DNS-AID

DNS-based Agent Identification and Discovery

Reference implementation for IETF draft-mozleywilliams-dnsop-dnsaid-01.

DNS-AID enables AI agents to discover each other via DNS, using the internet's existing naming infrastructure instead of centralized registries or hardcoded URLs.

New to DNS-AID? Check out the Getting Started Guide for step-by-step setup and testing instructions.

Quick Start

# Basic installation
pip install dns-aid

# With CLI support
pip install dns-aid[cli]

# With MCP server for AI agents
pip install dns-aid[mcp]

# With a specific backend
pip install dns-aid[route53]      # AWS Route 53
pip install dns-aid[cloud-dns]    # Google Cloud DNS
pip install dns-aid[cloudflare]   # Cloudflare DNS
pip install dns-aid[ns1]          # NS1 (IBM)
pip install dns-aid[infoblox]     # Infoblox BloxOne (cloud)
pip install dns-aid[nios]         # Infoblox NIOS (on-prem)
pip install dns-aid[ddns]         # RFC 2136 Dynamic DNS (BIND, PowerDNS)

# With CEL custom policy rules
pip install dns-aid[cel]          # Common Expression Language (Rust + Python)

# Everything
pip install dns-aid[all]

Configure

# Interactive setup wizard (recommended for first-time users)
dns-aid init

# Or configure manually
cp .env.example .env   # All variables documented, uncomment what you need

The CLI, MCP server, and examples load .env automatically. Set your backend, credentials, domain, and log level in one place. See .env.example for all options.

# Verify your environment is correctly configured
dns-aid doctor
dns-aid doctor --domain example.com    # test agent discovery for your domain

Python Library

import dns_aid

# Publish your agent to DNS
await dns_aid.publish(
    name="my-agent",
    domain="example.com",
    protocol="mcp",
    endpoint="agent.example.com",
    capabilities=["chat", "code-review"]
)

# Discover agents at a domain (pure DNS - default)
agents = await dns_aid.discover("example.com")
for agent in agents:
    print(f"{agent.name}: {agent.endpoint_url}")

# Discover via HTTP index (ANS-compatible, richer metadata)
agents = await dns_aid.discover("example.com", use_http_index=True)

# Verify an agent's DNS records
result = await dns_aid.verify("_my-agent._mcp._agents.example.com")
print(f"Security Score: {result.security_score}/100")

# Run environment diagnostics (programmatic access)
from dns_aid.doctor import run_checks
report = run_checks(domain="example.com")
print(f"{report.pass_count} passed, {report.fail_count} failed")

Try Without Cloud Credentials

No AWS/Cloudflare/Infoblox/NIOS account? Use the built-in BIND9 playground:

# Start local DNS server
docker compose -f tests/integration/bind/docker-compose.yml up -d

# Copy pre-configured environment
cp .env.example .env
# Uncomment the "Docker Playground" section in .env

# Publish and discover agents locally
dns-aid publish my-agent --domain test.dns-aid.local --backend ddns
dns-aid discover test.dns-aid.local --backend ddns

# Clean up
docker compose -f tests/integration/bind/docker-compose.yml down

See the Getting Started Guide for full details.

CLI Usage

# First-time setup wizard
dns-aid init

# Diagnose environment (Python, deps, DNS, backends, .env)
# Use --domain to test agent discovery for your domain
dns-aid doctor --domain example.com

# Publish an agent to DNS
dns-aid publish \
    --name my-agent \
    --domain example.com \
    --protocol mcp \
    --endpoint agent.example.com \
    --capability chat \
    --capability code-review \
    --ipv4hint 203.0.113.10 \
    --ipv6hint 2001:db8::1

# Publish with DNS-AID custom SVCB parameters
dns-aid publish \
    --name booking \
    --domain example.com \
    --protocol mcp \
    --endpoint mcp.example.com \
    --capability travel --capability booking \
    --cap-uri https://mcp.example.com/.well-known/agent-cap.json \
    --cap-sha256 dGVzdGhhc2g \
    --bap "mcp/1,a2a/1" \
    --policy-uri https://example.com/agent-policy \
    --realm production

