Time MCP Server: Real-Time Timezone & System-Aware Time for Global Ops

Key Features of Time MCP Server: Real-Time Timezone & System-Aware Time for Global Ops?

• Adaptive Timezone Detection: Auto-calibrates based on host system or custom configurations
• Contextual Time Formatting: Outputs time in ISO 8601, natural language, or model-optimized schemas
• Multi-Model Compatibility: Supports Claude, GPT, and other LLMs through standardized MCP interfaces
• Edge-Ready: Optimized for low-latency edge deployments with sub-second response guarantees
• Traceability: Detailed audit logs for timezone transitions and API interactions

Use Cases of Time MCP Server: Real-Time Timezone & System-Aware Time for Global Ops?

Common applications include:

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", "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"]
  }
},

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.