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🔧 Fix OTTO Installation Detection Issues with Cloudflare Proxy

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Camilo Aponte

Camilo Aponte

Last updated on Sep 30, 2026

Overview

If OTTO cannot detect your Search Atlas plugin installation and your domain uses Cloudflare, the issue may be related to your Cloudflare DNS proxy configuration. Specifically, when your domain's DNS record is set to DNS only (grey cloud) instead of Proxied (orange cloud), OTTO may fail to detect the installation correctly.

This article explains why this happens and walks you through the fix.

Why This Happens

OTTO's installation detection relies on traffic being routed through Cloudflare's proxy. When a DNS record is set to DNS only (grey cloud), traffic bypasses Cloudflare entirely. As a result:

  • OTTO's installation detection cannot complete successfully.
  • Search Atlas may not recognize your site as properly installed.

This can affect your apex domain (e.g., yourdomain.com), your www subdomain, or both — even if you have completed the installation steps correctly inside Search Atlas.

How to Fix It

You will need to log in to your Cloudflare account and update the proxy status for the affected DNS record(s). Follow these steps:

  1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard at dash.cloudflare.com.
  2. Select the account and domain that you are connecting to OTTO.
  3. Click DNS in the left-hand navigation to open your DNS records.
  4. Locate the A record or CNAME record for your apex domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) and your www subdomain if applicable.
  5. Check the Proxy status column for each record. If it shows a grey cloud and the label DNS only, the proxy is disabled.
  6. Click the grey cloud icon to toggle it to an orange cloud (Proxied) and confirm the change when prompted.
  7. Save your changes and allow a few minutes for the update to take effect.

Verify the Fix in Search Atlas

Once you have enabled the Cloudflare proxy for the affected records, return to Search Atlas and check whether OTTO now detects your installation successfully. If the installation is detected, the issue should be resolved and OTTO will be active on your site.

Important Considerations

  • Check both your apex domain and www subdomain — both records may need to be set to Proxied.
  • If you are unsure which records to update, review all DNS entries associated with the domain you connected to OTTO.
  • If you have made the change and OTTO still cannot detect your installation, please reach out to our support team and we can investigate further.