Solution:
Root Cause: Mismatched Group Management Rule Allocation
Pi-hole v5.0+ features Group Management. If a whitelist domain is created under the
Default group, but the affected client device (e.g., developer laptop, smart TV) is assigned to a custom
Strict group, the whitelist rule will not apply to that client.
# Diagnostic Verification:
1. Open Pi-hole Admin Web GUI and go to
Group Management > Clients.
2. Locate the IP address or MAC address of the affected client device.
3. Check which
Group assignment is selected for this client.
4. Navigate to
Group Management > Domains and inspect which group the whitelist rule belongs to.
# Step-by-Step Fix:
1. Go to
Group Management > Domains in the Admin GUI.
2. Find the Whitelist entry for your domain.
3. Under the
Group assignment column, select all groups that contain client devices needing access (or select the specific group your device belongs to).
4. Click
Apply.
5. Alternatively, assign domain rule via command line specifying all groups:
bash
pihole -w example.com
# Prevention & Long-Term Monitoring:
When creating custom client groups, always verify that core whitelist domain rules are assigned globally across all defined groups.