The agentic web is here. AI agents are no longer just chat interfaces—they’re autonomous systems that can browse, reason, and pay for services. The missing piece has been payments: how does an agent pay for an API call without a credit card, without OAuth, without human intervention?
Enter x402: a simple protocol that adds micropayments to HTTP. When an agent hits a paid endpoint, it gets a 402 Payment Required response with a payment address. The agent pays (usually pennies in USDC on Base), retries the request with proof of payment, and gets the data. No API keys. No subscriptions. Just pay-per-use.
RobotDomainSearch is the first domain intelligence API built for this agentic future. In this guide, we’ll walk through everything: setting up an onchain wallet with USDC, and using each RDS endpoint to find the perfect domain for a business idea.
By the end, you’ll have a complete workflow for autonomous domain discovery—from brainstorm to final selection—for less than $0.20.
Setting Up an Onchain Wallet
Before your agent can pay for services, it needs a wallet with USDC on Base (an Ethereum L2 with ~$0.001 transaction fees).
What You Need
- Network: Base (mainnet)
- Currency: USDC (the stablecoin pegged 1:1 to USD)
- Amount: ~$1 is plenty for experimentation
Coinbase Agentic Wallet
For agents, the Coinbase Agentic Wallet provides programmatic wallet creation designed for autonomous agent use:
- Follow the Agentic Wallet quickstart to set up your wallet
- Install the agentic wallet skills for your agent:
npx skills add coinbase/agentic-wallet-skills
- Fund your wallet with at least $1 USDC on Base
Verifying Transactions
Every x402 payment creates an onchain transaction. You can verify any payment at x402scan.com—a block explorer specifically for x402 transactions. Enter your wallet address or transaction hash to see payment history, costs, and which services you’ve used.
How x402 Works
The x402 protocol is elegantly simple:
1. Agent requests: GET /api/data
2. Server responds: 402 Payment Required
Headers include: price, payment address, supported tokens
3. Agent pays: USDC transfer on Base (~$0.001 gas fee)
4. Agent retries: GET /api/data + X-Payment-Proof header
5. Server verifies payment onchain, returns data
All of this happens automatically when using x402-compatible clients. The agent handles the payment flow without human intervention.
Why USDC on Base?
- USDC is a regulated stablecoin—$1 USDC = $1 USD
- Base has sub-cent transaction fees
- Payments settle in seconds
- No currency volatility
Domain Availability Check (FREE)
Let’s start with a business idea: you’re building an AI tutoring platform and need the perfect domain. First, we check if the domains are available.
The /v1/check endpoint is completely free—no x402 payment required. It’s our way of letting you explore before committing.
curl "https://api.robotdomainsearch.com/v1/check?name=aitutor&tld=com,io,ai,dev,app"
{
"name": "aitutor",
"results": [
{"domain": "aitutor.com", "tld": "com", "available": false, "status": ["active"]},
{"domain": "aitutor.io", "tld": "io", "available": false, "status": ["active"]},
{"domain": "aitutor.ai", "tld": "ai", "available": false, "status": ["active"]},
{"domain": "aitutor.dev", "tld": "dev", "available": true, "status": ["available"]},
{"domain": "aitutor.app", "tld": "app", "available": true, "status": ["available"]}
]
}
Interesting results: the premium TLDs (.com, .io, .ai) are all taken—no surprise for such a valuable keyword in the AI space. But .dev and .app are both available! These are solid options for a tech-focused tutoring platform.
What you can check:
- Query up to 500+ TLDs at once
- Real-time availability status
- Sub-50ms response times
- No rate limits for reasonable use
Domain Valuation — $0.02
The prime domains are taken, but what are they actually worth? Understanding the market value helps you decide whether to pursue acquisition, choose an alternative TLD, or modify your brand name.
The valuation endpoint analyzes any domain—available or not—using real comparable sales data from the RDS database:
curl "https://api.robotdomainsearch.com/v1/valuation/aitutor.com"
After the x402 payment flow completes automatically, you receive:
{
"domain": "aitutor.com",
"tier": "quick",
"estimate": {
"low": 50000,
"mid": 75000,
"high": 120000,
"currency": "USD"
},
"confidence": 75,
"explanation": "aitutor.com, a brandable 7-char .com with AI relevance, aged 16 years, aligns with segment median of $75K and comps like releaf.com ($128K) and haggle.com ($150K) at 65% similarity, boosted by AI market demand.",
"key_factors": [
"AI branding appeal",
"Comparable sales $100K-$150K",
".com TLD premium",
"Brandable pattern"
],
"heuristic": {
"length_score": 70,
"tld_score": 100,
"word_score": 60,
"pattern": "brandable",
"pattern_score": 60,
"pronounceability": 90,
"penalties": []
},
"comparables": [
{"domain": "wonderly.com", "sale_price": 100000, "sale_date": "2025-12-24", "venue": "Afternic", "similarity_score": 0.65},
{"domain": "diffs.com", "sale_price": 131670, "sale_date": "2025-12-10", "venue": "Sedo", "similarity_score": 0.6}
]
}
Now we understand the landscape: aitutor.com is valued at $50K-$120K with 75% confidence. The comparables show recent sales of similar brandable .com domains in the $100K-$150K range. That’s serious money—probably out of reach for a bootstrapped startup.
This insight helps you make a strategic decision: go with the available aitutor.dev or aitutor.app, or pivot to a different brand name entirely.
Quick vs Full Valuation
| Tier | Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
quick |
$0.02 | Estimate, confidence score, key factors, heuristic breakdown |
full |
$0.08 | Everything above + detailed comparables, statistical anchors, AI-powered analysis |
For quick decisions, tier=quick is perfect. For serious acquisitions, use tier=full to get in-depth market analysis.
