# NetIntel Cron Parser — Explain

> NetIntel Cron Parser — Explain is a paid API for AI agents from netintel.dev, paid per call via x402, $0.03/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-10-11).

Parses and explains a cron expression in plain English, validates it, grades it, and returns the next scheduled run times

## Facts

- Endpoint: GET https://netintel.dev/cron-parser/explain?utm_source=zero.xyz
- Price: $0.03/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-10-11
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/netintel-cron-parser-explain-6d10d2c9
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_Kac6oZPnUl01VGnT9--4k

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 netintel-cron-parser-explain-6d10d2c9
```

Example prompt: Can you explain what the cron expression '0 9 * * 1-5' means in plain English and show me the next 10 times it'll run in the America/New_York timezone?

## When to prefer this

Use this endpoint when you need to interpret, validate, or document a cron expression for a human audience or automated scheduler — especially when you want next-run previews with timezone awareness and a quality grade. Prefer over manual parsing or LLM guessing when accuracy and structured output matter.

## Known failure modes

- Missing or malformed 'expression' query parameter — returns validation error
- Invalid cron syntax (wrong number of fields, out-of-range values) — is_valid returns false with findings array populated
- Unrecognized IANA timezone string — may default to UTC or return error
- Expression too complex to name — pattern_name may be null or generic
- Network/payment failure — HTTP 402 if USDC payment not provided

## How this service works

Parse any cron expression into a human-readable explanation, validate its syntax, compute the next 5 scheduled run times (UTC), and detect common patterns (daily, weekly, monthly, hourly) — accepts standard numeric fields plus JAN-DEC/SUN-SAT name tokens — so agents can understand, validate, and work with cron schedules without implementing their own cron parser.

## Output

Returns a JSON object with: a human-readable explanation of the cron expression (e.g. 'At 9:00 AM, Monday through Friday'), a recognized pattern name, whether the expression is valid, a letter grade (A–F) and numeric score (0–100), parsed field breakdown, an array of upcoming run timestamps, plus any warnings or findings about potential issues.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
 "required": [
  "input"
 ],
 "properties": {
  "input": {
   "type": "object",
   "required": [
    "type",
    "method"
   ],
   "properties": {
    "type": {
     "type": "string",
     "const": "http"
    },
    "method": {
     "enum": [
      "GET"
     ],
     "type": "string"
    },
    "queryParams": {
     "type": "object",
     "required": [
      "expression"
     ],
     "properties": {
      "count": {
       "type": "number",
       "description": "Number of next run times to return (default: 5, max: 20)"
      },
      "expression": {
       "type": "string",
       "description": "Cron expression, 5 or 6 space-separated fields; month/day names accepted (e.g. 0 9 * * MON-FRI)"
      }
     }
    }
   },
   "additionalProperties": false
  },
  "output": {
   "type": "object",
   "required": [
    "type"
   ],
   "properties": {
    "type": {
     "type": "string"
    },
    "example": {
     "type": "object",
     "properties": {
      "grade": {
       "type": "string"
      },
      "score": {
       "type": "number"
      },
      "fields": {
       "type": "object"
      },
      "findings": {
       "type": "array"
      },
      "is_valid": {
       "type": "boolean"
      },
      "warnings": {
       "type": "array"
      },
      "next_runs": {
       "type": "array"
      },
      "expression": {
       "type": "string"
      },
      "explanation": {
       "type": "string"
      },
      "pattern_name": {
       "type": "string"
      }
     }
    }
   }
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "example": {
  "grade": "A",
  "score": 100,
  "fields": {
   "hour": "9",
   "month": "*",
   "minute": "0",
   "day_of_week": "1-5",
   "day_of_month": "*"
  },
  "findings": [],
  "is_valid": true,
  "warnings": [],
  "next_runs": [
   "2024-03-11T09:00:00Z"
  ],
  "expression": "0 9 * * 1-5",
  "explanation": "At 9:00 AM, Monday through Friday",
  "pattern_name": "Weekdays at 9:00 AM"
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/netintel-cron-parser-explain-6d10d2c9/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from netintel.dev](https://www.zero.xyz/host/netintel.dev/llms.txt)