# ShieldAPI – URL Safety & Phishing Detection

> ShieldAPI – URL Safety & Phishing Detection is a paid API for AI agents from shield.vainplex.dev, paid per call via x402, $0.003/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-15).

Checks a URL for safety, phishing risk, and malicious content using real-time security intelligence

## Facts

- Endpoint: GET https://shield.vainplex.dev/api/check-url
- Price: $0.003/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-15
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/shieldapi-url-safety-phishing-detection-08c5bcb7
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_R7eA_RQd2VrI2gXt1pecH

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 shieldapi-url-safety-phishing-detection-08c5bcb7
```

Example prompt: Before I open this link someone sent me — https://suspicious-promo.xyz/free-gift — can you run a ShieldAPI phishing and safety check on it to tell me if it's dangerous?

## When to prefer this

Use this endpoint when you need to verify the safety of a URL before an agent or user opens it, follows a redirect, or makes a payment — especially useful as a security preflight check in automated workflows, x402 payment pipelines, or when handling user-submitted or untrusted links.

## Known failure modes

- Invalid or missing SHA-1 hash format (must be 40 hex chars) returns 400 error
- URL not found in threat database returns unknown/unrated result
- Rate limiting or payment failure returns 402/429 error
- Demo mode returns limited or partial results
- Network timeout returns 503 error

## How this service works

URL safety & phishing detection

## Output

Returns a safety verdict indicating whether the URL is safe, phishing, malicious, or suspicious, along with threat classification details and a risk score based on real-time security intelligence.

## Example request

```json
{
 "demo": true,
 "hash": "356a192b7913b04c54574d18c28d46e6395428ab"
}
```

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "properties": {
  "input": {
   "required": [
    "method"
   ],
   "properties": {
    "method": {
     "enum": [
      "GET"
     ],
     "type": "string"
    }
   }
  }
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/shieldapi-url-safety-phishing-detection-08c5bcb7/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from shield.vainplex.dev](https://www.zero.xyz/host/shield.vainplex.dev/llms.txt)