Custom email domains

By default, every Hydra workspace can use @hydra-help.com for its email channels (e.g. support@hydra-help.com). That works for testing and casual use, but most teams want their support email to come from their own domain. This page tells you how to do that.

How it works

1. Add your domain in Settings → Email Domains.
2. Hydra registers it with Resend (our outbound email provider) and gives you a list of DNS records to add.
3. You add those records to your DNS provider (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Route 53, Namecheap — whoever holds your domain).
4. Click Check verification in Hydra. Once Resend confirms the records, the domain shows ✓ Verified.
5. From that point on, you can pick any address on that domain (e.g. support@yourcompany.com, billing@yourcompany.com) when creating an email channel.

Verification governs outbound sending only. Receiving inbound mail at the same domain requires a separate setup step — see Inbound mail at your custom domain below.

Adding a domain

Go to Settings → Email Domains → enter your bare domain (e.g. acme.com, no @ and no https://) → click Add domain.

You'll see a card for the domain with status Pending and a table of DNS records. The records typically include:

• One DKIM CNAME record (used to sign outbound email)
• One SPF TXT record (lists who's allowed to send for your domain)
• Sometimes additional Tracking records for open/click reports

Copy each record into your DNS provider exactly. Most providers accept all three formats Resend gives you (CNAME, TXT, MX).

Common DNS providers

After saving the records, wait ~2–5 minutes for propagation, then click Check verification in Hydra. The status flips to ✓ Verified when Resend confirms.

Using a verified domain on a channel

Once a domain is verified, it appears in the "Allowed domains" hint under the email field in Team → Channels (both create and detail pages). You can pick any local part you want — support@, help@, sales@, etc. — and Hydra will send outbound from that exact address.

The first reply that goes out from a channel using your custom domain will look like a regular email from your team, not a Hydra-branded sender.

Inbound mail at your custom domain

To receive mail at support@yourcompany.com, you also need to forward mail destined for that address into Hydra. Verification doesn't do this on its own — Resend only handles sending.

The simplest setup, if you use Cloudflare for your domain's DNS:

1. Cloudflare Dashboard → your domain → Email → Email Routing → enable.
2. Add a rule: "Match support@yourcompany.com" → "Forward to" → enter the corresponding @hydra-help.com address (e.g. support@hydra-help.com).
3. The forward routes inbound mail through Hydra's existing inbound infrastructure.

If you don't use Cloudflare, your DNS / email provider will have a similar forwarding feature — set up forwarding from <support>@yourcompany.com to a <support>@hydra-help.com address that's matched by an existing channel.

For more advanced setups (multiple addresses, full MX delegation), reach out and we'll walk you through it.

Removing a domain

Click Remove on the domain's card, then confirm. This:

1. Removes the domain from Resend (so you stop being charged for it on Resend's side).
2. Drops the DB row.

Channels currently configured with <local>@thatDomain will start failing to send until you change them to a different verified domain or back to @hydra-help.com. Audit your channels before removing a domain.

Troubleshooting

"Verification failed" after adding records. Most often: TTL hasn't propagated yet, or the record was copied with a missing/extra character. Wait 10 minutes and try again. If it still fails, double-check each record — DKIM values are long and any whitespace breaks them.

"That domain is already registered for this tenant." You added it once already. Open the existing card.

"This domain is already available to all tenants." You tried to add hydra-help.com or reply.hydra-help.com. Both are always available without setup — just use them directly.

Verified for outbound but inbound mail isn't arriving. Outbound and inbound are separate concerns. Verification covers outbound; inbound requires the forwarding setup described above.

Outbound still sends from noreply@hydra-help.com. Check the channel's email address — it has to use your verified domain. The From: header now mirrors the channel's email, so changing the channel's email is what flips the outbound sender.