# PennyRail VIN Decoder

> PennyRail VIN Decoder is a paid API for AI agents from pennyrail.vercel.app, paid per call via x402, $0.004/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-14).

Decodes a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to return structured vehicle information such as make, model, year, and specifications

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://pennyrail.vercel.app/api/p/micro/vehicle.vin-decode--vin-decoder
- Price: $0.004/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-14
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/pennyrail-vin-decoder-ae07abef
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_J1HIpIflWv85Hzei6GvAK

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 pennyrail-vin-decoder-ae07abef -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Can you decode the VIN 1HGBH41JXMN109186 and tell me the make, model, and year of that vehicle?

## When to prefer this

Use this endpoint when you need a lightweight, pay-per-call VIN decode without setting up a subscription with a major automotive data provider. Ideal for low-volume lookups or agent workflows where VIN decoding is an occasional step, and the $0.004 per-call cost is acceptable. Prefer this over manual parsing when you need structured, reliable vehicle attributes from a VIN string.

## Known failure modes

- Invalid or malformed VIN returns an error or empty result
- VINs for very old or rare vehicles may have incomplete data
- Non-standard or non-NHTSA-compliant VINs may not decode correctly
- Missing or null input field returns a validation error

## How this service works

Machine-readable settlement service

## Output

Returns structured vehicle data extracted from the decoded VIN, including vehicle make, model, model year, manufacturer, country of origin, vehicle type, and other specification details encoded in the VIN standard.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

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

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "additionalProperties": true
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/pennyrail-vin-decoder-ae07abef/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from pennyrail.vercel.app](https://www.zero.xyz/host/pennyrail.vercel.app/llms.txt)