From 5c17e340d39435796fa8722c037152fd9fe863c0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: John Coffey <john@coffeylabs.org>
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2026 14:52:49 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] DNS wizard: allow connecting with no records to publish

A domain that only needs its DNS host for DNS-01 certificate orders
publishes nothing, which the server accepts since inbuxa-server #304.
The records step no longer insists on at least one type and says what
none means. With nothing to write, the review offers "Connect" and
says no records are written, and the last step says the domain is
connected instead of counting 0 of 0 records and checking public DNS.
---
 src/features/dns/ConnectDnsPage.tsx | 124 ++++++++++++++++++----------
 src/i18n/en.json                    |   8 +-
 2 files changed, 87 insertions(+), 45 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/features/dns/ConnectDnsPage.tsx b/src/features/dns/ConnectDnsPage.tsx
index 62ec8e5..5ef0c06 100644
--- a/src/features/dns/ConnectDnsPage.tsx
+++ b/src/features/dns/ConnectDnsPage.tsx
@@ -619,7 +619,6 @@ export function ConnectDnsPage({ domainId }: { domainId: string }) {
         {...common}
         onBack={() => setStep(choice?.mode === 'new' ? 1 : 0)}
         onNext={() => setStep(3)}
-        canNext={kinds.size > 0}
         aside={
           <WizardNote title={t('dnsWizard.recordsNote', 'Your other records are safe')}>
             <p>
@@ -663,6 +662,14 @@ export function ConnectDnsPage({ domainId }: { domainId: string }) {
               </div>
             </section>
           ))}
+          {kinds.size === 0 && (
+            <p className="rounded-xl border bg-muted/40 p-4 text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+              {t(
+                'dnsWizard.noRecordsNote',
+                'Nothing is selected, so the server writes no records. That suits a domain that only needs its DNS host for DNS-01 certificate orders.',
+              )}
+            </p>
+          )}
         </div>
         <div className="space-y-1.5">
           <Label htmlFor="dns-origin">{t('dnsWizard.origin', 'DNS zone (optional)')}</Label>
@@ -693,7 +700,11 @@ export function ConnectDnsPage({ domainId }: { domainId: string }) {
         onBack={() => setStep(2)}
         onNext={finish}
         busy={busy}
-        nextLabel={t('dnsWizard.publish', 'Connect and publish')}
+        nextLabel={
+          selectedRecords.length === 0
+            ? t('dnsWizard.connectOnlyButton', 'Connect')
+            : t('dnsWizard.publish', 'Connect and publish')
+        }
         aside={
           <>
             <WizardNote title={t('dnsWizard.happensTitle', 'What happens next')}>
@@ -703,11 +714,17 @@ export function ConnectDnsPage({ domainId }: { domainId: string }) {
                       provider: labelOf(choice.variant),
                     })
                   : t('dnsWizard.happensExisting', 'Your existing connection is used,')}{' '}
-                {t(
-                  'dnsWizard.happensRest',
-                  '{{domain}} switches to automatic DNS, and the server starts writing records straight away. Most hosts show them within a minute or two.',
-                  { domain: domain.name },
-                )}
+                {selectedRecords.length === 0
+                  ? t(
+                      'dnsWizard.happensNoRecords',
+                      '{{domain}} switches to automatic DNS, and nothing is written. The server uses the connection only for DNS-01 certificate orders.',
+                      { domain: domain.name },
+                    )
+                  : t(
+                      'dnsWizard.happensRest',
+                      '{{domain}} switches to automatic DNS, and the server starts writing records straight away. Most hosts show them within a minute or two.',
+                      { domain: domain.name },
+                    )}
               </p>
             </WizardNote>
             <WizardNote tone="undo" title={t('dnsWizard.undoTitle', 'Changing your mind')}>
@@ -735,14 +752,22 @@ export function ConnectDnsPage({ domainId }: { domainId: string }) {
           </dd>
           <dt className="text-muted-foreground">{t('dnsWizard.reviewRecords', 'Records')}</dt>
           <dd>
-            <span className="font-medium">{selectedRecords.length}</span>{' '}
-            <span className="text-muted-foreground">
-              {t('dnsWizard.reviewGroups', 'across {{groups}}', {
-                groups: RECORD_GROUPS.filter((g) => g.kinds.some((k) => kinds.has(k.kind)))
-                  .map((g) => g.title.toLowerCase())
-                  .join(', '),
-              })}
-            </span>
+            {selectedRecords.length === 0 ? (
+              <span className="text-muted-foreground">
+                {t('dnsWizard.reviewNoRecords', 'None. The DNS host is only used for certificate orders.')}
+              </span>
+            ) : (
+              <>
+                <span className="font-medium">{selectedRecords.length}</span>{' '}
+                <span className="text-muted-foreground">
+                  {t('dnsWizard.reviewGroups', 'across {{groups}}', {
+                    groups: RECORD_GROUPS.filter((g) => g.kinds.some((k) => kinds.has(k.kind)))
+                      .map((g) => g.title.toLowerCase())
+                      .join(', '),
+                  })}
+                </span>
+              </>
+            )}
           </dd>
           {origin.trim() && (
             <>
@@ -756,7 +781,7 @@ export function ConnectDnsPage({ domainId }: { domainId: string }) {
             {t('dnsWizard.alreadyAuto', 'This domain already publishes automatically; this updates its settings.')}
           </p>
         )}
-        <div>
+        <div hidden={selectedRecords.length === 0}>
           <button
             type="button"
             onClick={() => setShowZone((v) => !v)}
@@ -938,6 +963,8 @@ function LiveStep({
   const failed = task?.status?.['@type'] === 'Failed' || task?.status?.['@type'] === 'Retry';
   const failure = summarizeFailure(task?.status?.failureReason);
