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Domain Verification

Verify a custom sender domain to send emails from your own address (e.g., support@yourdomain.com) instead of NotifyKit's default noreply@notifykit.dev.

Requirements​

Plan Requirement

Custom domain verification is available on Indie and Startup plans only. Free plan emails always send from noreply@notifykit.dev.

Email Provider

Domain verification registers your domain with each email provider you have configured. To verify a domain, you must have at least one provider API key connected in API Keys.

Postmark — Account Token Required

Postmark uses two separate tokens. The Server Token is for sending mail; domain operations (create, verify, delete) require an additional Account Token. If you've connected Postmark and plan to verify a custom sending domain through it, also paste your Postmark Account Token in API Keys → Postmark. Find it in your Postmark dashboard under Account → API Tokens. Without it, NotifyKit will skip Postmark during domain registration.

One Domain Per Account

You can only verify one domain per account at a time. To switch to a different domain, remove the existing one first.

How It Works​

NotifyKit registers your domain with every email provider you have configured and generates DNS records for each. Once you add those records to your DNS provider, you trigger verification. When all providers confirm your domain, it becomes active for sending.

If you have multiple providers configured, you will receive DNS records from each. All records must be added — NotifyKit delivers through providers in priority order and falls back automatically if one fails.

Step 1: Request Verification​

Go to Domains in the NotifyKit dashboard and enter your domain name.

NotifyKit registers your domain with every provider you have configured and returns the DNS records required by each. The exact records — their type, host, and value — depend on the provider and are generated at registration time. Copy them directly from the dashboard.

Step 2: Add DNS Records​

Log in to your DNS provider and add every record shown in the dashboard. Use the exact Type, Host, and Value from each row — records can be CNAME or TXT depending on the provider.

A few things to watch out for:

  • Cloudflare: set Proxy status to DNS only (gray cloud). Proxying DNS records will break verification.
  • Subdomain-only hosts: some DNS providers expect just the subdomain part (e.g., em8724) rather than the full hostname (em8724.yourdomain.com). Check your provider's docs if a record fails to save.
  • Conflicting records: delete any existing records for the same hostname before adding new ones.

Step 3: Verify Domain​

DNS propagation typically takes 15–60 minutes, but can take up to 24 hours.

Once you've added all records and waited for propagation, go to Domains and click Verify Domain.

Your domain is considered verified when all configured providers confirm it. Every connected provider must pass.

Troubleshooting:

# Check if a record has propagated (replace with the host shown in the dashboard)
dig _domainkey.yourdomain.com TXT

Common issues:

IssueFix
Proxy enabled (Cloudflare)Disable proxy — use "DNS only"
Full hostname entered as HostSome providers need just the subdomain (e.g., em8724), not em8724.yourdomain.com
Old records conflictDelete any existing records for the same hostname first
TTL too highLower to 300 seconds (5 min) for faster propagation

Step 4: Send from Your Domain​

Once verified, paid plan emails automatically use noreply@em.yourdomain.com as the default sender when you don't specify a from address.

Domain Required for Paid Plans

A verified sending domain is required for all paid plan email sends. Requests without a verified domain will be rejected with a 403 error.

Automatic From Address​

PlanDomain statusDefault sender
Indie / StartupVerifiednoreply@em.yourdomain.com
Indie / StartupNot verifiedRequest rejected

Free plan emails always send from noreply@notifykit.dev — domain verification is not available on the Free plan.

Specifying a Custom Sender​

Use your verified domain directly in the from field — NotifyKit rewrites it to em.yourdomain.com before delivery (e.g. support@yourdomain.com becomes support@em.yourdomain.com):

await client.sendEmail({
  to: "user@example.com",
  from: "support@yourdomain.com",
  subject: "We got your ticket",
  body: "We'll get back to you within 24 hours.",
});
curl -X POST https://api.notifykit.dev/api/v1/notifications/email \
  -H "X-API-Key: nh_your_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to": "user@example.com",
    "from": "orders@yourdomain.com",
    "subject": "Order Shipped",
    "body": "<p>Your order is on the way!</p>"
  }'

Common Errors​

No sending domain configured:

{
  "error": "Paid plans must use a verified sending domain. Please add and verify your domain in Settings."
}

Domain pending verification:

{
  "error": "Your sending domain is pending verification. Please complete domain verification in Settings."
}

Using an unrecognized domain in from:

{
  "error": "Cannot send from support@otherdomain.com. Use your verified domain yourdomain.com instead."
}

Trying to use an unauthorized NotifyKit address:

{
  "error": "Cannot send from custom@notifykit.dev. Only noreply@notifykit.dev is allowed."
}

Add a DMARC record to your DNS to improve deliverability and get reports on authentication failures:

Type: TXT
Host: _dmarc.yourdomain.com
Value: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com

Start with p=none (monitoring only). After reviewing reports and confirming legitimate mail passes, you can tighten to p=quarantine or p=reject.

Next Steps​