DIAGNOSTIC PLAYBOOK
A new email record is still missing: check negative caching
Resolvers can cache an earlier missing-record answer. A newly published record may be visible authoritatively while a recursive resolver temporarily continues to report that it does not exist.
HealthCheck Email editorial team · · Examples are illustrative
How to investigate
- Query the authoritative service directly to establish whether the new record is published.
- Compare recursive responses and inspect the zone's negative-cache timing information.
- Allow the relevant cached response to expire, then retry the exact name and record type.
What this looks like
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
A DKIM selector was queried before publication. One resolver remembers the negative answer while another already retrieves the new public key.
A mistake to avoid
Repeatedly deleting and recreating the record does not clear remote caches. Verify authoritative correctness before making further edits.
Keep the result in context
The authoritative DNS service publishes records; recursive resolvers may retain earlier answers until their cache expires. Save the queried name, record type, resolver, answer and time. A website loading correctly does not establish that email records are present or that an SMTP server accepts mail.
Take the next step
Use the related check to gather evidence, then compare it with the affected message or service. Keep the result and time with your notes so a later change can be distinguished from the original problem.
Sources and further reading
The protocol references below explain the underlying behavior. Your sending or DNS provider supplies the account-specific settings for its service.