# Discover agents at a domain (pure DNS - default)
dns-aid discover example.com

# Discover with filters
dns-aid discover example.com --protocol mcp --name chat

# Discover via HTTP index (ANS-compatible, richer metadata)
dns-aid discover example.com --use-http-index

# Output as JSON
dns-aid discover example.com --json

# Verify DNS records
dns-aid verify _my-agent._mcp._agents.example.com

# List DNS-AID records in a zone
dns-aid list example.com

# List available zones (Route 53)
dns-aid zones

# Delete an agent
dns-aid delete --name my-agent --domain example.com --protocol mcp

# Index Management
# List agents in a domain's index record
dns-aid index list example.com

# Sync index with actual DNS records (useful for repair)
dns-aid index sync example.com

# Publish without updating the index (for internal agents)
dns-aid publish --name internal-bot --domain example.com --protocol mcp --no-update-index

# =============================================================================
# Agent Communication (talk to discovered agents)
# =============================================================================

# Discover-first: find agent via DNS, fetch agent card, then invoke
dns-aid message --domain ai.infoblox.com --name security-analyzer \
    "Analyze security of _marketing._a2a._agents.ai.infoblox.com"

# Direct endpoint (skip discovery)
dns-aid message --endpoint https://security-analyzer.ai.infoblox.com \
    "Analyze DNS-AID security posture"

# Send a message with JSON output
dns-aid message --endpoint https://chat.example.com "Hello" --json

# List tools on an MCP agent (discover-first)
dns-aid list-tools --domain example.com --name network-specialist

# List tools via direct endpoint
dns-aid list-tools --endpoint https://mcp.example.com/mcp

# Call a specific tool on an MCP agent
dns-aid call --endpoint https://mcp.example.com/mcp search_flights \
    --arguments '{"origin": "SFO", "destination": "JFK"}'

# Note: discover-first flow fetches /.well-known/agent-card.json to resolve
# the canonical endpoint URL and agent metadata before invoking. If the agent
# card's url hostname differs from the DNS endpoint, DNS takes precedence.

# =============================================================================
# Policy Enforcement (compile policy → push to Threat Defense)
# =============================================================================

# Compile a policy document to RPZ + bind-aid zone files
dns-aid policy compile -i policy.json -o /tmp/zone -f both

# Show compilation report (what compiles to DNS vs SDK layers)
dns-aid policy show -i policy.json

# Shadow mode — see what WOULD be blocked (safe, no changes to TD)
dns-aid enforce -d nordstrom.com -p policy.json --mode shadow

# Monitor mode — log matches in TD without blocking
dns-aid enforce -d nordstrom.com -p policy.json \
  --mode enforce -b infoblox --td-action action_log

# Enforce mode — blocked domains get NXDOMAIN from Threat Defense
dns-aid enforce -d nordstrom.com -p policy.json \
  --mode enforce -b infoblox --td-action action_block

# Auto-policy — fetch each agent's policy_uri from DNS and compile all
dns-aid enforce -d nordstrom.com --auto-policy --mode shadow

Python SDK

import asyncio
from dns_aid.core.invoke import send_a2a_message, call_mcp_tool, list_mcp_tools

async def main():
    # Discover-first: find agent via DNS, fetch agent card, invoke
    result = await send_a2a_message(
        domain="ai.infoblox.com",
        name="security-analyzer",
        message="Analyze security of _marketing._a2a._agents.ai.infoblox.com",
    )
    print(result.data["response_text"])

    # Direct endpoint invocation
    result = await send_a2a_message(
        endpoint="https://chat.example.com",
        message="Hello",
    )

    # MCP tool calling
    tools = await list_mcp_tools("https://mcp.example.com/mcp")
    result = await call_mcp_tool(
        "https://mcp.example.com/mcp",
        "search_flights",
        {"origin": "SFO", "destination": "JFK"},
    )

asyncio.run(main())

For advanced usage with telemetry, connection reuse, and ranking, see the SDK documentation.

