Frequently asked questions

What is Namaste America?

A free directory and AI guide of Indian-American businesses, temples, classes, services and events across the USA — searchable by chatting with Dost or browsing by city. It's built for both people and AI agents (it's an MCP server with a free public API).

Is it free?

Yes — searching is free, and listing or claiming a business is free.

Can I search in Hindi or Telugu?

Yes. You can ask Dost by text or voice in English, हिंदी or తెలుగు, and get answers back in the same language.

How does “near me” work?

With your permission we use your device location (or an approximate area from your IP) to show the nearest matches first. You can also just type a city.

Where does the data come from?

Open data (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata), businesses' own websites, and submissions from owners and visitors — kept fresh by automated agents.

Can AI assistants use this directory?

Yes — Namaste America is an MCP server, so AI assistants can search the live directory directly, plus there's a free JSON API and an llms.txt. See /for-agents.

How do reviews work?

Anyone can leave a star rating and review on a listing. Reviews are public and moderated — spam, abuse, and fake content are removed.

My business is wrong or missing.

You can add it or claim and correct an existing listing for free.

Is this only for Indian (from India) businesses?

Yes — it focuses on the Indian (from India) / Indian-American diaspora in the USA.