Time MCP server

Last verified: 2026-09

Current time and timezone conversion.

Official reference Developer tools Needs a secret Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code, VS Code

What it does

Current time and timezone conversion. Tiny, safe, and the right fix when the model keeps inventing the date.

It sits in Developer tools: Split this category in two.

Good for

Ask what time it is in a timezone without trusting the model's clock.
Convert a meeting time between two zones.
Ground 'today' and 'now' for a script the model is writing.
Avoid the model inventing a stale date in a blog post.

Tools

get_current_time — Now in a timezone.
convert_time — Convert between timezones.

Config (Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf)

Paste the JSON below. Same mcpServers shape. Replace placeholder paths and secrets. Windows paths look like C:\\Users\\you\\project, not /path/to. Host-side steps →

Claude Desktop

OS	Config file
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` (usually `C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\Claude\`)
Linux	`~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

Cursor

Scope	macOS / Linux	Windows
This project	`.cursor/mcp.json` in the repo root
This user	`~/.cursor/mcp.json`	`%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json`

Windsurf

OS	Config file
macOS / Linux	`~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`
Windows	`%USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json`

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "time": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-server-time"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LOCAL_TIMEZONE": "Asia/Shanghai"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf remote MCP: use serverUrl instead of url if the block below is HTTP.

One-liner: uvx mcp-server-time

Secrets it wants: optional LOCAL_TIMEZONE

Source repo →

How to get started

Add the JSON. Optionally set LOCAL_TIMEZONE (e.g. Asia/Shanghai).
Ask 'what time is it in Tokyo'.

Access risk

None.

When to skip it

Skip it if the host already injects the date in the system prompt and that is enough.

Instead: Developer tools.

Vs alternatives

Server	Official?	Needs a secret?	Best for
Time	Yes	Yes	Current time and timezone conversion.

More in Developer tools

OfficialEverythingReference server that exercises the whole MCP protocol. OfficialGitRead a local git repo: log, diff, status. OfficialGitHubRepos, issues, PRs, and file contents on GitHub. OfficialGitLabProjects, issues, and merge requests on GitLab.

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FAQ

Does the model already know the time?

It often guesses. This server is a real clock on your machine.

Any secrets?

No. uvx mcp-server-time.

DST?

It uses the host timezone database. Still check civil-time edge cases yourself.

Why a whole server for this?

Because hosts do not all inject a clock, and models hallucinate dates.