| name | dns-whois |
| description | Use dig, nslookup, whois, and related local CLIs for authorized DNS, WHOIS, ASN, mail, nameserver, and ownership triage. |
dns-whois
Use local DNS and WHOIS tools for authorized domain, host, nameserver, mail, address, ASN, registration, and ownership triage.
Help First
Before constructing commands, use installed help or version output as the source of truth:
dig -h
whois --help
Usage Rules
- Work only on in-scope domains, hosts, networks, or user-provided indicators.
- Record the exact queried identifier and query time when results support a finding.
- Prefer targeted record lookups over broad enumeration.
- Use
dnsx instead when a discovered hostname list needs batch validation or machine-readable DNS output.
- Treat WHOIS, DNS, and registry data as time-sensitive intelligence that may be stale, proxied, incomplete, or privacy-protected.
- Cross-check important ownership, delegation, and resolution claims with independent DNS records or supporting evidence.
- Save large query batches and raw outputs to files rather than streaming them into the conversation.
Common Workflows
Targeted DNS record triage:
dig example.com A
dig example.com AAAA
dig example.com MX
dig example.com NS
dig example.com TXT
Compact output for pipelines:
dig +short example.com A
Resolver-specific check:
dig @1.1.1.1 example.com A
WHOIS and basic resolver lookup:
whois example.com
nslookup example.com
Output
Report the queried identifier, command used, relevant records or ownership signals, confidence, time sensitivity, output paths, and any unresolved or conflicting evidence.
