Questions it answers
Check whether the domain for a startup, product or business name is already registered before you fall in love with it.
Ask "is acme.com available?", "check if this startup name is taken" or "find an available .com for my bakery name".
Startup Name Check turns a name into a domain label, then asks Cloudflare Registrar's domain-check API whether that domain can be registered and what it costs. When that API is not configured, or does not cover the ending, it asks the registry's public RDAP service instead.
It checks up to five names or domains at a time across .com, .net, .org, .ai, .app and .dev by default, or the endings you choose.
For a taken domain it shows the registration, expiry and last-change dates when the registry publishes them. It never returns who owns it or any contact details.
When Cloudflare Registrar answers for an available domain, the answer includes the registration and renewal cost. That figure is not a charge and does not reserve the name.
Results are indicative: they show the status at that moment and do not reserve a name. Premium or reserved names can be unavailable or cost more.
Trademarks are not searched, so run a trademark check before you commit to a name.
It stores nothing about you: answers are cached for up to five minutes, and the only lasting record is a daily count of calls per tool.
Short questions this server answers, each with a direct answer: Check if a startup name's domain is taken.
What it can do
- Checks whether a name's domain is registered in .com, .net, .org, .ai, .app and .dev
- Checks a full domain such as acme.com on its own
- Compares up to five candidate names in one answer
- Shows registration and expiry dates for domains that are taken, when the registry publishes them
- Shows the registration and renewal cost when Cloudflare Registrar returns one
- Never returns owner or contact details
Tools
check_domain_availability, Check name and domain availability. Use this when the user asks whether a domain or startup name is available or taken, for example "is acme.com available", "check if this startup name is taken" or "find an available .com for my bakery name". Pass up to 5 names or full domains. Names are checked across .com, .net, .org, .ai, .app and .dev unless tlds says otherwise. Returns, for each domain, available, registered (with registration, expiry and last-change dates when published), unsupported or unavailable, plus source. An available domain includes registrationCost and renewalCost when Cloudflare Registrar returns them. The result is indicative, not a reservation or a charge; it never includes owner details and does not check trademarks.
Add Startup Name Check in VS Code
VS Code reads MCP servers from mcp.json and offers their tools to Copilot Chat in Agent mode. A workspace file at .vscode/mcp.json applies to that project. For every workspace, run MCP: Open User Configuration from the Command Palette and add the same entry there. These steps were checked against the VS Code MCP servers guide on 2026-10-09.
Create or edit the file so it contains this server. VS Code uses a top-level servers object, not mcpServers. Merge it with servers you already have.
{
"servers": {
"names": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://names.openkrill.app/mcp"
}
}
}No command, no headers and no input variables for a key: Startup Name Check answers without a login. Save the file and select Start above the entry. VS Code asks once whether you trust the server: confirm it. Run MCP: List Servers to check that Startup Name Check is running. You should see check_domain_availability.
Open the Chat view, choose Agent mode and ask: Is acme.com available? The Configure Tools button in the chat input lists the tools of each server, and VS Code may ask you to confirm the first call. The server is public and read-only. It sees only the arguments of each call, so do not paste secrets into the question.
Command line users can add it to the user profile in one step with code --add-mcp and the same name, type and url as JSON. The portable .mcp.json at the project root also works in VS Code, with mcpServers as its top-level key. An organization can turn MCP off through Copilot policy: if the MCP commands are missing, ask the admin.
If it does not work
The tool does not show up
Run MCP: List Servers, select the server and choose Restart. If it shows an error, choose Show Output to read the log. Check that the entry sits under servers with "type": "http", and that Chat is in Agent mode, where MCP tools are offered.
429 or rate_limited
Each server takes 60 calls a minute from one network, and some tools take fewer. Past that the call comes back as a tool error that starts with rate_limited: wait a minute and ask again. daily_limit means the server reached its shared daily cap, which resets at 00:00 UTC. A limit is not an answer, so do not read it as no results. For higher limits, ask support@openkrill.app for a key.
JSON entry has no type
Claude Code skips an entry in .mcp.json that has a url but no type. Add "type": "http" next to the url, or add the server with claude mcp add --transport http, which writes the type for you. The VS Code entry needs the same type field. Cursor and Pi read the url alone.
A call checked on 2026-10-17
example.com is a reserved public name, so the check is repeatable and does not probe a private brand. The request below was posted to https://names.openkrill.app/mcp as tools/call. HTTP 200. Source: the Startup Name Check server, read 2026-10-17.
{
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "check_domain_availability",
"arguments": {
"names": [
"example.com"
]
}
}
}- asOf. 2026-10-17
- notice. Indicative only: this is the status right now, it does not reserve anything, and premium or reserved names can be taken or cost more. A registration cost, when shown, is Cloudflare Registrar's figure and is not a charge.
- names. 1 returned
Repeat the call yourself if you need a newer reading. Cached answers expire. A rate limit is not a result: wait and try again. Nothing in the call is a ranking, a filing, or advice.
Using it in production
Nothing to install and nothing to run: no package, no Python or Node.js version and no environment variable. Startup Name Check runs on our servers, and your client only needs the URL https://names.openkrill.app/mcp.
| Rate limit | 60 tool calls a minute from one network. initialize and tools/list do not count. |
|---|---|
| Daily cap | 5000 tool calls a day per server, shared by every caller. It resets at 00:00 UTC. |
| At a limit | The call comes back as a tool error that starts with rate_limited (wait a minute) or daily_limit (try after 00:00 UTC), never as a partial answer. |
| Key | None. Do not add an Authorization header or a key field. |
| Higher limits | Email support@openkrill.app with the server name, the calls a day you expect and what they are for. We answer within 1 business day. |
| Freshness | Some answers come from a short cache. Each guide shows the date of its checked call; repeat a call when you need a newer reading. |
| Uptime | Scheduled test calls check the servers through the same endpoint. There is no SLA yet. |
| Data | What each server receives and keeps is on the privacy page. |
Use it in other apps
- Startup Name Check in ChatGPT
- Startup Name Check in Claude
- Startup Name Check in Cursor
- Startup Name Check in Pi
Roles that use Startup Name Check
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the Startup Name Check MCP server in VS Code?
Add names with type http and the url https://names.openkrill.app/mcp under servers in .vscode/mcp.json and save the file. Select Start above the entry, confirm that you trust the server, then use it from Chat in Agent mode.
Do I need an API key to run Startup Name Check in VS Code?
No. This server takes no API key. For higher limits, email support@openkrill.app with the server name (Startup Name Check), the calls a day you expect and what they are for. We answer within 1 business day.
What should I do if Startup Name Check does not connect in VS Code?
Check that the entry sits under servers, not mcpServers, and has type http. Run MCP: List Servers, select names and choose Restart, then open Show Output if it still fails.