Business & Domain Name Finder
Purpose
Provide structured naming methodology for businesses, products, apps, and projects — combining creative brainstorming with real-time domain availability checking via MCP-powered tools (WHOIS, Domain Search, Perplexity, Firecrawl).
When to Use
Activate when a user needs help naming a business, product, startup, app, or project and wants to find available domain names. Also activate when checking if specific domain names are taken.
Naming Process
Step 1: Gather Context
Before generating names, collect key information:
- Industry/niche — What does the business do?
- Target audience — Who are the customers?
- Brand personality — Professional, playful, technical, luxurious?
- Keywords — Core concepts, values, or descriptors
- Competitors — Names to differentiate from
- Preferences — Length, style, any must-have letters or sounds
If the user hasn't provided these, ask targeted questions before brainstorming.
Step 2: Generate Names Using Multiple Strategies
Apply these naming strategies to produce diverse candidates:
| Strategy |
Technique |
Examples |
| Compound |
Combine two real words |
Salesforce, YouTube, Facebook |
| Portmanteau |
Blend parts of words |
Pinterest (pin+interest), Groupon (group+coupon) |
| Invented |
Create new words |
Spotify, Xerox, Kodak, Hulu |
| Metaphor |
Use symbolic/evocative words |
Amazon, Apple, Uber, Slack |
| Abbreviation |
Acronyms or shortened forms |
IBM, NASA, Etsy |
| Prefix/Suffix |
Add common modifiers |
Shopify (-ify), Bitly (-ly), Clearbit (clear-) |
| Phonetic |
Sound-driven coinage |
Google, Skype, TikTok |
| Descriptive |
Directly describe function |
Booking.com, WeTransfer |
| Foreign word |
Borrow from other languages |
Volvo (Latin: "I roll"), Lego (Danish: "play well") |
| Personal |
Founder or character names |
Tesla, Disney, Bloomberg |
Generate 10-20 candidates across at least 4 different strategies for variety.
Step 3: Evaluate Candidates
Score each candidate on:
- Memorability — Easy to recall after hearing once?
- Pronounceability — Can people say it without confusion?
- Spellability — Can people type it from hearing it?
- Uniqueness — Distinctive from competitors?
- Scalability — Works if the business expands beyond initial scope?
- Domain potential — Likely to have TLDs available?
Shortlist the top 5-8 candidates.
Step 4: Check Domain Availability
For each shortlisted name, check availability across these TLDs:
Primary TLDs (always check):
.com — Universal standard, highest credibility.net — Strong alternative for tech.org — Non-profits, communities, open-source
Tech TLDs (check for tech/startup names):
.io — Popular for developer tools, SaaS.dev — Google-backed, developer-focused.app — Mobile apps, software products.ai — AI/ML companies.co — Startup-friendly alternative to .com
Checking method (prefer MCP tools):
This plugin bundles 4 MCP servers for domain research:
- Domain Search MCP — Bulk-check availability across multiple TLDs using RDAP/WHOIS fallback. No API key needed. Check up to 100 names at once.
- WHOIS MCP (
whois_lookup) — Direct WHOIS protocol lookups against authoritative servers. Returns registrar, expiration, nameservers, DNSSEC. Supports 877+ TLDs.
- Perplexity MCP (
perplexity_search, perplexity_chat) — AI-powered search for competitor research, naming trends, and brand landscape analysis.
- Firecrawl MCP (
firecrawl_scrape, firecrawl_search) — Scrape registrar pages for pricing, scrape competitor sites for brand analysis.
Fallback: Use WebSearch if MCP tools are unavailable.
Present results in a clear table:
| Name | .com | .io | .dev | .app | .ai | .co |
|-------------|------|------|------|------|------|------|
| BrightFlow | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| CodeNest | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Step 5: Present Recommendations
For each recommended name, provide:
- Name and available TLDs
- Naming strategy used (compound, invented, etc.)
