# Sending domain

Connect a domain you own, so workflow emails go out from it and replies come back to the app and to your inbox.

Updated Oct 28, 2026. Source: https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/integrations/email/sending-domain

- **Direction:** Both: workflow emails go out, replies come back
- **Sign-in:** None: you add DNS records at your domain provider
- **Time to set up:** About fifteen minutes, plus the time your DNS provider takes to publish the records

## What this does

Workflow emails go out through Mailgun. Connecting a sending domain in Small Business Chatbot adds your domain to the app's Mailgun account, so the emails come from your domain. Replies to them come back to the app: they show in [Conversations](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/conversations-and-analytics/conversations) and on the CRM contact, they can stop a workflow that has stop-on-reply on, and they're forwarded to the sender's own inbox.

> **Note:** Until you connect a domain, workflow emails go out through the app's own sending domain. Connect yours to bring replies back into the app.

## Before you start

- A domain you own, and access to its DNS settings at your domain provider.
- A subdomain to send from, such as `mg.yourdomain.com`.
- A working inbox on your main domain for each address your workflow emails come from, such as `hello@yourdomain.com`. Replies are forwarded there.

> **Careful:** Use a subdomain, not the domain your team's email runs on. The setup includes receiving records that send the domain's incoming mail to Mailgun. On your main domain, they could take your team's email away from its inboxes.

## Add the domain

1. **Open Admin**

   In the app, open **Admin** and find the **Workflow Email (Mailgun)** card. Its badge reads **Not connected** until you add a domain, and **active** once the domain is verified.

   ![The Workflow Email (Mailgun) card in Admin marked active, with the domain mg.example.com and the Add & Verify, View DNS instructions and Send test email buttons](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/integrations/sending-domain-card-2026-10-28.webp)
   *Admin › Workflow Email (Mailgun), October 2026*

2. **Enter the subdomain**

   Under **Enter domain name**, type your subdomain, such as `mg.yourdomain.com`. Click **Add & Verify**.

3. **Read the records**

   The **Mailgun DNS Setup** window opens with one row per record: **Record** (its type), **Host**, **Required value** and **Verified**. Each host and value has a copy button.

   ![The Mailgun DNS Setup window listing the DNS records to add, each with its host, value and verification status](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/integrations/sending-domain-dns-records-2026-10-28.webp)
   *Admin › Workflow Email (Mailgun), October 2026*

## Publish the records

1. **Add each record at your domain provider**

   At your domain provider, add every row as a DNS record of the type shown, with its host and its value. The list can include a DMARC record, on the `_dmarc` host.

2. **Verify**

   In the app, in **Admin › Workflow Email (Mailgun)**, click **View DNS instructions** to reopen the window, then click **Verify DNS**. The summary line counts the records verified, pending and invalid. When the domain passes, the app says **Mailgun domain is verified.** and the badge reads **active**.

## Send a test

In **Admin › Workflow Email (Mailgun)**, click **Send test email**. It goes to the address in **Primary Email for Conversations** on the same page ([Admin settings](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/account/admin-settings)), from an address on your domain, with a short check-in subject line. The app says **Test email sent.**

## Use it in a workflow

In a **Send Email** step of a [workflow](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/workflows/your-first-workflow), set **From email** to an address on your domain, such as `hello@yourdomain.com`, and **Sender name** to the name readers see. Replies go to the same name at your sending subdomain, such as `hello@mg.yourdomain.com`, and come back to the app from there.

## What it does

- Sends workflow emails through Mailgun, from your domain.
- Brings replies back into **Conversations** and onto the CRM contact, and forwards them to the sender's address on your main domain.
- Lets an email reply stop a workflow that has stop-on-reply switched on.
- Sends only when a published workflow reaches a **Send Email** step, while outbound email is switched on.

## If something goes wrong

| You see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Enter a domain first. | **Enter domain name** is empty | Type your subdomain |
| Domain is connected but still waiting for DNS verification. | Mailgun hasn't seen every record yet | Check each row against your provider, wait for the records to publish, then click **Verify DNS** again |
| A row shows **Invalid** | The record at your provider doesn't match | Copy the host and value from the window again |
| DNS records are not available yet for this domain. | Mailgun returned no records | Click **Add & Verify** again |
| Connect a Mailgun domain before sending tests | No domain is saved | Add the domain first |
| `Mailgun API error:` or `Mailgun request failed:` followed by a message | Mailgun refused the request; the message says why | Fix what the message names, then try again |