namecheap-api-mcp

MCP server for the Namecheap API — manage domains, DNS, contacts, registrar locks, and view SSL certificates and pricing, straight from your AI assistant.

Built for Claude Code and any MCP-compatible AI tool.

Part of The SEO Engine toolkit by Rex Jones — AI-powered SEO and social media tooling for agencies and businesses.

Safety model

This server ships read + safe-write tools only. It can read your account and change DNS / nameserver / forwarding / lock configuration (all reversible), but it deliberately excludes anything that spends money or is irreversible: no domain registration, renewal, reactivation, transfers, SSL purchase/activation, add-funds, or account/address mutation. You can fork and add those if you need them.

Quick start

1. Enable Namecheap API access

1. Go to Profile → Tools → Namecheap API Access and toggle it ON. (Production access requires account eligibility: 20+ domains, OR a $50+ balance, OR $50+ lifetime spend.)
2. Copy your API key.
3. Whitelist the public IPv4 of the machine that will run this server (the API rejects any non-whitelisted IP with error 1011150).

2. Configure your MCP client

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "namecheap": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "namecheap-api-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "NAMECHEAP_API_USER": "your_username",
        "NAMECHEAP_API_KEY": "your_api_key",
        "NAMECHEAP_CLIENT_IP": "your.whitelisted.ip.v4"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option: clone and build

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

Then point your client at node /path/to/namecheap-api-mcp/dist/index.js. For local credentials you can keep a gitignored .env (copy .env.example) and launch with Node's native flag: node --env-file=.env dist/index.js.

Environment variables

| Variable | Required | Description | |----------|----------|-------------| | NAMECHEAP_API_USER | Yes | Your Namecheap account username (API user). | | NAMECHEAP_API_KEY | Yes | API key from Profile → Tools → API Access. Secret. | | NAMECHEAP_CLIENT_IP | Yes | The whitelisted public IPv4 of this machine. | | NAMECHEAP_USERNAME | No | Defaults to NAMECHEAP_API_USER; differs only for reseller sub-users. | | NAMECHEAP_ENVIRONMENT | No | production (default) or sandbox. |

Tools

Read

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | check_connection | Verify credentials + IP whitelist; returns the account balance summary. | | list_domains | List domains with expiry, lock, auto-renew, and WhoisGuard status (paged/searchable). | | get_domain_info | Detailed info for one domain. | | check_domains | Check availability + premium pricing (up to 50 at once). | | get_domain_contacts | Registrant / Tech / Admin / AuxBilling contacts. | | get_registrar_lock | Registrar lock status. | | get_dns_hosts | All DNS host records for a domain. | | get_nameservers | Nameservers and whether Namecheap DNS is in use. | | get_email_forwarding | Email forwarding rules. | | get_pricing | Namecheap pricing for a product type (cache the results). | | list_ssl_certificates | SSL certificates with type, host, status, expiry. |

Safe writes (configuration only — no charges)

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | set_dns_hosts | Replace all host records (destructive: omitted records are deleted — send the full set). | | set_default_dns | Switch a domain to Namecheap's default nameservers. | | set_custom_nameservers | Point a domain at custom nameservers. | | set_email_forwarding | Set email forwarding rules. | | set_registrar_lock | Lock / unlock a domain at the registrar. |

Notes & gotchas

• set_dns_hosts is destructive by API design. Namecheap's setHosts deletes every record not included in the call. Always read current records first (get_dns_hosts), merge your change, then send the complete set.
• Errors return HTTP 200. The Namecheap API signals failure in the XML body (Status="ERROR"), not the HTTP status. This server parses that and throws a real error with the Namecheap error number + message.
• IPv4 only for the whitelisted client IP.

Security

• Credentials are read from environment variables only — never hard-coded, logged, or written to disk by this server.
• The API key travels in the query string (Namecheap's design); this server never logs the request URL or key, and error messages surface only the Namecheap error number and text.

License

MIT © Rex Jones