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How to add .ai Domain Search Support in your whois.json file in WHMCS

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The .ai domain extension has gained massive popularity, not just in Anguilla (its country of origin), but across global tech startups and AI-focused companies. If you’re building your own domain lookup tool or integrating WHOIS functionality into your app, supporting .ai domains is a must.

However, unlike some other TLDs, .ai WHOIS behaves a little differently—so getting it right in your whois.json file is important.

Correct Configuration for .ai WHOIS

Here’s the correct and working configuration you should add in your whois.json file:

{
  "extensions": ".ai",
  "uri": "socket://whois.nic.ai",
  "available": "Domain not found"
}

🔍 What Each Field Means

  • extensions: Specifies the domain extension this rule applies to. In this case, .ai.
  • uri: This is the WHOIS server for .ai domains. It uses the socket protocol to send a query to whois.nic.ai.
  • available: This string is searched in the WHOIS response to determine if a domain is available. For .ai, the server responds with Domain not found if the domain is unregistered.

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Using the wrong match string: Many assume .ai returns No match, but the correct string is Domain not found.

🧪 Test Before You Deploy

Always test your implementation. You can use a domain like hosterlinktest1234.ai (assuming it’s not registered) and confirm your tool correctly identifies it as available.

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