Agent Index Records

DNS-AID automatically maintains an index record at _index._agents.{domain} for efficient discovery:

_index._agents.example.com. TXT "agents=chat:mcp,billing:a2a,support:https"

Benefits:

• Single DNS query discovers all agents at a domain
• Crawlers can efficiently index domains
• Explicit list of published agents (no guessing)

The index is updated automatically when you publish or delete agents. Use --no-update-index to opt out for internal agents.

HTTP Index Discovery (ANS-Compatible)

DNS-AID also supports HTTP-based agent discovery for compatibility with ANS-style systems. This provides richer metadata (descriptions, model cards, capabilities, costs) while still validating endpoints via DNS.

Endpoint patterns tried (in order):

1. https://index.aiagents.{domain}/index-wellknown (demo-friendly, no underscores)
2. https://_index._aiagents.{domain}/index-wellknown (ANS-style)
3. https://{domain}/.well-known/agents-index.json (well-known path)

Capability Document endpoint:

• https://index.aiagents.{domain}/cap/{agent-name} — returns a capability document JSON per agent

# Fetch HTTP index directly
curl https://index.aiagents.example.com/index-wellknown

# Fetch capability document for a specific agent
curl https://index.aiagents.example.com/cap/booking-agent

# CLI with HTTP index
dns-aid discover example.com --use-http-index

# Python with HTTP index
agents = await dns_aid.discover("example.com", use_http_index=True)

FQDN as Source of Truth: The HTTP index only needs to provide each agent's FQDN (e.g., _booking._mcp._agents.example.com). Agent name and protocol are extracted from the FQDN — no separate protocols field needed. DNS SVCB lookup then resolves the authoritative endpoint.

Discovery Transparency: Each discovered agent includes source fields showing how data was resolved:

Capability Resolution: Capabilities are resolved with the following priority:

1. SVCB cap URI → fetch capability document (JSON with capabilities, version, description). If the cap document is an A2A Agent Card, skills are also extracted and the card is reused (no redundant HTTP fetch).
2. A2A Agent Card → skills from /.well-known/agent-card.json (skill IDs become capabilities)
3. HTTP Index → capabilities embedded in the index JSON response
4. TXT record fallback → capabilities=chat,support from DNS TXT record

MCP Server

DNS-AID includes an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that allows AI agents like Claude to publish and discover other agents.

Running the MCP Server

# Run with stdio transport (default - for Claude Desktop, etc.)
dns-aid-mcp

# Run with HTTP transport
dns-aid-mcp --transport http --port 8000

Available MCP Tools

Claude Desktop Integration

Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dns-aid": {
      "command": "dns-aid-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Then Claude can discover and connect to AI agents:

"Find available agents at example.com"

"Publish my chat agent to DNS at mycompany.com"

"Discover agents at example.com and search for flights from SFO to JFK"

Live Demo

Try the live demo with Claude Desktop:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dns-aid": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "dns_aid.mcp.server"]
    }
  }
}

Then ask Claude to discover and talk to agents:

"Discover agents at ai.infoblox.com and ask the security analyzer about DNS-AID"

Claude will:

1. Call discover_agents_via_dns → finds security-analyzer (A2A), marketing (A2A), etc.
2. Call send_a2a_message → sends message to security-analyzer, gets response

For MCP agents:

"Discover agents at example.com using HTTP index, find a booking agent, and search for flights from SFO to JFK"

Claude will:

1. Call discover_agents_via_dns → finds booking-agent at https://booking.example.com/mcp
2. Call list_agent_tools → sees search_flights, get_flight_details, check_availability, create_reservation
3. Call call_agent_tool → searches for flights and returns results

How It Works

DNS-AID uses SVCB records (RFC 9460) to advertise AI agents:

_chat._a2a._agents.example.com. 3600 IN SVCB 1 chat.example.com. alpn="a2a" port=443 mandatory="alpn,port"
_chat._a2a._agents.example.com. 3600 IN TXT "capabilities=chat,assistant" "version=1.0.0"

