DreamHost Skill - DNS Management

Manage DNS records via the DreamHost API. Add, remove, and update A/AAAA/CNAME/TXT records, check propagation.

CRITICAL: DNS Modification Confirmation Required

Before modifying ANY DNS records, you MUST get explicit user confirmation.

When the user asks to change DNS:

1. First, show current records using get-records
2. Show the proposed changes clearly
3. Ask: "Do you want me to apply these DNS changes?"
4. ONLY run set/add/remove commands AFTER the user explicitly confirms
5. NEVER modify DNS without confirmation

Important Limitations

• No MX record management — MX records are managed by DreamHost automatically. Cannot add/remove MX via API.
• No native update — To update a record, the skill removes the old and adds the new (set-record handles this).
• Editable field — Some records are DreamHost-managed (editable=false) and cannot be modified via the API.
• Supported types for add/remove: A, AAAA, CNAME, NS, NAPTR, SRV, TXT

First-Time Setup (~2 minutes)

1. Get API Key

1. Log into DreamHost Web Panel
2. Navigate to the API section (search for "API" in panel)
3. Click Generate a new API Key
4. Select permissions: dns-list_records, dns-add_record, dns-remove_record
5. Copy the API Key

2. Save Credentials

cat > ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/config.json << 'EOF'
{
  "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
}
EOF

Commands

List Domains

Lists all unique domains (zones) in the account with record counts.

python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py list-domains

Get DNS Records

python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py get-records DOMAIN [--type TYPE] [--name NAME]

Examples:

# All records
python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py get-records epochml.com

# Only A records
python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py get-records epochml.com --type A

# Root A records
python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py get-records epochml.com --type A --name @

Set DNS Record (Replace)

Removes existing editable records of the same type+name, then adds the new one.

python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py set-record DOMAIN TYPE NAME DATA [--comment COMMENT]

Examples:

# Point root to IP
python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py set-record epochml.com A @ 66.241.125.165

# Point www to CNAME
python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py set-record epochml.com CNAME www myapp.fly.dev

# Add ACME challenge
python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py set-record epochml.com CNAME _acme-challenge domain.flydns.net

Add DNS Record

Adds a record without removing existing ones.

python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py add-record DOMAIN TYPE NAME DATA [--comment COMMENT]

Remove DNS Record

Removes a specific record (must specify exact type, name, AND value).

python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py remove-record DOMAIN TYPE NAME VALUE

Example:

python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py remove-record epochml.com A @ 216.24.57.7

Bulk Set (Multiple Records)

Set many records at once from JSON. For each record, removes existing editable records of the same type+name first.

# From inline JSON
python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py bulk-set DOMAIN '[{"type":"A","name":"@","data":"1.2.3.4"},{"type":"CNAME","name":"www","data":"app.fly.dev"}]'

# From a JSON file
python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py bulk-set DOMAIN /path/to/records.json

JSON format:

[
  {"type": "A", "name": "@", "data": "66.241.125.165"},
  {"type": "AAAA", "name": "@", "data": "2a09:8280:1::d2:59e0:0"},
  {"type": "CNAME", "name": "www", "data": "myapp.fly.dev"},
  {"type": "CNAME", "name": "_acme-challenge", "data": "domain.flydns.net"}
]

Check DNS Propagation

Uses local dig to check what DNS currently resolves to.

python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py check-dns DOMAIN

Common Workflows

Point Domain to Fly.io

# 1. Check current records
python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py get-records mydomain.com

# 2. Set the records Fly.io needs
python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py bulk-set mydomain.com '[
  {"type":"A","name":"@","data":"FLY_IPV4"},
  {"type":"AAAA","name":"@","data":"FLY_IPV6"},
  {"type":"CNAME","name":"www","data":"APP.fly.dev"},
  {"type":"CNAME","name":"_acme-challenge","data":"DOMAIN.flydns.net"}
]'

# 3. Verify propagation
python3 ~/.claude/skills/dreamhost-skill/dreamhost_skill.py check-dns mydomain.com

Output Format

All commands output JSON for easy parsing. Errors include detail messages from the DreamHost API.