get_current_datetime
Retrieve the current date and time from the server, with optional timezone specification for accurate location-based timing.
Instructions
Get the current server date and time. Optionally specify a timezone (e.g., 'America/New_York', 'Europe/London', 'Asia/Tokyo'). Defaults to server's configured timezone or UTC.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| timezone | No | Optional timezone identifier (e.g., 'America/New_York', 'Europe/London', 'Asia/Tokyo'). If not provided, uses the server's default timezone or UTC. |
Implementation Reference
- src/index.ts:126-188 (handler)Handler for the get_current_datetime tool. Validates the provided timezone (if any), determines the timezone to use (user-provided, server config, env TZ, or UTC fallback), gets the current date/time, formats it appropriately (ISO for UTC, date-fns-tz for others), and returns a text response.case "get_current_datetime": { try { const args = request.params.arguments as DateTimeToolArgs | undefined; const requestedTimezone = args?.timezone; // Determine which timezone to use let timezone: string; if (requestedTimezone) { // User provided a timezone parameter - validate it if (!isValidTimezone(requestedTimezone)) { throw new McpError( ErrorCode.InvalidParams, `Invalid timezone: ${requestedTimezone}. Please use a valid IANA timezone identifier (e.g., 'America/New_York', 'Europe/London', 'Asia/Tokyo').` ); } timezone = requestedTimezone; } else { // Use default timezone from server config or fallback timezone = getDefaultTimezone(serverConfig); } const now = new Date(); // Format the datetime in the specified timezone let dateTimeString: string; let timezoneInfo: string; if (timezone === 'UTC') { // For UTC, use the standard ISO format dateTimeString = now.toISOString(); timezoneInfo = 'UTC'; } else { // For other timezones, use date-fns-tz to format in the timezone // Format as ISO-like string but with timezone offset const formatPattern = "yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss.SSSxxx"; dateTimeString = formatInTimeZone(now, timezone, formatPattern); timezoneInfo = timezone; } // Create a user-friendly response const responseText = requestedTimezone ? `The current date and time in ${timezoneInfo} is: ${dateTimeString}` : `The current date and time is: ${dateTimeString} (${timezoneInfo})`; return { content: [{ type: "text", text: responseText }] }; } catch (error) { // Re-throw McpErrors as-is if (error instanceof McpError) { throw error; } // Wrap other errors in an McpError throw new McpError( ErrorCode.InternalError, `Failed to get current datetime: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error'}` ); } }
- src/index.ts:106-114 (schema)Input schema definition for the get_current_datetime tool, defining an optional 'timezone' string parameter.inputSchema: { type: "object", properties: { timezone: { type: "string", description: "Optional timezone identifier (e.g., 'America/New_York', 'Europe/London', 'Asia/Tokyo'). If not provided, uses the server's default timezone or UTC." } }, }
- src/index.ts:103-116 (registration)Tool registration in the ListTools response, including name, description, and input schema.{ name: "get_current_datetime", description: "Get the current server date and time. Optionally specify a timezone (e.g., 'America/New_York', 'Europe/London', 'Asia/Tokyo'). Defaults to server's configured timezone or UTC.", inputSchema: { type: "object", properties: { timezone: { type: "string", description: "Optional timezone identifier (e.g., 'America/New_York', 'Europe/London', 'Asia/Tokyo'). If not provided, uses the server's default timezone or UTC." } }, } } ]
- src/index.ts:36-52 (helper)Helper function to validate if a given timezone identifier is supported by Intl.function isValidTimezone(timezone: string): boolean { try { // Use Intl.supportedValuesOf to get all supported timezones // This is more robust than try/catch with toLocaleString if (typeof Intl !== 'undefined' && 'supportedValuesOf' in Intl) { const supportedTimezones = Intl.supportedValuesOf('timeZone'); return supportedTimezones.includes(timezone); } // Fallback: Try to create a date and format it in the timezone // If it throws, the timezone is invalid new Intl.DateTimeFormat('en', { timeZone: timezone }).format(new Date()); return true; } catch { return false; } }
- src/index.ts:59-70 (helper)Helper function to determine the default timezone from config, environment variable TZ, or fallback to UTC.function getDefaultTimezone(config?: ServerConfig): string { // Priority: config.defaultTimezone > process.env.TZ > 'UTC' if (config?.defaultTimezone && isValidTimezone(config.defaultTimezone)) { return config.defaultTimezone; } if (process.env.TZ && isValidTimezone(process.env.TZ)) { return process.env.TZ; } return 'UTC'; }