Domain Setup

Before you can send or receive email through Copera, you need to connect and verify a custom domain. This process proves that you own the domain and authorizes Copera's mail servers to handle email on your behalf. Once verified, you can create as many inboxes as you need under that domain (e.g., [email protected], [email protected]).

warning

DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to propagate worldwide. Copera periodically checks your records automatically, so you do not need to stay on the verification page. You will receive an email notification when the domain becomes active.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A domain you own (e.g., yourcompany.com). You cannot use free email domains like gmail.com or outlook.com.
• Access to your DNS management panel --- this is typically provided by your domain registrar (such as Cloudflare, GoDaddy, or Namecheap) or your hosting provider.
• Workspace administrator permissions in Copera.

Starting the Domain Setup

1. Navigate to Workspace Settings from the sidebar.
2. Open the Inbox section.
3. Click Add Domain.
4. Enter your domain name (e.g., yourcompany.com) and click Create.

Copera will generate a set of DNS records that you need to add to your domain's DNS configuration. These records are displayed on the DNS Setup step of the dialog, and you can copy each value individually or download all records as a CSV file.

Required DNS Records

Copera generates four types of DNS records that must be added to your domain. Each record serves a specific purpose for email delivery and authentication.

1. MX Record (Mail Exchange)

The MX record tells other mail servers where to deliver email addressed to your domain.

Field	Value
Type	MX
Name/Host	yourcompany.com (or @ at some providers)
Value	mail.copera.ai
Priority	10

The MX record is essential --- without it, incoming emails will not reach your Copera inbox.

2. SPF Record (Sender Policy Framework)

The SPF record is a TXT record that tells receiving mail servers which servers are authorized to send email from your domain. This helps prevent your emails from being marked as spam.

Field	Value
Type	TXT
Name/Host	yourcompany.com (or @)
Value	v=spf1 include:amazonses.com -all

note

If your domain already has an existing SPF record, you must merge the two rather than creating a second TXT record. Add include:amazonses.com to your existing SPF record before the ~all or -all mechanism. For example: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:amazonses.com -all.

3. DKIM Records (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

DKIM adds a digital signature to every outgoing email, allowing recipients to verify the message has not been tampered with. Copera generates three CNAME records for DKIM:

Field	Value
Type	CNAME
Name/Host	<token1>._domainkey.yourcompany.com
Value	<token1>.dkim.amazonses.com

Field	Value
Type	CNAME
Name/Host	<token2>._domainkey.yourcompany.com
Value	<token2>.dkim.amazonses.com

Field	Value
Type	CNAME
Name/Host	<token3>._domainkey.yourcompany.com
Value	<token3>.dkim.amazonses.com

The exact token values are unique to your domain and are provided by Copera during the setup process. Copy each one carefully.

4. DMARC Record

The DMARC record tells receiving servers what to do when an email fails SPF or DKIM checks. Copera generates this record automatically:

Field	Value
Type	TXT
Name/Host	_dmarc.yourcompany.com
Value	v=DMARC1; p=none; fo=1; adkim=s; aspf=s

While p=none (monitoring mode) is the default, you can later tighten this to p=quarantine or p=reject once you are confident that all legitimate email is properly authenticated.

Step-by-Step for Popular DNS Providers

Cloudflare

tip

Cloudflare's proxy (orange cloud) must be turned off for MX and CNAME records. Set them to DNS only (grey cloud).

1. Log in to the Cloudflare Dashboard and select your domain.
2. Go to DNS > Records.
3. Click Add record for each of the records listed above.
4. For the MX record: set Type to MX, Name to @, Mail server to mail.copera.ai, and Priority to 10.
5. For the SPF record: set Type to TXT, Name to @, and paste the SPF value.
6. For each DKIM CNAME: set Type to CNAME, paste the Name and Target values from Copera, and ensure the proxy status is set to DNS only.
7. For the DMARC record: set Type to TXT, Name to _dmarc, and paste the DMARC value.
8. Click Save after adding each record.

GoDaddy

tip

GoDaddy automatically appends your domain name to the Host field. If your record name is _dmarc.yourcompany.com, enter only _dmarc in the Host field.

1. Log in to GoDaddy and go to My Products > DNS.
2. Select your domain and click Manage DNS.
3. Click Add to create each record.
4. For the MX record: set Type to MX, Host to @, Points to mail.copera.ai, and Priority to 10.
5. For the SPF record: set Type to TXT, Host to @, and paste the value.
6. For each DKIM CNAME: set Type to CNAME, enter only the subdomain part in Host (e.g., abc123._domainkey), and paste the target value.
7. For the DMARC record: set Type to TXT, Host to _dmarc, and paste the value.
8. Click Save after each record.

Namecheap

tip

In Namecheap's Advanced DNS panel, the Host field requires only the subdomain prefix. For example, use _dmarc instead of _dmarc.yourcompany.com.

1. Log in to Namecheap and go to Domain List > Manage for your domain.
2. Click the Advanced DNS tab.
3. Under Host Records, click Add New Record for each record.
4. For the MX record: set Type to MX Record, Host to @, Value to mail.copera.ai, and Priority to 10.
5. For the SPF record: set Type to TXT Record, Host to @, and paste the value.
6. For each DKIM CNAME: set Type to CNAME Record, enter the subdomain prefix in Host, and paste the target value.
7. For the DMARC record: set Type to TXT Record, Host to _dmarc, and paste the value.
8. Click the green checkmark to save each record.

Verification Process

After adding all DNS records, return to the domain setup dialog in Copera and click Verify DNS. Copera will check each record individually and show you the verification status:

• A green checkmark means the record was found and is correct.
• A pending clock icon means the record has not been detected yet.

If some records are still pending, wait a few minutes and try again. Copera also runs a background verification job that automatically checks pending domains periodically, so you do not need to keep the dialog open.

Once all records are verified, the domain status changes to Active, and you will receive a notification email confirming that the domain is ready to use.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Records not verifying after several hours

• Double-check that you copied the exact values from Copera, including any periods at the end of CNAME targets.
• Make sure you did not accidentally create duplicate records (especially SPF). A domain should have only one SPF TXT record.
• Use a DNS lookup tool (such as MXToolbox or dig on the command line) to verify that your records are visible.

Emails going to spam

• Ensure both the SPF and DKIM records are verified. Missing authentication records are the most common reason emails land in spam folders.
• If you tightened your DMARC policy to p=reject too early, receiving servers may discard emails that fail checks. Start with p=none until you confirm everything works.

MX record conflicts

• If you previously used another email provider (e.g., Google Workspace, Microsoft 365), you may have existing MX records. You need to decide whether Copera should be your primary email handler or if you want to keep the existing provider. Having multiple MX records with different priorities can cause split delivery.

Domain already in use

• Each domain can only be registered once across all Copera workspaces. If you see an error saying the domain is unavailable, it may already be configured in another workspace. Contact your organization's Copera administrator.

tip

You can download all DNS records as a CSV file from the setup dialog. This is useful if you need to share the records with your IT team or keep them for reference.