diff --git a/api/README.md b/api/README.md
index 8e4da39..0bf8991 100644
--- a/api/README.md
+++ b/api/README.md
@@ -31,8 +31,17 @@ DATA_FILE=/path/to/events.json ARCHIVE_DATA_FILE=/path/to/archive.json uvicorn m
 ### Scrape schedule reporting
 
 `/health` reports when each scraper output file was last written (its mtime)
-and, if you tell it the cron schedule, when it's next due. This doesn't read
-your crontab — set the same expression(s) you put there as env vars:
+and, if it can determine the cron schedule, when it's next due. The schedule
+is sourced in order:
+
+1. `SCRAPE_CRON` / `ARCHIVE_SCRAPE_CRON` env vars, if set — always wins, and
+   the only option that works when the API doesn't run as the same user/host
+   as the cron job.
+2. Otherwise, the API's own OS user's crontab (`crontab -l`), looked up for a
+   line invoking `scraper.py` (with vs. without `--archive` picks archive vs.
+   plain). Only works when the API process runs as the same user whose
+   personal crontab holds the scrape job — not a system crontab/cron.d entry,
+   not a job scheduled under a different user or host.
 
 ```bash
 SCRAPE_CRON="0 * * * *" ARCHIVE_SCRAPE_CRON="0 4 * * *" uvicorn main:app
@@ -40,8 +49,9 @@ SCRAPE_CRON="0 * * * *" ARCHIVE_SCRAPE_CRON="0 4 * * *" uvicorn main:app
 
 `SCRAPE_CRON` covers the plain scrape (`fundi-scraped-output.json`);
 `ARCHIVE_SCRAPE_CRON` covers `--archive` (`fundi-archive-output.json`) and
-falls back to `SCRAPE_CRON` if unset — set it separately only if the archive
-scrape runs on its own cron line. Leave both unset to just get the
+falls back to `SCRAPE_CRON` (env or crontab-discovered) if unset — set it
+separately only if the archive scrape runs on its own cron line. If neither
+an env var nor a matching crontab line is found, you just get the
 last-scrape info with `next_scrape_at` / `seconds_until_next_scrape` as
 `null`.
 
diff --git a/api/__pycache__/scrape_schedule.cpython-313.pyc b/api/__pycache__/scrape_schedule.cpython-313.pyc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fac45a5
Binary files /dev/null and b/api/__pycache__/scrape_schedule.cpython-313.pyc differ
diff --git a/api/main.py b/api/main.py
index 4cb50fa..6e959bd 100644
--- a/api/main.py
+++ b/api/main.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ from fastapi.responses import PlainTextResponse
 from calendar_feed import build_ics
 from datasource import EventStore, iter_artist_names, parse_event_date
 from models import Event, EventList
-from scrape_schedule import get_schedule_info
+from scrape_schedule import discover_cron_expr, get_schedule_info
 
 app = FastAPI(
     title="Fundi Scraper API",
@@ -59,8 +59,14 @@ def _matches(
 
 @app.get("/health")
 def health():
-    scrape_cron = os.environ.get("SCRAPE_CRON")
-    archive_scrape_cron = os.environ.get("ARCHIVE_SCRAPE_CRON") or scrape_cron
+    scrape_cron = os.environ.get("SCRAPE_CRON") or discover_cron_expr(
+        "scraper.py", archive=False
+    )
+    archive_scrape_cron = (
+        os.environ.get("ARCHIVE_SCRAPE_CRON")
+        or discover_cron_expr("scraper.py", archive=True)
+        or scrape_cron
+    )
     return {
         "status": "ok",
         "events_loaded": len(store.all()),
diff --git a/api/scrape_schedule.py b/api/scrape_schedule.py
index d2e876d..e584219 100644
--- a/api/scrape_schedule.py
+++ b/api/scrape_schedule.py
@@ -1,15 +1,22 @@
 """Reports when a scrape last ran and when cron will next run it.
 
 "Last ran" is read from the mtime of the scraper's output file - true
-regardless of how/when the scrape was actually invoked. "Next run" requires
-telling this module the cron schedule via an env var (there's no reliable,
-portable way to introspect another process's crontab from here), given as
-a standard 5-field cron expression, e.g. "0 * * * *".
+regardless of how/when the scrape was actually invoked. "Next run" needs the
+cron schedule, sourced in order of preference:
+
+1. An explicit env var (SCRAPE_CRON / ARCHIVE_SCRAPE_CRON) - always wins,
+   works anywhere.
+2. The current OS user's crontab (``discover_cron_expr``) - only works when
+   this process runs as the same user whose personal crontab (``crontab -e``)
+   contains the scrape job, and the ``crontab`` binary is available. Not
+   portable beyond that (different user, no cron, system crontab/cron.d
+   instead of a personal one, containers split across hosts, ...).
 """
 
+import subprocess
 from datetime import datetime
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Optional
+from typing import List, Optional, Tuple
 
 from croniter import croniter
 
@@ -18,6 +25,58 @@ def _now_local() -> datetime:
     return datetime.now().astimezone()
 
 
+def _read_crontab_lines() -> List[str]:
+    """Return the invoking OS user's crontab lines, or [] if unavailable."""
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            ["crontab", "-l"],
+            capture_output=True,
+            text=True,
+            timeout=5,
+        )
+    except (OSError, subprocess.SubprocessError):
+        return []
+    if result.returncode != 0:
+        return []
+    return result.stdout.splitlines()
+
+
+def _parse_crontab_line(line: str) -> Optional[Tuple[str, str]]:
+    """Split one crontab line into (schedule, command); None if not a job."""
+    line = line.strip()
+    if not line or line.startswith("#"):
+        return None
+    if line.startswith("@"):
+        parts = line.split(maxsplit=1)
+        if len(parts) != 2:
+            return None
+        return parts[0], parts[1]
+    parts = line.split(maxsplit=5)
+    if len(parts) != 6:
+        return None
+    return " ".join(parts[:5]), parts[5]
+
+
+def discover_cron_expr(command_hint: str, *, archive: bool) -> Optional[str]:
+    """Find a matching scrape job in the current user's crontab.
+
+    ``command_hint`` is a substring identifying the scrape command (e.g.
+    "scraper.py"); ``archive`` picks the "--archive" line vs. the plain one.
+    Returns None if the crontab can't be read or no line matches.
+    """
+    for line in _read_crontab_lines():
+        parsed = _parse_crontab_line(line)
+        if parsed is None:
+            continue
+        schedule, command = parsed
+        if command_hint not in command:
+            continue
+        if ("--archive" in command) != archive:
+            continue
+        return schedule
+    return None
+
+
 def _file_mtime_local(path: Path) -> Optional[datetime]:
     try:
         return datetime.fromtimestamp(path.stat().st_mtime).astimezone()