/app-namer

Name Validation Gauntlet

Reference for the app-namer skill. A clever name is worthless if it's taken, trademarked, or has no home online. Run every finalist through these five checks before recommending it. Record each as available / taken / conflict / unchecked.

Never report a name as "available" you didn't actually verify. If you can't check something, mark it unchecked and tell the user the exact step to run. A false "it's free!" leads to a wasted brand investment.

1. App Store Name Availability (the #1 blocker)

How it works

• You reserve a name by creating the app record in App Store Connect (you can create the record and reserve the name without submitting a build).
• A reserved-but-unused name still blocks everyone else. Apple may reclaim a name not used within a period, and holds names from removed apps for a while before releasing them — so "no app by that name exists today" does not guarantee it's free to reserve.
• The name only needs to be unique; you can differentiate with a separator + subtitle (Pantry: vs Pantry) if the bare word is taken.

How to check

1. Exact-name search on the App Store (WebSearch / App Store) — is there a live app with that exact name? If yes, it's taken.
2. Definitive check: App Store Connect → Apps → (+) New App → type the name; ASC reports availability immediately.

Action

As soon as a name passes scoring and has no obvious conflict, tell the user to reserve it in App Store Connect now. Names disappear; reservation is free and doesn't commit you to shipping.

2. Trademark Knockout Search

This is a knockout search (catch obvious conflicts), not legal clearance. State that plainly.

⚠️ Not legal advice. A clean knockout search reduces risk; it does not clear you to file or guarantee no conflict. Consult a trademark attorney before registering a mark or investing heavily in a brand.

What to search

• USPTO — tmsearch.uspto.gov for live US marks. Focus on the software classes:
  • Class 9 — downloadable software / mobile apps
  • Class 42 — SaaS / software-as-a-service
• EUIPO — euipo.europa.eu eSearch for EU marks (if targeting Europe)
• Plain web + App Store search — an existing well-known brand in your space is a common-law risk even without a registration

How to read results

For trademarked keywords (vs. names) see app-store/keyword-optimizer/keyword-criteria.md → "Trademark Considerations" — the same logic applies to brand terms in your title/subtitle.

3. Domain Availability

You want a web home for the app (landing page, support URL, privacy policy host).

Priority order

1. brandname.com — ideal but for short words almost always taken
2. brandname.app — purpose-built for apps, HTTPS-enforced, and far more available than .com.
3. Prefixed .com — getbrand.com, trybrand.com, usebrand.com, brandapp.com
4. Other TLDs — .io, .co as fallbacks

How to check

WebSearch / WebFetch a registrar (e.g. query "is <name>.app available domain") or a whois lookup. Mark which exact domain is the recommended buy.

A taken .com is not a dealbreaker if .app or a clean prefixed domain is free — but flag it so the user knows the trade-off.

4. Social Handle Availability (nice-to-have)

A consistent handle across platforms helps brand recall but is not a blocker.

• Check X/Twitter, Instagram, and (if relevant) TikTok / Mastodon / Bluesky for @brandname, falling back to @brandnameapp or @getbrandname.
• A quick way: search each platform, or a multi-platform username checker.
• Record the best consistent handle available; don't kill an otherwise great name over a taken handle.

5. Linguistic & Pronounceability Safety

The name ships worldwide and gets spoken to Siri.

• No unfortunate meanings in top ASO markets — at minimum spot-check Chinese, Japanese, German, Spanish, French (the highest-revenue App Store locales). A name that's fine in English can be a slur, a laugh, or a competitor's word elsewhere.
• Siri-pronounceable — "Hey Siri, open ___" should work; avoid respellings and silent letters.
• Spellable on first hearing (the radio test) — if users will mistype it, they'll land on a competitor.
• No homophone collision with a big app (sounds like Notion, Bear, Things…).

Validation Summary Table

Fill this in for each finalist before recommending:

NAME: Brim
┌────────────────────┬────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Check              │ Status     │ Notes / Action                         │
├────────────────────┼────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ App Store name     │ unchecked  │ No live "Brim" tracker found — verify  │
│                    │            │ in ASC New App, reserve if free        │
│ Trademark (Cls 9)  │ 🟢 clear    │ No live software mark in USPTO TESS     │
│ Domain             │ 🟢 .app free │ brim.com taken → buy brim.app           │
│ Social handle      │ 🟡 partial  │ @brim taken → @brimapp available        │
│ Linguistic/Siri    │ 🟢 clear    │ Clean EN/ES/DE/JA; Siri-safe            │
└────────────────────┴────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────┘
VERDICT: Recommend — reserve "Brim" in App Store Connect, buy brim.app.

Go / No-Go Rules

• 🔴 No-Go if: App Store name is taken with no workable variant, OR an identical trademark exists in software class.
• 🟠 Caution if: confusingly similar trademark, or only awkward domains/handles remain — surface the risk, let the user decide.
• 🟢 Go if: name reservable in ASC, clean trademark knockout, a usable domain (.com or .app), Siri-safe and spellable.

When a name clears, the very next action is always: reserve it in App Store Connect.