# DeskNav Studio — URL Shortener (pay-per-call)

> DeskNav Studio — URL Shortener (pay-per-call) is a paid API for AI agents from short.desknav.ai, paid per call via x402, $0.05/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-14).

Creates a shortened URL for a given destination URL, optionally with a custom alias, paid per-call in USDC on Base.

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://short.desknav.ai/jobs/shorten
- Price: $0.05/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-14
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/desknav-studio-url-shortener-pay-per-call-a21bb951
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_bjpzpU_SzQMeDu6fWWuLs

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 desknav-studio-url-shortener-pay-per-call-a21bb951 -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Can you shorten this URL for me — https://www.example.com/some/very/long/path/to/a-page?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email — and use the custom alias 'my-promo' if it's available?

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need a fast, on-demand, pay-per-call URL shortener that charges only $0.05 USDC per link with no subscription. It supports optional custom aliases and is particularly suitable for AI agents operating with crypto wallets on Base, using the x402 payment protocol for seamless micropayments.

## Known failure modes

- Alias already taken — rejected before payment is charged
- Destination URL is a loopback, private, or link-local address — refused
- Invalid or non-HTTP(S) URL supplied — rejected
- Payment in USDC not completed or insufficient — request not fulfilled
- Network timeout or service unavailability

## How this service works

Studio sells 6 per-call jobs over HTTP, paid in USDC on base via x402 or direct transfer.

## Output

Returns a short URL (e.g. https://short.desknav.ai/how-to-pay), the short code used, and the original destination URL, along with an invoice ID confirming payment. The response confirms the offer ID ('shorten') and delivery status.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "required": [
  "url"
 ],
 "properties": {
  "url": {
   "type": "string",
   "description": "Destination for the short link. Public http(s) only — loopback, private and link-local hosts are refused."
  },
  "alias": {
   "type": "string",
   "description": "Optional custom code. Never overwrites an existing link; a taken alias is rejected before payment."
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "output": {
  "code": "how-to-pay",
  "shortUrl": "https://short.desknav.ai/how-to-pay",
  "targetUrl": "https://short.desknav.ai/docs"
 },
 "status": "delivered",
 "offerId": "shorten",
 "invoiceId": "inv_1"
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/desknav-studio-url-shortener-pay-per-call-a21bb951/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from short.desknav.ai](https://www.zero.xyz/host/short.desknav.ai/llms.txt)