I'm wondering if there's a way for Claude, either on the desktop app or web version, to tell me the current time. For instance, if I ask Claude to create a Google Calendar event for 'right now', it seems like it doesn't know what the actual time is. Has anyone figured this out?
4 Answers
You could also give it a shot to create a calendar entry without setting a specific date. Sometimes, it might automatically take that as 'now.' If it does require a date, you can always try adjusting it afterwards!
Why not try asking Claude to set up a basic MCP server to fetch the time? You can ask it to build one using fastmcp and include everything in a single Python file, plus instructions for adding it to the desktop version. This way, you can get the current time through your own setup whenever you need it!
I just tried asking Claude about the current time, and it responded by running a Bash command and gave me the correct date and time. So it can do it if you prompt it right! Just make sure to clarify your request for the desktop or web version if that’s what you mean.
I appreciate the tip! I really meant the desktop or web version specifically.
I added some code to Claude that always fetches the real date through a Bash command before it writes any timestamp for 'now'. If you have a similar setup, that could help. Just remember that if it defaults to a training cut-off date, the time might not be accurate!
Thanks for clarifying! I’ll definitely check out that approach.
That sounds like a great solution! Thanks for the suggestion.