DNS-AID Custom SVCB Parameters: Per the IETF draft, SVCB records can carry additional custom parameters for richer agent metadata:

_booking._mcp._agents.example.com. SVCB 1 mcp.example.com. alpn="mcp" port=443 \
    cap="https://mcp.example.com/.well-known/agent-cap.json" \
    cap-sha256="dGVzdGhhc2g" bap="mcp/1,a2a/1" \
    policy="https://example.com/agent-policy" realm="production"

Note: Route 53, Cloudflare, and Cloud DNS do not support private-use SVCB SvcParamKeys (key65400–key65408).
DNS-AID automatically demotes these parameters to TXT records with a dnsaid_ prefix (e.g.,
dnsaid_realm=production), preserving all metadata without data loss. Only Infoblox NIOS
natively supports custom SVCB params — all other backends use the safe TXT demotion default.

This allows any DNS client to discover agents without proprietary protocols or central registries.

Discovery Flow (DNS-AID Draft Aligned)

  Agent A                        DNS                           Agent B
     │                            │                               │
     │  "Find agents at           │                               │
     │   salesforce.com"          │                               │
     │                            │                               │
  ┌──┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │  Step 1: Fetch HTTP Index (primary)                             │
  │  ──────────────────────────────────                             │
  │  GET https://index.aiagents.salesforce.com/index-wellknown      │
  │  Response: [{"fqdn":"_chat._a2a._agents.salesforce.com",...}]   │
  │                                                                 │
  │  Fallback: Query TXT Index via DNS                              │
  │  Query: _index._agents.salesforce.com TXT                       │
  │  Response: "agents=chat:a2a,billing:mcp"                        │
  └──┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
     │                            │                               │
  ┌──┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │  Step 2: Query SVCB per agent                                   │
  │  ────────────────────────────                                   │
  │  Query: _chat._a2a._agents.salesforce.com SVCB                  │
  │  Response: SVCB 1 chat.salesforce.com. alpn="a2a" port=443      │
  │            cap="https://chat.salesforce.com/.well-known/cap.json"│
  │  (DNSSEC validated)                                             │
  └──┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
     │                            │                               │
  ┌──┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │  Step 2b: Fetch Capability Document (if cap URI present)        │
  │  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────            │
  │  GET https://chat.salesforce.com/.well-known/cap.json           │
  │  Response: {"capabilities":["chat","support"],"version":"1.0"}  │
  │  (cap_sha256 integrity verified)                                │
  └──┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
     │                            │                               │
  ┌──┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │  Step 3: TXT Capabilities (fallback if no cap document)         │
  │  ──────────────────────────────────────────────────             │
  │  Query: _chat._a2a._agents.salesforce.com TXT                   │
  │  Response: "capabilities=chat,support" "version=1.0.0"          │
  └──┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
     │                            │                               │
     ├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────►│
     │  Connect to https://chat.salesforce.com:443                │

Index Resolution Priority: HTTP index endpoint → TXT index record → common name probing.
Capability Resolution Priority: SVCB cap URI → A2A Agent Card skills → HTTP Index → TXT record fallback.
Each discovered agent includes endpoint_source and capability_source showing which path was used.

Security: DNSSEC and DANE

DNS-AID relies on DNSSEC and DANE for end-to-end trust, as specified in the IETF draft Section 4.4.1.

DNSSEC (Mandatory for Public Zones)

All DNS-AID discovery records MUST be signed with DNSSEC. Resolvers consuming DNS-AID data must treat unsigned or DNSSEC-bogus responses as failures.

# Verify DNSSEC and security posture for an agent
dns-aid verify _chat._a2a._agents.example.com

DANE/TLSA (Recommended)

Where DNS-AID endpoints rely on TLS, DANE TLSA records SHOULD be used to bind endpoint certificates to DNSSEC-validated names. This removes reliance on external PKI (certificate authorities) and provides cryptographic proof that the TLS certificate belongs to the intended agent endpoint.

