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Set up a custom tracking domain (CNAME)

Point a subdomain at FirstSales with one CNAME record so open, click and unsubscribe tracking runs on your own domain. With SSL provisioned automatically.

  1. Open Tracking Domains

    In workspace settings, open Tracking Domains and start a new domain.

  2. Pick a subdomain

    Enter a tracking subdomain like track.yourcompany.com in Your tracking subdomain. Use a dedicated subdomain, not your root domain.

  3. Copy the CNAME target

    FirstSales shows a CNAME target: click Copy. This is the single record you'll add at your registrar.

  4. Add the CNAME at your registrar

    In your DNS settings add a CNAME record: Host/Name = your subdomain (e.g. track), Value/Target = the target you copied. Save. Propagation can take up to 48 hours, though it's usually minutes.

  5. Verify before saving

    FirstSales tests the CNAME in-page; Save Domain unlocks only once the CNAME verifies (“CNAME must be verified before saving”). Save it once it passes.

  6. Watch the status ladder

    The card walks through CNAME → SSL → HTTPS: Pending → CNAME OK → SSL OK → Verified. It auto-rechecks every 5 minutes, and SSL is provisioned for you: there's no certificate to install.

    Watch the status ladder
  7. Handle Failed

    If the status shows Failed (after 24 hours), re-check the CNAME host and target for typos and click Retry Verification.

  8. You're done

    Once Verified, tracking for Delivered, Opened, Clicked, Unsubscribed, and Re-subscribed runs on your own domain: better trust and deliverability than a shared tracking link.

Pro tips

  • Use a dedicated subdomain

    track. or email. keeps tracking isolated from your website's DNS and is easy to reason about later.

  • CNAME only: SSL is automatic

    You add exactly one record. FirstSales provisions the HTTPS certificate itself; don't try to add or upload a cert.

  • This is not email authentication

    A tracking domain doesn't set SPF, DKIM, or DMARC: do those on your sending domain. Both matter; they're separate setups.

  • Give DNS a few minutes

    Propagation is usually fast but can take up to 48 hours. The card auto-rechecks every 5 minutes, so you can leave it and come back.

Frequently asked questions

What is a tracking domain?

A subdomain you point at FirstSales with one CNAME record, so open/click/unsubscribe tracking runs on your own domain instead of a shared one.

How many DNS records do I add?

Just one CNAME. SSL is provisioned automatically.

What do I set Host and Value to?

Host/Name = your subdomain (e.g. track); Value/Target = the CNAME target FirstSales shows (use Copy).

Why won't Save Domain enable?

Save unlocks only after the CNAME verifies. If it's disabled, the record hasn't propagated yet or has a typo.

What do the statuses mean?

Pending (waiting for CNAME) → CNAME OK → SSL OK → Verified. Failed means it didn't verify within 24 hours.

How long does it take?

Often minutes; DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours. The card auto-rechecks every 5 minutes.

Does this set up SPF/DKIM/DMARC?

No: that's email authentication on your sending domain, a separate setup.

What does the tracking domain track?

Delivered, Opened, Clicked, Unsubscribed, and Re-subscribed events.

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.

$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.