Free Domain Connect Checker
Check whether a domain's DNS provider supports the Domain Connect protocol, which flow it offers, and whether one-click DNS setup is actually possible. Reads the _domainconnect record live. No signup.
How it works
Enter a domain
We look up the _domainconnect TXT record on its zone.
We fetch the provider's settings
If the record exists, its settings endpoint tells us the provider and the flows it offers.
See what's actually possible
Synchronous, asynchronous or neither, plus the DNS provider behind the domain either way.
What Domain Connect actually is
Domain Connect is an open standard, now an IETF draft, for letting a service write DNS records into a customer's zone without the customer editing DNS by hand. The customer clicks one button in your app, lands on an approval screen at their own DNS provider, approves, and the provider writes the records itself.
No credentials reach the service. Nothing is stored, and there is nothing for the customer to revoke afterwards. That is what makes it a materially different trust ask from asking someone for an API token.
How this check works
Discovery is a DNS lookup, not an API call. A provider that implements the protocol
publishes a TXT record at _domainconnect.<zone> pointing at its settings endpoint:
_domainconnect.example.com. TXT "domainconnect.example-dns.com"
This tool reads that record, then fetches the settings endpoint it names to find out which flows the provider offers and what it calls itself. No record means the provider does not implement the protocol.
Synchronous and asynchronous are not equally useful
| Flow | How it works | Practical reality |
|---|---|---|
| Synchronous | Signed redirect to the provider's approval screen. The provider applies a published template. | Widely supported, no per-provider onboarding, no token exchanged. This is the one that matters. |
| Asynchronous | Full OAuth against the provider. The service gets a token and calls their API. | Supported by a fraction of providers, needs explicit OAuth setup with each one, and you now hold a credential. |
If a provider supports only the asynchronous flow, treat one-click as unavailable in practice unless you are prepared to onboard with that provider individually.
Supported does not mean it will work for you
This is the part that surprises people. A provider will only apply a template it has already synced from the shared Domain-Connect/Templates repository. The protocol is not a generic write API: a service cannot hand a provider an arbitrary set of records.
So there are two independent conditions:
- The customer's DNS provider implements Domain Connect. That is what this tool checks.
- The service they are connecting to has published a template, it has been merged upstream, and that provider has synced it.
Until both hold, the customer falls back to adding records by hand.
Coverage is roughly half your customers, at best
GoDaddy, Cloudflare, IONOS, Network Solutions, 123-reg, Wix and Squarespace implement it. Namecheap does not. Realistically you are looking at 40 to 50 percent of end customers depending on your segment, which means the manual path is not optional and never becomes optional.
Anyone building custom domain onboarding should treat Domain Connect as an upgrade for the customers who can use it, and provider-aware manual instructions as the actual baseline. The DNS provider lookup covers the other half.
If you are the platform
Domainee is a custom domains API for SaaS with a native MCP server, 50 domains and
100 GB free. GET /v1/domains/{id}/instructions runs this same check per customer and
returns a one-click apply URL where it is available, alongside manual steps written for
whichever provider that customer is on where it is not.
From the command line
Keyless, no signup:
curl -s "https://api.domainee.dev/v1/tools/domain-connect-checker?domain=example.com" | jq
Rate limits are per IP and there is no uptime commitment, so it fits scripts and audits rather than a production dependency.
Frequently asked questions
What is Domain Connect?+
An open standard, now an IETF draft, that lets a service write DNS records into a customer's zone without the customer editing DNS by hand. The customer approves one screen at their own DNS provider and the provider writes the records. No credentials reach the service and there is nothing to revoke afterwards.
My provider supports it. Why can't I use one-click setup with a particular service?+
Because the provider only applies templates it has already synced from the shared Domain-Connect/Templates repository. The service you are connecting to has to have published a template, had it merged upstream, and had that provider sync it. Provider support is necessary but not sufficient.
What's the difference between the synchronous and asynchronous flows?+
Synchronous is a signed redirect to the provider's approval screen and needs no per-provider onboarding, so it is the one that matters in practice. Asynchronous is full OAuth: it is supported by far fewer providers, requires explicit setup with each one, and leaves you holding a credential.
Which providers support Domain Connect?+
GoDaddy, Cloudflare, IONOS, Network Solutions, 123-reg, Wix and Squarespace among others. Namecheap does not support it natively. Expect roughly 40 to 50 percent coverage of end customers depending on your segment.
How is support detected?+
Purely from public DNS and a public endpoint. We read the _domainconnect TXT record on the zone, then fetch the settings endpoint it names. Nothing is written and no authentication is involved.
Should I build custom domain onboarding around Domain Connect?+
As an upgrade, not as the path. Coverage tops out around half your customers and support is invisible until you check, so provider-aware manual instructions have to be the baseline. Offer the one-click route to the customers who can use it.
One-click where it exists, clear instructions where it doesn't
Domainee checks Domain Connect per customer and falls back to setup steps written for whichever DNS provider they are actually on.
50 custom domains and 100 GB bandwidth free, forever.
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