Name Search Presence — $0.02
A great domain is only half the battle. You also need to understand how crowded the name is online. The /v1/name-search-presence endpoint uses search engines to score how “taken” a name already is on the web.
curl "https://api.robotdomainsearch.com/v1/name-search-presence?name=aitutor"
{
"name": "aitutor",
"score": 42,
"status": "medium",
"summary": "Moderate online presence found for \"aitutor\" including existing brand/company references, registered domains.",
"engines": [
{
"engine": "perplexity",
"score": 78,
"exact_hits": 4,
"loose_hits": 9,
"top_matches": [
{"title": "AI Tutor - Learn Anything, Anytime, Anywhere", "url": "https://ai-tutor.ai", "type": "domain", "relevance": "low"},
{"title": "AI Tutor Pro", "url": "https://www.aitutorpro.ca", "type": "domain", "relevance": "high"},
{"title": "AI Tutor: Homework Help - Pearson", "url": "https://www.pearson.com/channels/ai-tutor", "type": "brand", "relevance": "low"}
]
}
]
}
The presence score of 42 (medium) tells the real story: this namespace is moderately crowded. There are 4 exact matches and 9 loose hits, including existing domains like ai-tutor.ai and established brands like Pearson’s “AI Tutor” product.
This is critical intelligence. A score of 42 means:
- There’s competition—you won’t be the only “AI Tutor” in search results
- No single dominant player—the space isn’t locked up
- Brand differentiation is key—you’ll need strong marketing to stand out
The presence score ranges from 0-100:
- clean (0-15): Almost no online presence—ideal for new brands
- low (16-35): Minor mentions but no established presence
- medium (36-65): Moderate activity—proceed with caution
- high (66-100): Strong existing presence—likely trademark conflicts
Why this matters:
- Discover if someone else is already building under this name
- Identify potential trademark conflicts early
- Understand competitive landscape before committing
- Score aggregates across multiple search engines for accuracy
Domain Intel — $0.05
What if you want to analyze a competitor’s domain? Or check if a domain you’re interested in is actually being used? The /v1/intel endpoint provides deep intelligence on any domain—checking if it’s parked, capturing screenshots, and tracing redirects.
Let’s check out a well-established domain:
curl "https://api.robotdomainsearch.com/v1/intel?domain=robots.com"
{
"domain": "robots.com",
"available": false,
"parked": false,
"parked_confidence": 0.045,
"parked_signals": ["html_signature_ppc_scripts"],
"screenshot_url": "/screenshots/a988b997cafe5703.jpg",
"final_url": "https://www.robots.com/",
"load_time_ms": 8696
}
The low parked_confidence of 0.045 (4.5%) confirms this is an active, legitimate website—not a parked domain waiting to be sold. The final_url shows it redirects to www.robots.com, and we captured a screenshot for visual verification.
With this intel, you can:
- Identify parked domains — Many “taken” domains are just parked. High
parked_confidencesuggests the owner might sell. - Verify active businesses — Low parked confidence + working site = real, active business
- Capture visual snapshots — Get screenshots without visiting the site
- Detect redirects — See if domains redirect elsewhere via
final_url
Putting It All Together
Here’s the complete workflow we just walked through for finding the perfect domain:
Step 1: Brainstorm and Check (FREE)
# Check availability across multiple TLDs
curl "https://api.robotdomainsearch.com/v1/check?name=aitutor&tld=com,io,ai,dev,app"
Result: .com, .io, and .ai are taken. .dev and .app are available.
Step 2: Understand the Market ($0.02)
# Valuate the premium domain to understand pricing
curl "https://api.robotdomainsearch.com/v1/valuation/aitutor.com"
Result: Worth $50K-$120K based on real comparable sales. Too expensive for acquisition—go with an alternative TLD.
Step 3: Check Name Presence ($0.02)
# Score online presence for the name
curl "https://api.robotdomainsearch.com/v1/name-search-presence?name=aitutor"
Result: Score of 42 (medium)—moderate competition exists. We’ll need strong branding to differentiate.
Step 4: Analyze the Competition ($0.05)
# Research active competitors
curl "https://api.robotdomainsearch.com/v1/intel?domain=robots.com"
Result: Active website with screenshot captured. Now we know what we’re up against.
Total Cost: $0.09
For less than a dime, you get:
- Domain availability across 500+ TLDs
- Professional valuation with real market comparables
- Search presence scoring across the web
- Deep competitor intelligence with screenshots
Compare that to traditional services that charge $10-50/month for similar features.
The Decision
Based on our research, the smart move is to register aitutor.dev or aitutor.app:
- Available for standard registration price (~$12-15/year)
.devand.appboth signal tech/software—perfect for an AI platform- The namespace is moderately competitive, so invest in strong branding
- Skip trying to acquire
aitutor.com—$75K median valuation is prohibitive
Getting Started
Ready to integrate RobotDomainSearch into your agent or application?
Documentation
Full API documentation with request/response examples: robotdomainsearch.com/docs
MCP Server
For Claude and other MCP-compatible AI systems: robotdomainsearch.com/mcp
CLI Tool
Command-line interface for quick lookups:
brew install robotdomainsearch/tap/rds
rds check myawesomename --tlds com,io,ai
Agentic Wallet Skills
Set up your agent’s wallet with Coinbase Agentic Wallet:
npx skills add coinbase/agentic-wallet-skills
Transaction Monitoring
Track all your x402 payments at x402scan.com
The future of the web is agentic, and agents need services they can pay for autonomously. RobotDomainSearch is built for this future—fast, cheap, and fully compatible with the x402 payment protocol.
Start with the free /v1/check endpoint. When you’re ready to go deeper, fund your wallet with a few dollars of USDC and let your agent do the rest.
Questions? Find us on GitHub or email us at api@robotdomainsearch.com.