Time MCP

Time MCP is the time server in the official modelcontextprotocol/servers repository (folder src/time), published as the Python package mcp-server-time. It gives an AI client two tools: one that returns the current time in a named timezone and one that converts a clock time from one timezone to another. Both use IANA timezone names such as America/New_York or Europe/London. If you searched for "mcp-server-time", this is that package.

It runs on your own machine, needs no account or API key, and is released under the MIT License.

Quick facts (as of November 3, 2026)

Tools

get_current_time

Returns the current time in a timezone you name. The required argument is timezone, an IANA name. The README shows this call and result:

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

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

The result includes the timezone, a date and time with a UTC offset, and an is_dst flag for whether daylight saving time is in effect.

convert_time

Converts a time between two timezones. It takes three required arguments: source_timezone, time in 24-hour HH:MM format, and target_timezone. The README shows:

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

The result describes the source and target times and includes a time_difference such as +13.0h.

Setup

The README gives three ways to run the server.

uv (recommended). Run it with uvx:

uvx mcp-server-time

pip. Install the package and run it as a module:

pip install mcp-server-time
python -m mcp_server_time

Docker. Build the image from the src/time folder and tag it mcp/time.

Claude.app (Claude Desktop)

The README's Claude.app section gives these configurations. With uvx:

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

With pip, use "command": "python" and "args": ["-m", "mcp_server_time"]. With Docker, use "command": "docker" and "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "-e", "LOCAL_TIMEZONE", "mcp/time"].

VS Code and Zed

The README also has configs for VS Code (added to User Settings JSON, or to .vscode/mcp.json, where the mcp key is needed) and Zed (a context_servers entry in settings.json). It lists Zencoder as well, with a uvx configuration.

Overriding the system timezone

By default the server detects your system timezone, which it uses when you ask "what time is it now?" without naming a place. To set it yourself, add --local-timezone to the args, for example "args": ["-m", "mcp_server_time", "--local-timezone=America/New_York"].

Checking that it works

The README suggests the MCP Inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uvx mcp-server-time

What to ask it

The README lists example questions: "What time is it now?", "What time is it in Tokyo?", "When it's 4 PM in New York, what time is it in London?" and "Convert 9:30 AM Tokyo time to New York time." A time server is a small fix for scheduling and meeting-planning questions where the model would otherwise have no clock to read.

Limitations and things to watch

• Only two tools. It tells time and converts times. It does not read calendars, set reminders or look up holidays.
• convert_time takes a time of day only. Its documented input is HH:MM, not a full date.
• IANA names only. The README documents IANA timezone names, so "EST" or "Eastern" may not work unless the model translates them to a name like America/New_York.
• Python SDK 1.x. The README says the server needs mcp>=1.29.0,<2 because SDK 2.0 renamed APIs it uses, and that a port is in progress.
• Check it against your needs. Confirm the tools cover your use case before you depend on it.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Free, no API key, one uvx line to start.
• Only two tools, so little to learn.
• Documented configs for Claude.app, Zed, VS Code and Zencoder.
• Lives in the official MCP servers repository and is MIT licensed.

Cons

• Two tools only, with no calendar or date arithmetic.
• Needs Python tooling (uv or pip) or Docker on your machine.
• Time conversion takes a time of day, not a full date.

Who it is for

A good fit if:

• You work across timezones and want your assistant to give correct current times and conversions.
• You want a small, focused server with two tools. Pair it with the Memory server or the Fetch server from the same repository.

Not the right tool if:

• You need calendar access or scheduling. A calendar connector is built for that.
• You want a server that needs no local runtime. Hosted servers such as Context7 run remotely.

What we could not verify

• Behavior in practice. This page comes from reading the README and PyPI listing.
• Daylight-saving edge cases. The README shows is_dst in results but does not describe edge cases around transitions.
• Clients beyond Claude Desktop, VS Code, Zed and Zencoder. Those are the clients the README documents.

How this page was put together

We read the Time server README in the official repository and the PyPI listing for mcp-server-time on November 3, 2026, and compared the documented tools, install options and configs.

Sources

• Time MCP Server README (GitHub)
• modelcontextprotocol/servers repository