Porkbun DNS Integration

What it is / why we use it

Porkbun is the domain registrar and DNS provider for all ChurchWiseAI domains except pewsearch.com (which delegates DNS to Vercel). Porkbun is where nameserver records are set, domain renewals are managed, and DNS records (A, CNAME, TXT, MX) for each domain are configured. All active domains point to Vercel via Porkbun DNS; acquired-but-not-deployed domains are parked or pointed to a placeholder.

Account Info

Platform: Porkbun (porkbun.com)
Account: john@churchwiseai.com (assumed; manage via Porkbun dashboard)
Agent CLI: No Porkbun CLI is configured. DNS changes currently require founder action in the Porkbun dashboard.
API availability: Porkbun has a REST API but it is not currently wired into any codebase or agent tooling.

Domain-to-DNS-Provider Mapping

Domain	DNS Provider	Points To	Status
churchwiseai.com	Porkbun	Vercel	Active — main AI products site
sermonwise.ai	Porkbun	Vercel	Active — hostname rewrite at `/sermons`
sharewiseai.com	Porkbun	Vercel	Active — hostname rewrite at `/social/*` (Coming Soon)
illustratetheword.com	Porkbun	Vercel	Active — ITW codebase
funeralwiseai.com	Porkbun	TBD	Acquired, not deployed (future vertical #1)
memorialwiseai.com	Porkbun	TBD	Acquired, not deployed (future vertical #1 alias)
veterinarywiseai.com	Porkbun	TBD	Acquired, not deployed (future vertical #3)
pewsearch.com	Vercel DNS	Vercel	Active — exception: uses Vercel nameservers directly

Important: pewsearch.com is the only domain that uses Vercel DNS (nameservers delegated to Vercel). All others use Porkbun nameservers and configure DNS records there.

Typical DNS Record Pattern for Active Domains

When adding a domain to Vercel for a new property, the standard Porkbun setup is:

In Vercel: add the domain to the project → Vercel provides required records
In Porkbun: add those records (typically A record for apex, CNAME for www)
Verify propagation via dig or nslookup

For domains with email sending (churchwiseai.com, pewsearch.com, illustratetheword.com):

SPF record: TXT @ "v=spf1 include:resend.com ~all" (or Resend's current recommended SPF)
DKIM records: provided by Resend for each verified sender domain
MX records: Google Workspace MX records for john@churchwiseai.com receiving

Key Environment Variables

None. Porkbun is a pure DNS/registrar service — no API keys are used in any codebase.

CLI / API Patterns & Gotchas

No agent CLI configured: There is no Porkbun CLI or API key in the agent toolchain. DNS changes require manual founder action in the Porkbun dashboard. If DNS automation becomes important (e.g., when spinning up new verticals at scale), wire up the Porkbun API with a stored API key.

Porkbun API (for future use): Porkbun provides a REST API at https://porkbun.com/api/json/v3/. Authentication uses an API key + secret key pair generated in the Porkbun dashboard. Supported operations include: create/edit/delete DNS records, list domains, check pricing. If adding new vertical domains frequently, consider automating DNS setup via this API.

pewsearch.com is the exception — use Vercel: DNS for pewsearch.com is managed in the Vercel dashboard (Domains → pewsearch.com → DNS Records), not Porkbun. If someone changes nameservers for pewsearch.com to Porkbun, it will break. The separation is intentional — pewsearch.com was added to Vercel before the pattern of using Porkbun was established.

TTL considerations: Default Porkbun TTL is 600 seconds (10 minutes). For initial setup or changes, this means up to 10 minutes for propagation. For emergency DNS changes, Porkbun allows TTL as low as 300 seconds.

Resend domain verification: Resend requires DNS TXT records for DKIM and SPF to verify sender domains. These must be added in Porkbun for each property's sending domain. If emails are hitting spam or being rejected, verify that the Resend-required records are present and correct in Porkbun.

Domain auto-renewal: Ensure auto-renewal is enabled for all active domains in the Porkbun dashboard. All three active site domains and the future vertical domains should renew automatically. Check annually.

Failure Modes & Recovery

Failure	Behavior	Recovery
DNS records misconfigured	Domain returns NXDOMAIN or wrong IP; site unreachable	Log into Porkbun, verify records match Vercel's required values
Domain not renewed	Domain expires; site goes offline	Enable auto-renewal in Porkbun; add billing card for auto-pay
DKIM/SPF records missing	Transactional emails go to spam	Add Resend-provided TXT records in Porkbun for the affected domain
pewsearch.com DNS edited in Porkbun accidentally	Breaks pewsearch.com	Revert changes; pewsearch.com DNS lives in Vercel dashboard only
Propagation delay	New records not resolving yet	Wait up to TTL (600s default); verify at whatsmydns.net
Nameservers accidentally changed	Entire domain goes offline	Restore Porkbun nameservers (or Vercel nameservers for pewsearch.com)

Adding a New Vertical Domain

When launching a new WiseAI vertical (e.g., FuneralWiseAI):

Domain should already be registered in Porkbun (all priority domains are acquired)
In Vercel: add domain to the new vertical's project → Vercel provides DNS record values
In Porkbun: add A record for apex + CNAME for www as specified by Vercel
In Resend: add and verify the domain for transactional email sending
Add Resend DKIM/SPF TXT records to Porkbun
Verify propagation, then test email delivery

Cost Model / Usage Limits

Domain registration: ~$10-25/year per domain depending on TLD (.com ≈ $10, .ai ≈ $50-80)
DNS hosting: Free with domain registration at Porkbun
API access: Free; API key generated from account settings
Current portfolio: ~8 domains registered. Annual renewal budget estimated at ~$200-400/year total.

What it is / why we use it​

Account Info​

Domain-to-DNS-Provider Mapping​

Typical DNS Record Pattern for Active Domains​

Key Environment Variables​

CLI / API Patterns & Gotchas​

Failure Modes & Recovery​

Adding a New Vertical Domain​

Cost Model / Usage Limits​

See Also​