Recommended TLSA profile (per IETF draft Section 5.2.3):

_443._tcp.agent-svc.example.com. 1800 IN TLSA 3 1 1 (
    <SHA-256 hash of endpoint certificate SPKI>
)

Full DANE certificate verification:

# Advisory check (TLSA record exists?)
result = await dns_aid.verify("_chat._a2a._agents.example.com")
print(result.dane_valid)  # True/False/None

# Full certificate matching (connect + compare cert against TLSA)
result = await dns_aid.verify(
    "_chat._a2a._agents.example.com",
    verify_dane_cert=True
)
print(result.dane_note)   # Detailed verification status

Note: DANE is only meaningful when DNSSEC is also validated. Without DNSSEC, an attacker could spoof both the TLSA record and the endpoint certificate.

Security Score

The verify command returns a security score (0–100) based on:

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        DNS-AID ARCHITECTURE                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────────────┐
│   AI Agents     │     │   Developers    │     │   Infrastructure Ops    │
│  (Claude, etc.) │     │                 │     │                         │
└────────┬────────┘     └────────┬────────┘     └────────────┬────────────┘
         │                       │                           │
         │ MCP Protocol          │ CLI                       │ CLI / API
         ▼                       ▼                           ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                         DNS-AID TOOLKIT                                 │
│                                                                         │
│  ┌─────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────────┐ │
│  │   MCP Server    │  │      CLI        │  │     Python Library      │ │
│  │                 │  │                 │  │                         │ │
│  │ • publish_agent │  │ • dns-aid       │  │ • dns_aid.publish()     │ │
│  │ • discover_     │  │   publish       │  │ • dns_aid.discover()    │ │
│  │   agents        │  │ • dns-aid       │  │ • dns_aid.verify()      │ │
│  │ • verify_agent  │  │   discover      │  │                         │ │
│  │ • list_agents   │  │ • dns-aid       │  │                         │ │
│  │                 │  │   verify        │  │                         │ │
│  └────────┬────────┘  └────────┬────────┘  └────────────┬────────────┘ │
│           │                    │                        │              │
│           └────────────────────┴────────────────────────┘              │
│                                │                                       │
│                                ▼                                       │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │                        CORE ENGINE                              │  │
│  │                                                                 │  │
│  │  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────────┐ │  │
│  │  │  Publisher  │  │ Discoverer  │  │      Validator          │ │  │
│  │  │             │  │             │  │                         │ │  │
│  │  │ Create SVCB │  │ Query DNS   │  │ • DNSSEC validation     │ │  │
│  │  │ Create TXT  │  │ Parse SVCB  │  │ • DANE/TLSA check       │ │  │
│  │  │             │  │ Return      │  │ • Endpoint health       │ │  │
│  │  │             │  │ endpoints   │  │                         │ │  │
│  │  └──────┬──────┘  └──────┬──────┘  └────────────┬────────────┘ │  │
│  │         │                │                      │              │  │
│  └─────────┴────────────────┴──────────────────────┴──────────────┘  │
│                             │                                        │
└─────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                          DNS BACKEND ABSTRACTION                                  │
│                                                                                   │
│  ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐  │
│  │ Route53  │ │ Infoblox │ │ Infoblox │ │   DDNS   │ │Cloudflare│ │   Mock   │  │
│  │  (AWS)   │ │   UDDI   │ │   NIOS   │ │ (RFC2136)│ │          │ │ (Testing)│  │
│  └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘  │
│       │            │            │            │            │            │         │
└───────┴────────────┴────────────┴────────────┴────────────┴────────────┴─────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                       DNS INFRASTRUCTURE                                │
│                                                                         │
│   Authoritative DNS servers hosting _agents.{domain} zones              │
│   with SVCB, TXT, and TLSA records secured by DNSSEC                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Choosing the Right Interface

DNS-AID provides three interfaces. Choose based on your use case:

Python Library

Best for: Application developers building agent discovery into their code.

import dns_aid

# Integrate directly into your Python application
agents = await dns_aid.discover("example.com", protocol="mcp")

CLI Tool

Best for: Operators, DevOps, and quick manual operations.

dns-aid discover example.com --protocol mcp

MCP Server

Best for: AI assistants (Claude, etc.) that need DNS-AID capabilities.

