Setup guide / Cloudflare
Set up email on your domain with Cloudflare
Your website can stay on Cloudflare. Email only needs a few DNS records, and Cloudflare can add them for you.
Automatic setup
When you add a domain whose nameservers are at Cloudflare, Episto offers to set it up through Domain Connect. You sign in to Cloudflare, review the records and approve them. Cloudflare writes the records; Episto never sees your Cloudflare login or an API token. If automatic setup is not offered for your domain, add the records manually as described below.
Add the records manually
- Sign in to the Cloudflare dashboard and open your domain.
- Go to DNS → Records and choose Add record.
- Add each record from the table below. For the root of the domain, enter
@as the name. Cloudflare adds your domain to the end of every name. - Set the Proxy status of both CNAME records to DNS only (grey cloud). Mail records must not be proxied.
Episto shows the exact records for your domain in the panel under Domains → your domain → DNS records, with the values filled in. The table below shows their shape, so you know what to expect. Use a TTL of 3600 (1 hour) where your provider asks for one.
| Type | Name (host) | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TXT | _episto | episto-verification=… | Proves you own the domain. The token is shown in the panel. |
| MX | @ | mail.epistomail.com | Priority 10. Remove other MX records for the domain. |
| TXT | @ | v=spf1 include:spf.smtp2go.com ~all | SPF. If you already have an SPF record, add include:spf.smtp2go.com to it instead of creating a second one. |
| TXT | episto._domainkey | v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=… | DKIM signing key, generated for your domain. |
| TXT | _dmarc | v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:… | DMARC policy. Keep an existing DMARC record if you have one. |
| CNAME | em… | return.smtp2go.net | Return path for outgoing mail. Exact host in the panel. |
| CNAME | s…._domainkey | dkim.smtp2go.net | Signing key of the outgoing relay. Exact host in the panel. |
Recommended: mail app discovery
These records are optional. They help mail apps such as Apple Mail, Thunderbird and Outlook find the right servers on their own. Domain activation never waits for them.
| Type | Name (host) | Value |
|---|---|---|
| SRV | _imaps._tcp | 0 1 993 mail.epistomail.com |
| SRV | _submissions._tcp | 0 1 465 mail.epistomail.com |
| SRV | _submission._tcp | 0 1 587 mail.epistomail.com |
| SRV | _jmap._tcp | 0 1 443 mail.epistomail.com |
| SRV | _autodiscover._tcp | 0 1 443 autodiscover.epistomail.com |
Common pitfalls with Cloudflare
- Cloudflare Email Routing adds its own MX and SPF records and locks them. If it is enabled, disable Email Routing for the domain first, then add the Episto MX record.
- Orange-cloud CNAMEs break the relay records. Both CNAMEs must be DNS only.
- Two SPF records make SPF fail. If a
v=spf1TXT record exists, edit it and addinclude:spf.smtp2go.combefore the~all. - Long DKIM values are fine: paste the whole value into one TXT record and Cloudflare splits it as needed.
Check and activate
Go back to the Episto panel and run the DNS check. Episto compares your records with public DNS and marks each one as found. Most providers publish changes within minutes. Some resolvers cache old values for up to the TTL of the record they replaced, so allow an hour or two before you worry.
When the MX record is live, new mail for your domain arrives at Episto. Create your mailboxes and aliases first, so no message arrives for an address that doesn’t exist yet.
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