tld-advisor

TLD Advisor

Help the user pick the right TLD. Blends factual infrastructure data (from tld_info / rdap_bootstrap_info) with opinionated category guidance.

When to Use

• "Should I register .io or .dev?"
• "Is .ai worth the premium?"
• "What TLDs are good for a SaaS product?"
• "Does .xyz look professional?"
• "What WHOIS server does .tr use?" (factual — route to domain-lookup)

Category → TLD guidance (opinionated)

Category	First choice	Fallback	Avoid
Dev tool / CLI / library	.dev	.io, .sh	.biz
AI product	.ai	.com, .app	.ml (now retired)
Consumer SaaS	.com	.co, .app	.click, .top
API / infra	.io	.dev, .cloud	.info
Creative / portfolio	.design, .studio, .me	.co	—
Open source project	.org, .dev	.io	—
Gaming	.gg, .games	.io	—
Local business	ccTLD (.de, .fr, …)	.com	—

.com is still the safest default. If unavailable, .co and .app read professionally; .io and .dev signal "technical" — not always what you want for consumer products.

Workflow

1. If user names a TLD, call tld_info for that TLD. Report WHOIS server, RDAP server, IDN support.
2. If user is choosing between TLDs, produce the comparison table above with their category highlighted.
3. Call rdap_bootstrap_info if user asks about RDAP support specifically.

Flags worth mentioning

• TLDs that don't publish public WHOIS (some ccTLDs) — harder to research owner info
• TLDs with high premium pricing (.ai, .io, .dev can be $60–$100/yr vs .com at ~$12)
• TLDs that have been flagged by some email providers as spam-adjacent (.top, .click, .xyz has improved but still mixed reputation)
• Retired TLDs — don't recommend anything that's been deprecated by its registry

Be specific. Don't hedge with "it depends" — the user asked you to recommend.