dns-lookup

What This Skill Does

The dns-lookup skill provides a robust interface for querying Domain Name System (DNS) records directly through the OpenClaw AI agent. By leveraging the industry-standard dig (Domain Information Groper) utility from the bind-utils package, this skill allows users to perform technical network reconnaissance and troubleshooting directly within their conversation. Whether you need to verify A records for domain routing, fetch AAAA records for IPv6 infrastructure, or perform reverse DNS lookups on IP addresses, this skill provides precise, command-line accuracy in a natural language environment. It bypasses the need for web-based lookup tools, allowing for faster integration into your automation workflows and technical investigations.

Installation

To integrate this skill into your environment, run the following command within your OpenClaw interface: clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/xejrax/dns-lookup. You must also ensure that the system hosting the agent has the necessary underlying dependencies installed. On Fedora, CentOS, or RHEL-based systems, you can install the required backend utility by executing sudo dnf install bind-utils. Once these components are in place, the agent gains the capability to interface with DNS resolvers.

Use Cases

This skill is indispensable for system administrators, DevOps engineers, and security researchers. Common use cases include verifying that DNS propagation has completed after a migration, troubleshooting connectivity issues by identifying the actual IP address a domain resolves to, checking if an IP belongs to a specific service provider via reverse lookup, and performing security audits to ensure domains point to the correct infrastructure. It is also highly effective for debugging mail server configurations by inspecting MX records or identifying misconfigured TXT records that might cause deliverability issues.

Example Prompts

1. "Perform an A record lookup for google.com and tell me the primary IP address."
2. "What is the reverse DNS hostname for 8.8.8.8?"
3. "Show me all DNS records, including MX and TXT, for example.com to help me debug my domain setup."

Tips & Limitations

When using dns-lookup, keep in mind that the results depend on the DNS resolvers configured on the host machine. If you are experiencing inconsistent results, check your local /etc/resolv.conf settings. This skill performs direct network queries; therefore, it may be subject to network firewall restrictions or ISP-level blocking. Furthermore, excessive querying in a short timeframe may lead to rate limiting by authoritative DNS servers. Always ensure you have the proper authorization before performing lookups on sensitive or internal infrastructure.