Get a sending domain
GET
/v1/email/domains/{domain_id}
bird email domains get <domain-id>Returns the domain with its capability statuses and every DNS record's current verification state. This read reports the stored result of the last check; to run a fresh DNS check, use Trigger domain verification.
Parameters
domain_id
string
Domain ID.
Response Payload
id
string
verplicht
workspace_id
string
verplicht
domain
string
verplicht
The sending domain name. Set at creation and immutable.
vendor
string
verplicht
The DNS provider hosting this domain's nameservers, so you know which provider's dashboard to manage the required DNS records in. Returns "other" when the provider has not been detected or is not recognized.
Possible values: other, cloudflare, route53, godaddy, namecheap, google, azure, digitalocean, squarespace
status
string
verplicht
Domain ownership verification, proven by the DKIM record. Readiness to send or track is reported separately per capability under capabilities.*.status.
- pending — the DKIM record has not been published yet. - verified — the DKIM record is in place; ownership is confirmed. - failed — a DKIM record exists but does not match the expected value (for example a stale record from an earlier setup), or a previously verified record was removed. Correct the record to recover.
- temporary_failure — DNS resolution failed transiently (timeout, unreachable nameserver). Verification is queued for retry on a 72h cadence; customer should not edit DNS records before the retry runs.
- rejected — the domain was refused for policy reasons and cannot be used for sending. Contact support if you believe this is an error.
Possible values: pending, verified, failed, temporary_failure, rejected
settings
object
verplicht
Per-domain behavior toggles. Changes apply immediately to new sends.
Onderliggende attributen tonen
settings.click_tracking
boolean
Rewrite links in HTML email through your tracking domain to record clicks. You can enable this before your tracking domain has verified — it begins working once verification completes. A tracking domain must be configured; enabling it without one returns 409.
settings.open_tracking
boolean
Insert a tracking pixel in HTML email to record opens. You can enable this before your tracking domain has verified — it begins working once verification completes. A tracking domain must be configured; enabling it without one returns 409.
dkim
object
verplicht
Active DKIM signing configuration for the domain.
Onderliggende attributen tonen
dkim.mode
string
verplicht
How the DKIM public key is published in your DNS. txt — you publish the key as a TXT record. delegated — you publish a single CNAME and Bird hosts and rotates the key.
Possible values: txt, delegated
dkim.selector
string
verplicht
DKIM selector used to sign mail from this domain.
dkim.key_size
integer
verplicht
RSA key size in bits.
capabilities
object
verplicht
Onderliggende attributen tonen
capabilities.sending
object
verplicht
Overall authorization to send from this domain. Verified when the DKIM record, the return-path CNAME, and a DMARC policy are all in place. Required for live sends.
Onderliggende attributen tonen
capabilities.sending.status
string
verplicht
Capability verification status.
- pending — verification has not run, or is currently running. - verified — all DNS records for this capability resolved with the expected values.
- warning — a record for this capability verified before and a recent check no longer matches, but it is still within the grace period. Sending is not yet affected; fix it before the grace period ends.
- failed — DNS records resolved but at least one value is wrong. Update your DNS to recover.
- temporary_failure — DNS lookup failed transiently. Verification is queued for retry; don't change DNS records yet.
- not_configured — the capability is not set up on this domain (e.g. no tracking domain configured).
Possible values: pending, verified, warning, failed, temporary_failure, not_configured
capabilities.sending.domain
nullable string
Hostname this capability is configured with — the return-path domain, the tracking domain, or the domain where the DMARC policy was found. Null when not applicable or not configured.
capabilities.sending.pending
object
A staged configuration change awaiting DNS verification. The currently active configuration keeps serving until the staged one verifies, at which point it is promoted automatically. Submitting another change for the same capability replaces the staged value.
Onderliggende attributen tonen
capabilities.sending.pending.domain
string
verplicht
Hostname the capability will use once the staged change verifies.
capabilities.sending.pending.status
string
verplicht
Verification status of the staged change. pending — waiting for the DNS records to be detected. failed — the records resolved with wrong values; correct them or submit a different change. temporary_failure — DNS lookup failed transiently and will be retried.
