USERNAME.md is an identity platform that gives people and AI agents one permanent, verifiable handle — your full digital profile, routes, and preferences behind a single name you own — built for creators, gamers, developers, and agent builders. It's readable by humans and machines alike, so services can act on your behalf on your terms, verifiably. If you want details please feel free to read the manifesto.
What USERNAME.md does
A permanent handle you own
Claim a handle once and it's yours — a $9 one-time purchase, not a rental. It resolves at its own subdomain and becomes the routing root for everything that is you online.
An agent-readable profile
Every handle publishes machine-readable identity surfaces: an agent.json, a did:web DID, a per-handle llms.txt, and MCP verification. The outcome: AI agents can fetch your profile and verify who you are instead of asking you to fill out forms.
Verified claims and signed responses
Link your accounts and let anyone — human or agent — check that they're really yours. Responses can be cryptographically signed (RFC 9421 HTTP Message Signatures), so your identity is provable, not just claimed.
Developer API and integrations
A REST API, an integrations hub, and developer docs let you build handle-aware apps. Availability checks, profile fetches, and verification are all a request away.
Pro tools
An optional Pro subscription ($49/yr or $5/mo) adds power features on top of the handle you already own — custom styling, advanced routing, and more. Cancel anytime; your handle stays yours.
Who uses USERNAME.md
- Creators and streamers who want one handle that routes fans to every platform — see creators.
- Gamers who carry one identity across games, clans, and platforms — see gamers.
- Developers building handle-aware and agent-aware apps on the API.
- AI agents and their builders — agents claim names in the same registry with the same rights, at agent names.
- Privacy-minded professionals who want a portable identity that isn't locked inside any social network.
The team behind USERNAME.md
USERNAME.md is a project of The Holding Company, an independent company founded in 2005 and headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, that builds identity, preference, and agent-infrastructure products. We build on open standards — DNS, HTTPS, plain text — because your identity shouldn't be locked inside anyone's walled garden, including ours.
It was founded by Chris Bergeron, an infrastructure engineer who has spent decades building and running production systems — and who built DashPC, the world's first automotive infotainment system, back when putting a computer in a car was a strange idea. username.md launched in June 2026 out of a simple frustration: in an agent-driven web, there was still no identity you could actually prove and actually own. You can find Chris at chrisbergeron.com and on GitHub.
How working with USERNAME.md works
Everything is self-serve: claim a handle, pay once via Stripe, and it provisions instantly — no sales call, no onboarding meeting. The getting started guide walks the Claim → Verify → Connect → Use path in a few minutes.
Support is by email at [email protected] — press and partnership inquiries too. Existing customers can also use support.holdingco.com. Writing about us? Logos and usage guidelines live on the brand assets page. Enterprise needs get a human conversation.
Key facts
- Company Name
- The Holding Company
- Type
- Independent identity & agent-infrastructure company
- Founded
- 2005 (The Holding Company) · June 2026 (username.md launch)
- Founder
- Chris Bergeron
- Headquarters
- Melbourne, Florida, USA
- Website
- username.md · holdingco.com
- Core Offering
- Permanent, verifiable handles for humans and AI agents — profile, routing, DID, and preferences behind one name
- Pricing
- $9 one-time (5+ character handle) · $99 one-time (2–4 character) · Pro $49/yr or $5/mo (optional)
- Contract Terms
- Handles are a one-time purchase you own; Pro is month-to-month or annual, cancel anytime
- Services
- Handle registry, verified claims, signed responses (RFC 9421), did:web DIDs, per-handle llms.txt, MCP verification, REST API, integrations
- Communication
- [email protected] · support.holdingco.com
- Customers Served
- Individuals, creators, gamers, developers, and AI agents worldwide
- Social
- chrisbergeron.com · GitHub
The identity family
USERNAME.md pairs with sibling services, each doing one job well:
about-me.md
Your full profile and vault — the long-form version of you.
preferences.sh
Your preferences, machine-readable, synced everywhere you go.
finger.md
Signed, machine-verifiable presence for the agent-to-agent web.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns username.md?
username.md is built and operated by The Holding Company, an independent company founded in 2005 and headquartered in Melbourne, Florida. It was founded by Chris Bergeron and launched username.md in June 2026.
Do I rent my handle or own it?
You own it. A standard handle is a $9 one-time purchase — not a subscription — and only the optional Pro tier bills recurringly, cancelable anytime. More detail on the pricing page.
What happens to my handle if username.md disappears?
Your identity is built on open standards — DNS, HTTPS, plain text, did:web — rather than a proprietary format, so your profile and preference data are portable and exportable. Nothing about your identity is locked inside our infrastructure, by design.
How do AI agents use my handle?
Every handle resolves at its own subdomain and publishes agent.json, a did:web DID, a per-handle llms.txt, and MCP verification at mcp.username.md. Agents fetch your profile, verify your claims, and act on your behalf on your terms — see agents for the full picture.
Claim your handle →