I Built an MCP Server to Check Domain Availability from AI Assistants

dorukardahan — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 09:08:30 +0000

Update (Dec 27): v1.2.1 now features dual-source AI suggestions --- combines our semantic engine with GoDaddy's AI to generate smarter domain names. Also: reliable Twitter handle detection via oembed API, intelligent caching, and comprehensive rate-limiting docs.

Last week, I was brainstorming names for a new side project with Claude. Every time I came up with a name, I had to:

Leave the AI assistant
Open Namecheap/Porkbun
Search the domain
Go back
Report the result
Repeat 50 times

This was frustrating. So I built a solution.

Introducing Domain Search MCP

Domain Search MCP is an open-source MCP server that gives AI assistants the ability to check domain availability in real-time.

Now my workflow is:

Me: "Is vibecoding.com available?"

AI: "vibecoding.com is available at $9.73/year on Porkbun"

What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is Anthropic's open standard for connecting AI assistants to external tools. Think of it as USB-C for AI --- a universal interface that lets any compatible AI assistant use any compatible tool.

Before MCP, if you wanted Claude to check domains, you'd need custom integrations. With MCP, you install the server once and it works everywhere: Claude Code, Codex, VS Code, Cursor, Cline, and any other MCP-compatible client.

The protocol handles:

Tool discovery: AI learns what tools are available
Schema validation: Ensures correct parameters
Secure execution: Tools run locally on your machine
Streaming results: Real-time feedback during operations

Features

1. Multi-Source Search (5 Sources)

Porkbun (with pricing)
Namecheap (with pricing)
GoDaddy (via MCP - no API key needed!)
RDAP (free, 50+ TLDs)
WHOIS (fallback)

2. Social Handle Checking

Check availability across 10 platforms: GitHub, npm, PyPI, Twitter (now with reliable oembed detection!), Reddit, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and ProductHunt.

Results are cached intelligently --- taken names for 24h, available for 1h.

3. Premium Domain Analysis

ai.io is $5000 (125x standard pricing)

Why: Two-character domain, Popular keyword, High-demand TLD

4. Dual-Source Smart Suggestions (New in v1.2.1)

suggest_domains_smart combines two AI engines:

Semantic Engine: Word segmentation, synonyms, industry vocabulary, portmanteau generation
GoDaddy AI: Context-aware suggestions that are pre-verified for availability

Domains found in both sources get boosted scores. Just describe your project:

Me: "Suggest domains for an AI code review tool"

AI: Returns 15 brandable options, already checked for availability

Quick Start

npx -y domain-search-mcp

Works with any MCP-compatible client: Claude Code, Codex, VS Code, Cursor, Cline, and more.

What's New in v1.2.1

Feature	What it does
Dual-Source AI	Smart suggestions from semantic engine + GoDaddy AI
Twitter Fix	Reliable oembed API detection (no more false positives)
Smart Caching	Taken: 24h, Available: 1h, Errors: 5min
Rate Limiting	Automatic 429 handling with exponential backoff
Better Docs	WHOIS/RDAP optimization guide + workflow examples

GitHub: https://github.com/dorukardahan/domain-search-mcp

If this helped you, consider giving it a ⭐ on GitHub!

Forem: dorukardahan