- Why it works — Brief rationale
- Variations — Alternative spellings or TLD combinations
- Potential concerns — Trademark risks, pronunciation issues
Domain Availability Tips
- If
.com is taken, check if the owner is actively using it — parked domains may be purchasable
- Consider creative TLD usage:
get[name].com, [name]hq.com, [name]app.com
- Hyphenated domains (e.g.,
bright-flow.com) are generally discouraged for branding
- Two-word
.com domains under 12 characters are extremely scarce — plan for alternatives
- New TLDs (
.io, .dev, .app) are increasingly accepted for tech companies
Trademark Considerations
Always remind users to:
- Search the USPTO trademark database (tmsearch.uspto.gov) before committing
- Check for existing businesses with similar names in their industry
- Verify social media handle availability (@name on major platforms)
- Consider international trademark implications if operating globally
Additional Resources
Reference Files
For detailed naming patterns and industry-specific guidance:
references/naming-patterns.md — Extended naming techniques with 50+ examplesreferences/tld-guide.md — Comprehensive TLD comparison and pricing guide
1---2name: naming-strategies3description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "find a business name", "suggest domain names", "brainstorm company names", "check domain availability", "name my startup", "find a brand name", "suggest product names", "help me pick a name", or discusses naming a new business, project, app, or product. Provides naming methodology, TLD guidance, and availability-checking workflows.4---56# Business & Domain Name Finder78## Purpose910Provide structured naming methodology for businesses, products, apps, and projects — combining creative brainstorming with real-time domain availability checking via MCP-powered tools (WHOIS, Domain Search, Perplexity, Firecrawl).1112## When to Use1314Activate when a user needs help naming a business, product, startup, app, or project and wants to find available domain names. Also activate when checking if specific domain names are taken.1516## Naming Process1718### Step 1: Gather Context1920Before generating names, collect key information:2122- **Industry/niche** — What does the business do?23- **Target audience** — Who are the customers?24- **Brand personality** — Professional, playful, technical, luxurious?25- **Keywords** — Core concepts, values, or descriptors26- **Competitors** — Names to differentiate from27- **Preferences** — Length, style, any must-have letters or sounds2829If the user hasn't provided these, ask targeted questions before brainstorming.3031### Step 2: Generate Names Using Multiple Strategies3233Apply these naming strategies to produce diverse candidates:3435| Strategy | Technique | Examples |36|----------|-----------|---------|37| **Compound** | Combine two real words | Salesforce, YouTube, Facebook |38| **Portmanteau** | Blend parts of words | Pinterest (pin+interest), Groupon (group+coupon) |39| **Invented** | Create new words | Spotify, Xerox, Kodak, Hulu |40| **Metaphor** | Use symbolic/evocative words | Amazon, Apple, Uber, Slack |41| **Abbreviation** | Acronyms or shortened forms | IBM, NASA, Etsy |42| **Prefix/Suffix** | Add common modifiers | Shopify (-ify), Bitly (-ly), Clearbit (clear-) |43| **Phonetic** | Sound-driven coinage | Google, Skype, TikTok |44| **Descriptive** | Directly describe function | Booking.com, WeTransfer |45| **Foreign word** | Borrow from other languages | Volvo (Latin: "I roll"), Lego (Danish: "play well") |46| **Personal** | Founder or character names | Tesla, Disney, Bloomberg |4748Generate 10-20 candidates across at least 4 different strategies for variety.4950### Step 3: Evaluate Candidates5152Score each candidate on:53541. **Memorability** — Easy to recall after hearing once?552. **Pronounceability** — Can people say it without confusion?563. **Spellability** — Can people type it from hearing it?574. **Uniqueness** — Distinctive from competitors?585. **Scalability** — Works if the business expands beyond initial scope?596. **Domain potential** — Likely to have TLDs available?6061Shortlist the top 5-8 candidates.6263### Step 4: Check Domain Availability6465For each shortlisted name, check availability across these TLDs:6667**Primary TLDs (always check):**68- `.com` — Universal standard, highest credibility69- `.net` — Strong alternative for tech70- `.org` — Non-profits, communities, open-source7172**Tech TLDs (check for tech/startup names):**73- `.io` — Popular for developer tools, SaaS74- `.dev` — Google-backed, developer-focused75- `.app` — Mobile apps, software products76- `.ai` — AI/ML companies77- `.co` — Startup-friendly alternative to .com7879**Checking method (prefer MCP tools):**8081This plugin bundles 4 MCP servers for domain research:82831. **Domain Search MCP** — Bulk-check availability across multiple TLDs using RDAP/WHOIS fallback. No API key needed. Check up to 100 names at once.842. **WHOIS MCP** (`whois_lookup`) — Direct WHOIS protocol lookups against authoritative servers. Returns registrar, expiration, nameservers, DNSSEC. Supports 877+ TLDs.853. **Perplexity MCP** (`perplexity_search`, `perplexity_chat`) — AI-powered search for competitor research, naming trends, and brand landscape analysis.864. **Firecrawl MCP** (`firecrawl_scrape`, `firecrawl_search`) — Scrape registrar pages for pricing, scrape competitor sites for brand analysis.8788**Fallback:** Use WebSearch if MCP tools are unavailable.8990Present results in a clear table:9192```93| Name | .com | .io | .dev | .app | .ai | .co |94|-------------|------|------|------|------|------|------|95| BrightFlow | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |96| CodeNest | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |97```9899### Step 5: Present Recommendations100101For each recommended name, provide:1021031. **Name and available TLDs**1042. **Naming strategy used** (compound, invented, etc.)1053. **Why it works** — Brief rationale1064. **Variations** — Alternative spellings or TLD combinations1075. **Potential concerns** — Trademark risks, pronunciation issues108109## Domain Availability Tips110111- If `.com` is taken, check if the owner is actively using it — parked domains may be purchasable112- Consider creative TLD usage: `get[name].com`, `[name]hq.com`, `[name]app.com`113- Hyphenated domains (e.g., `bright-flow.com`) are generally discouraged for branding114- Two-word `.com` domains under 12 characters are extremely scarce — plan for alternatives115- New TLDs (`.io`, `.dev`, `.app`) are increasingly accepted for tech companies116117## Trademark Considerations118119Always remind users to:1201211. Search the USPTO trademark database (tmsearch.uspto.gov) before committing1222. Check for existing businesses with similar names in their industry1233. Verify social media handle availability (@name on major platforms)1244. Consider international trademark implications if operating globally125126## Additional Resources127128### Reference Files129130For detailed naming patterns and industry-specific guidance:131- **`references/naming-patterns.md`** — Extended naming techniques with 50+ examples132- **`references/tld-guide.md`** — Comprehensive TLD comparison and pricing guide
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