GitHub Pages DNS check stuck "in progress" for weeks — custom domain

[raffaelschneider]

Summary

My GitHub Pages DNS check has been stuck on "DNS Check in Progress" for several weeks. The site works, but GitHub will not issue a certificate that covers the apex domain.

Repository

raskell-io/www.raskell.io

Custom domain

www.raskell.io (with apex raskell.io configured via A records)

Current behavior

• DNS is correctly configured (verified via dig):
  • www.raskell.io → CNAME to raskell-io.github.io ✓
  • raskell.io → A records pointing to GitHub IPs (185.199.108-111.153) ✓
• HTTP redirects work: http://raskell.io → https://www.raskell.io/ ✓
• But: https://raskell.io fails with SSL error — certificate only covers www.raskell.io, not the apex

What I have tried

1. Removed and re-added the custom domain multiple times
2. Deleted and re-added the CNAME file in the repo
3. Triggered fresh deploys
4. Waited weeks
5. Disabled Cloudflare proxy (now DNS-only/gray cloud)

The DNS check never completes. It just stays on "DNS Check in Progress" indefinitely.

Expected behavior

DNS check should complete and GitHub should issue a certificate covering both www.raskell.io and raskell.io.

Environment

• Using Cloudflare for DNS (proxy disabled, DNS-only mode)
• Site deploys via GitHub Actions using peaceiris/actions-gh-pages

[MasteraSnackin]

Hey! So this is actually working as GitHub intended, believe it or not. The issue is that GitHub Pages will only generate a certificate for the exact domain you put in the custom domain field - in your case www.raskell.io. It won't cover both the apex and www when you're using this redirect setup.

Basically what's happening:

• Your www.raskell.io has a valid certificate ✓
• Your apex raskell.io is just pointing to GitHub to redirect people to the www version
• But there's no certificate for the apex, so https://raskell.io throws an SSL error
• The redirect only works over HTTP, not HTTPS

The "DNS Check in Progress" thing is mostly a cosmetic issue - it's GitHub not recognizing this setup pattern even though your DNS is fine and the site works.

You've got a few options:

1. Just use HTTP for the apex
Keep your current setup and accept that http://raskell.io redirects fine, but https://raskell.io won't work. Most people will find you via www anyway.

2. Flip it around
Make raskell.io your main domain in GitHub Pages settings instead of www.raskell.io. Then the apex will get the certificate and www will redirect to it. This is probably the cleanest solution if you don't mind using the apex as primary.

3. Use Cloudflare to handle the SSL
Turn Cloudflare proxy back on (orange cloud) and let Cloudflare issue certificates for both domains. GitHub won't need to worry about certs at all since Cloudflare sits in front.

I'd probably go with option 2 or 3 depending on whether you prefer apex or www. Let me know if you want more specific steps for either approach!

[raffaelschneider]

Thank you for your amazingly fast answer. Cheers!