Namecheap MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides programmatic access to Namecheap domain management services. This server enables AI assistants like Claude to interact with Namecheap's API for domain operations, DNS management, and domain suggestions.

Features

• 🔍 Domain Availability Checking: Single and bulk domain availability checks
• 📋 Domain Management: List, register, and renew domains in your account
• 🌐 DNS Management: Get and set nameservers for your domains
• 💡 Domain Suggestions: AI-powered domain name suggestions with availability checking
• 🔐 Secure Authentication: Environment variable support for API credentials
• 🧪 Sandbox Support: Safe testing with Namecheap's sandbox environment

Installation

Global Installation (Recommended)

npm install -g @ironclads/[email protected]

Verify Installation

namecheap-mcp --help

Configuration

API Credentials

1. Get Namecheap API credentials:

   • Visit Namecheap API Settings
   • Enable API access and note your API key
   • Whitelist your IP address

2. Set environment variables:

   export NAMECHEAP_API_USER=your-api-user
   export NAMECHEAP_API_KEY=your-api-key
   export NAMECHEAP_USERNAME=your-username
   export NAMECHEAP_CLIENT_IP=your-whitelisted-ip
   export NAMECHEAP_SANDBOX=true  # Set to 'false' for production

Usage Methods

Method 1: Environment Variables Only

# Set environment variables (as shown above)
namecheap-mcp

Method 2: CLI Arguments

namecheap-mcp \
  --api-user your-api-user \
  --api-key your-api-key \
  --username your-username \
  --client-ip your-whitelisted-ip \
  --sandbox

Method 3: Mixed (CLI overrides environment)

export NAMECHEAP_API_USER=your-api-user
namecheap-mcp --api-key your-api-key --username your-username --client-ip your-ip

Claude Desktop Integration

Configuration File Location

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Configuration Example

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "namecheap": {
      "command": "namecheap-mcp",
      "args": [],
      "env": {
        "NAMECHEAP_API_USER": "your-api-user",
        "NAMECHEAP_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
        "NAMECHEAP_USERNAME": "your-username", 
        "NAMECHEAP_CLIENT_IP": "your-whitelisted-ip",
        "NAMECHEAP_SANDBOX": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Reload Configuration

After updating the configuration file:

# In Claude Desktop
/mcp reload

Available MCP Tools

Domain Management

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | check_domain | Check if a single domain is available | | check_domains_bulk | Check availability of multiple domains (up to 50) | | list_domains | List all domains in your Namecheap account | | get_domain_info | Get detailed information about a registered domain | | register_domain | Register a new domain | | renew_domain | Renew an existing domain registration |

DNS Management

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | get_nameservers | Get current nameservers for a domain | | set_nameservers | Set custom nameservers for a domain |

Domain Suggestions

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | suggest_domains | Generate intelligent domain suggestions with availability checking |

Usage Examples

Check Domain Availability

{
  "tool": "check_domain",
  "arguments": {
    "domain": "example.com"
  }
}

List Your Domains

{
  "tool": "list_domains",
  "arguments": {
    "page": 1,
    "pageSize": 20,
    "sortBy": "EXPIREDATE"
  }
}

Get Domain Suggestions

{
  "tool": "suggest_domains", 
  "arguments": {
    "keyword": "tech",
    "tlds": ["com", "io", "co", "ai"],
    "maxSuggestions": 10,
    "includeHyphens": false,
    "maxLength": 12
  }
}

Set Nameservers

{
  "tool": "set_nameservers",
  "arguments": {
    "domain": "example.com", 
    "nameservers": [
      "ns1.cloudflare.com",
      "ns2.cloudflare.com"
    ]
  }
}

Domain Suggestion Features

The domain suggestion system includes:

• Smart Generation: Uses prefixes, suffixes, and alternative words
• Availability Checking: Real-time availability verification
• Scoring System: Rates suggestions based on length, pronounceability, and brandability
• Multiple TLDs: Supports checking across different top-level domains
• Flexible Options: Configurable parameters for hyphens, numbers, and length limits

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "Command not found" Error

   # Make sure the package is installed globally
   npm install -g @ironclads/[email protected]
      
   # Check installation
   which namecheap-mcp

2. API Authentication Errors

   • Verify your API credentials at Namecheap API Settings
   • Ensure your IP address is whitelisted
   • Check that API access is enabled for your account

3. MCP Connection Issues

   • Verify Claude Desktop configuration file location
   • Check JSON syntax in configuration file
   • Try /mcp reload in Claude Desktop
   • Check environment variables are set correctly

4. Sandbox vs Production

   • Use NAMECHEAP_SANDBOX=true for testing
   • Set NAMECHEAP_SANDBOX=false for production operations
   • Sandbox and production have separate API endpoints

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging:

DEBUG=* namecheap-mcp

Getting Help

namecheap-mcp --help

Development

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/your-repo/namecheap-mcp.git
cd namecheap-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Running Tests

npm test

Type Checking

npm run typecheck

API Reference

For detailed information about Namecheap's API, visit:

• Namecheap API Documentation
• API Methods Reference

Security

• Environment Variables: Store API credentials in environment variables, not in code
• IP Whitelisting: Only whitelisted IP addresses can use the API
• Sandbox Mode: Always test in sandbox mode before production use
• Key Rotation: Regularly rotate your API keys

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

Changelog

v1.4.4 (Latest)

• ✅ Added comprehensive README.md and updated documentation
• ✅ Improved Claude Desktop integration examples
• ✅ Enhanced troubleshooting and installation guides
• ✅ Added security considerations and API limitations

v1.4.3

• ✅ Fixed npx execution issues with proper bin permissions
• ✅ Added comprehensive environment variable support
• ✅ Improved error handling and validation
• ✅ Added list_domains tool for account domain management

v1.4.2

• ✅ Added environment variable support alongside CLI arguments
• ✅ Enhanced security with environment-based configuration
• ✅ Updated documentation and help messages

v1.4.1

• ✅ Added domain list functionality
• ✅ Removed dotenv dependencies for simpler configuration
• ✅ Improved domain validation and scoring algorithms

Support

• 📧 Issues: GitHub Issues
• 📖 Documentation: Namecheap API Docs
• 💬 Community: Model Context Protocol

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