Custom Domains

Custom domains are a Studio or Agency plan feature. They replace BriefGate's shared domains with your own in the two places a client sees them: the email a reminder comes from, and the URL the portal opens at. The two domains are independent — set up one, both, or neither.

What you get

• Sending domain. Client emails go out as Name <intake@yourcompany.com> instead of intake@briefgate.dev shown as "Name via BriefGate". Once the domain is verified, "via BriefGate" disappears from the From line entirely.
• Portal domain. Clients open intake.yourcompany.com instead of p.briefgate.dev. It's a CNAME to the BriefGate portal host, and a TLS certificate is issued automatically the first time someone visits.

Reply-to is independent of either domain: replies always go to your account's reply-to address or your own email, regardless of which domain the invite was sent from.

Until the sending domain is verified, mail keeps going out from intake@briefgate.dev and nothing breaks while DNS propagates — there's no window where email stops working.

Before you start

• You need the Studio or Agency plan.
• You need access to the DNS settings for the domain you want to use — either directly, or someone who can add records for you.
• Decide which domain to use. Your main domain is fine: the records BriefGate asks for live on send.<your domain> and resend._domainkey.<your domain>, so your existing mailbox, MX and SPF on the domain itself are never touched. Use a subdomain such as intake.yourcompany.com only if you prefer to keep intake mail visibly separate.

Sending domain, step by step

1. In the dashboard, open Settings → Custom domains and add your sending domain.

2. BriefGate registers the domain with its email provider and shows you the DNS records it needs — normally these three:

   • A DKIM TXT record, at resend._domainkey.<your domain>
   • An SPF TXT record, at send.<your domain> (not at the domain itself)
   • An MX record, at send.<your domain>, used for bounces

   Depending on the region and routing the email provider assigns your domain, it can add a fourth record — typically a CNAME, also on the send. subdomain. Always add exactly the records shown on your Settings → Custom domains screen rather than assuming a fixed count; the dashboard reflects whatever the provider currently asks for. If a CNAME is among them and your DNS provider proxies traffic (for example Cloudflare's orange cloud), turn proxying off for that record — set it to "DNS only" — the same as for the portal domain's CNAME below, otherwise it won't resolve to the target the provider expects.

3. Add each record at your DNS provider, using the exact name and value BriefGate shows — copy them rather than retyping.

4. BriefGate rechecks automatically every 10 minutes for up to 7 days after you add the domain. If you don't want to wait, click Verify to check immediately.

5. Each record shows its own status — verified, pending, or failed — so a typo in one record doesn't hide behind the others.

Once every record shown verifies, new emails switch to the custom domain automatically. Nothing else changes on your intakes.

Sender address

By default mail goes out as intake@<your domain>. You can change the part before the @ under Settings → Custom domains → Sender address, for example to hello or podklady: 1–32 lowercase letters, digits, dots or dashes, starting and ending with a letter or digit. The dashboard previews the full address clients will see. Over the API the same setting is sending_local_part on PATCH /v1/account; GET /v1/account/domains returns the resulting from_address. Replies still go to the Reply-To address from your intake or account settings, not to this mailbox.

Portal domain, step by step

1. In Settings → Custom domains, add your portal domain.
2. Create a CNAME record pointing your domain at the CNAME target shown in Settings.
3. If your DNS provider proxies traffic (for example Cloudflare's orange cloud), turn proxying off for this record — set it to "DNS only". A proxied CNAME serves the provider's page instead of the portal, and certificate issuance fails.
4. BriefGate rechecks automatically every 10 minutes for up to 7 days, the same as the sending domain.
5. Once the CNAME resolves, a TLS certificate is issued automatically on the first visit to the domain — there's nothing further to configure.

Provider guides

Menu names may differ slightly between provider versions — look for "DNS", "DNS management", or "Zone editor".

Cloudflare

1. Log in and select the domain.
2. Go to DNS → Records.
3. Click Add record, choose the record type (TXT, MX, or CNAME).
4. Enter the name and value from BriefGate's setup screen.
5. For any CNAME record — the portal domain's, or a sending-domain CNAME if BriefGate's setup screen shows one — set the proxy status to DNS only (grey cloud, not orange). TXT and MX records are unaffected by proxying.
6. Save.

Wedos

1. Log in to the WEDOS customer administration.
2. Open DNS hosting and select the domain.
3. Add a new record with the type, name, and value BriefGate shows.
4. Save the record and allow a few minutes for propagation.

Active24

1. Log in and open Domains → DNS records for the domain.
2. Click to add a new record and pick the correct type.
3. Enter the name and value exactly as shown in Settings.
4. Save changes.

Forpsi

1. Log in to the Forpsi client zone.
2. Open DNS administration for the domain.
3. Add a record with the type, name, and value from BriefGate.
4. Confirm and save.

GoDaddy

1. Log in and go to My Products → DNS for the domain.
2. Click Add under Records.
3. Select the record type and enter the name and value.
4. Save — GoDaddy usually applies changes within a few minutes.

Namecheap

1. Log in and go to Domain List → Manage for the domain.
2. Open the Advanced DNS tab.
3. Click Add New Record, choose the type.
4. Enter the host and value from BriefGate's setup screen.
5. Save all changes.

Troubleshooting

• Record not found after an hour. DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate, though most providers apply them in minutes. If it's been longer than that, check for a duplicated domain name — a common mistake is a record named intake.yourcompany.com.yourcompany.com because the provider already appends the root domain to whatever you type in the name field.
• TXT value looks wrong. Don't wrap the value in quotation marks unless your provider's interface requires them for every TXT record — check what an existing TXT record on the same domain looks like if you're unsure.
• Portal domain won't verify. Confirm the CNAME record isn't proxied (Cloudflare's orange cloud, or an equivalent on another provider) — a proxied record blocks certificate issuance.
• Sending domain won't verify and one of the records is a CNAME. Same cause as above: confirm that record isn't proxied either.
• Status shows "failed". Click Verify again after fixing the record; failure doesn't stop the 7-day automatic rechecking, so a corrected record still verifies on its own if you'd rather not click anything.
• Removing a domain. Remove it from Settings → Custom domains at any time. Sending and the portal fall back to the shared BriefGate domains immediately — no client-facing downtime.

FAQ

Does this change my normal company email? No. Only mail sent through BriefGate uses the sending domain you configure, and we recommend a dedicated subdomain specifically so your existing mailbox and SPF record are untouched.

Do I need a DMARC record? No — it's optional. BriefGate's setup only requires the records shown on the Custom domains screen (SPF, DKIM, the bounce MX record, and sometimes a CNAME). Adding DMARC on your domain is a good practice generally, but it isn't part of custom domain verification.