Add your domain
Kula sends only from a domain you own. You publish a few DNS records that prove the domain is yours and tell inbox providers that Kula may send on its behalf. Nothing can be sent until the domain is verified.
You need access to the DNS settings of your domain at your registrar or DNS host (Cloudflare, OVH, GoDaddy, Gandi, Route 53…). Plan ten minutes.
Which domain to use
Use a domain you control, such as acme.com, or a subdomain dedicated to email, such as mail.acme.com. A subdomain keeps the reputation of your email apart from your main domain.
- The sender address must match the domain exactly: a domain verified as
mail.acme.comsends fromhello@mail.acme.com, not fromhello@acme.com. Add both if you need both. - A domain belongs to one space. To send from the same domain in two spaces, use a different subdomain in each.
- Public mailbox domains (
gmail.com,outlook.com,yahoo.com,icloud.com…) are refused: you can't publish DNS records for them.
The records
The records for acme.com. Copy the exact values, including the three DKIM tokens, from Settings › Domains.
| Purpose | Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| DKIM (×3) | CNAME | <token>._domainkey.acme.com | <token>.dkim.amazonses.com |
| Return path | MX | bounce.acme.com | feedback-smtp.eu-west-3.amazonses.com, priority 10 |
| Return path | TXT | bounce.acme.com | v=spf1 include:amazonses.com ~all |
| DMARC | TXT | _dmarc.acme.com | v=DMARC1; p=none; |
| Tracking | CNAME | link.acme.com | track.kulamail.com |
- DKIM signs every email with a key that belongs to your domain, so inbox providers can check the email comes from you and wasn't altered.
- Return path is the address bounces go back to. It lives on its own subdomain,
bounce.acme.com, so it never touches the MX and SPF records of your main domain: your existing mailbox keeps working. - DMARC tells inbox providers what to do with an email that fails authentication. Gmail, Yahoo and Microsoft require one from bulk senders.
p=noneis enough to start; you can tighten it later. - Tracking is the subdomain that carries every link inside your emails: clicks, the open pixel, unsubscribe, the preferences page, the confirmation of double opt-in and your hosted signup forms. Readers only see your domain. Kula issues its HTTPS certificate automatically.
v=DMARC1 record, including one published on your main domain when you send from a subdomain. Never publish a second one: two DMARC records make both invalid.Verify the domain
Add the domain
Open Settings › Domains and click Add domain. Type the domain, without https:// or www. You need the Admin or Owner role.
Publish the records
Click DNS records on the domain card and create each record at your DNS provider. Use the copy buttons: a single missing character fails a check.
Many DNS providers append your domain to the name. If yours does, enter bounce rather than bounce.acme.com. More on this.
Check
Click Check now. Each record shows its own status, with a message when something is missing or wrong. DNS changes can take a few minutes to an hour to show up.
Start sending
The domain is Verified when the four checks are green: DKIM, return path, DMARC and tracking. Set it as the default sender in Settings › General.
Statuses and automatic checks
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | At least one record is missing. Nothing can be sent from this domain. |
| Verified | The four checks pass. The domain can send. |
| Failed | A record points to the wrong value, or the records were still missing after 7 days. |
Kula checks again on its own: every 15 minutes for the first 3 hours, then every hour until the end of the first day, then every 6 hours for a week. Check now runs a check immediately.
A verified domain is checked again every day. If a record disappears, for example after a DNS migration, the domain goes back to Pending and sending from it stops until the record is back. Leave the records in place for as long as you send with Kula.
Warm-up starts at verification
A new domain has no history with inbox providers, so Kula starts it at a modest daily volume and raises it day after day. Transactional emails are never held back. How warm-up works.
Optional: Gmail spam rate
Gmail doesn't report spam complaints one by one. It only publishes a daily spam rate per domain through Google Postmaster Tools. Once your domain is added, Kula may show an extra TXT record on the domain itself, marked as optional. Publish it and Kula reads that daily rate, shows it in Deliverability and uses it to watch your reputation.
This record never blocks sending. Gmail only publishes a rate above a certain daily volume, so small senders may see no figure at all.