The is-a.dev + Vercel Field Guide: Every Pitfall, Mapped

Free .is-a.dev subdomains are genuinely one of the better things the dev community has built. Clean URL, no cost, no registrar drama. The whole process is submitting a JSON file via GitHub Pull Request. Here's the part nobody front-loads: the repo runs automated CI tests on every PR before a human even looks at it. Fail those, and you're already closed before a reviewer blinks. Pass those, and then a real human volunteer visits your site and reviews your files. Two gates. Different failure modes. This guide covers both. Step 0: Check Availability Before Anything Else 👉 https://is-a.dev Search your name. Takes 10 seconds. Do it before you get attached. What You Need GitHub account A project live, deployed, and has actual content on Vercel — not a placeholder page Vercel dashboard open at your project → Settings → Domains A screenshot of your live site (the PR template requires this) Step 1: Fork, Clone, Branch git clone https://github.com/your-github-username/register.git cd register gi