Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the .agent domain, the ICANN process, and what we are actually doing here.
What is a .agent domain?
Think of it like .edu for education or .gov for government, but for AI agents. A .agent domain (like support.acme.agent or assistant.yourname.agent) is a proposed top-level domain that would give agents a readable identity on the open web. You can tell who built an agent and who is accountable for it just by looking at the name.
What is the .agent TLD?
TLD stands for top-level domain, the last part of a web address like .com or .dev. The .agent TLD is a proposed new one specifically for AI agents. It does not exist yet. If approved by ICANN, it would let agents have their own discoverable identities through regular DNS, the same infrastructure that powers every other domain on the internet.
What is the agentic web?
It is the part of the internet where AI agents do things on their own: handling customer support, reviewing code, coordinating logistics, running research. More and more agents are showing up, and right now there is no good way to tell who built them, what they do, or whether you should trust them. We think that needs fixing.
Who is behind the .agent Community?
The community was founded in 2024 and now has over 3,000 members, including 700+ companies and 2,300+ developers. It is community-governed. Policies, standards, and tooling come from working groups of builders and researchers, not from a single company making decisions behind closed doors.
Can I buy a .agent domain now?
No. The .agent TLD does not exist in DNS yet. It needs ICANN approval first, and the next application window opens in late April 2026. What you can do now is pre-register your preferred name for free. That gets you prioritized access if the TLD goes live, and it is non-binding.
How does pre-registration work?
You pick a .agent name you want and reserve it. No cost, no payment info, no commitment. If ICANN approves the TLD, founding members who pre-registered get priority. If multiple people want the same name, the community sets the allocation rules. Popular or premium strings may have extra steps.
Is membership free?
Yes. Free to join, no payment info, no spam. The point of membership is building the numbers we need for the ICANN application. More members means a stronger case that this is a real community, not a corporate land grab. You can leave whenever you want.
How does the ICANN application process work?
The next application window opens in late April 2026 and stays open for 90 days. We submit an application covering the community definition, policy safeguards, and technical readiness. If someone else also applies for .agent, it goes to Community Priority Evaluation (CPE), where a panel scores community-backed applications against corporate bids on a 16-point scale. You need 12 points to win. The four criteria are community establishment, nexus between the string and the community, registration policies, and community endorsement.
Why does community governance matter?
Whoever controls the .agent naming layer decides who gets a name, what the rules are, and who gets blocked. If one corporation owns the registry, every agent builder becomes a tenant on their platform, subject to whatever pricing and policies that company feels like setting. The alternative is transparent rules made by the people who actually build and use agents.
What is AID (Agent Identity & Discovery)?
AID is an open protocol that publishes machine-readable identity records as DNS TXT entries. Anyone can look up who built an agent, what it does, and what policies it follows using standard DNS queries. The spec is maintained by the .agent Community and works whether or not the .agent TLD exists.
What happens if ICANN doesn't approve the application?
We keep going. The AID protocol, the open-source tooling, and the governance work all stand on their own regardless of the TLD outcome. If we do not get approved this round, we apply again in the next window with a bigger community behind us.
How can I help the community grow?
Invite companies. That is the single biggest thing right now. ICANN's Community Priority Evaluation weighs organizational support heavily, so every company that joins actually moves the needle. Want to help spread the word? Email collab@agentcommunity.org and we will send you decks and templates you can use.
Why .agent instead of a .com subdomain?
A .com subdomain like myagent.somecompany.com ties that agent's identity to one company's domain. If they shut down or change their mind, the agent's name disappears. The .agent TLD is a shared namespace with no single owner. When you see a .agent address, you know it is an agent, and the governance rules are set by the community, not one company.
Who can register a .agent domain?
Anyone who builds or runs AI agents. Solo developer? You can get yourname.agent. Company with a support bot? support.acme.agent. Running a fleet of logistics agents? fleet.logistics.agent. The registration policies will be decided through community governance so the rules stay fair as the space grows.
Still have questions?
Reach out at collab@agentcommunity.org or join the community to learn more.