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Add your Ark Email DNS records to Google Cloud DNS to start sending emails from your domain.
Already added your domain in Ark? Skip to Step 2 to configure your DNS records.

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Step 1: Add Your Domain in Ark

First, add your domain in the Ark dashboard or via the API. This generates the DNS records you’ll need to add.
  1. Go to Domains in your Ark dashboard
  2. Click Add Domain
  3. Enter your domain name (e.g., mail.yourdomain.com)
  4. Copy the DNS records shown

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Step 2: Add DNS Records

1

Open Google Cloud DNS

  1. Go to the Cloud DNS Console
  2. Select your project
  3. Click on your managed zone
2

Add the SPF record

Click Add standard and enter:
FieldValue
DNS nameUse the fullName from Ark with a trailing dot (e.g., yourdomain.com. or mail.yourdomain.com.)
Resource record typeTXT
TTL300
TXT datav=spf1 a mx include:spf.arkhq.io ~all
Click Create.
Google Cloud DNS requires fully qualified domain names (FQDN) with a trailing dot. Always append . to the hostname.
Already have an SPF record? Edit your existing record instead. Add include:spf.arkhq.io before the ~all. You can only have one SPF record per domain.Example: v=spf1 include:spf.arkhq.io include:_spf.google.com ~all
3

Add the DKIM record

Click Add standard and enter:
FieldValue
DNS nameUse the fullName from Ark with a trailing dot (e.g., ark-xyz._domainkey.mail.yourdomain.com.)
Resource record typeTXT
TTL300
TXT dataThe DKIM value from Ark (starts with k=rsa;t=s;p=...)
Click Create.
Google Cloud DNS requires the full FQDN. Use the fullName field from the Ark dashboard and add a trailing dot.
4

Add the Return Path CNAME

Click Add standard and enter:
FieldValue
DNS nameUse the fullName from Ark with a trailing dot (e.g., psrp.mail.yourdomain.com.)
Resource record typeCNAME
TTL300
Canonical namerp.arkhq.io. (include trailing dot)
Click Create.

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Step 3: Verify Your Domain

Return to the Ark dashboard and click Verify DNS records on your domain. Verification typically completes within a few minutes.
Success! Once verified, you can send emails from any address at your domain.

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Troubleshooting

  • Check trailing dots: Google Cloud DNS requires FQDNs with trailing dots (e.g., ark-verify.yourdomain.com.)
  • Check for typos: Ensure values were copied exactly from Ark
  • Wait for propagation: DNS changes can take a few minutes. Try again shortly.
  • You can only have one SPF record per domain
  • If you have multiple email services, combine them: v=spf1 include:spf.arkhq.io include:_spf.google.com ~all
  • SPF has a 10 DNS lookup limit. Use SPF checker tools to verify
  • Use dnschecker.org to verify records are propagating globally
  • Google Cloud DNS changes typically propagate quickly
  • Check that records show as “Active” in the console

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Next Steps

Send Your First Email

Test your new domain

General Domain Setup

Learn more about DNS configuration