cron_next
Cron Next Run Times — Next fire times of a 5-field cron expression after a base time.
This record as markdown: /tools/com-wingmanprotocol-agent-gateway/cron-next.md
What cron_next does on Gateway
AI agents call cron_next to retrieve information from Gateway without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
count | integer | — | How many upcoming times to return (1..20, default 5) |
base_time | string | Yes | ISO 8601 instant to compute from |
expression | string | Yes | 5-field cron: 'min hour dom month dow' |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why cron_next is rated Low
This tool purely computes and returns the next scheduled fire times for a cron expression. It performs a read/calculation with no side effects, no data modification, and no execution of the cron job itself.
From the tool's definition Next fire times of a 5-field cron expression after a base time
Risk signalsAccepts freeform code/query input (expression)
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs cron_next safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Gateway, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For cron_next, this is the rule to start with:
cron_next is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Gateway, apply this rule, and every cron_next call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about cron_next
Cron Next Run Times — Next fire times of a 5-field cron expression after a base time. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Gateway MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
cron_next accepts 3 parameters: count, base_time, expression. Required: base_time, expression. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Gateway MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for cron_next: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Gateway. Nothing to install.
cron_next is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the cron_next rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for cron_next. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
cron_next is provided by the Gateway MCP server (https://wingmanprotocol.com/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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