BIMI Record Grounding Data for AI Agents

Overview

BIMI Record Validator queries the TXT records at `default._bimi.<domain>`, the `default` selector. The `domain` parameter has any scheme and leading `www.` removed first. Among the TXT strings found, the first containing `v=BIMI1` becomes `bimi_record`; `bimi_records_count` is the number of TXT records at that host, whether or not they are BIMI.

The record is split into tags on `;`, and each tag on its first `=` only, so `l=` and `a=` URLs keep any query string intact. `version` is the `v` value. When `l=` is present the logo URL is fetched, and `svg_logo` reports the `url`, the HTTP `status_code`, `valid` (true when that status is 200) and `file_size_bytes`. When `a=` is present the certificate URL is fetched and `vmc_certificate` reports its `url`, `status_code` and `valid` in the same way. The two fetches run in parallel, each with an 8-second timeout, and only to public addresses. Neither the SVG markup nor the certificate chain is parsed, so a 200 means the file is reachable, not that it meets the BIMI SVG profile or that the certificate is trusted.

A failed fetch adds `SVG_FETCH_FAILED` or `VMC_FETCH_FAILED` to `issues_found` but does not change `valid`, which is true whenever a `v=BIMI1` record exists. With no record, `has_bimi_record` and `valid` are false and `issues_found` holds `BIMI_LOOKUP_FAILED`. If DNS gives no answer at all, the call returns a 503 rather than a "no record" verdict. Results are cached for 30 minutes. On the Free plan `bimi_record`, `svg_logo` and `vmc_certificate` are removed.

Live Test BIMI Record Grounding Data for AI Agents Source →

The tool

Once your client is connected to the VerveContext server, this appears in its tool list as BIMIRecordGroundingDataforAIAgents. It is read-only and open-world — it fetches and never mutates anything on your side — so most clients call it without asking you to confirm.

{
  "name": "BIMIRecordGroundingDataforAIAgents",
  "arguments": {
    "domain": "ebay.com"
  }
}

You do not name the tool yourself; the model picks it. Asking about ebay.com in the terms this source covers is enough for it to reach for BIMIRecordGroundingDataforAIAgents on its own — naming it explicitly also works, and is the way to force the call.

Connecting

One server URL covers every source in the catalog, including this one. Authorization is OAuth: the client opens a browser once, and there is no key to paste into a config file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vervecontext": {
      "url": "https://api.vervecontext.com/v1/mcp"
    }
  }
}

https://api.vervecontext.com/v1/mcp

Per-client setup — Claude, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT — is on the MCP setup page.

Arguments

These are the properties on the tool's inputSchema, so a well-behaved client validates them before the call is made. Premium arguments are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

What the model gets back

The result carries a structuredContent object matching the tool's declared outputSchema, so a client reads fields without parsing prose. status is "ok" and error is null on success; a null field means the value was not available for that input, not that the call failed.

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{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "host": "ebay.com",
    "bimi_host": "default._bimi.ebay.com",
    "has_bimi_record": true,
    "bimi_record": "v=BIMI1;l=https://vmc.digicert.com/2b7216dc-27d2-4fbd-8472-f68790117238.svg;a=https://vmc.digicert.com/2b7216dc-27d2-4fbd-8472-f68790117238.pem",
    "bimi_records_count": 1,
    "version": "BIMI1",
    "svg_logo": {
      "url": "https://vmc.digicert.com/2b7216dc-27d2-4fbd-8472-f68790117238.svg",
      "status_code": 200,
      "valid": true,
      "file_size_bytes": 1518
    },
    "vmc_certificate": {
      "url": "https://vmc.digicert.com/2b7216dc-27d2-4fbd-8472-f68790117238.pem",
      "status_code": 200,
      "valid": true
    },
    "issues_found": [],
    "valid": true
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Why ground on it

A model can produce something that looks like this answer from its training data, and be confidently out of date or simply wrong. This source returns the current value in a shape you can check, which is the difference between an answer you can cite and one you have to hedge.

Point an evaluation at host: it is the field most worth pinning a claim to, and it is either present and current or absent — never plausibly invented.

Failure modes

Errors come back as tool errors carrying a sentence the model can act on, not a bare status code. Error handling covers the full list.

A call costs 10 credits each time the tool actually runs; a model that reasons about the tool without calling it costs nothing.

Use cases

Deliverability Audit Reports

Email deliverability consultants check client domains for valid BIMI records and configuration issues before launching sender authentication and inbox branding campaigns.

Sender Domain Setup

When onboarding new marketing senders, email platforms inspect DNS for active BIMI records and return setup issues to verify brand readiness.

Brand Impersonation Defense

To catch broken branding assets, domain monitoring services track published BIMI records continuously and alert administrators whenever record validity drops to false.

Outbound Inbox Readiness

Inspect target sending domains during prospect list building to confirm who publishes valid BIMI records and protocol versions in DNS.

Other ways to use BIMI Record Grounding Data for AI Agents

Set up BIMI Record Grounding Data for AI Agents on VerveContext, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveContext account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

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