MCP Time Server MCP Server

Local setup required. This server has to be cloned and prepared on your machine before you register it in Claude Code.
1

Set the server up locally

Run this once to clone and prepare the server before adding it to Claude Code.

Run in terminal
pip install -e .
2

Register it in Claude Code

After the local setup is done, run this command to point Claude Code at the built server.

Run in terminal
claude mcp add mcp-time-server -- node "<FULL_PATH_TO_MCP_TIME_SERVER>/dist/index.js"

Replace <FULL_PATH_TO_MCP_TIME_SERVER>/dist/index.js with the actual folder you prepared in step 1.

README.md

A lightweight Model Context Protocol server that provides current UTC time

MCP Time Server

A simple Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides current UTC time functionality. This server can be integrated globally with Cursor IDE to provide time-related capabilities across all projects.

Features

  • Get current UTC time in multiple formats
  • Simple MCP protocol implementation
  • Global Cursor IDE integration
  • Lightweight and fast

Installation

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.8 or higher
  • pip package manager

Install from source

  1. Clone or download this repository
  2. Navigate to the project directory
  3. Install the package:
pip install -e .

Install dependencies only

pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

Running the server

# Run directly
python -m mcp_time_server.server

# Or use the installed script
mcp-time-server

Available Tools

get_current_time_utc

Get the current UTC time in various formats.

Parameters:

  • format (optional): Output format
    • "iso" (default): ISO 8601 format (2025-01-15T10:30:45Z)
    • "datetime": Human-readable format (2025-01-15 10:30:45)
    • "timestamp": Unix timestamp (1736939445)

Example response:

Current UTC time: 2025-01-15T10:30:45.123456Z
Format: iso
Full ISO: 2025-01-15T10:30:45.123456Z

Cursor IDE Integration

Global Configuration (Recommended)

For permanent integration across all projects:

  1. Create the global MCP configuration file:

    • Windows: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\.cursor\mcp.json
    • macOS/Linux: ~/.cursor/mcp.json
  2. Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "time-server": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "mcp_time_server.server"],
      "cwd": "/full/path/to/mcp-time-server/src",
      "env": {
        "PYTHONPATH": "/full/path/to/mcp-time-server/src"
      }
    }
  }
}
  1. Restart Cursor IDE
  2. Check Tools & Integrations > MCP to verify the server is enabled

The server will now automatically start with Cursor IDE and work across all projects!

Project-Specific Configuration

For project-only usage, create .cursor/mcp.json in your project directory with the same structure.

Development

Development Setup

# Install with development dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
pytest

# Format code
black src/
isort src/

# Type checking
mypy src/

Project Structure

mcp-time-server/
├── src/
│   └── mcp_time_server/
│       ├── __init__.py
│       └── server.py
├── pyproject.toml
├── requirements.txt
├── README.md
├── mcp_config.json
└── PROJECT_PLAN.md

Testing

Test the server functionality:

from mcp_time_server.server import get_current_time_utc

# Test different formats
print(get_current_time_utc("iso"))
print(get_current_time_utc("datetime"))
print(get_current_time_utc("timestamp"))

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. Import errors: Make sure the package is installed with pip install -e .
  2. MCP connection issues: Verify the server path in your MCP configuration
  3. Permission errors: Ensure Python has necessary permissions to run the server
  4. Server not appearing: Check that the .cursor directory exists and mcp.json is properly formatted

Windows PowerShell

If you encounter issues with && operator in PowerShell, use:

cd src; python -m mcp_time_server.server

Verifying Server Status

Check if server is running:

# Windows
tasklist | findstr python
wmic process where "name='python.exe'" get ProcessId,CommandLine /format:list

# macOS/Linux  
ps aux | grep mcp_time_server

Test connection in Cursor: Ask the AI assistant to get current time - it should use the MCP Time Server automatically.

Manual Server Management

Start server manually:

cd src && python -m mcp_time_server.server

Stop server:

# Windows (replace PID with actual process ID)
taskkill /PID [PID] /F

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch
  3. Make your changes
  4. Add tests if applicable
  5. Submit a pull request

Changelog

v0.1.0

  • Initial release
  • Basic UTC time functionality
  • MCP protocol compliance
  • FastMCP integration for simplified server management
  • Global Cursor IDE configuration support
  • Multiple time formats (ISO, datetime, timestamp)
  • Comprehensive testing and documentation
  • Process management and troubleshooting tools
  • GitHub repository with MIT license
  • Live testing confirmed across restart cycles

Tools (1)

get_current_time_utcGet the current UTC time in various formats.

Configuration

claude_desktop_config.json
{"mcpServers": {"time-server": {"command": "python", "args": ["-m", "mcp_time_server.server"], "cwd": "/full/path/to/mcp-time-server/src", "env": {"PYTHONPATH": "/full/path/to/mcp-time-server/src"}}}}

Try it

What is the current UTC time in ISO 8601 format?
Give me the current time as a Unix timestamp.
What is the current date and time in human-readable format?
Can you provide the current UTC time?

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key features of MCP Time Server?

Get current UTC time in multiple formats. Simple MCP protocol implementation. Global Cursor IDE integration. Lightweight and fast.

What can I use MCP Time Server for?

Adding time-awareness to AI coding assistants in Cursor IDE. Standardizing time formats across different development projects. Generating accurate timestamps for logs or documentation within an AI chat session.

How do I install MCP Time Server?

Install MCP Time Server by running: pip install -e .

What MCP clients work with MCP Time Server?

MCP Time Server works with any MCP-compatible client including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other editors with MCP support.

Turn this server into reusable context

Keep MCP Time Server docs, env vars, and workflow notes in Conare so your agent carries them across sessions.

Need the old visual installer? Open Conare IDE.
Open Conare