Temper Domains

Why

AI coding tools can't check if a domain is available. Claude suggests a name, you open a browser, search manually, come back — the flow breaks every time.

temper fixes this. One command. 30 TLDs. Fast enough to stay in flow.

Features

• Private — CLI and MCP queries run on your machine. No tracking, no telemetry. The hosted web demo uses a server-side API route for live checks.
• Fast — checks 30 TLDs by default with a 5s timeout. 59 with --extended.
• MCP native — Codex, Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Cursor can search domains directly.
• Keyboard-first — vim-style navigation, single-key registrar selection.
• Pipe-friendly — --format json for scripting and automation.
• Themeable — 7 built-in themes (5 dark + 2 light).
• Open source — Apache 2.0. Zero telemetry.

Install

# Homebrew (macOS/Linux) — no runtime needed
brew install jongjinchoi/temper-domains/temper

# npm (Node.js >= 18)
npm i -g temper-domains
temper search <name>

# One-off npm run without global install
npx -y temper-domains search <name>

# Or run from source (requires Bun)
bun install && bun run src/index.ts search <name>

Usage

$ temper --help

Usage: temper [options] [command]

Never leave your terminal to find a domain.

Commands:
  search [options] <queries...>  Search domain availability across TLDs
  suggest [options] [query]      Generate name combinations and check availability
  whois <domain>                 Show detailed WHOIS/RDAP info for a domain
  init                           Set up temper (registrar + theme)
  history                        Show search history
  watch <domain>                 Add a domain to watchlist
  list                           Show watchlist with current availability
  show-presets                   Show available TLD presets
  config                         Manage temper configuration
  mcp                            Start MCP server over stdio

Keyboard shortcuts

Search

temper search myproject                          # 30 default TLDs
temper search myproject --extended               # 59 TLDs
temper search myproject --tlds com,dev,io         # specific TLDs
temper search myproject --tld-preset tech         # preset: tech, popular, startup, cheap
temper search myproject -a                        # available only
temper search myproject -t 8                      # 8s timeout (default: 5)
temper search myproject --format json             # JSON output for piping
temper search gethalden writeholt --format json   # multiple keywords in JSON mode

Navigate with j/k, press Enter to buy, a to add to watchlist, / to filter. Press s for suggestions, h for history, w for watchlist. q to quit. TUI mode shows one query at a time; use --format json for batch searches.

TLD Presets

temper show-presets

  popular    com, net, org, io, co, app, dev, ai, me
  tech       io, ai, dev, app, gg, sh, tech, cloud, digital
  startup    com, io, co, ai, app, dev, xyz, so, gg
  cheap      xyz, fun, lol, top, site, online, store, shop, club

JSON output

temper search gethalden --format json | jq '.[] | select(.status == "available" and .confidence != "low") | .domain'

Availability rows can include confidence, reason, rdapKey, publicSuffix, and registrableDomain fields. A low-confidence available result should be reviewed with a registrar before treating it as purchasable.

Whois

Look up detailed WHOIS/RDAP information for any domain. In search view, press i on any domain.

temper whois example.com                         # TUI view
temper whois example.com --format json           # JSON output

Shows registrar, registration/expiry dates, nameservers, DNSSEC status, and EPP status codes. Uses RDAP (RFC 9083) when available, falls back to WHOIS.

Suggest

Generate name combinations and check .com availability. Press Enter on any name to check all 30 TLDs.

temper suggest gethalden                            # default prefixes + suffixes
temper suggest gethalden -p use,try -s app,hq       # custom prefixes/suffixes

  BASE
    gethalden            ✗ taken

  PREFIX
    usegethalden         ✓ available
    trygethalden         ✓ available
    mygethalden          ✓ available
    ...

  SUFFIX
    gethaldenapp         ✓ available
    gethaldenlabs        ✓ available
    ...

  Summary: 13 available · 2 taken

Default prefixes: get use try my go join Default suffixes: app labs hq ly dev hub run kit

Watchlist & History

temper history                # interactive search history (re-search, remove)
temper list                   # interactive watchlist (refresh, remove)
temper watch gethalden.com    # add a domain to watchlist from CLI

In search view, press a to add a domain to your watchlist, h to view history, w to view watchlist.

Setup

temper init                           # first-time setup (registrar + theme)
temper config theme seoul-night       # change theme
temper config theme --list            # list themes

temper runs as a local MCP server. Your AI assistant searches domains without you switching context.

Prerequisite: Install temper first — brew install jongjinchoi/temper-domains/temper or npm i -g temper-domains.

Codex

Codex stores MCP server configuration in ~/.codex/config.toml and shares it between the Codex CLI and IDE extension. Add temper with:

codex mcp add temper -- temper mcp

In the Codex TUI, run /mcp to confirm the server is active.

You can also edit ~/.codex/config.toml directly:

[mcp_servers.temper]
command = "temper"
args = ["mcp"]

If you prefer not to install globally, use npx as the command and pass ["-y", "temper-domains", "mcp"] as args in MCP clients that support explicit command/args configuration.

Claude Code

Pick one based on how you want temper available:

All projects (recommended):

claude mcp add --scope user --transport stdio temper -- temper mcp

Current folder only:

claude mcp add --transport stdio temper -- temper mcp

Claude Desktop

Settings → Developer → Edit Config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "temper": {
      "command": "temper",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Cursor

Settings → Tools & Integrations → New MCP Server (command type):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "temper": {
      "command": "temper",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "temper": {
      "command": "temper",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

VS Code (Cline)

Command Palette → MCP: Add server → stdio → temper mcp

Tools:

MCP output keeps uncertain results visible. Low-confidence availability is reported as review instead of a final recommendation.

Example: Brainstorm from scratch

You:    "I'm building a health management app. Suggest domain names."

Claude: [generates candidates: wellbi, vitalo, medra, healix, ...]
        [calls search_names for generated bare names]
        [calls suggest_domain for top picks]

        Top Pick: wellbi.app
        - Short, pronounceable, .app TLD fits mobile apps
        - getwellbi.com also available

        ⚠ Medra means "fear" in Spanish — avoid for global use
        💡 Check @wellbi on social media before registering

Example: Search with a name

You:    "Find domains for gethalden"

Claude: [calls search_domain]
        gethalden.com is taken, but these are available:
        - gethalden.dev, gethalden.app, gethalden.io

For names without a TLD, temper checks the default 30 TLDs first and treats .com as the first result to interpret. Use extended search only when the default set is not enough.

Example: Check specific domains

You:    "Check usegethalden.com and trygethalden.com"

Claude: [calls check_domain_availability]
        ✓ usegethalden.com — available
        ✓ trygethalden.com — available

Example: Buy a domain

You:    "Open Cloudflare for usegethalden.com"

Claude: [calls open_registrar]
        Done. Cloudflare opened in your browser.

When temper runs as a local CLI or MCP server, queries run on your machine. The hosted website demo uses its own API route for live checks.

Contributing

git clone https://github.com/jongjinchoi/temper-domains.git
cd temper-domains
bun install
bun run src/index.ts search <name>    # run locally
bun test                               # run tests

Issues and pull requests are welcome.

License

Apache 2.0 — see LICENSE