dns-aid-mcp  # Claude can now use DNS-AID tools

Decision Matrix

DNS Backends

DNS-AID supports multiple DNS backends:

Route 53 Setup

Route 53 uses boto3's credential chain — pick any method:

1. AWS CLI (recommended — easiest):

   aws configure
   

2. Environment variables (CI/CD, containers):

   export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID="your-access-key"
   export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="your-secret-key"
   export AWS_DEFAULT_REGION="us-east-1"  # Optional
   

3. Named profile:

   export AWS_PROFILE="my-profile"
   

4. IAM role (EC2/ECS/Lambda): automatic, no config needed.

DNS-AID auto-detects Route 53 when any boto3 credential source is configured.

1. Verify zone access:

   dns-aid zones
   

2. Publish your agent:

   dns-aid publish -n my-agent -d myzone.com -p mcp -e mcp.myzone.com
   

Infoblox UDDI Setup

Infoblox UDDI (Universal DDI) is Infoblox's cloud-native DDI platform. DNS-AID supports creating SVCB and TXT records via the Infoblox API.

Environment Variables

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Get your API key from Infoblox Cloud Portal:

   • Navigate to Administration → API Keys
   • Create a new API key with DNS permissions
   • Copy the key (shown only once)

2. Configure environment variables:

   export INFOBLOX_API_KEY="your-api-key"
   export INFOBLOX_DNS_VIEW="default"  # Or your specific view name
   

3. Identify your zone and view:

   • In Infoblox Portal, go to DNS → Authoritative Zones
   • Note the zone name (e.g., example.com) and which view it belongs to

4. Use in Python:

   from dns_aid.backends.infoblox import InfobloxBloxOneBackend
   from dns_aid.core.publisher import set_default_backend
   from dns_aid import publish
   
   # Initialize backend (reads from environment variables)
   backend = InfobloxBloxOneBackend()
   
   # Or with explicit configuration
   backend = InfobloxBloxOneBackend(
       api_key="your-api-key",
       dns_view="default",  # Your DNS view name
   )
   
   set_default_backend(backend)
   
   await publish(
       name="my-agent",
       domain="example.com",
       protocol="mcp",
       endpoint="agent.example.com",
       capabilities=["chat", "code-review"]
   )
   

Infoblox UDDI Limitations & DNS-AID Compliance

⚠️ Important: Infoblox UDDI SVCB records only support "alias mode" (priority 0) and do not
support SVC parameters (alpn, port, mandatory). This means Infoblox UDDI is not fully
compliant with the DNS-AID draft.

The draft requires ServiceMode SVCB records (priority > 0) with mandatory alpn and port
parameters. Infoblox UDDI's limitation is a platform constraint, not a DNS-AID limitation.

⚠️ TXT = Custom DNS-AID params auto-demoted to TXT records with dnsaid_ prefix (no data loss).

For full DNS-AID compliance with native custom SVCB params, use Infoblox NIOS. Route 53, Cloudflare, Cloud DNS, and DDNS support all standard SVCB params with automatic TXT demotion for private-use custom params.

The connection-mediation keys key65406 through key65408 are a protocol-visible addition. When adopting them, republish affected records so the new SVCB parameters are present on the wire. See docs/adr/0001-connect-mediation-wire-format.md for the compatibility decision and rollout assumptions.

DNS-AID stores alpn and port in TXT records as a fallback for Infoblox UDDI, but this is
a workaround and not standard-compliant for agent discovery.

Verify Records via API

Since Infoblox UDDI zones may not be publicly resolvable, verify records via the API:

async with InfobloxBloxOneBackend() as backend:
    async for record in backend.list_records("example.com", name_pattern="my-agent"):
        print(f"{record['type']}: {record['fqdn']}")

Infoblox NIOS Setup (On-Prem)

Infoblox NIOS is the on-premise DDI platform with WAPI (Web API). DNS-AID creates SVCB and TXT records via WAPI v2.13.7+, with full ServiceMode SVCB support including custom DNS-AID parameters.

