Domain Check

domain-check

Universal domain exploration engine: fast domain availability checks across the internet — as a CLI, Rust library, and MCP server for AI agents.

Quick Links: Installation | Quick Start | Use Cases | Output Formats | Presets | Configuration | Automation | Library | MCP Server | FAQ | Contributing

Why domain-check

• 1,200+ TLDs out of the box — IANA bootstrap loads the full registry automatically. No config needed. 34 hardcoded TLDs work offline as fallback.
• Dual-protocol engine — RDAP-first with automatic WHOIS fallback. IANA server discovery covers ~189 ccTLDs that lack RDAP (.it, .co, .eu, .jp). WHOIS is built in, so no system whois tool is needed on any platform.
• Fast — up to 100 concurrent checks, streaming results as they complete. 3.4 MB release binary.
• Domain generation — pattern expansion (\w=letter, \d=digit, ?=either), prefix/suffix permutations, and --dry-run to preview before checking.
• 11 curated presets — startup, tech, creative, finance, ecommerce, and more. Or define your own in config.
• For-sale detection — --for-sale reads RFC 10023 _for-sale records, so you can see when a registered domain is actually on the market (asking price and contact, sanitized, never auto-opened).
• Rich output — grouped pretty display, JSON, CSV. Registrar info, creation/expiration dates, and status codes with --info.
• CI and automation friendly — --json/--csv to stdout, --yes to skip prompts, --force for large runs, automatic non-TTY detection.
• Configurable — TOML config files, DC_* environment variables, custom presets, and clear precedence rules.
• Agent-native — MCP server exposes all tools to AI coding agents (Claude, Codex, Gemini, Cursor, VS Code Copilot, and any MCP client).
• CLI + library + MCP — same engine powers the CLI, domain-check-lib (Rust library), and domain-check-mcp (MCP server).

Installation

Quick Start

# Check a single domain

domain-check example.com

Expand a base name across TLDs

domain-check mystartup -t com,org,io,dev

Use a curated preset

domain-check myapp --preset startup --pretty

Generate names with a pattern (preview only)

domain-check --pattern "app\d" -t com --dry-run

Add prefixes and suffixes

domain-check myapp --prefix get,try --suffix hub,ly -t com,io

Get registrar and date info

domain-check target.com --info

Is a taken domain for sale? (RFC 10023)

domain-check example.nl --for-sale

Check every known TLD

domain-check brand --all --batch

Pretty output:

domain-check v1.2.1 — Checking 8 domains

Preset: startup | Concurrency: 20

── Available (3) ────────────────────────────── rustcloud.org rustcloud.ai rustcloud.app

── Taken (5) ────────────────────────────────── rustcloud.com rustcloud.io rustcloud.tech rustcloud.dev rustcloud.xyz

8 domains in 0.8s | 3 available | 5 taken | 0 unknown

Use Cases

# Startup naming — scan tech TLDs for your brand

domain-check coolname --preset startup --pretty

Brand protection — audit every TLD for your trademark

domain-check mybrand --all --json > audit.json

Pre-purchase validation — check registrar and expiry before buying

domain-check target.com --info

Bulk pipeline — feed a list, export results

domain-check --file ideas.txt --preset tech --csv > results.csv

Name generation — explore prefix/suffix combos

domain-check app --prefix get,my,try --suffix hub,ly -t com,io --dry-run

Output Formats

Default — one line per domain, colored status:

myapp.com TAKEN

myapp.io AVAILABLE myapp.dev TAKEN

Pretty (--pretty) — grouped by status with summary:

── Available (1) ──────────────────────────────

myapp.io

── Taken (2) ────────────────────────────────── myapp.com myapp.dev

3 domains in 0.4s | 1 available | 2 taken | 0 unknown

JSON (--json) — structured, pipe to jq:

[

{ "domain": "myapp.com", "available": false, "method": "RDAP" }, { "domain": "myapp.io", "available": true, "method": "RDAP" } ]

CSV (--csv) — import into spreadsheets or databases:

domain,status,method

myapp.com,TAKEN,RDAP myapp.io,AVAILABLE,RDAP

Info (--info) — registrar, dates, and status codes:

myapp.com TAKEN

Registrar: Example Registrar, Inc. Created: 2015-03-12 Expires: 2026-03-12 Status: clientTransferProhibited

