What is the key difference between Time and Duration?

Time belongs to the Developer Tools category with local stdio execution, while Duration belongs to the Developer Tools category with cloud HTTP/SSE execution.

How do I install Time or Duration in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Time and Duration free or paid?

Time operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Duration operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Time lists 18 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars. Duration lists 2 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Time and Duration together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Time vs Duration

In-depth architectural comparison of the Time and Duration 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

Time

Developer Tools · Local stdio

Quality: 44/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Duration

Developer Tools · Remote HTTP/SSE

Quality: 47/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Time if you need specialized Developer Tools tools running via a local process. Choose Duration if your workspace requires Developer Tools integration with remote web transport. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

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.

Explore Time Details

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.

Explore Duration Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	T Time Developer Tools	D Duration Developer Tools
Summary	Timezone, dates, cron, timestamps for AI agents	ISO 8601 duration MCP.
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

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

time_difference

- Calculate the time difference between two timezones

date_add_subtract

- Add or subtract days, weeks, months, or years from a date

date_difference

- Calculate the difference between two dates in various units

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).

Time Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "time-3": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "time-3"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Duration Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "duration": {
      "url": "https://pipeworx.io"
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Time is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Duration belongs to Developer Tools using remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport. Select Time when you need capabilities focused on developer tools and Duration when you require tools for developer tools.

More alternatives to Time More alternatives to Duration Developer Tools category hub Canonical compare URL

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