Time

Time MCP Server

What is the Time MCP Server about?

The Time MCP Server is a specialized server designed to provide accurate time and timezone conversion functionalities. It enables Large Language Models (LLMs) to access current time information and perform conversions between different timezones using IANA timezone names. The server also features automatic detection of the system's local timezone.

How to use the Time MCP Server?

The server can be installed and run using various methods:

• Using uv (recommended):
  • Install uvx and run uvx mcp-server-time.
• Using PIP:
  • Install the package: pip install mcp-server-time
  • Run the server: python -m mcp_server_time
• Docker:
  • Pull the Docker image: mcp/time
  • Run the container: docker run -i --rm -e LOCAL_TIMEZONE <your_timezone> mcp/time

The server can be configured for various platforms like Claude.app, Zed, VS Code, and Zencoder by adding specific JSON configurations to their respective settings.

Key Features of the Time MCP Server

• Get Current Time: Retrieve the current time in a specified timezone (e.g., 'America/New_York') or the system's default timezone.
• Timezone Conversion: Convert a given time from a source timezone to a target timezone.
• IANA Timezone Support: Utilizes IANA timezone names for accurate timezone handling.
• Automatic System Timezone Detection: Automatically detects and uses the local system's timezone.
• Customizable Timezone: Allows overriding the system timezone with a specific IANA timezone name using the --local-timezone argument.
• Integration: Provides configurations for seamless integration with popular development environments and LLM platforms.

Use Cases of the Time MCP Server

• LLM Time Queries: Enabling LLMs to answer questions about the current time in different parts of the world.
• Cross-timezone Scheduling: Assisting users in scheduling meetings or events across different timezones.
• Data Timestamping: Ensuring consistent and accurate timestamping of data generated or processed by LLMs.
• Real-time Information: Providing real-time updates and information that depend on accurate timekeeping.

FAQ from the Time MCP Server

• How to get the current time?
  • Use the get_current_time tool with the desired timezone argument. If no timezone is provided, it defaults to the system's timezone.
• How to convert time between timezones?
  • Use the convert_time tool, providing the source_timezone, time (in HH:MM format), and target_timezone.
• How to set a custom local timezone?
  • Add the --local-timezone argument with the desired IANA timezone name to the server's command arguments in the configuration.
• How to debug the server?
  • Use the MCP inspector with commands like npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uvx mcp-server-time or npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run mcp-server-time depending on your installation method.

Time MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol server that provides time and timezone conversion capabilities. This server enables LLMs to get current time information and perform timezone conversions using IANA timezone names, with automatic system timezone detection.

Available Tools

• get_current_time - Get current time in a specific timezone or system timezone.

  • Required arguments:
    • timezone (string): IANA timezone name (e.g., 'America/New_York', 'Europe/London')

• convert_time - Convert time between timezones.

  • Required arguments:
    • source_timezone (string): Source IANA timezone name
    • time (string): Time in 24-hour format (HH:MM)
    • target_timezone (string): Target IANA timezone name

Installation

Using uv (recommended)

When using uv no specific installation is needed. We will use uvx to directly run mcp-server-time.

Using PIP

Alternatively you can install mcp-server-time via pip:

pip install mcp-server-time

After installation, you can run it as a script using:

python -m mcp_server_time

Configuration

Configure for Claude.app

Add to your Claude settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "time": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-time"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "time": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "-e", "LOCAL_TIMEZONE", "mcp/time"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "time": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "mcp_server_time"]
    }
  }
}

Configure for Zed

Add to your Zed settings.json:

"context_servers": [
  "mcp-server-time": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": ["mcp-server-time"]
  }
],

"context_servers": {
  "mcp-server-time": {
    "command": "python",
    "args": ["-m", "mcp_server_time"]
  }
},

Configure for VS Code

For quick installation, use one of the one-click install buttons below...

For manual installation, add the following JSON block to your User Settings (JSON) file in VS Code. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + Shift + P and typing Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON).

Optionally, you can add it to a file called .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace. This will allow you to share the configuration with others.

Note that the mcp key is needed when using the mcp.json file.

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "time": {
        "command": "uvx",
        "args": ["mcp-server-time"]
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "time": {
        "command": "docker",
        "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "mcp/time"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Configure for Zencoder

1. Go to the Zencoder menu (...)
2. From the dropdown menu, select Agent Tools
3. Click on the Add Custom MCP
4. Add the name and server configuration from below, and make sure to hit the Install button

{
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": ["mcp-server-time"]
  }

Customization - System Timezone

By default, the server automatically detects your system's timezone. You can override this by adding the argument --local-timezone to the args list in the configuration.

Example:

{
  "command": "python",
  "args": ["-m", "mcp_server_time", "--local-timezone=America/New_York"]
}

Example Interactions

1. Get current time:

{
  "name": "get_current_time",
  "arguments": {
    "timezone": "Europe/Warsaw"
  }
}

Response:

{
  "timezone": "Europe/Warsaw",
  "datetime": "2024-01-01T13:00:00+01:00",
  "is_dst": false
}

2. Convert time between timezones:

{
  "name": "convert_time",
  "arguments": {
    "source_timezone": "America/New_York",
    "time": "16:30",
    "target_timezone": "Asia/Tokyo"
  }
}

Response:

{
  "source": {
    "timezone": "America/New_York",
    "datetime": "2024-01-01T12:30:00-05:00",
    "is_dst": false
  },
  "target": {
    "timezone": "Asia/Tokyo",
    "datetime": "2024-01-01T12:30:00+09:00",
    "is_dst": false
  },
  "time_difference": "+13.0h",
}

Debugging

You can use the MCP inspector to debug the server. For uvx installations:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uvx mcp-server-time

Or if you've installed the package in a specific directory or are developing on it:

cd path/to/servers/src/time
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run mcp-server-time

Examples of Questions for Claude

1. "What time is it now?" (will use system timezone)
2. "What time is it in Tokyo?"
3. "When it's 4 PM in New York, what time is it in London?"
4. "Convert 9:30 AM Tokyo time to New York time"

Build

Docker build:

cd src/time
docker build -t mcp/time .

Contributing

We encourage contributions to help expand and improve mcp-server-time. Whether you want to add new time-related tools, enhance existing functionality, or improve documentation, your input is valuable.

For examples of other MCP servers and implementation patterns, see: https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers

Pull requests are welcome! Feel free to contribute new ideas, bug fixes, or enhancements to make mcp-server-time even more powerful and useful.

License

mcp-server-time is licensed under the MIT License. This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the terms and conditions of the MIT License. For more details, please see the LICENSE file in the project repository.