Skip to content
NewSee how

Turn on Managed DKIM for a mailbox

Let FirstSales generate and rotate DKIM keys for you. Add one CNAME record and it handles the rest. Available for SMTP/IMAP and relay mailboxes.

Tutorials
Deliverability
min read
6 min
steps
8 · Intermediate

  1. Connectors → open a mailbox → Technical tab

    Open a SMTP/IMAP (or relay) mailbox and go to the Technical tab, which shows SPF, DKIM, and DMARC status.

  2. Find the Managed DKIM block

    For eligible mailboxes you'll see a Managed DKIM panel: “FirstSales can generate and rotate DKIM keys for you automatically.”

  3. Click Enable Managed DKIM

    FirstSales generates a DKIM key pair and returns a real DNS record; a toast confirms “Managed DKIM enabled: add the CNAME record below.”

  4. Copy the CNAME record

    The Technical tab now lists the exact DKIM host and value: copy them.

    Copy the CNAME record

  5. Add it at your registrar

    Create the CNAME in your DNS (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Route53, …) and save. If you're on Cloudflare, use the one-click apply instead of typing it in by hand: see the Cloudflare tutorial.

  6. Let it verify

    FirstSales re-checks DNS automatically. Once the record resolves, DKIM flips to OK and your SPF/DKIM/DMARC score rises: DKIM is a third of it.

  7. Rotation is automatic

    Because DKIM is managed, FirstSales rotates the key over time with no further DNS changes: you added the CNAME once.

  8. OAuth mailboxes are different

    Google and Microsoft mailboxes manage DKIM themselves: there's no Enable button for them. Follow their provider's own DKIM guide instead.

Pro tips

  • Managed DKIM is for credential mailboxes

    SMTP/IMAP and relay accounts get the one-click generate-and-rotate. Google/Microsoft handle DKIM on their side: you won't (and don't need to) see the button.

  • Add the CNAME once; forget rotation

    The whole point is that FirstSales rotates keys for you. A raw self-managed DKIM key means you own rotation forever.

  • On Cloudflare? Skip manual DNS

    The Cloudflare one-click flow applies the DKIM record for you: faster and typo-proof.

  • DKIM is a third of your auth score

    Enabling it moves the SPF/DKIM/DMARC bar meaningfully; pair it with SPF and DMARC for full authentication.

Frequently asked questions

What is Managed DKIM?

FirstSales generates and rotates your DKIM keys automatically; you add one CNAME record and it handles the rest.

Which mailboxes can use it?

SMTP/IMAP (password) and relay mailboxes. Google/Microsoft mailboxes self-manage DKIM and only get a setup guide.

Where do I turn it on?

On the mailbox's Technical tab, click Enable Managed DKIM.

What do I add to DNS?

One CNAME (host + value) that the Technical tab shows after you enable it: copy and add it at your registrar.

Do I have to rotate the key myself?

No: rotation is automatic once the CNAME is in place.

Why don't I see the Enable button?

Either DKIM already passes, or the mailbox is Google/Microsoft (OAuth), which manages DKIM itself.

Does this replace SPF and DMARC?

No: DKIM is one of three. Still set SPF and DMARC on your sending domain.

I'm on Cloudflare: is there a faster way?

Yes: use the Cloudflare one-click apply to add the record without manual DNS entry.

Deliverability

Outreach that keeps going after you log off.Leads, emails, follow-ups and replies, handled.

Connect unlimited mailboxes and let AI agents find leads, write each email and follow up. Or send your own templates in manual mode. From $29/mo.

Start your $1 trial See pricing

$1 for 3 days · Cancel anytime · No contract

Install with AI

Your coding agent sets up the FirstSales CLI and skills for you.

Prompt for Claude Code

I'm setting up FirstSales (https://firstsales.io), an AI outbound sales platform: campaigns, contacts, a reply inbox, deliverability and lead signals. Help me get my workspace sending real, good emails end to end, from Claude Code.

Read these first so you know how FirstSales works:
- Developer docs and API: https://developer.firstsales.io
- CLI: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@firstsales.io/cli
- Skills for coding agents: https://github.com/firstsalesio/firstsales-skills (read README.md and GUIDE.md)

Setup
1. Install the CLI: npm install -g @firstsales.io/cli
2. Install the FirstSales skills:
   claude plugin marketplace add firstsalesio/firstsales-skills
   claude plugin install firstsales@firstsales
3. Ask me if I already have a FirstSales account. If not, send me to https://app.firstsales.io to sign up.
4. Ask me to create an API key under Settings → API → API Keys, with only the scopes we need.
   Never ask me to paste the key into this chat. Tell me to run this in my own terminal, so the key stays hidden:
   read -rs FS_KEY && firstsales auth login --api-key "$FS_KEY"; unset FS_KEY
5. Run `firstsales whoami` and tell me which workspace and organisation we are connected to.

Then ask me about my business: what I sell, who I sell to (roles, company size, countries), my best customers, and what I use today for outbound (tools, lists, mailboxes). Walk me through:
1. Teaching FirstSales my business: website, offer, proof points and case studies in the knowledge base, so the AI writes like someone who knows the product.
2. Connecting my sending mailboxes and checking my sending domain: SPF, DKIM, DMARC and warm-up. If anything is unhealthy, tell me the exact DNS record to add.
3. Bringing in contacts: import my CSV or CRM export into a clean list, remove duplicates and bad emails, and block domains I must never email (customers, competitors, my own).
4. Building my first campaign: the right list, senders, steps and timing. Write the sequence with me, show me the drafts, and do not launch until I say yes.
5. Setting up Signals if it fits: find people engaging with LinkedIn posts about topics my buyers care about, and turn them into leads.
6. Inviting my team and giving each person the right access.

Once campaigns run, show me how to work the reply inbox from here: which replies need an answer, draft responses in my voice, and move good conversations into deals. If I use Cal.com, connect it so follow-ups can offer my booking link (not the first email).

Throughout, as you learn about my business, proactively suggest and help create:
- Reply templates for the questions and objections my prospects are likely to raise, based on my product, site and codebase if you can see them.
- Campaign ideas and segments worth testing, with the reason for each.

Safety rules:
- Show every change as a dry run (--dry-run) first and wait for my yes. Never send emails, launch campaigns or delete anything without my yes.
- Tell me before anything that spends credits, and how many.

Be opinionated. If the docs give a sensible default, just use it. Don't make me choose between five options.
Developer docs ↗npm: @firstsales.io/cli ↗GitHub: firstsales-skills ↗