Environment Variables

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Ensure NIOS Grid Manager is reachable from the host running DNS-AID.

2. Configure environment variables:

   export NIOS_HOST="nios.example.com"
   export NIOS_USERNAME="admin"
   export NIOS_PASSWORD="your-password"
   export NIOS_DNS_VIEW="default"       # Or your specific view name
   export NIOS_VERIFY_SSL="false"       # Set to true with valid TLS certs
   

3. Verify zone access and publish:

   dns-aid doctor --domain example.com    # Check NIOS credentials + discovery
   dns-aid publish -n my-agent -d example.com -p mcp -e mcp.example.com --backend nios
   

4. Use in Python:

   from dns_aid.backends.infoblox import InfobloxNIOSBackend
   from dns_aid.core.publisher import set_default_backend
   from dns_aid import publish
   
   # Initialize backend (reads from environment variables)
   backend = InfobloxNIOSBackend()
   
   # Or with explicit configuration
   backend = InfobloxNIOSBackend(
       host="nios.example.com",
       username="admin",
       password="your-password",
       dns_view="default",
   )
   
   set_default_backend(backend)
   
   await publish(
       name="my-agent",
       domain="example.com",
       protocol="mcp",
       endpoint="agent.example.com",
       capabilities=["chat", "code-review"]
   )
   

NIOS DNS-AID Compliance

NIOS WAPI supports ServiceMode SVCB records (priority > 0) with full SVC parameters, including custom DNS-AID keys natively via key65400–key65405.

DDNS Setup (RFC 2136)

DDNS (Dynamic DNS) is a universal backend that works with any DNS server supporting RFC 2136, including BIND9, Windows DNS, PowerDNS, and Knot DNS. This is ideal for on-premise DNS infrastructure without vendor-specific APIs.

Environment Variables

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Create a TSIG key on your DNS server (BIND example):

   tsig-keygen -a hmac-sha256 dns-aid-key > /etc/bind/dns-aid-key.conf
   

2. Configure your zone to allow updates with the key:

   zone "example.com" {
       type master;
       file "/var/lib/bind/example.com.zone";
       allow-update { key "dns-aid-key"; };
   };
   

3. Configure DNS-AID:

   export DDNS_SERVER="ns1.example.com"
   export DDNS_KEY_NAME="dns-aid-key"
   export DDNS_KEY_SECRET="your-base64-secret"
   

4. Use in Python:

   from dns_aid.backends.ddns import DDNSBackend
   from dns_aid import publish
   
   backend = DDNSBackend()
   # Or with explicit configuration
   backend = DDNSBackend(
       server="ns1.example.com",
       key_name="dns-aid-key",
       key_secret="base64secret==",
       key_algorithm="hmac-sha256"
   )
   
   await publish(
       name="my-agent",
       domain="example.com",
       protocol="mcp",
       endpoint="agent.example.com",
       backend=backend
   )
   

DDNS Advantages

• Universal: Works with BIND, Windows DNS, PowerDNS, Knot, and any RFC 2136 server
• No vendor lock-in: Standard protocol, no proprietary APIs
• On-premise friendly: Perfect for enterprise internal DNS
• Full DNS-AID compliance: Supports ServiceMode SVCB with all standard parameters (custom DNS-AID params auto-demoted to TXT)

Cloudflare Setup

Cloudflare DNS is ideal for demos, workshops, and quick prototyping thanks to its free tier and excellent API support. DNS-AID fully supports Cloudflare's SVCB record implementation.

