Troubleshooting domain verification failures

Domains May 27, 2026

Domain verification sometimes fails on the first attempt. This is usually a DNS propagation issue, but there are a few other common causes.

DNS propagation delays

After adding DNS records at your registrar, changes need to propagate across the global DNS system. This typically takes:

Cloudflare — Near instant (1-5 minutes)
Namecheap — 5-30 minutes
GoDaddy — 15-60 minutes
Route 53 — 1-5 minutes
Other providers — Up to 48 hours in rare cases

If verification fails immediately after adding records, wait 15-30 minutes and try again.

Checking your records manually

Before retrying verification in Cleanbox, you can check if your records are visible using the command line:

# Check MX record
dig MX yourdomain.com +short
# Expected: 10 mx1.cleanbox.to.

# Check TXT record (verification token)
dig TXT yourdomain.com +short
# Expected: "cleanbox-verify=your-token"

# Check SPF
dig TXT yourdomain.com +short | grep spf
# Expected: "v=spf1 ... include:_spf.cleanbox.to ..."

If the records do not appear in dig output, they are not yet propagated or were entered incorrectly.

Common mistakes

Wrong record name

The most common mistake. DNS records should be set on the root domain (@ or blank), not a subdomain. If you enter yourdomain.com as the name in a provider that automatically appends the domain, you end up with yourdomain.com.yourdomain.com.

Cloudflare — Use @ as the name
Namecheap — Leave the name blank or use @
Route 53 — Leave the name blank (it defaults to the zone root)

Trailing dot on MX value

Some providers require a trailing dot after the MX value (mx1.cleanbox.to.), others do not. If verification fails, try adding or removing the trailing dot.

Quotes around TXT value

Some DNS panels automatically wrap TXT values in quotes. Others require you to add them manually. If your panel shows quotes in the input field, do not add extra ones.

Multiple SPF records

A domain can only have one SPF TXT record. If you create a second one (instead of merging), SPF validation fails for all senders. Combine them:

# Wrong (two separate records):
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
v=spf1 include:_spf.cleanbox.to ~all

# Correct (merged):
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:_spf.cleanbox.to ~all

Old MX records still present

If old MX records (pointing to your previous email provider) are still active with equal or higher priority, email delivery will be split between providers. Remove old MX records or set their priority higher (e.g. 50) than the Cleanbox record (10).

Verification still failing?

If records are correct in dig output but Cleanbox verification still fails:

Clear the Twig cache on the server (if applicable)
Wait 1 hour for DNS caches to expire
Contact support with your domain name and a screenshot of your DNS records