Custom Domains

Custom domains are an 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 <[email protected]> instead of [email protected] 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 [email protected] and nothing breaks while DNS propagates — there's no window where email stops working.

Before you start

• You need the 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. We recommend a subdomain dedicated to BriefGate, e.g. intake.yourcompany.com for the portal and mail.yourcompany.com for sending, rather than your root domain. A subdomain keeps your company's existing mailbox and SPF record untouched — adding a second SPF record on the same name is a common source of delivery problems, and a subdomain avoids the question entirely.

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:
   • A DKIM TXT record, at resend._domainkey.<your domain>
   • An SPF TXT record, at your domain
   • An MX record, on the send.<your domain> subdomain, used for bounces
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 all three records verify, new emails switch to the custom domain automatically. Nothing else changes on your intakes.

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 the portal CNAME, set the proxy status to DNS only (grey cloud, not orange).
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.
• 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 SPF, DKIM, and the bounce MX record. Adding DMARC on your domain is a good practice generally, but it isn't part of custom domain verification.