Systems and methods are provided for performing ammonia cracking as the endothermic reaction step of a reaction cycle in a cyclic reaction environment, such as a reverse flow reaction environment. In such aspects, heat for the endothermic reaction can be provided by direct heating during a regeneration step. Optionally, the fuel for the regeneration step can correspond to additional ammonia and/or can include hydrogen generated during the ammonia cracking reaction step. Optionally, a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) zone can be included as part of the reactor, to reduce or minimize the amount of nitrogen oxides in the regeneration effluent from the reactor.