Possible values: pending, failed, temporary_failure
capabilities.sending.reason
nullable string
Machine-readable reason code for a failed capability status. Only set when status is failed. Use this to display a specific message to users rather than a generic failure message.
- tracking_domain_in_use — the link tracking subdomain is already claimed by another organization.
capabilities.return_path
object
verplicht
Return-path (bounce) CNAME verification. The return-path domain receives bounce and complaint notifications and is what mailbox providers check for SPF — no separate SPF record is needed.
Onderliggende attributen tonen
capabilities.return_path.status
string
verplicht
Capability verification status.
- pending — verification has not run, or is currently running. - verified — all DNS records for this capability resolved with the expected values.
- warning — a record for this capability verified before and a recent check no longer matches, but it is still within the grace period. Sending is not yet affected; fix it before the grace period ends.
- failed — DNS records resolved but at least one value is wrong. Update your DNS to recover.
- temporary_failure — DNS lookup failed transiently. Verification is queued for retry; don't change DNS records yet.
- not_configured — the capability is not set up on this domain (e.g. no tracking domain configured).
Possible values: pending, verified, warning, failed, temporary_failure, not_configured
capabilities.return_path.domain
nullable string
Hostname this capability is configured with — the return-path domain, the tracking domain, or the domain where the DMARC policy was found. Null when not applicable or not configured.
capabilities.return_path.pending
object
A staged configuration change awaiting DNS verification. The currently active configuration keeps serving until the staged one verifies, at which point it is promoted automatically. Submitting another change for the same capability replaces the staged value.
Onderliggende attributen tonen
capabilities.return_path.pending.domain
string
verplicht
Hostname the capability will use once the staged change verifies.
capabilities.return_path.pending.status
string
verplicht
Verification status of the staged change. pending — waiting for the DNS records to be detected. failed — the records resolved with wrong values; correct them or submit a different change. temporary_failure — DNS lookup failed transiently and will be retried.
Possible values: pending, failed, temporary_failure
capabilities.return_path.reason
nullable string
Machine-readable reason code for a failed capability status. Only set when status is failed. Use this to display a specific message to users rather than a generic failure message.
- tracking_domain_in_use — the link tracking subdomain is already claimed by another organization.
capabilities.dmarc
object
verplicht
DMARC policy check. Satisfied by any valid DMARC record covering the sending domain — on the domain itself or on its registered (organizational) domain; domain reports where the policy was found. A minimal policy of p=none is sufficient.
Onderliggende attributen tonen
capabilities.dmarc.status
string
verplicht
Capability verification status.
- pending — verification has not run, or is currently running. - verified — all DNS records for this capability resolved with the expected values.
- warning — a record for this capability verified before and a recent check no longer matches, but it is still within the grace period. Sending is not yet affected; fix it before the grace period ends.
- failed — DNS records resolved but at least one value is wrong. Update your DNS to recover.
- temporary_failure — DNS lookup failed transiently. Verification is queued for retry; don't change DNS records yet.
- not_configured — the capability is not set up on this domain (e.g. no tracking domain configured).
Possible values: pending, verified, warning, failed, temporary_failure, not_configured
capabilities.dmarc.domain
nullable string
Hostname this capability is configured with — the return-path domain, the tracking domain, or the domain where the DMARC policy was found. Null when not applicable or not configured.
capabilities.dmarc.pending
object
A staged configuration change awaiting DNS verification. The currently active configuration keeps serving until the staged one verifies, at which point it is promoted automatically. Submitting another change for the same capability replaces the staged value.
Onderliggende attributen tonen
capabilities.dmarc.pending.domain
string
verplicht
Hostname the capability will use once the staged change verifies.
capabilities.dmarc.pending.status
string
verplicht
Verification status of the staged change. pending — waiting for the DNS records to be detected. failed — the records resolved with wrong values; correct them or submit a different change. temporary_failure — DNS lookup failed transiently and will be retried.
