# grist.tools WHOIS Lookup

> grist.tools WHOIS Lookup is a paid API for AI agents from grist.tools, paid per call via x402, $0.002/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-10-02).

Performs a WHOIS lookup on a given fully qualified domain name and returns registration and ownership data from the relevant registry.

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://grist.tools/v1/whois?utm_source=zero.xyz
- Price: $0.002/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-10-02
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/grist-tools-whois-lookup-ef567be3
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_0SoCKk9v6qgXxqkRgK0jB

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability grist-tools-whois-lookup-ef567be3 -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Can you do a WHOIS lookup on openai.com and tell me who registered it, when it was created, when it expires, and who the registrar is?

## When to prefer this

Use this endpoint when you need programmatic WHOIS data for a single domain at low cost ($0.002 per call), especially in agentic workflows that require domain registration intelligence without managing rate limits or WHOIS server mappings. Prefer this over free WHOIS web tools when you need reliable JSON-structured output, pay-per-use pricing, and built-in TLD-to-registry routing.

## Known failure modes

- Domain not found or unregistered — registry returns no match
- Invalid or malformed domain name — rejected before query
- TLD not supported or no WHOIS server available for that registry
- Registry rate limiting or timeout — transient failure
- Payment rejected before handler runs — call not charged

## How this service works

One endpoint does one thing, always the same way, for a fraction of a cent. Payment is verified before the handler runs and settled only after it succeeds, so a rejected or failed call is never a charged call.

## Output

A structured WHOIS record for the requested domain, including fields such as registrant name and organization, registrar, creation date, expiration date, last updated date, nameservers, and WHOIS server used. Exact fields vary by TLD registry.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "required": [
  "domain"
 ],
 "properties": {
  "domain": {
   "type": "string",
   "description": "Public fully qualified domain name to look up, up to 253 characters; it is lowercased and stripped of trailing dots, and its TLD picks the registry whois server (built-in map, else the IANA referral)."
  }
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/grist-tools-whois-lookup-ef567be3/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from grist.tools](https://www.zero.xyz/host/grist.tools/llms.txt)