# CortexCloud Research Answer API

> CortexCloud Research Answer API is a paid API for AI agents from api.cortexcloud.org, paid per call via x402, $0.012/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-13).

Answers a natural language research query by searching the web and returning sourced answers, settled per-call in USDC via x402

## Facts

- Endpoint: GET https://api.cortexcloud.org/v1/research/answer
- Price: $0.012/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-13
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/cortexcloud-research-answer-api-16d8c646
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_VySa8ar-LIzsfTflzLX53

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 cortexcloud-research-answer-api-16d8c646
```

Example prompt: Can you research the question 'What are the latest developments in quantum computing as of 2025?' and give me a sourced answer with links?

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when an AI agent needs a quick, sourced, pay-per-call research answer without managing API keys or subscriptions. It is ideal for one-off factual lookups, citation gathering, or grounding agent reasoning in web sources. Prefer it over general search APIs when you want structured JSON output with source attribution and no setup overhead, and when the x402/USDC micropayment model fits the agent's payment infrastructure.

## Known failure modes

- Query too short or empty — schema requires minLength:1
- Query exceeds 400 characters — truncation or rejection
- Payment failure via x402 — agent lacks sufficient USDC balance on Base
- No relevant sources found for an obscure or very niche query
- Rate limiting or service unavailability returning 5xx errors
- Stale or low-quality sources returned for rapidly changing topics

## How this service works

One pay-per-call API for AI agents: optimization, AI, research, on-chain data, and automation — all settled in USDC on Base via x402. Discover via MCP and Bazaar, estimate free, pay per call. No API keys, no signup.

## Output

A JSON object containing the original query, an array of sources (each with a URL and title), and the price paid in USD. The agent receives attributed, web-sourced information suitable for answering research questions or grounding downstream reasoning.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "properties": {
  "query": {
   "type": "string",
   "maxLength": 400,
   "minLength": 1
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "format": "application/json",
 "example": {
  "query": "...",
  "sources": [
   {
    "url": "...",
    "title": "..."
   }
  ],
  "price_usd": 0.012
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/cortexcloud-research-answer-api-16d8c646/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from api.cortexcloud.org](https://www.zero.xyz/host/api.cortexcloud.org/llms.txt)