Environment Variables

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Create an API token in Cloudflare Dashboard:

   • Go to My Profile → API Tokens → Create Token
   • Use the "Edit zone DNS" template or create custom with:
     • Permissions: Zone → DNS → Edit
     • Zone Resources: Include → Specific zone → your-domain.com
   • Copy the token (shown only once)

2. Configure environment variables:

   export CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN="your-api-token"
   # Optional: specify zone ID (otherwise auto-discovered from domain)
   export CLOUDFLARE_ZONE_ID="your-zone-id"
   

3. Publish your first agent:

   dns-aid publish \
       --name my-agent \
       --domain your-domain.com \
       --protocol mcp \
       --endpoint agent.your-domain.com \
       --backend cloudflare
   

4. Use in Python:

   from dns_aid.backends.cloudflare import CloudflareBackend
   from dns_aid import publish
   
   # Initialize backend (reads from environment variables)
   backend = CloudflareBackend()
   
   # Or with explicit configuration
   backend = CloudflareBackend(
       api_token="your-api-token",
       zone_id="optional-zone-id",  # Auto-discovered if not provided
   )
   
   await publish(
       name="my-agent",
       domain="your-domain.com",
       protocol="mcp",
       endpoint="agent.your-domain.com",
       backend=backend
   )
   

Cloudflare Advantages

• Free tier: DNS hosting is free for unlimited domains
• SVCB support: Full RFC 9460 compliance with SVCB Type 64 records
• Global anycast: Fast DNS resolution worldwide
• Simple API: Well-documented REST API v4
• Full DNS-AID compliance: Supports ServiceMode SVCB with all standard parameters (custom DNS-AID params auto-demoted to TXT)

Why DNS-AID?

vs Competing Proposals

Feature Comparison

The Sovereignty Question

Who controls agent discovery?

• ANS: GoDaddy (US company as gatekeeper)
• AgentDNS: China Telecom (state-owned carrier)
• Web3: Ethereum Foundation
• DNS-AID: You control your own domain

DNS-AID preserves sovereignty. Organizations and nations maintain control over their own agent namespaces with no central authority that can block, censor, or surveil agent discovery.

Google's Agent Ecosystem

Google is building a full-stack agent platform: A2A (communication), UCP (payments), and Gemini/Search (discovery). While A2A is an open protocol, discovery through Google surfaces means:

• Google controls visibility (pay-to-rank)
• Transaction fees via UCP
• Platform dependency for reach

DNS-AID complements A2A by providing neutral, decentralized discovery — find agents anywhere, not just through Google.

Understanding the .agent Domain Approach

The Agent Community is pursuing a .agent top-level domain through ICANN's new gTLD program. Here's how the two approaches compare:

How .agent Domains Would Work:

1. Apply to ICANN for .agent gTLD (~$185,000 application fee)
2. Wait 9-20 months for ICANN approval process
3. Build registry infrastructure (Open Agent Registry, Inc.)
4. Sell .agent domains through accredited registrars
5. Users pay annual registration fees (~$15-50/year per domain)

How DNS-AID Works:

1. Use your existing domain (you already own yourcompany.com)
2. Add DNS-AID records to your zone (_myagent._mcp._agents.yourcompany.com)
3. Start discovering and being discovered immediately

The Friendly Take:

Both approaches share the goal of making AI agents discoverable. The .agent gTLD creates a dedicated namespace that's easy to remember (mycompany.agent), while DNS-AID leverages existing infrastructure so you can start publishing agents today.

DNS-AID doesn't require waiting for ICANN approval or paying for new domains—it works with the DNS infrastructure your organization already operates. If you own example.com, you can publish agents to _myagent._mcp._agents.example.com right now.

Fun fact: When .agent domains become available, DNS-AID records will work on them too! The approaches are complementary.

Examples

See the examples/ directory:

• demo_route53.py - Basic Route 53 publish/discover
• demo_full.py - Complete end-to-end demonstration

# Run the full demo
export DNS_AID_TEST_ZONE="your-zone.com"
python examples/demo_full.py

Development

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/infobloxopen/dns-aid-core
cd dns-aid-core

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

# Install with dev dependencies
pip install -e ".[all]"

# Run tests
pytest

# Run with coverage
pytest --cov=dns_aid

Related Standards

• RFC 9460 - SVCB and HTTPS Resource Records
• RFC 4033-4035 - DNSSEC
• RFC 6698 - DANE TLSA

Governance

DNS-AID is intended for contribution to the Linux Foundation Agent AI Foundation. All contributions are subject to the Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO). See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

License

Apache 2.0

Contributing

Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.