Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison
Duration vs Time
In-depth architectural comparison of the Duration and Time MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.
At a Glance & Executive Verdict
Duration
Developer Tools · Remote HTTP/SSE
Quality: 47/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required
Time
Developer Tools · Local stdio
Quality: 44/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required
Verdict Summary: Choose Duration if you need specialized Developer Tools tools running via a hosted cloud SSE transport. Choose Time if your workspace requires Developer Tools integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's
mcpServers manifest.Which MCP Server Should You Choose?
D
Choose Duration when:
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
- Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
- Primary tools included: parse_duration, format_duration.
T
Choose Time when:
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
- Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
- Primary tools included: convert_timezone, list_timezones, current_time_multi.
Feature & Specification Comparison
Tools & Capabilities Breakdown
Duration Tools (2)
parse_duration
Parse an ISO 8601 duration string (e.g. "PT1H30M", "P1Y2M10DT2H") into its components and an approximate total in seconds (keyless, offline). Note: months=30d, years=365d for the estimate.
format_duration
Convert a number of seconds into an ISO 8601 duration string and a human-readable form (keyless, offline).
Time Tools (18)
convert_timezone
- Convert a date/time from one timezone to another
list_timezones
- List common timezones with current UTC offsets
current_time_multi
- Show current time in multiple timezones at once
Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations
Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).
Duration Configuration
Time Configuration