# Strale Cron Expression Explainer

> Strale Cron Expression Explainer is a paid API for AI agents from api.strale.io, paid per call via x402, $0.0216/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-15).

Explains a cron expression in human-readable terms and returns the next N scheduled run times, optionally in a specified timezone.

## Facts

- Endpoint: GET https://api.strale.io/x402/v2/cron-explain
- Price: $0.0216/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-15
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/strale-cron-expression-explainer-3da858c3
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_Gdy_zwGbB5wt23N8KcbWQ

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 strale-cron-expression-explainer-3da858c3
```

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

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need a quick, auditable, human-readable interpretation of a cron schedule along with concrete next-run timestamps — especially useful in DevOps, automation, or scheduling workflows where non-technical stakeholders need to verify job timing or where audit trails are required.

## Known failure modes

- Invalid cron expression format (missing fields, unsupported syntax) returns a parse error
- Unrecognized timezone string returns a validation error
- num_next set to zero or a very large number may return an error or be capped
- Missing required cron_expression query parameter returns a 400 Bad Request
- Network or upstream service error returns a 5xx response

## How this service works

Parse a cron expression into human-readable explanation + next N execution times. Algorithmic — instant.

## Output

Returns a plain-language explanation of the cron expression (describing its frequency, days, and times), along with a list of the next N upcoming execution timestamps in the requested timezone, plus a cryptographically hashed audit record for traceability.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "required": [
  "cron_expression"
 ],
 "properties": {
  "num_next": {
   "type": "integer",
   "description": "Number of next runs (default 5)"
  },
  "timezone": {
   "type": "string"
  },
  "cron_expression": {
   "type": "string",
   "description": "Cron expression (5-7 fields)"
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "is_valid": {
  "type": "boolean"
 },
 "next_runs": {
  "type": "array"
 },
 "explanation": {
  "type": "string"
 },
 "field_breakdown": {
  "type": "array"
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/strale-cron-expression-explainer-3da858c3/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from api.strale.io](https://www.zero.xyz/host/api.strale.io/llms.txt)