domain-finder

name	domain-finder
description	This skill should be used when starting a new project or brand and needing to find a registrable domain. It brainstorms creative domain names and checks real availability via DNS/WHOIS.
argument-hint	[project or brand keywords]
allowed-tools	Bash, WebFetch, WebSearch
metadata	{"triggers":"domain name, domain availability, brand name, domain registration, DNS check, domain search, check domain","related-skills":"architecture-design, ddd-architect, documentation-generation","domain":"workflow","role":"specialist","scope":"analysis","output-format":"report"}
last-reviewed	2026-03-15

Iron Law: Never register a domain without verifying availability via live lookup; never suggest a domain based on pattern-matching alone.

Domain Finder Skill

Generate creative, brandable domain names and verify which ones are actually available to register.

Workflow

Step 1 — Understand the Project

Gather from the user (ask if not provided):

• What they're building (product, SaaS, agency, portfolio, etc.)
• Target audience (developers, consumers, enterprise, etc.)
• Preferred keywords or themes (optional)
• TLD preferences (default: .com, .io, .dev, .ai, .app)
• Constraints (max length, no hyphens, must include a word, etc.)

Step 2 — Generate Names

Create 15–20 candidates across these categories:

• Descriptive — says what it does (e.g. codeshare, snippetbox)
• Compound — two short words fused (e.g. devpaste, buildkit)
• Invented — brandable neologisms (e.g. codezy, snipflow)
• Short & punchy — ≤ 8 chars, memorable (e.g. clipp, patchd)

Naming rules:

• Under 15 characters (shorter is better)
• No hyphens — hard to say out loud
• No numbers — confusing verbally
• Easy to spell and pronounce
• Doesn't accidentally spell something bad in another language

Step 3 — Check Availability

Read reference/domain-check-scripts.md for DNS batch check scripts, WHOIS deep check commands, and result interpretation guide.

Quick DNS check (inline example):

# Check a single domain — NXDOMAIN means available; any A/CNAME record means taken
dig +short codeshare.io A
# Returns empty → likely available
# Returns an IP   → registered

# Batch check multiple names
for d in codeshare.io devpaste.io snipflow.app; do
  result=$(dig +short "$d" A)
  if [ -z "$result" ]; then echo "AVAILABLE: $d"; else echo "TAKEN:     $d"; fi
done

Note: A clean DNS response does not guarantee the domain is unregistered — some registered domains have no DNS records. Always follow up with a WHOIS check for any candidate before presenting it as available.

Step 4 — Present Results

Read reference/domain-check-scripts.md for the output format template and TLD quick reference table.

Step 5 — Social Handle Check (Optional)

Read reference/domain-check-scripts.md for social media handle checking scripts.

Reference Files

File	Content
reference/domain-check-scripts.md	DNS/WHOIS scripts, TLD reference, output template, social handle checks

Error Handling

DNS lookup failures: Retry with a different DNS resolver. Timeout does not mean the domain is available — treat timeouts as "status unknown."

WHOIS rate limiting: Space queries at least 2 seconds apart. If rate-limited, report partial results and retry later.

All candidates taken (no available domains found): Stop. Do not present taken domains as options. Report: "All N candidates are registered. Generating N more names — adjusting strategy to [shorter / different root word / invented neologisms]." Re-run Step 2 with a new naming strategy before presenting results.

Domain lookup returns no results / tool unavailable: If dig and whois are both unavailable (sandboxed environment), fall back to WebFetch against a registrar availability API (e.g., https://instantdomainsearch.com/?q=<name>) and parse the response. If no lookup method is available, state this explicitly: "Cannot verify availability in this environment — presenting name candidates only. Verify each at a registrar before use."