{"uid":"cap_IHHsh8Y1BbDjhOcv_L6Ie","slug":"cron-expression-explainer-next-run-times-653d366a","name":"Cron Expression Explainer & Next Run Times","description":"Cron expression explainer: human-readable description plus the next run times (UTC) for standard 5-field cron syntax including ranges, lists and steps.","url":"https://api.aventtech.com/explain/cron?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":"5-field cron expression"},"count":{"type":"string","description":"How many next runs to return (max 10, default 5)"}}}},"additionalProperties":false},"output":{"type":"object","required":["type"],"properties":{"type":{"type":"string"},"example":{"type":"object"}}}}},"responseSchema":null,"example":null,"exampleRequest":null,"tags":["x402"],"displayCostAmount":"0.01","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":"$0.01/call","primary":{"kind":"static","protocol":"x402","network":"base","amountUsd":"0.01","per":"call","confidence":"exact"},"accepted":[{"kind":"static","protocol":"x402","network":"base","amountUsd":"0.01","per":"call","confidence":"exact"}]},"paymentMethods":[{"uid":"pm_-fij-IobwptX9Fi6OHO8B","protocol":"x402","methodType":"crypto","chain":"base","mode":"charge","costAmount":"0.01","costPer":"request","priority":0,"asset":"0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913","unit":"request","depositMicros":null,"planRef":null}],"brandName":null,"brandSlug":null,"brandBaseUrl":null,"brandDocsUrl":null,"whatItDoes":"Converts a 5-field cron expression into a human-readable description and returns the next N upcoming run times in UTC.","exampleAgentPrompt":"Can you explain what the cron expression '0 8 * * 1-5' means in plain English and show me the next 5 times it will run in UTC?","exampleUseCases":[{"title":"Debugging a misconfigured cron job","prompt":"I have a cron expression '30 23 * * 0' set up on my server — can you tell me what it does and when the next 5 runs will happen in UTC? I think it might be running at the wrong time."},{"title":"Verifying a scheduled report runs at midnight","prompt":"We schedule a weekly report with '0 0 * * 0' — can you confirm in plain English when that fires and give me the next 3 UTC run times so I can double-check it matches our expectations?"},{"title":"Understanding a complex step-interval schedule","prompt":"What does '*/10 6-18 * * 1-5' mean and when will it run next? Show me the next 10 occurrences in UTC — I want to make sure it only fires every 10 minutes during business hours on weekdays."}],"resultDescription":"Returns a human-readable English description of the cron expression (e.g. 'Every weekday at 9:00 AM') plus an ordered list of the next N upcoming UTC run timestamps (default 5, max 10), computed from the current time.","failureModes":["Invalid or malformed cron expression returns an error explaining the syntax issue","Count parameter exceeding 10 is clamped or rejected","Missing 'expr' query parameter returns a 400-style error","6-field or non-standard cron syntax (e.g. with seconds) may not be supported and returns an error"],"whenToPreferThis":"Choose this endpoint when you need to explain or audit a standard 5-field cron expression to a human, verify a schedule before deploying, or compute upcoming execution times without running a local cron library. It is ideal for developer tools, chatbots, and scheduling UIs where a quick, authoritative human-readable explanation is needed without any server-side job management.","instructions":null,"reviewSummary":null,"reviewSummaryHighlights":null,"reviewSummaryConcerns":null,"reviewSummaryGeneratedAt":null,"activationCount":0,"lastUsedAt":null,"lastSuccessfullyRanAt":null,"lastHealthCheckAt":"2026-10-10T18:42:34.961Z","isFirstParty":false,"canonicalSlug":"cron-expression-explainer-next-run-times-653d366a"}