dns-management_skill

Overview

This skill guides users through DNS configuration for custom funnel domains, covering A and CNAME records, SSL setup, and platform-specific DNS requirements. It focuses on practical steps to connect domains to hosting platforms like Netlify, Vercel, and Cloudflare Pages, plus verification and common troubleshooting. The goal is to get a funnel live with secure HTTPS and correct redirects quickly.

How this skill works

The skill inspects your target platform and recommends the exact DNS records (A or CNAME), hostnames (root or www), and values to add at your domain registrar. It also outlines SSL/TLS behavior per platform and the recommended redirect strategy between www and non-www. Finally, it provides verification commands and basic troubleshooting steps for propagation, SSL, and mixed-content issues.

When to use it

• When pointing a custom domain to a funnel hosted on Netlify, Vercel, or Cloudflare Pages
• When switching hosting providers and needing to update DNS records
• When HTTPS is missing or SSL certificates are not issuing
• When you need to configure or enforce www vs non-www redirects
• When verifying DNS propagation and debugging domain connection problems

Best practices

• Choose a single canonical domain (www or root) and set a 301 redirect from the other
• Use CNAME for subdomains (www) and A records for root domains when required by the platform
• Verify DNS changes with dig and curl to confirm propagation and SSL status
• Allow up to 48 hours for full propagation but start troubleshooting after 1–2 hours if stuck
• Keep hosting provider DNS values current in your registrar and remove old records to avoid conflicts

Example use cases

• Connect example.com to Netlify: add a CNAME pointing to [site-name].netlify.app for www or platform-recommended records
• Host root domain on Vercel: set an A record to 76.76.21.21 and a CNAME for www to cname.vercel-dns.com
• Deploy Cloudflare Pages: add a CNAME for the root or subdomain pointing to [project-name].pages.dev and enable Universal SSL
• Fix SSL issuance: ensure DNS points to the current host and clear any conflicting records, then reissue the certificate
• Confirm redirects and HTTPS: use curl -I to check that http://www redirects to https://example.com and that SSL headers are present