Add a domain

You don't need to know what a CNAME is. Open Kai and tell it what you want:

Kai asks for the hostname, generates the exact DNS records you need to paste at your provider (Squarespace, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Route 53, Namecheap, any of them), and stays on the thread until your site is live on HTTPS.

Connecting a domain isn't just DNS, there are several steps that all need to line up. Kai checks every one of them and tells you exactly which one is broken if something doesn't work:

• The address record. Your www (or chosen subdomain) is pointing to Kaiday.
• The ownership proof. The verification record is in place, so Kaiday can confirm you really own the domain.
• Verification status. Kaiday has seen the ownership proof and marked the domain as verified.
• Traffic routing. Visits to your domain know how to find your apps inside Kaiday.
• HTTPS certificate. The little padlock in the browser is set up, the security certificate has been issued and is active.
• App server. The server that runs your apps is up and responding.
• Live check. Kai actually opens your domain and confirms a real page loads back successfully.

When you ask "is my domain set up?", Kai checks all of these in order, names the first thing that's wrong, and gives you the next concrete action, in plain English, not jargon.

1. 1
   Tell Kai which hostname you want

   For hosted apps, use a subdomain like research.example.com or analytics.example.com, not the bare apex. Kai will flag an apex conflict and suggest a subdomain.

2. 2
   Kai shows you the records to paste

   You'll get a short list of entries to add at your DNS provider: one address record (this is where your subdomain points) and one ownership record (this proves you own the domain). Kai writes them out with the exact Name and Value your provider expects, including whether to type just www or the full hostname, based on how your provider's screens work.

3. 3
   Paste them at your DNS provider

   Go to your DNS host (Squarespace, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Route 53, Namecheap, etc.), find the DNS records page, and add the CNAME and TXT exactly as Kai gave them. Save.

4. 4
   Tell Kai you're done

   Say "I added them, verify". Kai re-reads your domain, checks every step (records, ownership, traffic routing, HTTPS padlock, app server, live page) and tells you what's done and what's still being set up. If something is just slow to update on the internet, Kai will say "still spreading, give it a few minutes" instead of "broken".

5. 5
   Wait for the HTTPS padlock (5–15 minutes)

   Once the records are correct and the domain is verified, the HTTPS security certificate gets issued automatically, this is what makes the little padlock show up in browsers. It usually takes 5–15 minutes. Kai watches for it and tells you the moment your site is live.

DNS changes don't always land cleanly, providers cache, UIs duplicate the hostname, the wrong record type gets selected. Kai surfaces the specific failure:

• "Your address record still points at your old website host." The record is there, but it's pointing at Squarespace (or wherever your old site lives) instead of Kaiday. Edit the existing record, don't add a second one.
• "Your DNS provider doubled the name." Some providers automatically add your domain to whatever you type. Enter just www, not www.menoru.com; just _kaiday-apps.www, not _kaiday-apps.www.menoru.com. Kai will tell you which form your provider expects.
• "Use a subdomain, not the bare domain." You can't point the root domain (just menoru.com) at Kaiday if it already has email or other records there. Use www.menoru.com or another subdomain like book.menoru.com.
• "The HTTPS padlock is still being issued, give it a few more minutes." The security certificate is in the middle of being created. Nothing's broken, just wait.
• "Your domain is set up, but no app is published on it yet." The plumbing works (records, certificate, routing). You just haven't published a MiniApp to this address yet. Ask Kai to build or publish one.

For an app domain you only need two records. Kai (and the App domain screen) give you the exact values for your domain. The labels on the left (CNAME, TXT) are the record types at your DNS provider.

dns
# Website: points your subdomain at Kaiday
CNAME  www                          apps.kaiday.com

# Verification: proves you own this domain
TXT    _kaiday-apps.www            kaiday-apps-verification=<token-shown-in-ui>

If you also want to send and receive email on this domain, that's a separate set of records, see Set up email.

Once a domain is connected you can ask Kai how it's doing whenever you want. Kai checks everything, records, verification, security certificate, app server, and a real visit to your page, not just one piece:

You can also see the same information visually in Settings → Domains, the Settings page and Kai use the same checks under the hood, so they always agree.

You can connect a domain entirely through the screens, without talking to Kai. Open the App domain page, enter a hostname such as research.example.com, and click Save and show DNS records. After pasting the Website and Verification records at your DNS provider, return and click Check connection.

Most people end up asking Kai anyway, because it answers "what's actually wrong?" in one sentence instead of making you read through a panel of statuses and figure it out yourself.