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Custom domain for the hosted chat page

Written by Joseph Russo, Principal Architect, Networks and Tech, AskVault · Reviewed by Allison Chan
Last updated: · 4 min read

When to use a custom domain

By default the hosted chat page lives at askvault.co/c/{slug}. Most teams move to a custom subdomain for three reasons:

  1. Brand consistency. chat.yoursite.co looks like your product. askvault.co/c/... looks like a third party.
  2. Trust. Visitors are more likely to click a link on your own domain than a link going off-site.
  3. SEO signal. The hosted page can rank for branded queries when on your domain.

The cost is one DNS record plus about 30 minutes of setup time.

What you'll need

Three things before you start:

  • Access to your DNS provider. Cloudflare, Route 53, GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.
  • A subdomain. Typically chat, support, help, or ask. Avoid the root domain (yoursite.co directly) since it conflicts with your main site.
  • An AskVault workspace on Growth or above. Growth+

Setup walkthrough

Five steps, about 30 minutes including DNS propagation:

Step 1: pick the subdomain

In your dashboard:

  1. Open Channels > Hosted Page > Custom Domain.
  2. Enter the subdomain (e.g., chat.yoursite.co).
  3. Click "Verify and proceed".

AskVault shows two DNS records to add: a CNAME that routes traffic to AskVault, and a TXT record at _askvault-verify.<your domain> that proves you own it.

Step 2: add the CNAME record

In your DNS provider:

  1. Open your DNS zone editor.
  2. Add a new CNAME record:
    • Name: chat (or your chosen subdomain prefix)
    • Target: the value AskVault shows in the dashboard
    • TTL: 300 seconds (5 minutes) for faster initial propagation; can raise later.
  3. Save.

Then add the TXT record:

  • Name: _askvault-verify.chat (your provider may add the rest of the domain for you)
  • Value: the token AskVault shows

Both records are required.

Step 3: wait for DNS propagation

DNS changes take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to be visible everywhere, depending on your provider and TTL.

Check propagation:

Terminal window
dig CNAME chat.yoursite.co

Or:

Terminal window
nslookup chat.yoursite.co

Both should return AskVault's hosted endpoint. If they return NXDOMAIN, wait longer or check the DNS record syntax.

Step 4: verify in AskVault

Back in the dashboard:

  1. Click "Check verification". AskVault looks up the TXT record on your domain.
  2. If it matches, the domain is marked verified. If not, the message says what it found, so you can fix the record.
  3. HTTPS certificate. After verification, our team issues a Let's Encrypt certificate for your domain. Until then, the page will not load over HTTPS on that domain. We will let you know when it is live; contact support if it is taking longer than a working day.

Step 5: confirm and ship

Open https://chat.yoursite.co in your browser. You should see your hosted chat page rendered under the custom domain with a valid SSL certificate.

Update any links on your site, marketing materials, or email signatures that pointed at the old askvault.co/c/{slug} URL. The old URL still works (no redirect break), but the new domain is the canonical surface.

DNS provider specifics

The CNAME record itself is standard, but some providers have quirks:

Cloudflare.

  • Proxy status: turn OFF the orange cloud (set to "DNS only"). Cloudflare's proxy interferes with our SSL provisioning.
  • After SSL provisions: you can optionally re-enable the proxy, but this disables AskVault's edge optimizations.

Route 53.

  • Alias vs CNAME: use a regular CNAME, not an "A record alias". Aliases only work for AWS-internal targets.

GoDaddy, Namecheap.

  • TTL options: pick the lowest available (typically 600 seconds). Lower TTL = faster propagation.

Apex domain (root domain).

  • Most DNS providers don't allow CNAME at the apex. Use a subdomain. ALIAS / ANAME records (Cloudflare, Route 53) can work for apex on Business and above; contact support for the right target.

One custom domain per workspace

Each workspace's hosted page supports a single custom domain. If you have multiple brands sharing one knowledge base (e.g., chat.brand1.co and chat.brand2.co), create a separate workspace per brand and point each one's custom domain at its own hosted page.

Remove or change your custom domain

To remove it, clear the Custom Domain field and click Save Settings. The domain and its verification are removed, the page stops answering on that domain within a few seconds, and it stays available at askvault.co/c/{slug}. You can then delete the CNAME and _askvault-verify TXT records at your DNS provider.

To change it, type the new hostname and save. A new hostname gets a new TXT verification value, so open Show DNS records again and verify the new domain.

SSL certificate details

  • Issuer: Let's Encrypt.
  • Renewal: handled by AskVault; you do not need to do anything.
  • HSTS header: sent with max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload.

If you need an EV certificate or a specific CA (some Enterprise security policies require this), contact support.

Redirect behavior

After setup:

  • chat.yoursite.co. Loads the hosted page directly.
  • askvault.co/c/{slug}. Still works. Returns the same page. AskVault does not redirect it to the custom domain, and there is no option to force one.

Both URLs stay live. If you want visitors to use the custom domain, link to it from your site, marketing materials and email signatures.

Audience on hosted pages

The hosted page is a public channel on a custom domain exactly as it is on askvault.co: sources set to Internal are excluded from retrieval either way.

Monitoring and uptime

The hosted page runs on the same infrastructure as the rest of AskVault, with the same uptime target and no separate guarantee. See SLA for what AskVault does and does not commit to.

Planned features (on the roadmap)

Documented for accuracy:

  • Domain-level analytics. Today, analytics roll up per workspace. Planned to break down by custom domain (which domain drove which conversations).
  • Self-serve apex (root domain) support. Today, apex requires support help. Planned as self-serve on Business.
  • Bring your own certificate. Today, Let's Encrypt only.

Limits

  • Custom domains per workspace. 1, on Growth and above.
  • Certificate. Let's Encrypt, issued by our team after verification and renewed by AskVault.

Common pitfalls

CNAME doesn't resolve. TTL not elapsed yet, or typo in the record. Wait 30 minutes; if still failing, re-check the record.

SSL not provisioning. Cloudflare proxy enabled. Turn off the orange cloud during initial setup.

"Connection not secure" warning in browser. The certificate has not been issued yet. It is issued after your domain verifies; contact support if it is still missing after a working day.

Apex domain CNAME rejected. DNS providers don't allow CNAME at the apex. Use a subdomain (chat, support, ask).

FAQ

Can I use the root domain (yoursite.co) directly?

Not via CNAME on most DNS providers. Cloudflare and Route 53 support ALIAS/ANAME records which can target the root; contact support for the right target.

How long does setup take?

Adding the two records takes a few minutes. Then allow for DNS to propagate and for our team to issue the certificate after you verify.

Can I use my own SSL certificate?

Today, Let's Encrypt only. BYO certificate is planned for Enterprise.

What happens if I let the custom domain DNS lapse?

Visitors see a DNS error. The fallback askvault.co/c/{slug} URL keeps working. Restore DNS to recover.

Can I have multiple custom domains for one workspace?

No, one custom domain per workspace. For multi-brand teams, create a separate workspace per brand and set a custom domain on each.

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