Name: expand-url
Price: 0.02 USDC
Availability: InStock

$ man expand-url

agentutility / web-probe / expand-url

PRICE / CALL

$0.02

USDC · base mainnet · scheme: exact

METHOD

POST

CLUSTER

webprobe

CATEGORY

utilities

STATUS

● live

NAME

expand-url — expands shortened urls by tracing the full redirect chain hop-by-hop

SYNOPSIS

POST https://x402.agentutility.ai/expand-url
     Content-Type: application/json
     X-PAYMENT:    <signed-transferWithAuthorization>

     { ... }

↳ first call → 402 Payment Required. Sign USDCtransferWithAuthorization, retry with theX-PAYMENT header.

DESCRIPTION

Expands shortened URLs by tracing the full redirect chain hop-by-hop. Each step returns status code, Location header, redirect_type (permanent / temporary / meta / js), per-hop duration, and content-type, plus the final landing URL and total trace time. Useful for unmasking shortened links before fetch, and for forensic / security analysis of suspicious redirects. Use it as a URL expander, redirect chain tracer, link unshortener, shortlink resolver, bit.ly + t.co + lnkd.in + goo.gl + tinyurl resolver, final-URL fetcher, or phishing redirect inspector.

INPUT — request schema

property	type	description	req?
url	string	Starting URL (typically a shortlink). Must be http(s).	required
max_hops	number	Maximum redirect hops to follow. 1-20. Default 10.	optional
user_agent	string	Optional User-Agent header to send (some shorteners gate by UA). Default is a generic browser UA.	optional

OUTPUT — response shape

field	type	description
initial_url	string	Original URL submitted for expansion before any redirects were followed.
final_url	string	Terminal URL reached after following the full redirect chain.
final_status	number	HTTP status code returned at the final hop (200, 404, etc.).
hop_count	number	Number of redirect hops traversed between the initial and final URL.
total_duration_ms	number	Total wall-clock time in milliseconds to trace the full redirect chain.
hops	array	Ordered list of each redirect step with URL, status, location header, redirect type, and response time.
truncated	boolean	True if the chain hit the max-hop cap before reaching a terminal URL.
error	string	Error message if the trace failed (DNS failure, timeout, redirect loop, invalid URL).

EXAMPLES — two ways to call

EXAMPLE 1 · curl

curl -X POST https://x402.agentutility.ai/expand-url \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{ }'

first response = 402 Payment Required with payment requirements; sign + retry with X-PAYMENT.

EXAMPLE 2 · mcp

# Install the MCP package for this endpoint's cluster
npx -y @agentutility/mcp-<cluster>

# Required: EVM private key with USDC on Base
export X402_PRIVATE_KEY=0x...

# Then call the expand-url tool from your MCP-aware agent.

MCP server handles payment automatically — your coding agent just calls the tool by name.

METADATA

tags: urlredirectshortlinktracephishing
methods: POST
cluster: webprobe
price: $0.02 USDC per call

ADJACENT — other endpoints in webprobe

endpoint	description	price
archive-snapshot	Finds the closest archived snapshot of a public URL, like a Wayback Machine API.	$0.02
archive-snapshot-api	Finds archived snapshots of public web pages, returning the closest Wayback Machine captures with timestamps, status codes, and replay URLs.	$0.02
archive-url	Looks up the archived copy of a public URL closest to a given timestamp and can fetch cleaned archived page text.	$0.02
brand-domain-check	Checks whether a brand or company domain is established, expiring, registrar-locked, or newly registered, on the same RDAP backend as who…	$0.02
brand-watch-domain-risk	Checks new or suspicious brand-adjacent domains for age, registrar, expiry, DNSSEC, and transfer/lock statuses.	$0.02
creator-domain-check	Checks creator, newsletter, podcast, and community domains for age, expiry, registrar, DNSSEC, and suspicious new-registration flags.	$0.02
dmarc-check	Audits a domain's email authentication posture: DMARC, SPF, and DKIM in one check.	$0.02
dns-lookup	Full DNS lookup over Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 DNS-over-HTTPS.	$0.02