Domain Registration

Register, transfer, renew, and secure domains across major provider APIs and dashboards with provider-specific workflows and rollback-safe execution.

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.

text

~/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

Endpoint	Data Sent	Purpose
https://api.godaddy.com	Domain queries, registration and management payloads	GoDaddy API lifecycle operations
https://sso.godaddy.com	Authenticated account actions	GoDaddy dashboard operations
https://api.namecheap.com/xml.response	Domain and DNS XML parameters	Namecheap API actions
https://ap.www.namecheap.com	Account and billing interactions	Namecheap dashboard operations
https://route53domains.us-east-1.amazonaws.com	Domain lifecycle API payloads via AWS signatures	Route 53 Domains automation
https://console.aws.amazon.com	Account and domain dashboard actions	AWS console execution and validation
https://api.cloudflare.com	Zone and registrar-adjacent configuration payloads	Cloudflare DNS and registrar workflow support
https://dash.cloudflare.com	Registrar and account dashboard actions	Cloudflare registrar lifecycle tasks
https://domains.googleapis.com	Cloud Domains API requests	Google Cloud Domains operations
https://console.cloud.google.com	Cloud Domains dashboard actions	Google Cloud portfolio management
https://account.squarespace.com	Account and domain dashboard interactions	Squarespace Domains lifecycle actions
https://api.dynadot.com	Domain command parameters	Dynadot API operations
https://porkbun.com/api/json/v3	Domain and DNS JSON payloads	Porkbun API lifecycle operations
https://api.name.com	Domain, DNS, and transfer payloads	Name.com API actions
https://api.gandi.net	Domain and DNS JSON payloads	Gandi v5 API operations
https://api.ovh.com	Domain lifecycle API payloads	OVHcloud domain operations
https://api.opensrs.com	Reseller domain payloads	Tucows OpenSRS operations
https://reseller.enom.com/interface.asp	Reseller panel interactions	Enom dashboard and reseller lifecycle actions

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 troubleshooting
• api - API request design, authentication, and failure handling
• hosting - Hosting cutovers coordinated with domain and DNS transitions
• ssl - Certificate validation and HTTPS recovery after DNS or registrar changes
• infrastructure - Environment architecture and operations runbooks

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star domain-registration
• Stay updated: clawhub sync