Time MCP Server

The Time MCP Server is part of the official MCP server collection maintained by Anthropic. It solves a fundamental limitation: LLMs don't know what time it is. This server gives your AI assistant real-time clock access with full IANA timezone support.

Why LLMs need a time server

LLMs have a training knowledge cutoff and no access to a real-time clock. When asked "What time is it?", they can only guess. The Time server gives accurate, live time data — critical for:

• Scheduling and calendar-related tasks
• Timezone arithmetic ("When it's 9 AM in Tokyo, what time is it in NYC?")
• Time-stamped logging and documentation
• Automations that depend on the current time

Example interactions

Get current time:

jsonCOPY
{
  "name": "get_current_time",
  "arguments": { "timezone": "Asia/Kolkata" }
}

Returns: "2026-04-03T01:42:00+05:30"

Convert between timezones:

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

Returns the equivalent time in Tokyo with DST information.

Python requirement

This server is Python-based. Use uvx (recommended) or pip install mcp-server-time.

Override system timezone

By default, the server detects your system timezone automatically. To override:

jsonCOPY
{
  "command": "uvx",
  "args": ["mcp-server-time", "--local-timezone=America/New_York"]
}

Docker installation

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

Common issues

Wrong timezone detected If the server reports the wrong system timezone (common in Docker or remote development), pass --local-timezone explicitly.

"IANA timezone not found" Use the full IANA name like America/New_York, not abbreviations like EST or PST. A full list is available at timeanddate.com/time/zones.