{"uid":"cap_FAn2Sjw-sCBb-S4NSl14q","slug":"cheap-utilities-cron-expression-explainer-8641b2e6","name":"Cheap Utilities Cron Expression Explainer","description":"Explain a 5-field cron expression in plain English and list the next 5 run times in UTC.","url":"https://cheap-utilities.x402tookit.com/cron-explain?utm_source=zero.xyz","method":"GET","headers":{},"bodySchema":{"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":["expr"],"properties":{"expr":{"type":"string","description":"Cron expression: minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week"},"from":{"type":"string","description":"ISO time to count from, default now"}}}},"additionalProperties":false},"output":{"type":"object","required":["type"],"properties":{"type":{"type":"string"},"example":{"type":"object","properties":{"asOf":{"type":["null","string"]},"source":{"type":["null","string"]},"english":{"type":["null","string"]},"reasons":{"type":["array","null"]},"summary":{"type":["null","string"]},"verdict":{"type":["null","string"]},"degraded":{"type":["boolean","null"]},"disclaimer":{"type":["null","string"]},"expression":{"type":["null","string"]},"notChecked":{"type":["array","null"],"items":{"type":"string"}},"countedFrom":{"type":["null","string"]},"nextRunsUtc":{"type":["array","null"],"items":{"type":"string"}}}}}}}},"responseSchema":null,"example":null,"exampleRequest":null,"tags":["x402"],"displayCostAmount":"0.02","displayCostAsset":"USDC","priceDynamic":false,"priceHint":null,"priceStatus":"priced","priceSource":"probe","requiresHandshake":false,"reviewCount":0,"rating":{"score":"0.00","successRate":"0.00","reviews":0,"stars":null,"state":"unrated"},"availabilityStatus":"unknown","priceObserved":null,"sessionDeposit":null,"pricing":{"kind":"static","summary":"$0.02/call","primary":{"kind":"static","protocol":"x402","network":"base","amountUsd":"0.02","per":"call","confidence":"exact"},"accepted":[{"kind":"static","protocol":"x402","network":"base","amountUsd":"0.02","per":"call","confidence":"exact"}]},"paymentMethods":[{"uid":"pm_05qfiUQ8WPIHasz0hHQct","protocol":"x402","methodType":"crypto","chain":"base","mode":"charge","costAmount":"0.02","costPer":"request","priority":0,"asset":"0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913","unit":"request","depositMicros":null,"planRef":null}],"brandName":null,"brandSlug":null,"brandBaseUrl":null,"brandDocsUrl":null,"whatItDoes":"Translates a 5-field cron expression into plain English and returns the next 5 scheduled run times in UTC.","exampleAgentPrompt":"Can you explain what the cron expression '0 9 * * 1-5' means in plain English and tell me the next 5 times it would run starting from now?","exampleUseCases":[{"title":"Debugging a production cron schedule","prompt":"I have this cron job set to '30 3 1 * *' — can you explain what it does in plain English and show me the next 5 times it'll fire so I can confirm it's set up correctly?"},{"title":"Verifying a CI/CD pipeline trigger","prompt":"Our CI pipeline runs on '0 */6 * * *' — translate that into English for me and list the next 5 scheduled UTC run times so I can share them with my team."},{"title":"Sanity-checking a new cron job before deployment","prompt":"Before I deploy this, can you tell me what '15 14 * * 3' actually means and when it will next run? I want to make sure it fires on Wednesdays at 2:15 PM UTC."}],"resultDescription":"Returns a plain English description of the cron expression, a concise summary, the next 5 UTC run times as ISO strings, the reference timestamp used (asOf/countedFrom), and the raw expression echoed back. May also include a verdict and disclaimer fields.","failureModes":["Missing or invalid 'expr' query parameter returns an error","Cron expression with wrong number of fields (not exactly 5) fails to parse","Malformed ISO timestamp in 'from' parameter causes a parsing error","Non-standard cron syntax (e.g. @reboot, 6-field with seconds) may not be supported"],"whenToPreferThis":"Choose this endpoint when you need a quick, cheap explanation of a standard 5-field cron expression and want the next scheduled run times without setting up a local cron parser. Ideal for developer tools, CI/CD validation workflows, or any agent task that involves confirming scheduled job timing. At $0.02 per call it is cost-effective for on-demand use.","instructions":null,"reviewSummary":null,"reviewSummaryHighlights":null,"reviewSummaryConcerns":null,"reviewSummaryGeneratedAt":null,"activationCount":0,"lastUsedAt":null,"lastSuccessfullyRanAt":null,"lastHealthCheckAt":"2026-10-29T17:29:17.043Z","isFirstParty":false,"canonicalSlug":"cheap-utilities-cron-expression-explainer-8641b2e6"}