# cron.agentutil.net – Cron Expression Explainer

> cron.agentutil.net – Cron Expression Explainer is a paid API for AI agents from cron.agentutil.net, paid per call via x402, $0.001/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-15).

Converts a cron expression (5-field or special string) into a plain-English human-readable description with field-by-field breakdown

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://cron.agentutil.net/v1/explain
- Price: $0.001/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-15
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/cron-agentutil-net-21bf94cb
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_QQdkpLOc-aASeQIerorX8

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 cron-agentutil-net-21bf94cb -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Can you explain what this cron expression means in plain English: '0 9 * * 1-5'?

## When to prefer this

Use this endpoint when an AI agent or user needs to understand what a cron expression does in human terms — particularly useful for code review, documentation generation, debugging scheduled jobs, or explaining configuration to non-technical users. Prefer over manual parsing when the expression includes complex ranges, lists, or step values.

## Known failure modes

- Invalid or malformed cron expression returns an error response
- Empty expression field causes validation failure
- 6-field or non-standard cron syntax may not be supported
- Network or upstream service unavailability
- Payment failure via x402 protocol blocks the request

## How this service works

Convert a cron expression to a human-readable description

## Output

Returns a plain-English description (e.g. 'At 9:00 AM, Monday through Friday'), the original expression echoed back, a breakdown of each individual field (minute, hour, day_of_month, month, day_of_week), a request ID, service URL, and a list of related agentutil services.

## Example request

```json
{
 "expression": "0 9 * * 1-5"
}
```

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "properties": {
  "expression": {
   "type": "string",
   "description": "Standard 5-field cron expression (minute hour dom month dow) or special string (@daily, @hourly, etc.)"
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "required": [
  "fields",
  "service",
  "expression",
  "request_id",
  "description",
  "related_services"
 ],
 "properties": {
  "fields": {
   "type": "object",
   "required": [
    "hour",
    "month",
    "minute",
    "day_of_week",
    "day_of_month"
   ],
   "properties": {
    "hour": {
     "type": "string"
    },
    "month": {
     "type": "string"
    },
    "minute": {
     "type": "string"
    },
    "day_of_week": {
     "type": "string"
    },
    "day_of_month": {
     "type": "string"
    }
   }
  },
  "service": {
   "type": "string"
  },
  "expression": {
   "type": "string"
  },
  "request_id": {
   "type": "string"
  },
  "description": {
   "type": "string"
  },
  "related_services": {
   "type": "array",
   "items": {
    "type": "object",
    "required": [
     "url",
     "name",
     "description"
    ],
    "properties": {
     "url": {
      "type": "string"
     },
     "name": {
      "type": "string"
     },
     "description": {
      "type": "string"
     }
    }
   }
  }
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/cron-agentutil-net-21bf94cb/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from cron.agentutil.net](https://www.zero.xyz/host/cron.agentutil.net/llms.txt)