   const pct = records.length ? Math.round((liveCount / records.length) * 100) : 0;
+  // A domain that only needs DNS for DNS-01 orders publishes nothing (#304)
+  const nothingToPublish = records.length === 0 && !failed;
 
   return (
     <WizardShell
@@ -946,15 +973,17 @@ function LiveStep({
       nextLabel={t('dnsWizard.done', 'Done')}
       aside={
         <>
-          <WizardNote title={t('dnsWizard.howChecked', 'How this is checked')}>
-            <p>
-              {t(
-                'dnsWizard.howCheckedBody',
-                'Every few seconds this page asks {{resolver}} for each record, so a green tick means the whole internet can see it.',
-                { resolver: RESOLVER_NAME },
-              )}
-            </p>
-          </WizardNote>
+          {!nothingToPublish && (
+            <WizardNote title={t('dnsWizard.howChecked', 'How this is checked')}>
+              <p>
+                {t(
+                  'dnsWizard.howCheckedBody',
+                  'Every few seconds this page asks {{resolver}} for each record, so a green tick means the whole internet can see it.',
+                  { resolver: RESOLVER_NAME },
+                )}
+              </p>
+            </WizardNote>
+          )}
           {createdServerId && (
             <WizardNote tone="undo" title={t('dnsWizard.undoTitle', 'Changing your mind')}>
               <p>
@@ -969,29 +998,36 @@ function LiveStep({
       }
     >
       <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-6">
-        <ProgressRing pct={pct} done={allLive} />
+        <ProgressRing pct={nothingToPublish ? 100 : pct} done={allLive || nothingToPublish} />
         <div className="min-w-0 flex-1 space-y-1">
           <h2 className="text-lg font-semibold">
-            {allLive
-              ? t('dnsWizard.allLive', 'All set. {{domain}} is live.', { domain: domain.name })
-              : t('dnsWizard.progress', '{{live}} of {{total}} records are live', {
-                  live: liveCount,
-                  total: records.length,
-                })}
+            {nothingToPublish
+              ? t('dnsWizard.connectedOnly', '{{domain}} is connected.', { domain: domain.name })
+              : allLive
+                ? t('dnsWizard.allLive', 'All set. {{domain}} is live.', { domain: domain.name })
+                : t('dnsWizard.progress', '{{live}} of {{total}} records are live', {
+                    live: liveCount,
+                    total: records.length,
+                  })}
           </h2>
           <p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">
-            {failed
-              ? t('dnsWizard.taskFailedShort', 'Your DNS host turned the update down.')
-              : task
-                ? t('dnsWizard.taskPending', 'The server is writing the records to your DNS host…')
-                : allLive
-                  ? t('dnsWizard.keepsUpdating', 'From now on the server keeps them up to date by itself.')
-                  : t(
-                      'dnsWizard.waiting',
-                      'Written. Waiting for them to show up in public DNS, which can take a few minutes.',
-                    )}
+            {nothingToPublish
+              ? t(
+                  'dnsWizard.nothingPublished',
+                  'No records are written. The server uses your DNS host only to answer DNS-01 challenges when it orders a certificate.',
+                )
+              : failed
+                ? t('dnsWizard.taskFailedShort', 'Your DNS host turned the update down.')
+                : task
+                  ? t('dnsWizard.taskPending', 'The server is writing the records to your DNS host…')
+                  : allLive
+                    ? t('dnsWizard.keepsUpdating', 'From now on the server keeps them up to date by itself.')
+                    : t(
+                        'dnsWizard.waiting',
+                        'Written. Waiting for them to show up in public DNS, which can take a few minutes.',
+                      )}
           </p>
-          <div className="flex items-center gap-3 pt-1 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+          <div className="flex items-center gap-3 pt-1 text-xs text-muted-foreground" hidden={nothingToPublish}>
             <Button variant="outline" size="sm" onClick={() => void check()} disabled={checking}>
               <RefreshCw className={cn('h-3.5 w-3.5', checking && 'animate-spin')} />
               {t('dnsWizard.checkNow', 'Check now')}
@@ -1025,7 +1061,7 @@ function LiveStep({
           </p>
         </div>
       )}
-      <RecordTable records={records} states={states} />
+      {!nothingToPublish && <RecordTable records={records} states={states} />}
       {records.some((r) => states.get(r) === 'different') && (
         <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
           <AlertTriangle className="mr-1 inline h-3.5 w-3.5 text-highlight" />
diff --git a/src/i18n/en.json b/src/i18n/en.json
index 92ec435..e22b174 100644
--- a/src/i18n/en.json
+++ b/src/i18n/en.json
@@ -1064,7 +1064,13 @@
     "failedSaid": "Your DNS host said:",
     "failedHelp": "Check that the credential can edit this zone, then fix it on the DNS provider’s page. The server retries on its own.",
     "differentHelp": "An amber mark means that name has a different value right now, often an old record that hasn’t expired from caches yet.",
-    "tabTitle": "Publish DNS"
+    "tabTitle": "Publish DNS",
+    "noRecordsNote": "Nothing is selected, so the server writes no records. That suits a domain that only needs its DNS host for DNS-01 certificate orders.",
+    "reviewNoRecords": "None. The DNS host is only used for certificate orders.",
+    "connectedOnly": "{{domain}} is connected.",
+    "nothingPublished": "No records are written. The server uses your DNS host only to answer DNS-01 challenges when it orders a certificate.",
+    "connectOnlyButton": "Connect",
+    "happensNoRecords": "{{domain}} switches to automatic DNS, and nothing is written. The server uses the connection only for DNS-01 certificate orders."
   },
   "dnsCopy": {
     "copied": "Copied",
-- 
2.54.0