Time Helper

Time & Timezone Helper Skill

Ultra-efficient, cross-platform time operations using native PHP. Replaces timezone MCP servers with 67% token savings.

Overview

This skill provides timezone and time operations WITHOUT requiring MCP servers, saving 60-75% tokens per query.

Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, Mac, and Linux (uses PHP, not bash scripts).

Token Savings:

• MCP call: ~400 tokens
• This skill: ~130 tokens
• Savings: 270 tokens per query (67.5%)

🔧 BASH COMMAND ATTRIBUTION PATTERN

CRITICAL: Before executing EACH php/bash command, MUST output:

🔧 [time-helper] Running: <command>

Examples:

🔧 [time-helper] Running: php -r "echo (new DateTime('now', new DateTimeZone('Asia/Tokyo')))->format('Y-m-d H:i:s T');"
🔧 [time-helper] Running: php -r "date_default_timezone_set('America/New_York'); echo date('Y-m-d H:i:s T');"
🔧 [time-helper] Running: bash .claude/skills/colored-output/color.sh skill-header "time-helper" "Getting time..."

Why: This pattern helps users identify which skill is executing which command, improving transparency and debugging.

🎨 VISUAL OUTPUT FORMATTING

CRITICAL: All time-helper output MUST use the colored-output formatter skill!

Use Colored-Output Skill

Instead of writing ANSI codes manually, use the centralized formatter:

bash .claude/skills/colored-output/color.sh [type] "time-helper" [message]

Required Output Format

IMPORTANT: Use MINIMAL colored output (2-3 calls max) to prevent screen flickering!

Example formatted output (MINIMAL PATTERN):

# START: Header only
bash .claude/skills/colored-output/color.sh skill-header "time-helper" "Getting current time for Tokyo..."

# MIDDLE: Regular text (no colored calls)
Querying timezone database...
Current time: 2025-10-22 14:30:00 JST
UTC offset: +09:00

# END: Result only
bash .claude/skills/colored-output/color.sh success "" "Time retrieved successfully"

When to Use Colored Output

DO Use:

• Initial header: bash .claude/skills/colored-output/color.sh skill-header "time-helper" "Processing..."
• Final result: bash .claude/skills/colored-output/color.sh success "" "Complete"
• Errors only: bash .claude/skills/colored-output/color.sh error "" "Invalid timezone"

DON'T Use:

• ❌ Progress updates - use regular text
• ❌ Info messages - use regular text
• ❌ Intermediate steps - use regular text

WHY: Each bash call creates a task in Claude CLI, causing screen flickering. Keep it minimal!

Usage Examples

Get Current Time

• /time-helper "current time"
• /time-helper "what time is it in Tokyo"
• /time-helper "time in America/New_York"

Convert Between Timezones

• /time-helper "convert 3pm EST to Tokyo"
• /time-helper "what's 14:00 UTC in PST"
• /time-helper "3:00 PM New York time in London"

Time Calculations

• /time-helper "5 hours from now"
• /time-helper "30 days from today"
• /time-helper "what date is 2 weeks from now"

List Timezones

• /time-helper "list timezones America"
• /time-helper "find timezone for London"
• /time-helper "show all Europe timezones"

DST Information

• /time-helper "is EST in daylight saving"
• /time-helper "DST status for Europe/Paris"

How It Works

When user asks about time/timezone:

1. Determine Command Type: Analyze user request (current time, conversion, calculation, list, DST)
2. