Could a Vercel team member check whether the apex domain is attached to another project/team or whether there is an internal verification issue?
The domain troubleshooting guide can help with most custom domain configuration issues. You might be able to use that guide to solve it before a human is available to help you. Then you can come back here and share the answer for bonus points.
Since www works but the apex does not, I’d debug them as two separate records. The wildcard CNAME can cover subdomains, but it does not replace the root/apex record.
I’d first compare the live DNS result with the exact value Vercel shows for the apex domain in Project Settings → Domains:
dig A novaaistudiohq.com +short
dig AAAA novaaistudiohq.com +short
dig CAA novaaistudiohq.com +short
dig CNAME www.novaaistudiohq.com +short
For the apex, dig A should return only the A record Vercel expects for that project. dig AAAA should be empty unless Vercel specifically asked you to add one. For www, the CNAME should match the Vercel target shown in the dashboard.
One thing I’d be careful with: don’t assume 216.198.79.141 is correct just because it is a Vercel IP. Use the exact record value shown for novaaistudiohq.com in that project’s domain settings.
If those outputs are clean and the dashboard still shows Invalid Configuration, then the next useful thing to share would be the four dig outputs above plus a screenshot of the Vercel domain card with any unrelated project/team details hidden.
Thanks for the suggestion. I checked the project’s DNS configuration and the required apex A record is 216.198.79.141. My Porkbun DNS matches it exactly. There are no AAAA records, no duplicate A records, and www.novaaistudiohq.com works correctly. The apex domain is configured as a redirect to www, but Vercel still shows “Invalid Configuration.” Could this indicate the apex domain is stuck in verification or attached to another Vercel project internally?
Leaderboard Winner
Hi Belvermiriam,
It could be stuck or attached elsewhere, but I would not jump there yet. If the domain were owned/claimed by another Vercel team, Vercel would usually ask for TXT verification rather than just a normal DNS “Invalid Configuration” state.
One thing to check is the exact domain status from the CLI, because it can show whether Vercel thinks the domain is configured, verified, or waiting on a challenge:
vercel domains inspect novaaistudiohq.com
Also, since the apex is configured as a redirect to www, the apex still needs to be valid first. The redirect only works after the request reaches Vercel and the domain is accepted/certified; it does not bypass DNS or verification.
I’d test the redirect path directly:
curl -I http://novaaistudiohq.com
curl -Iv https://novaaistudiohq.com
If HTTP reaches Vercel but HTTPS fails, then the remaining issue may be certificate/verification state. If HTTP does not reach Vercel either, then something in DNS delegation or the live apex record is still not what Vercel is seeing.
The most useful next detail would be the redacted output of vercel domains inspect ``novaaistudiohq.com, especially whether it shows a verification challenge or says the domain is configured but not verified.
reply to #3
Thanks again for your help. I followed the recommendations and also waited several days.
Current status:
* The apex A record exactly matches the value shown by Vercel (216.198.79.141).
* There are no AAAA records.
* There are no duplicate A records.
* The _acme-challenge TXT records have been removed.
* novaaistudiohq.com still shows Invalid Configuration and does not resolve.
At this point, could someone from the Vercel team check whether the apex domain is stuck in an internal verification or certificate state, or whether it is still attached to another internal domain association? It seems we’ve exhausted the public DNS troubleshooting.
Leaderboard Winner
Hi Belvermiriam,
If the public DNS really resolves to the exact A record Vercel shows and it has stayed that way for several days, then I agree you’re probably past the usual “fix the registrar records” stage.
The one wording detail I’d clarify is “does not resolve.” If this command returns 216.198.79.141, then DNS does resolve:
dig @1.1.1.1 A novaaistudiohq.com +short
In that case, the issue is more likely that Vercel is not accepting/certifying/routing the apex domain, not that DNS is missing.
I’d package the escalation with the smallest reproducible evidence:
dig @1.1.1.1 A novaaistudiohq.com +short
dig @8.8.8.8 A novaaistudiohq.com +short
dig AAAA novaaistudiohq.com +short
dig CAA novaaistudiohq.com +short
curl -I http://novaaistudiohq.com
curl -Iv https://novaaistudiohq.com
vercel domains inspect novaaistudiohq.com
If both public resolvers return the expected A record, there are no AAAA/CAA blockers, and vercel domains inspect still shows the domain as invalid or stuck, then I think it’s reasonable to ask for a Vercel-side check of the apex domain’s verification/certificate/association state.
I’d include those command outputs plus the Vercel domain card screenshot, with any team/project IDs or unrelated account details hidden.
Thanks for the guidance. I believe we've reached that point now.
The DNS has been stable for several days and matches the values shown by Vercel. The apex A record resolves correctly, there are no AAAA records, the old _acme-challenge TXT records have been removed, and www.novaaistudiohq.com works normally.
At this stage, I don't think the issue is with my registrar configuration anymore.
Could someone from the Vercel team please check the internal status of the apex domain (novaaistudiohq.com) to see whether it's stuck in verification, certificate provisioning, routing, or another internal association? If there's anything on Vercel's side preventing the apex domain from becoming valid, I'd appreciate having that checked.
I really need help from someone on the Vercel team. I've been trying to fix this for almost two weeks.
I've already verified the A record, removed the old _acme-challenge TXT records, checked for duplicate A/AAAA records, waited for DNS propagation, and followed all the advice given so far. I also confirmed that my DNS matches the values shown by Vercel.
I'm on the Hobby plan, so I can't open a paid support case.
Could someone from the Vercel team please investigate whether my apex domain is stuck in an internal verification, certificate, or routing state? I would really appreciate any help, as I've been stuck on this issue for almost two weeks.
