GitHub Pages: DNS check and domain verification fail for 13mirrors.ru

[elenarasprugina]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

Body

Hello,

My user site (repository elenarasprugina/elenarasprugina.github.io) uses the custom domain 13mirrors.ru.

Since September 27, Settings → Pages shows "DNS check unsuccessful — InvalidDNSError", and the certificate is stuck at "Certificate Requested (1 of 3)", so I cannot enable "Enforce HTTPS". I removed and re-added the custom domain on September 29 — nothing changed.

Today I also tried to verify the domain (Settings → Pages → Add a verified domain). GitHub says "We couldn't find the TXT record", but the record exists and resolves worldwide (dnschecker.org shows it resolved everywhere; also checked with 8.8.8.8, 1.1.1.1 and 9.9.9.9):

_github-pages-challenge-elenarasprugina.13mirrors.ru TXT "f443cf4ddad9fef8530ec63341a7ff"

Current DNS (nameservers ns1.reg.ru, ns2.reg.ru):
13mirrors.ru A 185.199.108.153, 185.199.109.153, 185.199.110.153, 185.199.111.153
no AAAA, no CAA, no DNSSEC
www.13mirrors.ru CNAME elenarasprugina.github.io
CNAME file in the repository: 13mirrors.ru

The site itself works over http://13mirrors.ru. It looks like GitHub's checks cannot see my DNS records. Could you please re-run the DNS check and the domain verification on your side and issue the HTTPS certificate?

Thank you!

[github-actions[bot]]

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[sunmeat]

Hi @elenarasprugina, thanks for the thorough write-up. You've already ruled out the most common causes, and your records match GitHub's documented setup:

• Apex A records for all four GitHub Pages IPs (185.199.108.153 to 185.199.111.153)
• www CNAME pointing to elenarasprugina.github.io
• Correctly formatted TXT challenge name (_github-pages-challenge-<username>.<domain>)
• No AAAA, CAA, or DNSSEC records that could interfere

Because the records look right and resolve publicly, the next step is to confirm that both authoritative nameservers serve them consistently, then escalate to GitHub Support. The DNS check and certificate request run on GitHub's side, and only staff can re-run them.

1. Query your authoritative nameservers directly

Public resolvers (8.8.8.8, 1.1.1.1) can return cached or aggregated answers. Check each nameserver individually:

# Apex A records, one query per nameserver
dig +short A 13mirrors.ru @ns1.reg.ru
dig +short A 13mirrors.ru @ns2.reg.ru

# Verification TXT record, one query per nameserver
dig +short TXT _github-pages-challenge-elenarasprugina.13mirrors.ru @ns1.reg.ru
dig +short TXT _github-pages-challenge-elenarasprugina.13mirrors.ru @ns2.reg.ru

# www CNAME
dig +short CNAME www.13mirrors.ru @ns1.reg.ru
dig +short CNAME www.13mirrors.ru @ns2.reg.ru

# Confirm there are no stray records
dig +short AAAA 13mirrors.ru @ns1.reg.ru
dig +short CAA 13mirrors.ru @ns1.reg.ru

What to look for:

• Both nameservers must return identical answers. If one is missing the TXT or A records, a checker that happens to query that server will report the record as missing.
• The TXT value should appear exactly once, without doubled quotes. Some DNS panels add their own quotation marks, so entering "value" can store literal quote characters.
• There should be no extra apex A/CNAME/ALIAS records pointing anywhere other than the four GitHub IPs.

Note

Domain verification (the TXT record) is optional for serving your site and for HTTPS. It protects against domain takeovers. The InvalidDNSError and the stuck certificate come from the separate DNS check, so don't wait on one to fix the other.

2. Reset the Pages domain configuration cleanly

1. In Settings → Pages, clear the Custom domain field and save.
2. Confirm the CNAME file is removed from the publishing source (if you deploy with GitHub Actions, the file is not used and the field in settings is the source of truth).
3. Wait a few minutes, then re-enter 13mirrors.ru and save.
4. Leave DNS untouched for the next 24 hours, since changes to records restart the clock on certificate provisioning.
5. Click Check again under the DNS warning, and retry Verify on the domain verification page.

3. Rule out a platform incident

Check [githubstatus.com](https://www.githubstatus.com/) for any Pages incident affecting DNS checks or certificate issuance.

4. Escalate to GitHub Support

If both nameservers return correct, identical records and the steps above change nothing, GitHub needs to investigate from its side. Open a ticket via [GitHub Support](https://support.github.com/contact) (category: GitHub Pages) with:

Subject: Pages custom domain 13mirrors.ru: InvalidDNSError and stuck certificate

Repository: elenarasprugina/elenarasprugina.github.io
Custom domain: 13mirrors.ru
Symptoms since 2026-09-27:
  - Settings > Pages: "DNS check unsuccessful - InvalidDNSError"
  - Certificate stuck at "Certificate Requested (1 of 3)"; Enforce HTTPS unavailable
  - Domain verification: "We couldn't find the TXT record"
Actions taken: removed and re-added the domain on 2026-09-29, no change
DNS (nameservers ns1.reg.ru, ns2.reg.ru):
  13mirrors.ru A 185.199.108.153, 185.199.109.153, 185.199.110.153, 185.199.111.153
  www.13mirrors.ru CNAME elenarasprugina.github.io
  _github-pages-challenge-elenarasprugina.13mirrors.ru TXT (present, resolves publicly)
  No AAAA, CAA, or DNSSEC
Request: Please re-run the DNS check and domain verification and investigate why
GitHub's resolvers do not see the records.

Tip

Attach the output of the dig commands against both nameservers. It lets support see immediately whether the records are consistent on your side.

Workaround (not an official fix)

If you need HTTPS right away, you can put a CDN/proxy such as Cloudflare in front of the site and terminate TLS there. GitHub's own check and certificate will still show the error, but visitors get HTTPS from the proxy. Treat this as a stopgap until Support resolves the underlying DNS check.

References

• [Managing a custom domain for your GitHub Pages site](https://docs.github.com/en/pages/configuring-a-custom-domain-for-your-github-pages-site/managing-a-custom-domain-for-your-github-pages-site)
• [Verifying your custom domain for GitHub Pages](https://docs.github.com/en/pages/configuring-a-custom-domain-for-your-github-pages-site/verifying-your-custom-domain-for-github-pages)
• [Securing your GitHub Pages site with HTTPS](https://docs.github.com/en/pages/getting-started-with-github-pages/securing-your-github-pages-site-with-https)
• [Troubleshooting custom domains and GitHub Pages](https://docs.github.com/en/pages/configuring-a-custom-domain-for-your-github-pages-site/troubleshooting-custom-domains-and-github-pages)

I'm a community member, not GitHub staff, so please confirm details against the current docs. If the dig results show a mismatch between your nameservers, post them (with the TXT value redacted if you prefer) and we can help interpret them.