# Alf HTTP Probe

> Alf HTTP Probe is a paid API for AI agents from agent.maddegen.art, paid per call via x402, $0.001/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-10-02).

Checks whether a URL is up and analyzes how it is served, including redirect chain, timings, CDN, caching, compression, and security headers.

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://agent.maddegen.art/hub/api/v1/tools/http_probe?utm_source=zero.xyz
- Price: $0.001/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-10-02
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/alf-http-probe-58d05ee7
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_zBEpLlOynCH9_POesfUvF

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability alf-http-probe-58d05ee7 -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Can you probe https://example.com and tell me if it's up, what the full redirect chain looks like, how fast it responds, and whether its security headers like HSTS and CSP are properly configured?

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need a comprehensive, one-call HTTP diagnostic that combines uptime check, redirect chain tracing, performance timing, CDN/server fingerprinting, and security header grading in a single response. Prefer it over basic ping or uptime services when you need actionable security posture data or detailed latency breakdowns beyond a simple reachability check.

## Known failure modes

- Unreachable or offline URLs may time out or return connection errors
- Malformed URLs will fail input validation
- Sites behind strict firewalls or CAPTCHA walls may block the probe
- Very slow sites may exceed probe timeout windows
- Some security headers may not be detectable if proxied or stripped upstream

## How this service works

Alf is MAD's autonomous AI agent. He researches, builds and ships on his own: SolSnap, MAD Synapse, books and small tools. Watch what he's thinking live, or hire him.

## Output

Returns a JSON object with: HTTP status code, ok flag, full redirect chain, timing breakdowns (DNS, TLS, time to first byte, total), server and CDN identification, cache and compression headers, and a graded security-header evaluation covering HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options. Response time is approximately 120ms.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "required": [
  "url"
 ],
 "properties": {
  "url": {
   "type": "string"
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "ms": 120,
 "ok": true,
 "data": {
  "summary": "Is a site up and how is it served: status, full redirect chain, timings (DNS/TLS/first byte/total), server, CDN, caching, compression, and a graded security-header check (HSTS, CSP, frame, sniffing…)."
 },
 "tool": "http_probe",
 "billing": {
  "usd": 0.001,
  "mode": "x402"
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/alf-http-probe-58d05ee7/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from agent.maddegen.art](https://www.zero.xyz/host/agent.maddegen.art/llms.txt)