Cloaking keeps your short URL in the address bar while the destination loads inside a frame. It fails when the destination refuses to be framed, which many large sites do.
Why it happens
Sites send X-Frame-Options or a Content-Security-Policy with frame-ancestors precisely to prevent this. YouTube, Google, Facebook, PayPal and most banks refuse. The browser blocks the frame and the visitor sees nothing. There is no way around it from this side, and there should not be — the header is the site telling you not to.
Check before you share
The cloaking tab has a button that fetches the destination's headers and tells you whether framing is refused. Use it before publishing anything cloaked. The same check is available as a standalone HTTP header tool.
The other common cause
Mixed content. An http:// destination will not load inside an https:// short link — the browser blocks it silently. If the destination supports HTTPS, use it. If it does not, cloaking is not available to you.
What to do instead
- Turn cloaking off. A normal redirect works everywhere. The short URL is visible in the address bar for a moment and then the destination is; most audiences neither notice nor care.
- Use social metadata instead. If the goal was a branded preview when the link is shared, set Open Graph and X card values on the link. That controls the card without framing anything.
- Use a bundle or a post. If you want a page on your own domain, build one: a link bundle or a markdown post lives on your short domain and links onwards.
Other things cloaking breaks
- Deep links and app-opening behaviour do not work through a frame.
- Some destinations break their own layout inside a frame even when they permit it.
- Analytics on the destination may attribute the visit differently.
- Password managers and payment flows frequently refuse to operate in a frame.
Always open a cloaked link in a fresh browser — not the tab you built it in — before sharing it. A cached session hides most of these failures.
Find this in your dashboard
- Sign in and select the workspace and domain you want to manage.
- Open Pages. Review the article’s steps and your plan’s available controls.
- Save your changes, reopen the record and verify the saved result. For routing changes, check the short link with a test visit.