Possible values: pending, failed, temporary_failure
capabilities.dmarc.reason
nullable string
Machine-readable reason code for a failed capability status. Only set when status is failed. Use this to display a specific message to users rather than a generic failure message.
- tracking_domain_in_use — the link tracking subdomain is already claimed by another organization.
capabilities.tracking
object
verplicht
Branded open/click tracking domain. not_configured until a tracking domain is set. Tracked links are served over HTTPS once the CNAME verifies.
Onderliggende attributen tonen
capabilities.tracking.status
string
verplicht
Capability verification status.
- pending — verification has not run, or is currently running. - verified — all DNS records for this capability resolved with the expected values.
- warning — a record for this capability verified before and a recent check no longer matches, but it is still within the grace period. Sending is not yet affected; fix it before the grace period ends.
- failed — DNS records resolved but at least one value is wrong. Update your DNS to recover.
- temporary_failure — DNS lookup failed transiently. Verification is queued for retry; don't change DNS records yet.
- not_configured — the capability is not set up on this domain (e.g. no tracking domain configured).
Possible values: pending, verified, warning, failed, temporary_failure, not_configured
capabilities.tracking.domain
nullable string
Hostname this capability is configured with — the return-path domain, the tracking domain, or the domain where the DMARC policy was found. Null when not applicable or not configured.
capabilities.tracking.pending
object
A staged configuration change awaiting DNS verification. The currently active configuration keeps serving until the staged one verifies, at which point it is promoted automatically. Submitting another change for the same capability replaces the staged value.
Onderliggende attributen tonen
capabilities.tracking.pending.domain
string
verplicht
Hostname the capability will use once the staged change verifies.
capabilities.tracking.pending.status
string
verplicht
Verification status of the staged change. pending — waiting for the DNS records to be detected. failed — the records resolved with wrong values; correct them or submit a different change. temporary_failure — DNS lookup failed transiently and will be retried.
Possible values: pending, failed, temporary_failure
capabilities.tracking.reason
nullable string
Machine-readable reason code for a failed capability status. Only set when status is failed. Use this to display a specific message to users rather than a generic failure message.
- tracking_domain_in_use — the link tracking subdomain is already claimed by another organization.
capabilities.inbound
object
Inbound mail receiving. not_configured until receiving is enabled on this domain (see DomainUpdate.inbound), then pending while the published MX records are checked, and verified once they resolve to Bird. The MX records to publish are always listed under dns_records (purpose: inbound_mx) as a regional reference, even while this is not_configured — enabling is what actually starts delivery.
Onderliggende attributen tonen
capabilities.inbound.status
string
verplicht
Capability verification status.
- pending — verification has not run, or is currently running. - verified — all DNS records for this capability resolved with the expected values.
- warning — a record for this capability verified before and a recent check no longer matches, but it is still within the grace period. Sending is not yet affected; fix it before the grace period ends.
- failed — DNS records resolved but at least one value is wrong. Update your DNS to recover.
- temporary_failure — DNS lookup failed transiently. Verification is queued for retry; don't change DNS records yet.
- not_configured — the capability is not set up on this domain (e.g. no tracking domain configured).
Possible values: pending, verified, warning, failed, temporary_failure, not_configured
capabilities.inbound.domain
nullable string
Hostname this capability is configured with — the return-path domain, the tracking domain, or the domain where the DMARC policy was found. Null when not applicable or not configured.
capabilities.inbound.pending
object
A staged configuration change awaiting DNS verification. The currently active configuration keeps serving until the staged one verifies, at which point it is promoted automatically. Submitting another change for the same capability replaces the staged value.
Onderliggende attributen tonen
capabilities.inbound.pending.domain
string
verplicht
Hostname the capability will use once the staged change verifies.
capabilities.inbound.pending.status
string
verplicht
Verification status of the staged change. pending — waiting for the DNS records to be detected. failed — the records resolved with wrong values; correct them or submit a different change. temporary_failure — DNS lookup failed transiently and will be retried.
