Setup
On first use, read setup.md to align activation boundaries, provider preferences, and approval rules before any registration, transfer, or renewal action.
When to Use
Use this skill when the user needs domain registration operations across major providers and must choose between API automation and dashboard execution.
Use this for first-time registration, transfer planning, renewals, ownership checks, DNS handoff, and registrar security hardening where billing and service continuity are high impact.
Architecture
Memory lives in ~/domain-registration/. See memory-template.md for structure and status values.
~/domain-registration/
|-- memory.md # Provider preferences, risk boundaries, and approval model
|-- inventory.md # Domain inventory, provider, expiry, and lock status
|-- changes.md # Registration, transfer, and renewal action log
|-- providers.md # Account aliases, API readiness, and dashboard access notes
`-- incidents.md # Failed transfers, renewal misses, and mitigation history
Quick Reference
Use the smallest file needed for the current task.
| Topic | File |
|---|
| Setup and activation behavior | setup.md |
| Memory structure and status model | memory-template.md |
| Provider API and dashboard matrix | provider-matrix.md |
| New registration workflows by provider | registration-playbooks.md |
| Transfer and renewal execution patterns | transfer-renewal.md |
| DNS and account security controls | dns-security-controls.md |
Provider Coverage
This skill covers API and dashboard workflows for major domain providers.
| Provider | API Coverage | Dashboard Coverage | Primary Use Notes |
|---|
| GoDaddy | Public Domains API | Yes | Broad retail registrar operations |
| Namecheap | XML API | Yes | Domain lifecycle plus full DNS replace patterns |
| Route 53 Domains (AWS) | AWS Route53Domains API | Yes | Enterprise workflows via IAM-scoped automation |
| Cloudflare Registrar | DNS and zone API + registrar-adjacent ops | Yes | Registration lifecycle mostly dashboard-driven |
| Google Cloud Domains | Cloud Domains API | Yes | Portfolio management in Google Cloud projects |
| Squarespace Domains | No public registrar API | Yes | Dashboard-only lifecycle for Google Domains migrations |
| Dynadot | Public API | Yes | Cost-efficient registration and renewal workflows |
| Porkbun | Public JSON API | Yes | Fast API-first retail and small portfolio use |
| Name.com | Public REST API | Yes | Programmatic registration and transfer actions |
| Gandi | Public v5 API | Yes | EU-focused registrar and DNS lifecycle controls |
| OVHcloud Domains | Public API | Yes | Regional portfolio with API-backed operations |
| Tucows OpenSRS / Enom | Reseller APIs | Yes (reseller panels) | Reseller and wholesale portfolio operations |
Core Rules
1. Classify Provider and Interface Before Planning
- Identify registrar, account context, and whether the operation should run via API or dashboard.
- If API support is partial, split execution clearly: API for read/validation, dashboard for billing-sensitive writes.
2. Run Registration Preflight Every Time
- Validate domain availability from the target registrar directly, then confirm TLD rules, premium status, and renewal price.
- Confirm legal/trademark risk and required contact profile before submitting payment actions.
3. Choose the Lowest-Risk Execution Path
- Prefer API for repeatable bulk operations with audit logs; prefer dashboard when provider APIs do not expose required lifecycle steps.
- For first-time provider usage, run one-domain pilot before any batch purchase or transfer.
4. Gate Billing and Ownership Actions with Explicit Confirmation
- Registration, transfer, auto-renew changes, and WHOIS contact writes need explicit user confirmation.
- Confirm domain list, years, currency impact, and ownership target before execution.
5. Preserve Rollback State Before Mutating DNS or Nameservers
- Snapshot current DNS and nameserver state before transfer or registrar migration.
- Keep rollback-ready records so the prior state can be restored quickly if propagation or ownership validation fails.
6. Enforce Registrar Security Baseline Post-Registration
- Enable account 2FA, registrar lock, and renewal monitoring immediately after successful purchase or transfer.
- Add DNSSEC only after authoritative DNS compatibility is confirmed for the target provider.
7. Verify Outcomes and Log Durable Context
- Verify success with provider API/dashboard confirmation plus resolver-level checks (
dig, WHOIS status, nameserver visibility).
- Update
~/domain-registration/ memory files with provider choice, lifecycle dates, and known edge cases.
Common Traps
- Treating all providers as API-equivalent -> missing lifecycle steps because some registrars are dashboard-only for critical actions.
- Skipping premium renewal checks -> surprise annual billing that exceeds initial purchase assumptions.
- Running batch registration without one-domain pilot -> multiplied failures from bad contact, tax, or payment configuration.
- Forgetting 60-day transfer lock rules -> transfer plans fail despite valid auth codes.
- Replacing DNS records without full snapshot -> incomplete rollback during cutover incidents.
- Enabling DNSSEC before DS/zone readiness -> domain resolution failures after migration.
- Leaving domains without renewal monitoring -> avoidable expiration and brand abuse risk.
External Endpoints
No other data is sent externally.
Security & Privacy
Data that leaves your machine:
- Registrar API requests and dashboard session traffic needed for domain lifecycle operations.
- Domain names, contact metadata, and operation parameters required by selected providers.
Data that stays local:
- Operational preferences and provider context in
~/domain-registration/.
- Change history, rollback state references, and incident notes.
This skill does NOT:
- Execute undeclared endpoints.
- Approve billing-impacting domain actions without explicit confirmation.
- Store credentials in skill files.
- Bypass provider security or anti-abuse controls.
Trust
This skill can send domain lifecycle data to third-party registrar services when the user approves execution.
Only install if you trust the selected providers and local credential handling practices.
Related Skills
Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:
dns - DNS records, propagation behavior, and incident troubleshootingapi - API request design, authentication, and failure handlinghosting - Hosting cutovers coordinated with domain and DNS transitionsssl - Certificate validation and HTTPS recovery after DNS or registrar changesinfrastructure - Environment architecture and operations runbooks
Feedback
- If useful:
clawhub star domain-registration
- Stay updated:
clawhub sync
