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Cron Translator MCP server

Which servers in the official MCP registry are Cron Translator's own, whether they answer, and what they offer. A program checked each of these, nobody copied them from a product page.

read 2026-10-20

← Back to Cron Translator

Whose server it is
  • Registry namecom.crontoenglish/cron-translatorverified in the MCP registry

The registry name sits under crontoenglish.com. The registry only lets a publisher use that namespace after proving control of the domain through DNS or HTTP.

When we asked itchecked 2026-10-20
  • Stateanswerschecked 2026-10-20
  • Tools3
  • Server calls itselfcron-translator
  • Server version0.1.0
  • Protocol version2025-06-18

On 2026-10-20 the server answered initialize and tools/list without a sign-in. First answer in 112 ms.

Should an agent connect itNot proven either way yet
  • Its tools do every use case we checked: translate cron expressions into plain English; check when a cron expression next runs in a timezone; spot cron pitfalls before deploying a scheduled job.
  • Checked on 4 of the 7 days it takes to judge reliability.

Once connected

  • For "translate cron expressions into plain English", the likely first call is explain_cron.
  • For "check when a cron expression next runs in a timezone", the likely first call is next_cron_runs.
  • For "spot cron pitfalls before deploying a scheduled job", the likely first call is explain_cron.

Said by rules from the measurements above. The likely first call is a model's pick from the tool list; read its description before relying on it.

Measured dailydaily checks: 4, the first on 2026-10-20
  • INITE MCP scoreafter a weeka score needs 7 daily checks: 4 so far
  • What an agent can do with it3 of 3 use cases
  • Answeredmeasuring4 of the 7 daily checks it takes to print a share
  • Median first answer863 ms
  • Space in an agent's context≈ 1,215 tokensthe definitions of all its tools (3), which an agent carries on every turn
  • Tool definitionsA · 100 of 100
  • Typed results0 of 3 toolsdeclared outputSchema: results come typed, read once
  • Every tool passes all six checks.

What an agent can do with it

  • can do · translate cron expressions into plain English
  • can do · check when a cron expression next runs in a timezone
  • can do · spot cron pitfalls before deploying a scheduled job

Each of the product's use cases, put to Jev against this server's tool list: can an agent do it with these tools?

Worth a look

None of the five warning signs in these definitions.

A program checks the server once a day: initialize and tools/list, no model. Tokens are the definitions' length at about four characters a token. The grade averages six checks of every tool's name, description, schema and annotations; it says how well the tools are described, not whether they work. The score weighs what was measured and nothing else: answering (30%), doing the product's job (25%), definitions (20%), context (10%) and use (15%). A part that was not measured is left out, and a hidden instruction caps the score at 40. The state of vendors' MCP servers: method and numbers →

Tools it offers3 tools · read 2026-10-20
  • explain_cron

    Translate a cron expression into plain English, list its upcoming run times in a specific timezone, and report the gotchas that make schedules misfire. Use this whenever a cron expression needs to be read, verified, or explained — and…

  • next_cron_runs

    List the next run times for a cron expression in a specific timezone, with no prose. Use this when the only question is "when does this next fire" — for example to check whether a job will run before a deadline, or to show a user their…

  • build_cron

    Convert an English schedule description into a standard five-field cron expression, then explain and validate the result. Use this when a user describes a schedule in words and needs the expression. This is a RULE-BASED converter, not a…

How to connect

Add the server to your MCP client config. Claude Desktop, Cursor and most other clients read this shape:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cron-translator": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://crontoenglish.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Add it

Claude Code, in a terminal

claude mcp add --transport http crontoenglish https://crontoenglish.com/api/mcp

Add to CursorAdd to VS Code

claude.ai, ChatGPT and other clients: add https://crontoenglish.com/api/mcp as a custom connector in the settings.

OpenAPI spec

3 paths, read 2026-10-20. Open the spec ↗

Each line is something a program found when it went looking: the registry entry, the server's own answer, a spec that parses. A missing line means we did not find it, not that it does not exist.