Point cloudyreader.com at the site

The custom domain cloudyreader.com is set in Settings > Pages. GitHub builds the site from the branch main, folder /docs. DNS already points the name at GitHub Pages. This guide lists what is done, what is left, and how to check each part.

The commands on this page are untested: CI does not run them.

Know the current state

This is the state on 2026-11-05.

Part	State
Custom domain in Settings > Pages	Set to cloudyreader.com. GitHub recorded it in docs/CNAME.
DNS records	Done. The apex has four A records for the GitHub Pages addresses. www is a CNAME to kiwee-co.github.io.
GitHub DNS check	GitHub reports the domain valid.
Certificate	GitHub reports it approved.
Domain verification	Open. It is optional and happens at organization level.
Enforce HTTPS	Open. Turn it on after the site is live.

• Do not edit or delete docs/CNAME. GitHub created the file and reads it.
• GitHub redirects the project address, kiwee-co.github.io/CloudyReader/, to the custom domain.
• The pages use relative links, so they work at the root of the custom domain.

Plan the remaining steps

Step	State	Where	What it does
1. Verify the domain	Open, optional	GitHub organization settings	Reserves cloudyreader.com for your organization.
2. Set the DNS records	Done	Your DNS host or registrar	Points the name at GitHub Pages.
3. Enforce HTTPS	Open	Repository Settings > Pages	Turns on HTTPS for the name, once the site is live.

Do step 1 even though it is optional. DNS already points at GitHub Pages, so verification is the protection against a takeover. It ties the name to your organization. If the claim in the repository ever lapses, nobody else can serve the name from another repository. A lapse happens, for example, when someone deletes docs/CNAME.

You need the Owner role in the Kiwee-Co organization and access to the DNS settings of cloudyreader.com.

Step 1. Verify the domain for the organization

1. Open the settings of the Kiwee-Co organization.
2. Under Code, planning, and automation, choose Pages.
3. Click Add a domain and enter cloudyreader.com.
4. GitHub shows a TXT record: a name and a value. The name is _github-pages-challenge-Kiwee-Co.cloudyreader.com. Add that record at your DNS host with the value that GitHub shows.

5. Wait until the record is visible:

   dig _github-pages-challenge-Kiwee-Co.cloudyreader.com +short -t TXT
   

6. Return to the Pages settings and click Verify.

Keep the TXT record after the verification. GitHub checks it again from time to time. Verifying cloudyreader.com also covers its immediate subdomains, such as www.

Some DNS hosts want the full name in the host field. Others add the domain themselves, so you enter only _github-pages-challenge-Kiwee-Co. If the check fails, run dig and look for a doubled cloudyreader.com.cloudyreader.com.

Step 2. Know the DNS records (done)

These records are in place at the DNS host. The host field for the apex is @, empty, or cloudyreader.com, depending on the host.

Type	Host	Value
A	apex	185.199.108.153
A	apex	185.199.109.153
A	apex	185.199.110.153
A	apex	185.199.111.153
CNAME	www	kiwee-co.github.io

The CNAME target is the organization address without the repository name. The apex is the custom domain, so GitHub redirects www.cloudyreader.com to it.

AAAA records are optional. None are set, and the site works without them. To add IPv6, create four AAAA records for the apex: 2606:50c0:8000::153, 2606:50c0:8001::153, 2606:50c0:8002::153, and 2606:50c0:8003::153.

Keep these conditions true:

• The apex has no other A, AAAA, ALIAS, ANAME, or CNAME record. A parking-page record from the registrar is the usual culprit.
• The zone has no wildcard record such as *.cloudyreader.com. A wildcard can expose subdomains to takeover.
• If the domain has CAA records, one of them allows Let’s Encrypt, for example 0 issue "letsencrypt.org". GitHub gets its certificates from Let’s Encrypt.
• If your DNS host offers a proxy or CDN, the records stay on “DNS only”.

Check the addresses against GitHub’s current documentation. GitHub lists them in Managing a custom domain for your GitHub Pages site. The Pages address resolves to the same set:

dig kiwee-co.github.io +short -t A
dig kiwee-co.github.io +short -t AAAA

Step 3. Turn on HTTPS

1. Wait until the site shows its home page at http://cloudyreader.com/.
2. Open Settings > Pages in the repository.
3. Check that the DNS check succeeded and that GitHub issued the certificate.
4. Select Enforce HTTPS.

GitHub documents up to 24 hours for DNS changes to take effect. Often it takes minutes. After you select the box, check both schemes:

curl -sI http://cloudyreader.com/ | head -n 1
curl -sI https://cloudyreader.com/ | head -n 1

The first command prints a redirect, such as HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently. The second prints HTTP/2 200.

