# Domain Scout > Find the best available, brandable domain for a concept: generate names, check whois across TLDs, screen trademark collisions, rank by brandability. Use for 'find a domain', 'is available', 'domain ideas for X', 'name this project'. - Skill: `dylanpulver/domain-scout` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dylanpulver/domain-scout` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dylanpulver/domain-scout/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: dylanpulver (https://skillmd.com/u/dylanpulver) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dylanpulver/domain-scout --- # Domain Scout Turn a concept into a ranked shortlist of **available, brandable, buyable** domains. You (the model) are the creative name generator; `scripts/scout.mjs` is the mechanical availability checker. The output is a small ranked shortlist with the reasoning and a recommended pick, the way a good namer would hand it over. **The core discipline: availability ≠ good, and "feels open" ≠ open.** A name is only a candidate once whois says it's free AND no established company already owns the brand. Check, never eyeball (the recurring lesson: a long-registered `.com` signals an existing company, even if a variant is free). ## The run 1. **Frame** the concept in one line: what it is, who it's for, the feeling. Note any constraints (must be .com? short? contain a keyword? avoid a word?). 2. **Generate candidates across angles** (below), 15–30 names. Widen the stock before narrowing. 3. **Check availability** with the script (whois across TLDs + variant patterns). 4. **Collision screen** the survivors: a quick web search per finalist for an existing company using the name (esp. same/adjacent category). Flag conflicts. 5. **Rank** by the brandability rubric and present the shortlist: domain, available?, why it fits, any collision flag, and the one you'd pick with the reason. ## Name-generation angles (widen the stock) Generate from several of these, not one, or you get monotone output: - **Descriptive / literal** — says what it does (`vendormatch`, `officesourcing`). Clear, often taken, low distinctiveness. - **Evocative / metaphor** — a concrete image for the benefit (`beacon` = guidance; `northstar`). Memorable, on-theme. - **Invented / portmanteau** — fuse two relevant words (`vendra`, `sourcely`, `qualifi`). Brandable, often available. - **Real word, angled** — an ordinary word used slant (`slate`, `vouch`, `roster`). Premium feel, .com usually taken → needs a variant. - **Compound** — two short words (`workbid`, `sitelaunch`, `leadloop`). Reads instantly. - **Latin / Greek / foreign root** — for gravitas or when English is exhausted (`certus`, `civ`, `mano`). - **Industry jargon as a name** — the term insiders already use ("churn-saver" for a retention play → Churnsaver). Self-explanatory to the target market; strong signal. - **Prefix / suffix patterns** — when the bare word is taken: `get___`, `use___`, `try___`, `join___`, `___hq`, `___app`, `___labs`, `go___`. `___hq` and `get___` read as real startups; `try___` implies beta. **In a hot / picked-clean namespace (anything `agent-*` or AI-adjacent in 2026), the descriptive space is gone** — checking 40 `agent*` / `*ai` names can surface *zero* available. Lean hard on **invented / coined** (the Perplexity / Anthropic / Mistral pattern funded startups actually use) and check widely; don't burn the run on descriptive names that are all taken. ## TLD strategy **`.com` is the strong default — most trusted, the one people type and say by reflex. Prioritize it hard: treat `.ai` / `.co` / `.io` / `.org` as fallbacks that need a *reason*, not peers.** A clean available `.com` should outrank a nicer name stuck on a non-`.com`, and a prefixed `.com` (`get___`, `___hq`, `try___`) usually beats dropping the TLD entirely. 1. `.com` — default; if the bare `.com` is taken, try a prefix/suffix `.com` before leaving `.com`. 2. `.co` — closest substitute, pricier, slightly weaker. 3. `.io` / `.dev` / `.app` / `.ai` — acceptable ONLY for dev/AI/technical audiences with a reason; `.ai` reads on-trend but costs more and isn't `.com`. 4. `.xyz` / others — only with a strong reason. So: check and rank `.com` first, always. Only present a non-`.com` as the top pick if there's no viable `.com` AND the audience genuinely accepts the alternative. When in doubt, `.com`. ## Brandability rubric (score each survivor) - **Length** — shorter is better; ≤ 2 syllables / ≤ 10 chars is ideal. - **Say-it / spell-it** — can someone hear it once and type it right? No silent letters, no ambiguous spellings, no numbers, no hyphens (hard bans: numbers, hyphens). - **Meaning fit** — does it evoke the concept or the benefit? - **`.com` availability** — heavily weight a clean `.com` (or an acceptable prefixed `.com`). - **Collision-free** — no established company owning the brand (see collision screen). - **Distinctiveness** — would it get lost among lookalikes? (competitive-exclusion: different enough to own.) Score = brandability × availability × fit × collision-free. Present the top 3–5, not all. ## Availability check (the script) ```bash # check specific full domains node scripts/scout.mjs check leadloophq.com useleadloop.com leadloop.co # check a base name across default TLDs + common prefixes node scripts/scout.mjs base leadloop node scripts/scout.mjs base leadloop --tlds com,co,io,ai --prefixes get,use,try,join,hq ``` Multi-signal, no API key: **DNS nameservers** (registered domains always have NS → definitive `taken`), then **RDAP** (structured JSON; clean 404 = available, 200 = taken), then **whois** as last resort. This is reliable across TLDs including **`.ai`** — plain whois lies on `.ai` (it false-positived a registered domain as available), which is why DNS+RDAP lead. Output per domain: `AVAILABLE` / `taken` / `unknown (re-check)`. It's a fast filter; **confirm at purchase**, never treat as a registry guarantee. ## Collision screen (don't skip) For each finalist, a 2-minute check before recommending: `WebSearch "" company` (and the bare `.com` if taken — a long-registered `.com` usually means a real company holds the brand). If an established company uses the exact name, especially in the same or an adjacent category, flag it. A different-category collision is usually fine as a working name but worth a trademark gut-check before committing. ## Output shape A short ranked list. For each: **domain** · available? · price-tier if known · one-line why · collision flag. End with the single pick and the reason, the way a namer hands off a recommendation, not a data dump. ## Angles to grow (this skill is meant to expand) Room for more lenses over time: registrar **price** lookup (premium names cost more), **expiring/dropped** domain hunting, **thesaurus/semantic** expansion of the concept, **phonetic** neighbors, **two-word** availability sweeps, **social-handle** availability (matching @handle), and **AI bulk-generation** with a scored filter. Add each as a new mode or script rather than bloating the core run. Whatever gets added, the core discipline holds: check, never eyeball; confirm at purchase.