Possible values: pending, failed, temporary_failure
capabilities.inbound.reason
nullable string
Machine-readable reason code for a failed capability status. Only set when status is failed. Use this to display a specific message to users rather than a generic failure message.
- tracking_domain_in_use — the link tracking subdomain is already claimed by another organization.
dns_records
array of object
verplicht
The domain's DNS records and their individual verification state, returned in full on both the list and single-domain responses. This is the complete set to publish across DKIM, return-path, DMARC, tracking, and inbound; records for a staged change carry state: pending. Inbound MX records are always included as a regional reference, even while receiving is off (capabilities.inbound.status is not_configured) — their presence alone does not mean receiving is enabled (see DomainUpdate.inbound).
Onderliggende attributen tonen
dns_records.type
string
verplicht
Possible values: TXT, CNAME, MX
dns_records.name
string
verplicht
The record name — the part you enter in your DNS provider's "Name" or "Host" field, relative to the DNS zone the record belongs in (your registered domain). For a sending domain mail.acme.com the DKIM record name is bird1._domainkey.mail, entered in the acme.com zone. @ for records at the zone apex.
dns_records.host
string
verplicht
The fully qualified hostname for this record (e.g. bird1._domainkey.mail.acme.com).
dns_records.value
string
verplicht
The value to publish, as entered in your DNS provider's "Value" or "Content" field: the full record content for TXT, the target hostname for CNAME, and the priority followed by the mail server hostname for MX.
dns_records.purpose
string
verplicht
What this record is for.
- dkim — signs outbound mail and proves domain ownership. - return_path — return-path (bounce) CNAME for sending. - tracking — branded open/click tracking CNAME (optional). - dmarc — advisory DMARC policy record. - inbound_mx — MX record routing mail to Bird for receiving. Always present wherever inbound is available, as a regional reference, regardless of whether receiving is enabled; publishing it does not enable receiving on its own — see DomainUpdate.inbound.
Possible values: dkim, return_path, tracking, inbound_mx, dmarc
dns_records.state
string
verplicht
Lifecycle state of this record.
- active — the record backs the domain's current configuration. - pending — the record belongs to a staged configuration change; publish it to complete the change.
- deprecated — the record belonged to a previous configuration. Keep it in DNS until safe_to_remove is true; in-flight mail and previously sent tracked links may still resolve through it.
Possible values: active, pending, deprecated
dns_records.optional
boolean
verplicht
Whether this record can be skipped. Optional records enable extra functionality (e.g. tracking) but are not required for sending.
dns_records.status
string
verplicht
Verification status of this record's most recent DNS check.
- pending — the record has not verified yet; publish it (or correct it) and it will verify on the next check.
- verified — the most recent check matched the expected value. - warning — the record verified before and a recent check no longer matched, but it is still within the grace period. Sending is not yet affected; fix the record before the grace period ends to avoid it being blocked.
- failed — the record verified before but later checks kept failing past the grace period; the configuration has regressed and needs attention.
Possible values: pending, verified, warning, failed
dns_records.error
nullable string
Human-readable detail for a failed check on this record — what was found in DNS and why it did not match. Null when the record is verified or not yet checked.
dns_records.safe_to_remove
nullable boolean
Only set on deprecated records: true once the record is no longer referenced by in-flight mail or live tracked links and can be deleted from your DNS. Null on active and pending records.
last_checked_at
nullable string
When Bird last checked this domain's DNS records, whether or not the outcome changed. Updated on every verification — your manual refresh and the periodic automatic re-checks alike. Null if the domain has never been checked.
verified_at
nullable string
When the domain's ownership was confirmed — the moment status became verified via the DKIM record. Unchanged by later re-checks while it stays verified. Null if the domain has never been verified.
created_at
string
verplicht
When the domain was added.
updated_at
string
verplicht
When the domain's configuration was last changed (such as a settings or return-path change). Verification re-checks do not change this; see last_checked_at and verified_at for verification timing.