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Practical lesson

How product ownership checks work

Toolfound verifies control of the product’s domain before a submission goes live or an existing public listing becomes manageable. The flow never needs your hosting password, DNS password, private key, or access to unrelated accounts.

Start from the right product path

If the product already has a public Toolfound listing, open that listing and follow its Claim link at /claim/{listing-slug}; do not create a duplicate through /submit. If the product is not listed, start at https://toolfound.com/submit. Both paths generate proof for the product’s own domain.

A same-domain mailbox can complete the emailed one-time link. Otherwise, use the exact HTML meta tag or DNS TXT value returned by the submission or claim flow. Never invent, shorten, or reuse a token from an example.

Place the generated proof exactly

For HTML, copy the generated <meta name="toolfound-verify" content="…"> element into the public homepage head. For DNS, create a TXT record on the domain shown by Toolfound. Most DNS providers call the root host @; if yours requires a full hostname, use the exact domain Toolfound displays. The TXT value has the generated form toolfound-verify=… and must match character for character.

Resolve a not_verified result

A not_verified result means Toolfound could not see the exact generated meta tag or TXT value yet. Query the root domain’s TXT records through a public DNS resolver and compare the complete returned value with the verification panel. DNS caching can delay a correct change; adding the value under www or another subdomain will not satisfy a root-domain check.

For a meta tag, view the public homepage source and confirm the exact generated element appears in the returned head without requiring a signed-in session or browser script. A redirect to another domain can make an otherwise correct tag invisible to the check. For an existing listing, return through that listing’s Claim link and reuse the current emailed check link instead of starting a new submission.

Limitations

  • Technical control of a domain does not establish trademark ownership, company authority, or the truth of a listing’s claims.
  • DNS changes may be cached, and some services require a proof to remain in place after the first successful check.

Primary sources

Browse the free toolkit for the next step.