Send Email from Your Custom Domain

Send transactional emails (job alerts, magic links, application receipts) from your own domain instead of the default Cavuno address.

A custom email sender domain replaces Cavuno's default info@notifications.cavuno.com address with one you own, like info@notifications.yourcompany.com. Every job alert, magic link, and application receipt your candidates receive will show your domain in the From header instead of Cavuno's. This builds trust, improves deliverability over time as your domain's sending reputation grows, and gives your candidates a consistent brand experience from the moment they get an email through to opening your board.

Cavuno uses Resend to verify and send mail on your behalf. The setup is the same DNS pattern as connecting a custom domain: add a few records at your registrar, wait for them to propagate, and your sender flips to your own.

Before you begin

You need:

  1. A primary custom domain already connected and active on your board. See Connect a Custom Domain if you haven't done that yet. Your email sender must be a subdomain of your primary domain (for example, if your board is on jobs.acme.com then your email sender goes on notifications.acme.com).
  2. Access to your domain's DNS settings, the same place you added records when you connected your custom domain.
  3. The Advanced plan or higher. The custom email sender feature is included on Advanced and Enterprise.

Add your sender domain

  1. Go to Board settings in the sidebar and click the Domains tab
  2. Scroll to the Custom email domain card at the bottom of the page
  3. Click Add email domain
  4. Enter the Sender name (the display name your recipients see, like Acme Jobs)
  5. The Sending address is prefilled with info@notifications.yourcompany.com. Edit the local part if you want something different (hello@, noreply@, etc.)
  6. Click Create

Cavuno registers the domain with our email provider and immediately opens the Manage dialog showing the DNS records you need to add.

Add the DNS records

The Manage dialog shows three records to add at your DNS provider:

  1. A TXT record for DKIM (used to sign your outgoing email so recipients' servers can verify it really came from you)
  2. An MX record so bounce notifications reach Cavuno
  3. A TXT record for SPF (which tells receiving servers that Cavuno is authorised to send from your domain)

Each row includes a copy button. Log in to your DNS provider, add each record exactly as shown, and set the TTL to Auto (or 3600). The records may look intimidating but they're the standard set every transactional email platform requires.

If you also want to add a DMARC record (recommended but optional), the Manage dialog shows the suggested value at the bottom. DMARC monitors authentication and protects against spoofing. The default value v=DMARC1; p=none; is report-only, so it won't block any of your existing email.

Wait for verification

DNS records typically propagate within a few minutes. Resend then automatically checks for them and updates the status. The records table in the Manage dialog uses live status pills:

  • Active (green): the record is in DNS and verified
  • Missing (orange): we checked, the record isn't there yet (most common state right after you add records)
  • Failed (red): the record exists but doesn't match what we expect

You don't need to keep clicking refresh. The status updates in the background as Resend reverifies. Once all records resolve correctly, the domain status flips to Active and you'll receive a confirmation email letting you know your custom sender is live.

If you want to manually trigger a check, open the Manage dialog and click Refresh status.

After verification

Once your domain shows Active, every board-scoped transactional email Cavuno sends on your behalf will use the custom sender. Recipients will see something like Acme Jobs <info@notifications.acme.com> in their inbox instead of Cavuno <info@notifications.cavuno.com>.

Email types that switch to your custom sender:

  • Job alert digests (daily and weekly)
  • Job alert subscription confirmations
  • Magic links and password resets
  • Candidate and employer email verification
  • Work email verification for employers
  • Company access request notifications and approval/rejection emails
  • Public job submission receipts and admin notifications
  • Billing verification emails for paid job posts

Cavuno-platform email (team invites, personal account notifications, admin reports) keeps coming from Cavuno's address. Those are about the platform itself rather than your board.

Cloudflare users

If you manage DNS through Cloudflare, set the Proxy status to DNS only for the records (the cloud icon should be grey, not orange). Cloudflare's proxy strips email-related metadata from MX and TXT records and verification will fail.

Troubleshooting

Domain stuck on Pending or Missing for more than an hour: Double-check that your DNS records match exactly what the Manage dialog shows, including any trailing dots or full-stop characters. Use a tool like dnschecker.org to confirm the records are visible globally. Most issues are typos in the record value or wrong TTL.

"We don't allow free public domains": Resend rejects sender registration for free or shared mail providers (Gmail, Outlook, etc.). The sender domain has to be one you own and control. Use a subdomain of your primary custom domain.

Emails still come from the Cavuno address after verification: Check the Status pill on the row in Custom email domain. If it's Active, the From header has already switched. If you're still seeing the old address, you may be looking at an email queued before verification completed. New emails will use the custom sender.

Removing the domain: Open the row's three-dot menu and click Delete. The domain is removed from Resend and outbound email reverts to the default Cavuno sender immediately. You can re-add the same domain later if you change your mind, but you'll need to re-add the DNS records.

Frequently asked questions