Full reference: docs/CLI.md

Smart Presets

11 built-in presets covering common domains strategies:

domain-check --list-presets                          # See all presets with full TLD lists

domain-check mybrand --preset creative --pretty # Use a preset

Define custom presets in your config file:

[custom_presets]

my_stack = ["com", "io", "dev", "app"]

Configuration

Create domain-check.toml in your project directory:

[defaults]

concurrency = 25 preset = "startup" pretty = true timeout = "8s" bootstrap = true for_sale = false # set true to always check registered domains for RFC 10023 for-sale records

[custom_presets] my_startup = ["com", "io", "ai", "dev", "app"]

[generation] prefixes = ["get", "my"] suffixes = ["hub", "ly"]

Config lookup order: ./domain-check.toml > ~/.domain-check.toml > ~/.config/domain-check/config.toml

Common environment variables:

DC_CONCURRENCY=50    DC_PRESET=startup    DC_TLD=com,io,dev

DC_PRETTY=true DC_TIMEOUT=10s DC_BOOTSTRAP=true DC_PREFIX=get,my DC_SUFFIX=hub,ly DC_FILE=domains.txt DC_FOR_SALE=true DC_DNS_SERVER=1.1.1.1

Automation & CI

# Non-interactive structured output

domain-check --file required-domains.txt --json

Pipe to jq

domain-check --pattern "app\d" -t com --yes --json | jq '.[] | select(.available==true)'

Stream live results for long runs

domain-check --file large-list.txt --concurrency 75 --streaming

Large batch with no prompts

domain-check --file huge-list.txt --all --force --yes --csv > results.csv

CI-friendly behavior:

• --yes / --force skip all confirmation prompts
• Non-TTY environments (piped, CI) never prompt — scripts are never blocked
• Spinner writes to stderr; stdout stays clean for piping
• --no-bootstrap for deterministic, offline-safe checks against 34 hardcoded TLDs

Automation guide: docs/AUTOMATION.md

Library

Use domain-check-lib directly in Rust projects:

[dependencies]

domain-check-lib = "1.2.1"

use domain_check_lib::DomainChecker;

#[tokio::main] async fn main() -> Result<(), Box > { let checker = DomainChecker::new(); let result = checker.check_domain("example.com").await?; println!("{} -> {:?}", result.domain, result.available); Ok(()) }

Library docs: domain-check-lib/README.md | docs.rs

MCP Server

domain-check-mcp exposes domain checking as tools for AI coding agents via the Model Context Protocol. Works with any MCP-compatible client.

# Install

cargo install domain-check-mcp

Add to your agent (Claude Code example — works similarly for Codex, Gemini CLI, etc.)

claude mcp add domain-check -- domain-check-mcp

6 tools available: check_domain, check_domains, check_with_preset, generate_names, list_presets, domain_info.

Then ask your agent naturally: *"Is coolstartup.com available?"* or *"Check mybrand across the startup preset"*.

The check tools take an optional check_for_sale parameter, and domain_info always includes RFC 10023 for-sale info when the holder publishes it. Responses mark that data as unverified and report failed lookups in for_sale_errors. Set DC_DNS_SERVER in the MCP client's env to choose the DNS server.

Supports: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, VS Code Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, JetBrains, OpenAI Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, and any MCP stdio client.

Full setup: domain-check-mcp/README.md

Reliability Notes

• Domain status is network- and registry-dependent. Temporary errors can produce UNKNOWN states.
• WHOIS output is less standardized than RDAP. domain-check reads the reply formats of 40+ registries and answers UNKNOWN rather than guess. Some registries (.es, .gr, .vn, …) offer no public WHOIS, so their domains show UNKNOWN when RDAP can't answer.
• For repeatable CI workflows, pin behavior with explicit flags (--batch, --json, --no-bootstrap, --concurrency).

Troubleshooting and expected edge cases: docs/FAQ.md

Project Docs

• CLI reference: docs/CLI.md
• Library: domain-check-lib/README.md | docs.rs
• MCP server: domain-check-mcp/README.md
• Examples and workflows