Domain Search MCP

Fast, local-first domain availability checks for MCP clients. Works with zero configuration using public RDAP/WHOIS, and optionally enriches results with registrar pricing via a backend you control.

🆕 v1.10.0: GoDaddy public endpoint integration! Enhanced fallback chain (RDAP → GoDaddy → WHOIS) with premium/auction domain detection. Circuit breaker pattern ensures resilience.

🤖 v1.9.0+: AI-powered domain suggestions work out of the box! No API keys needed - suggest_domains_smart uses our public fine-tuned Qwen 7B-DPO model. Plus: Redis distributed caching and /metrics endpoint for observability.

Built on the Model Context Protocol for Claude, Codex, VS Code, Cursor, Cline, and other MCP-compatible clients.

Features

What It Does

• Check a single name across multiple TLDs.

• Bulk-check up to 100 names for one TLD.

• Compare registrar pricing (uses backend when configured).

• Suggest names and validate social handles.

• Detect premium/auction signals for search_domain.

How It Works

Availability and pricing are intentionally separated:

• Availability (default, no keys needed):

  • RDAP: Primary source - fast, unlimited, public registry data

  • GoDaddy: Secondary - adds premium/auction detection (30 req/min, circuit breaker protected)

  • WHOIS: Last resort fallback for edge cases

• Pricing (optional):

  • Recommended: PRICING_API_BASE_URL (backend with Porkbun keys)

  • Optional BYOK: Porkbun/Namecheap only when backend is not configured

This keeps the server zero-config while letting power users enable pricing.

Pricing Verification

Responses include price_check_url (registrar checkout/search link) and may include price_note when a price is estimated. Always verify the final price on the registrar checkout page before purchase.

If an auction/premium signal is detected, results include an aftermarket block with links to marketplace pages when available. Taken domains may include Sedo auction hints (public feed) and nameserver-based marketplace hints (Sedo/Dan/Afternic).

Quick Start

Option 1: npx (Recommended)

No installation needed - run directly:

Option 2: From Source

Transport Options

stdio (Default)

For MCP clients like Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code - uses stdin/stdout:

HTTP/SSE (ChatGPT, Web Clients, LM Studio)

For ChatGPT Actions, web apps, and REST API clients:

Endpoints:

• /mcp - MCP protocol (POST for messages, GET for SSE stream)

• /api/tools/* - REST API for each tool (ChatGPT Actions compatible)

• /openapi.json - OpenAPI 3.1 specification

• /health - Health check

• /metrics - Prometheus-compatible metrics (cache stats, request counts, AI inference health)

ChatGPT Custom GPT Integration

1. Start the HTTP server (see above)

2. Expose via ngrok: ngrok http 3000

3. In ChatGPT, create a Custom GPT and add an Action

4. Import the OpenAPI spec from https://your-ngrok-url.ngrok-free.dev/openapi.json

5. Test the tools!

For production deployment, use a permanent domain with SSL instead of ngrok.

REST API Example:

MCP Client Config

Claude Code (.mcp.json in project root):

Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):

💡 Tip: Always use @latest to ensure you're running the newest version with all features.

Tools

Core Search

• search_domain: Check a name across multiple TLDs, adds premium/auction signals.

• bulk_search: Check up to 100 names for a single TLD.

• compare_registrars: Compare pricing across registrars (backend when configured).

AI-Powered Suggestions

• suggest_domains: Generate variations (prefix/suffix/hyphen).

• suggest_domains_smart: 🤖 AI-powered brandable name generation using fine-tuned Qwen 7B-DPO. Zero-config - works instantly!

• analyze_project: Scan local project or GitHub repo to extract context and suggest matching domain names.

Domain Investment

• hunt_domains: Find valuable domains for investment - scans Sedo auctions, generates patterns, calculates investment scores.

• expiring_domains: Monitor domains approaching expiration (requires federated negative cache).

Utilities

• tld_info: TLD metadata and restrictions.

• check_socials: Username availability across platforms.

• ai_health: Check status of AI inference services (VPS Qwen, circuit breakers, adaptive concurrency).

Configuration

Pricing Backend (Recommended)

Set a backend URL that owns registrar keys (Porkbun). The MCP will call /api/quote and /api/compare on that backend for pricing.

Optional BYOK (Local)

Used only if PRICING_API_BASE_URL is not set.

• Porkbun keys:

  • https://porkbun.com/account/api

  • https://porkbun.com/api/json/v3/documentation

• Namecheap keys (IP whitelist required):

  • https://ap.www.namecheap.com/settings/tools/apiaccess/

  • https://www.namecheap.com/support/api/intro/

Redis Distributed Cache (Optional)

For horizontal scaling across multiple MCP instances, configure Redis:

Without Redis, the server uses in-memory caching (works fine for single instances). Redis enables:

• Shared cache across multiple server instances

• Persistent cache surviving restarts

• Better cache hit rates in load-balanced deployments

AI Inference (Zero-Config)

AI-powered suggestions (suggest_domains_smart) work out of the box using our public VPS running fine-tuned Qwen 7B-DPO. No API keys needed!

For self-hosted setups, override the endpoint:

Environment Variables

Output Format

Tool responses are returned as Markdown tables by default. If you need raw JSON for programmatic use, set:

Data Sources

Pricing Behavior

• Live price is attempted first for every available domain.

• If live quotes fail or are rate-limited, the result falls back to the catalog estimate and includes price_note.

• Always verify pricing via price_check_url before purchase.

Examples

Basic Search (No API Keys)

AI-Powered Suggestions

Bulk Check

Development

Release

See docs/RELEASE.md for the canary -> latest publish flow. Tags like v1.2.24 trigger GitHub Releases + npm publish via CI.

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for release history.

Security Notes

• Do not commit API keys or .mcpregistry_* files.

• Without PRICING_API_BASE_URL (or BYOK keys), pricing is not available (availability still works).

Upgrading

For npx Users

If you use npx domain-search-mcp (without @latest), npx may cache an old version.

Fix: Update your MCP config to use @latest:

Or clear the npx cache manually:

For Source/Git Users

Staying Updated

• Watch the repo: Click "Watch" → "Releases only" on GitHub to get notified of new versions.

• Check releases: See GitHub Releases for changelog and upgrade notes.

• npm page: npmjs.com/package/domain-search-mcp shows the latest version.

Architecture

For detailed system architecture diagrams, see docs/ARCHITECTURE.md:

• Transport layer (stdio vs HTTP/SSE)

• Tool execution flow

• Data source waterfall (RDAP → Pricing API → WHOIS)

• VPS deployment architecture

• AI suggestion flow

• MCP session lifecycle

Why This Tool?

FAQ

Q: Does this work without any API keys? A: Yes! Availability checking uses public RDAP and GoDaddy endpoints. Only pricing requires API keys.

Q: Which MCP clients are supported? A: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, VS Code, Cursor, Cline (stdio), and ChatGPT, LM Studio (HTTP/SSE).

Q: How accurate is premium domain detection? A: GoDaddy's public endpoint detects most premium and auction domains. Always verify on registrar checkout.

Q: Can I self-host the AI suggestions? A: Yes! Set QWEN_INFERENCE_ENDPOINT to your llama.cpp server running the fine-tuned model.

Links

• npm: npmjs.com/package/domain-search-mcp

• MCP Registry: registry.modelcontextprotocol.io

• Glama: glama.ai/mcp/servers/@dorukardahan/domain-search-mcp

• Context7: context7.com/dorukardahan/domain-search-mcp

Documentation

• Architecture - System design and data flow

• API Reference - Tool schemas and responses

• Configuration - Environment variables

• Workflows - Common usage patterns