Guide

Custom Domain — Serve Your Site on Your Own Domain

Q: Do I need a CNAME or an A record?

Use a CNAME if you are pointing a subdomain like www.example.com, pointing to the origin host shown in the panel. Use the A + TXT method if you are pointing a root/apex domain like example.com — an A record to the server IP, plus a TXT record at _openclaw-verify.example.com holding your verification token.

Q: How long does DNS verification take?

DNS changes usually propagate in 5-10 minutes. If verification fails immediately after saving a DNS record, wait a few minutes and try again.

Once your AI assistant has built and hosted a site, you can attach your own domain to it instead of staying on the default *.openclawlaunch.app address. This guide covers what a custom domain gives you, the exact steps from the dashboard's Website page, the DNS records it shows you, and how to fix the most common verification snags.

What a Custom Domain Gives You

A custom domain lets a site your bot built and deployed answer at a domain you own — for example yourbrand.com — instead of the default *.openclawlaunch.app subdomain. The site itself does not change: the same static or dynamic app your assistant deployed keeps running on your instance. A custom domain only changes what address visitors type in to reach it, and once it is verified, OpenClaw Launch issues HTTPS for it automatically so it loads securely with no extra certificate work on your end.

This is useful once a portfolio, landing page, or app you had your assistant build is ready to share under your own brand rather than a shared subdomain.

Prerequisite: A Hosted Site

Custom domains attach to a site you already have running. If you have not deployed one yet, start with Static Site Hosting — tell your bot to build and deploy a site to workspace/sites/{name}/, and it goes live at name.openclawlaunch.app in seconds. Once that site exists on your dashboard's Website page, you can attach a domain to it using the steps below.

Custom domains are also plan-gated: the free trial does not include custom domains, the Lite plan allows up to 3, and the Pro plan allows up to 10, counted across all your sites.

Step-by-Step: Add, Point DNS, Verify

Open the Website page — On your dashboard, go to the site you want to attach a domain to and click Domains. This opens the Custom Domains panel for that site.
Add your domain — Type the domain (e.g. example.com) into the field and click Add Domain. It is created with a pending status and OpenClaw Launch generates a verification token for it.
Set the DNS records at your registrar — The panel shows the exact record(s) to add, based on whether you are pointing a subdomain (CNAME) or an apex/root domain (A + TXT) — see the next section for the specifics of each.
Click Verify — Back in the panel, click Verify. OpenClaw Launch checks that your DNS resolves the way it expects. If DNS has not propagated yet, verification fails with a reason, and you can simply try again after waiting.
Automatic HTTPS goes live — Once verification passes, the domain flips to active and the server issues a certificate and starts routing that domain to your site. No manual certificate upload or renewal — it is handled for you and kept current automatically.

DNS Records Explained

The Domains panel offers two methods depending on the type of domain you are pointing. Pick the one that matches what you own.

CNAME (recommended — for a subdomain)

If you are pointing a subdomain (e.g. www.example.com or app.example.com), add a CNAME record at your subdomain name, pointing to the origin host the panel shows you. Keep the record DNS-only — do not route it through a proxying CDN in front of your registrar/DNS provider (e.g. Cloudflare's orange-cloud proxy), since that would intercept the certificate issuance and routing OpenClaw Launch relies on.

A + TXT (for an apex/root domain)

Root domains (e.g. example.com with no subdomain) can't use a CNAME at the apex, so this method uses two records instead:

An A record at the root, pointing to the server IP the panel shows you.
A TXT record at _openclaw-verify.example.com, with the verification token the panel generated when you added the domain, as its value — this is how OpenClaw Launch confirms you actually control the domain before issuing a certificate for it.

For either method, also remove any existing AAAA (IPv6) records on the domain, and if the domain has CAA records, make sure they allow letsencrypt.org to issue certificates for it — otherwise certificate issuance will fail even with correct A/CNAME/TXT records.

Troubleshooting

DNS propagation delay

DNS changes typically propagate in 5–10 minutes, but registrars and resolvers vary. If Verify fails right after you save a DNS record, wait a few minutes and click Verify again rather than re-adding the domain.

Wrong record type or value

Double-check you used the exact record type (CNAME vs A vs TXT), the exact name shown, and the exact value shown in the panel — a typo in the origin host, server IP, or verification token value is the most common cause of a failed check. Reopen the DNS instructions in the panel to compare against what is live at your registrar.

Verification stuck pending

A domain stays pending until a successful Verify click. If it keeps failing after DNS looks correct and has had time to propagate, confirm the record is not routed through a proxying CDN (for the CNAME method) and that no AAAA record or blocking CAA record remains on the domain.

Related Guides

Static Site Hosting — build and deploy a site from your bot before attaching a domain
Coding Workspace Hosting — a hosted cloud dev box for AI coding CLIs
What is OpenClaw? — the AI agent framework behind your hosted bot
OpenClaw Launch hosting plans — pricing and feature details
Pricing — plan tiers and custom domain limits

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need before I can add a custom domain?

A site your assistant has already built and deployed, live at a *.openclawlaunch.app address. See Static Site Hosting to deploy one first — then open its Domains panel on the dashboard's Website page.

Do I need a CNAME or an A record?

Use a CNAME if you are pointing a subdomain (like www.example.com) — it points to the origin host shown in the panel. Use the A + TXT method if you are pointing a root/apex domain (like example.com) — an A record to the server IP, plus a TXT record at _openclaw-verify.example.com holding your verification token.

How long does DNS verification take?

DNS changes usually propagate in 5–10 minutes. If clicking Verify fails immediately after saving a DNS record, wait a few minutes and try again — no need to re-add the domain.

Do I need to set up HTTPS myself?

No. Once your domain verifies, HTTPS is issued and kept current automatically. There is nothing to upload or renew on your side — just make sure any CAA records on the domain allow letsencrypt.org to issue certificates, and remove any AAAA records.

How many custom domains can I attach?

It depends on your plan: the free trial does not include custom domains, Lite allows up to 3, and Pro allows up to 10, counted across all of your sites. See Pricing for plan details — a free trial is available if you want to try hosting a site first.