tools.ens.xyz is a lightweight side app that fills the gaps the main ENS App doesn't cover. The main App is built for the common path — registering, renewing, transferring, editing your records. tools.ens.xyz handles the cases just outside that path: inspecting a name in detail, setting a Primary Name for a smart contract, working with the Name Wrapper, and writing records directly through the contract.
Important: tools.ens.xyz is a lightweight side tool, not part of the main ENS App. Always check the URL before connecting your wallet — see What are the official ENS websites, apps, and tools? for the list of sites the core ENS team runs.
Good to know
Every action is an onchain transaction — needs ETH on Ethereum Mainnet for gas — no other cost.
If your task is registering, renewing, transferring, or editing records normally, stay in the main ENS App.
"Set ENS Manager" on tools.ens.xyz adds an approved operator on the Resolver — separate from the Manager role you see in the ENS App.
What do you want to do?
If you want to… | Use | Why not the main ENS App? |
Check a name's full state before buying | Check an ENS Name | The main App shows the basics; this surfaces normalisation, wrapped status, and subnames in one read |
Set a Primary Name for a smart contract | Set ENS Primary Name | The main App covers this too — pick whichever is easier (guide) |
Set a Primary Name as an authorised operator | Set ENS Primary Name | The main App's Primary Name flow is for the connected wallet only |
Unwrap a name from the Name Wrapper | Unwrap an ENS Name | Direct contract call — alternative to the main App's unwrap flow |
Let another wallet edit your records without granting transfer rights | Set ENS Manager | The main App's roles cover Owner and Manager — not a separate edit-only operator |
Write records directly through the contract | Set ENS Records | The main App's editor doesn't always expose every field |
Look up a name — Check an ENS Name
A one-shot status report on any ENS name. It shows:
Whether the name is correctly normalised (valid characters, no hidden lookalikes)
Expiry date
Resolver address
Wrapped status
Subnames
Run a name through here before buying it on a secondary market — it's the quickest way to spot anything unexpected.
Set a Primary Name for a contract or as an operator — Set ENS Primary Name
The main ENS App sets a Primary Name for the wallet you're connected with. This tool covers two extra cases:
A smart contract you own (the main App can also do this — see How do I set a Primary Name for my smart contract?)
An address where you're an authorised operator (you've been approved to manage someone else's name)
For your own wallet, the main ENS App is simpler — see How do I set my Primary Name?
Take a name out of the Name Wrapper — Unwrap an ENS Name
Connect the wallet that owns the wrapped name, pick the name, and approve in your wallet. The name returns to the unwrapped registry.
If the unwrap permission has been permanently revoked on the name (for example, in a project subname setup that locks out unwrap), the tool will tell you — and no other tool can unwrap it either.
Approve an edit-only operator — Set ENS Manager
Adds another wallet as an approved operator on your name's Resolver. That wallet can edit records — ETH Address, text records, and so on — but can't transfer the name. Requires the latest Public Resolver.
This isn't the same as the Manager role in the ENS App. The Manager is the wallet that controls a name's records — it can change the ETH Address, set text records, and so on. "Set ENS Manager" here creates an additional operator on the Resolver, not a new Manager. Use it for delegated record edits to a service or teammate.
Write records directly — Set ENS Records
Edit your ETH Address or text records by calling the Resolver contract directly. Most people don't need this — the main ENS App's editor handles the common cases.
When you do need it:
You've set a separate Public Resolver manager for a wrapped name and want to edit records as that manager.
The main ENS App's editor doesn't expose the specific field you want to set.
Common Questions
Is tools.ens.xyz official?
It's a lightweight side tool that lives outside the main ENS App. The core ENS team's main sites are listed at What are the official ENS websites, apps, and tools? — tools.ens.xyz isn't on that list. Treat it as a power-user companion to the main App.
Do I need tools.ens.xyz?
Most ENS users don't. The main ENS App covers everyday flows. Reach for tools.ens.xyz when you hit one of the cases above — otherwise the App is simpler and the path most flows are tested against.
Does anything cost extra?
No. Every action is a regular onchain transaction with normal gas. Needs ETH on Ethereum Mainnet for gas — no other cost.
What's the difference between the Manager on tools.ens.xyz and the Manager in the ENS App?
The ENS App's Manager is the wallet that controls a name's records — it can change the ETH Address, set text records, and so on. "Set ENS Manager" on tools.ens.xyz adds an additional approved operator: a wallet that can edit records but can't transfer the name. Use the tools.ens.xyz form for delegated record edits without changing who controls the name.
What's next?