Frontier Protocols

What is DNS-AID (DNS for AI Discovery)?

Answer

DNS for AI Discovery (DNS-AID) is a proposed standard where sites publish AI-discovery metadata in DNS TXT records at _aid.example.com. The pattern lets agents perform discovery before any HTTP fetch, useful for blocked, redirected or expensive-to-fetch domains.

How it works

A TXT record at _aid.<domain> contains structured discovery data: pointer to llms.txt, AI Instructions page URL, MCP server card URL, payment endpoints. Agents query DNS first, then proceed with HTTP based on the discovered metadata.

Why DNS-level discovery matters

DNS is faster, cheaper and more cache-friendly than HTTP. For agents at scale, DNS-level discovery saves enormous bandwidth and lets them route around HTTP-level bot blocking.

How to participate

Add a TXT record at _aid.<your domain>. The Spacemen Digital AI Agent Readiness Check tests for DNS-AID as part of the frontier-standards section.

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