Read the DNS check in Settings > Pages

GitHub shows the check result under Custom domain. GitHub words these messages in its own way and can change them. Match by meaning.

What Settings > Pages shows	What it means	What to do
DNS check in progress	GitHub is checking the records.	Wait a few minutes. Reload the page.
DNS check successful	The records point at GitHub Pages. GitHub can request the certificate.	Wait for the certificate. Then enforce HTTPS.
DNS check unsuccessful: “Domain does not resolve to the GitHub Pages server”	The name resolves, but not to the GitHub Pages addresses.	Compare the dig output with the table in step 2. Remove stale A and AAAA records. Turn off a proxy.
DNS check unsuccessful: “Domain’s DNS record could not be retrieved”	GitHub got no DNS answer for the name.	Check the spelling. Check that the records live at the DNS host that your registrar points to. Wait for propagation.
DNS check unsuccessful: “Both cloudyreader.com and its alternate name are improperly configured”	Neither the apex nor www passes.	Fix the apex records and the www CNAME.
DNS check unsuccessful, with a message about www and a CNAME record	The www record is missing, or it is not a CNAME to kiwee-co.github.io.	Add or fix the www record.
Enforce HTTPS unavailable: a certificate has not yet been issued	GitHub waits for a passing DNS check, then issues the certificate.	Wait. Reload the page.
Enforce HTTPS unavailable: the domain is not properly configured to support HTTPS	The DNS check fails, or a CAA record blocks Let’s Encrypt.	Fix the DNS records. Allow letsencrypt.org in CAA.
A message that another repository or account uses the domain	Another site claims the name.	Verify the domain for the organization (step 1). If the message stays, contact GitHub support.

Check DNS with dig

Check the apex and www:

dig cloudyreader.com +noall +answer -t A
dig cloudyreader.com +noall +answer -t AAAA
dig www.cloudyreader.com +noall +answer
dig cloudyreader.com +noall +answer -t CAA

The apex A query returns the four IPv4 addresses. The TTL values vary:

cloudyreader.com.      3600  IN  A      185.199.108.153
cloudyreader.com.      3600  IN  A      185.199.109.153
cloudyreader.com.      3600  IN  A      185.199.110.153
cloudyreader.com.      3600  IN  A      185.199.111.153

The www query returns the CNAME and then the four addresses behind it:

www.cloudyreader.com.  3600  IN  CNAME  kiwee-co.github.io.
kiwee-co.github.io.    3600  IN  A      185.199.108.153
kiwee-co.github.io.    3600  IN  A      185.199.109.153
kiwee-co.github.io.    3600  IN  A      185.199.110.153
kiwee-co.github.io.    3600  IN  A      185.199.111.153

The AAAA query returns nothing, because no AAAA records are set. The CAA query returns nothing, or a record that allows letsencrypt.org.

A DNS answer can lag by the old record’s TTL. If your DNS host lets you, lower the TTL of a record before you replace it. dig shows what your own resolver sees. Another resolver can answer differently until the change spreads.

Do not use a registrar redirect

Many registrars offer “URL forwarding” or “redirect” for a domain. Do not use it here. Use the DNS records above.

• No certificate. A forwarding service answers for your name on its own servers. GitHub never sees DNS that points at its servers. So Pages cannot issue a certificate for the name, and https:// fails or shows a warning.
• A loop. GitHub redirects kiwee-co.github.io/CloudyReader/ to cloudyreader.com. A registrar redirect from cloudyreader.com back to kiwee-co.github.io/CloudyReader/ sends the browser around forever.
• A wrong address bar. A forward changes the address that visitors see and share.

With DNS records, the browser connects to GitHub directly. GitHub presents the certificate for your name. There is a single hop.

Fix common errors

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
The Pages settings report a DNS problem	A missing record, a typo, or a stale A record	Compare dig output with the table in step 2. Delete the stale record.
The domain stays unverified	A wrong TXT name or value, or a doubled domain in the name	Run the dig query from step 1. Fix the record.
Enforce HTTPS stays unavailable	The certificate is pending, a CAA record blocks Let’s Encrypt, or a proxy sits in front of the records	Wait. Allow letsencrypt.org in CAA. Set the records to “DNS only”.
GitHub shows a 404 page on the new name	The site build failed, or docs/CNAME is missing	Open the Actions tab and check the latest Pages build. Check that docs/CNAME exists.
www shows a certificate warning	The www record is missing, or it is not a CNAME to kiwee-co.github.io	Add or fix the record.
The browser reports too many redirects	A registrar redirect points back at the project address	Remove the redirect. Use the DNS records.

To undo the change, clear Custom domain in Settings > Pages, then remove the records from your DNS host. Do not delete docs/CNAME by hand while the domain is set.

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