DNS. Emailit also re-checks every day.

7. Hand it off if you don’t manage DNS. Use Send to email on the domain page to email the records to whoever does.

If all three records show OK but the domain shows Pending verification, it’s waiting for a manual review. See Why is my domain pending verification?. For record details, see DNS records. If your DNS is on Cloudflare, one-click setup avoids typos.

Still stuck?

Contact support or ask in Discord. Include the domain name and the output of the dig commands.