Why AI Agents Can't Check Domain Availability (And How We Fixed It)
AI agents struggle with domain registrars due to CAPTCHAs, WAFs, and client-side rendering. Here's how we built a solution.
If you've ever asked ChatGPT, Claude, or any AI assistant to check if a domain is available, you've probably noticed something frustrating: they can't do it reliably.
The Problem
AI agents are incredibly capable at many tasks, but checking domain availability has been a consistent blind spot. Here's why:
1. CAPTCHAs Everywhere
Domain registrars like GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Google Domains protect their lookup tools with CAPTCHAs. When an AI agent's browsing tool hits these pages, it sees a challenge it can't solve—and fails silently or returns an error.
2. Web Application Firewalls (WAFs)
Even without CAPTCHAs, most registrars employ aggressive bot detection. AI browsing tools don't execute JavaScript the same way browsers do, don't have valid session cookies, and often get blocked outright.
3. Client-Side Rendering
Modern registrar websites are Single Page Applications (SPAs) that load a JavaScript shell first, then fetch data asynchronously. AI browsing tools that expect server-rendered HTML see an empty page or a loading spinner.
4. Complex DOM Structures
Even when an AI can load the page, extracting "is this domain available?" from a registrar's UI is surprisingly hard. The answer might be buried in nested divs, behind animations, or displayed differently based on pricing tiers.
What AI Agents Actually See
When an AI agent tries to check a domain on a typical registrar:
Error: URL_FETCH_STATUS_MISC_ERROR
Error: EMPTY_CONTENTS
Error: Unable to extract content from page
Or worse, they get a CAPTCHA page and confidently report: "I was unable to determine if the domain is available."
Our Solution: Agent-First Architecture
We built AgentDomainService with a simple premise: if AI agents can open URLs and read text, give them exactly that.
Server-Side Rendering
Every page is fully rendered on the server. When you hit /lookup/example.com, the HTML response contains the answer immediately—no JavaScript required.
Machine-Readable Format at the Top
The first lines of every response are designed for parsing:
VERDICT: AVAILABLE
FQDN=example.com | AVAILABLE=true | PRICE_USD=12.99 | PREMIUM=false
Multiple Output Formats
?format=txt— Plain key=value pairs?format=json— Structured JSON- Default HTML — Human-friendly with machine-readable header
No Authentication
No API keys. No signup. No rate limit walls. Just URLs that return answers.
How It Works in Practice
User: "Find me an available domain for my AI writing assistant startup"
AI Agent:
https://agentdomainservice.com/lookup/aiwriter.com?format=txtavailable=falsehttps://agentdomainservice.com/lookup/aiwriter.com?format=txt&context=AI+writing+assistantwriterai.dev=9.99, aipenpal.com=12.99The entire flow takes seconds and works reliably every time.
Try It Yourself
Check any domain:
Or explore alternatives across TLDs:
The Bigger Picture
Domain checking is just one example of a broader problem: the web wasn't built for AI agents. As more people use AI assistants for everyday tasks, we need infrastructure that speaks their language.
That's what we're building.
Have questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you.