Overview
A custom sending domain lets Appical send system emails — like onboarding invites and notifications — from your own domain instead of the default [email protected]. Appical uses Flowmailer as its email delivery platform, and a custom sending domain is authenticated through standard DNS records (SPF, DKIM, MX, DMARC) added to your domain.
This improves email deliverability (less likely to land in spam), strengthens brand recognition, and means replies reach your onboarding team directly instead of Appical support.
Example
If your company domain is "company.com", you could send system emails from "[email protected]" or "[email protected]" instead of the default "[email protected]".
📌 Important:
Setting up a custom sending domain is part of our Enterprise package. If you want access to this feature, contact your Customer Success Manager or Appical Support. Your IT team will need to add DNS records to complete the setup — Section 3 below is written for them.
Want the deeper technical reference? See Custom Sending Domain: Email Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for the full DNS record breakdown and FAQ to share with your IT team.
Steps to Set Up a Custom Sending Domain
→ Provide Appical with key information
To set up a custom sending domain, Appical needs three pieces of information about your domain setup:
Sender Domain
The domain your emails will appear to come from — the "from" address users see when they receive system emails.
This can be your company's domain (e.g.,
[customerdomain].com) or a subdomain (e.g.,onboarding.[customerdomain].com).
Return Path
The address that handles bounced messages. If an email can't be delivered, the bounce notification goes here instead of to Appical.
For example:
e.[customerdomain].comorbounces.[customerdomain].com.
Sending Email Address
The specific address used to send system emails to users.
For example:
onboarding@[customerdomain].comorwelcome@[customerdomain].com.
→ Your IT team adds the DNS records
Once Appical has your domain details, we generate the exact DNS records for your domain and share them with you. Your IT team adds these to your DNS settings — Appical provides the precise names and values (see Section 3 below for the record types involved).
→ Appical verifies the DNS settings
Once the records are added, Appical checks that everything is correctly configured. Records typically show as "pending" until verified.
→ Appical updates your organisation settings
Appical adds the custom sending address to your organisation's settings, or to a test organisation if you're already live.
→ Test the sending domain
Appical sends test emails to confirm they're properly received before going live with the custom domain.
What Appical needs to receive from you
What | Example |
Sender domain | company.com |
Return path | e.company.com |
Sending email address | [email protected], [email protected], or anything you like @company.com |
Section 3 — For Your IT Team: DNS Record Types
Appical provides the exact record names and values for your domain once setup begins. The record types involved are:
TXT (SPF) — authorizes Appical's email platform (Flowmailer) to send on your domain's behalf.
MX — routes return-path mail to Flowmailer.
CNAME — used for both the return-path domain and the two DKIM signing keys.
TXT (DMARC) — defines how receiving mail servers should handle authentication failures.
📌 Records typically show as "pending" or "not found" until your IT team adds them, then as verified once Appical confirms the setup. Appical notifies you once the domain is active and test emails have been sent successfully.
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