NTP MCP Server

# Natural Language Commands for NTP-MCP ## 🚀 SESSION START COMMAND (Use This First!) When starting a new conversation, use ONE of these commands to force time synchronization: ``` "What time is it?" ``` That's it! This simple question will: - ✅ Force the AI to sync with the NTP server - ✅ Establish the correct timezone for your session - ✅ Ensure all timestamps in the conversation are accurate - ✅ Cache the time for 30 seconds (subsequent requests use cache) **Alternative session start commands that do the same thing:** - "Get time" - "Sync the time" - "Sync time" - "Synchronize time" - "Get the current time" - "Check the time" But honestly, **"What time is it?"** is the most natural. --- ## Primary Purpose: Initial Time Synchronization The NTP-MCP server's main purpose is to ensure AI assistants are synchronized with accurate time immediately when a conversation begins. This prevents timezone confusion and ensures all timestamps, scheduling, and time-based decisions are correct from the start. ## Why Start With "What time is it?" AI assistants may start with incorrect time assumptions, especially when: - Running in containers with UTC time - Deployed across different time zones - Restored from snapshots or checkpoints - Subject to clock drift in virtual environments By asking "What time is it?" at the start, you ensure: - Accurate scheduling and reminders - Correct relative time calculations ("in 2 hours", "yesterday") - Proper timestamp formatting for logs and records - Timezone-aware responses for global teams ## Other Time Commands ### Direct Time Requests *These all trigger the get_current_time tool:* - "What time is it?" (RECOMMENDED for session start) - "Get the current time" - "Show me the current time" - "Fetch the time from NTP" - "What's the time right now?" - "Tell me the current time" ### Timezone-Related Commands *Note: The MCP uses the TZ environment variable set at startup. These commands will show time in the configured timezone, not change it dynamically.* - "What time is it?" (shows in configured timezone) - "Get the current time" (uses TZ environment setting) - "Show me the time and timezone" (displays configured TZ) ### Getting Time (All Equivalent) *The MCP doesn't have separate "verify" vs "get" - all these commands return the current time:* - "Check the time" - "Verify the current time" - "Get time from NTP server" - "What time does the NTP server say?" - "Synchronize and show time" ### Time-Related Questions - "What time is it?" - "What's the current time and date?" - "Can you tell me what time it is right now?" - "Show me the current date and time" - "What day is it today?" ### Context-Setting Requests - "Good morning! What time is it?" (Polite session start) - "Let's start - what's the current time?" (Professional session start) - "Hello! Can you tell me the time?" (Friendly session start) - "Before we begin, what time is it?" (Explicit sync request) ## Configuration Commands While these aren't typically used at session start, users might also ask: ### Server Information - "List the approved time servers" - "Show me available NTP servers" - "What servers are approved?" - "Which time servers can I use?" *Note: The MCP has exactly 25 approved servers including pool.ntp.org, time.google.com, time.cloudflare.com, and regional pools. Untrusted servers are blocked.* ## Technical Capabilities ### What the MCP Actually Does **Tool 1: get_current_time** - Returns current date, time, timezone from NTP server - Uses NTP_SERVER environment variable (default: pool.ntp.org) - Uses TZ environment variable (default: system timezone) - Caches responses for 30 seconds - Falls back to local system time if NTP fails - No input parameters accepted from prompts **Tool 2: list_approved_servers** - Returns list of 25 approved NTP servers - Includes pool.ntp.org, time.google.com, time.cloudflare.com, etc. - No input parameters accepted from prompts ### Important Limitations - ❌ Cannot dynamically change timezone (set via TZ env var at startup) - ❌ Cannot use custom NTP servers (uses NTP_SERVER env var at startup) - ❌ Cannot accept IP addresses as servers - ❌ Cannot perform time calculations or comparisons - ❌ Cannot show multiple timezones simultaneously - ❌ Cannot modify system time ## Actual MCP Response Examples ### Successful NTP Response When you ask "What time is it?" or similar, the MCP returns: ``` Date:2025-08-29 Time:09:30:45 Timezone:EST NTP Server:pool.ntp.org Source:NTP ``` ### Cached Response If you ask again within 30 seconds, you'll get: ``` Date:2025-08-29 Time:09:30:45 Timezone:EST NTP Server:pool.ntp.org Source:NTP (cached) ``` ### Fallback Response If the NTP server is unreachable: ``` Date:2025-08-29 Time:09:30:45 Timezone:EST Source:LOCAL SYSTEM (NTP unavailable: Network error: Connection timed out) ``` ## MCP Tools Available The NTP-MCP provides exactly two tools: 1. **get_current_time** - Returns the current time from an NTP server - No input parameters accepted in prompts - Server configured via NTP_SERVER environment variable at startup (default: 'pool.ntp.org') - Timezone configured via TZ environment variable at startup (default: system timezone) - Returns: Date, Time, Timezone, NTP Server, Source 2. **list_approved_servers** - Lists all 25 approved NTP servers - No input parameters accepted in prompts - Returns the complete whitelist including pool.ntp.org, time.google.com, time.cloudflare.com, and regional pools - Untrusted servers are automatically blocked ## Security Note The NTP-MCP server includes security filtering to prevent connections to potentially compromised time servers. If a user requests a specific server that's blocked, the AI will explain the security policy and suggest approved alternatives.