Connect your email to Commslayer – Cloudflare

Connect your email to Commslayer using the recommended Standard setup. This guide is for domains managed in Cloudflare.

Time required: About 10 minutes

Before you start

You'll need:

Access to your Cloudflare account (domain DNS settings)
Access to your email provider's settings to set up forwarding
An email address on your domain (like support@yourstore.com) with a mailbox you can forward from — not a free @gmail.com address

Step 1: Create your inbox in Commslayer

Go to Settings → Inboxes and click Add inbox
Select **Email **
Choose Standard setup (the recommended option)
Enter your support email address (e.g. support@yourstore.com)
Give your inbox a name (e.g. "Support" or your store name)
Click Create inbox

Commslayer will show you two DNS records to add. Keep this page open.

Step 2: Add DNS records in Cloudflare

Open Cloudflare DNS settings

Log in to Cloudflare
Select your domain from the dashboard
Click DNS in the left sidebar, then Records

Add the DKIM record

Click Add record
Set the type to TXT
Fill in:
- Name: Copy from Commslayer (looks like xxxxxxxx._domainkey) — Cloudflare appends your domain automatically
- Content: Copy the long string from Commslayer
- TTL: Auto
Set Proxy status to DNS only (grey cloud, not orange)
Click Save

Add the Return-Path record

Click Add record
Set the type to CNAME
Fill in:
- Name: Copy from Commslayer (looks like pm-bounces)
- Target: Copy from Commslayer
- TTL: Auto
Set Proxy status to DNS only (grey cloud, not orange)
Click Save

Proxy status: Both records must be set to DNS only. If Cloudflare proxies them (orange cloud), DNS verification will fail.

Verify your records

Go back to Commslayer and click Verify. Cloudflare propagates quickly — records often verify within minutes.

Step 3: Set up email forwarding

Log in to your email provider's settings or control panel
Find Forwarding, Email routing, or Email rules
Create a rule to forward all incoming email to the address shown in Commslayer
Save and enable the rule

Using Cloudflare Email Routing? Go to Email → Email Routing → Routing Rules and set the destination to the forwarding address shown in Commslayer.

Important: Many providers send a confirmation email to verify the forwarding address. That email arrives in your Commslayer inbox — check there, find it, and click the link. Forwarding won't work until you do this.

Use forward or redirect — not "send as" or "reply to". Forward all messages, not just specific ones.

Step 4: Test your setup

Send a test email to your support address from a different email account. It should appear in your Commslayer inbox within a minute or two.

Only new forwarded emails will appear in Commslayer — historical emails are not imported.

Common issues

Forwarding not working

Check your Commslayer inbox for a confirmation email from your email provider — you must click the link before forwarding activates. This is the most common issue.

DNS records not verifying

Make sure both records have Proxy status: DNS only — not proxied
Wait up to 48 hours for propagation (usually much faster with Cloudflare)
Check whatsmydns.net to see propagation status
Copy values exactly — no extra spaces

Emails not appearing in Commslayer

Verify forwarding is enabled and active
Check that the forwarding address is correct (copy it fresh from Commslayer)
Look for any filters or rules that might be intercepting emails

Provider blocking external forwarding

Some providers block forwarding to external addresses by default. Check your provider's documentation or contact their support to enable it.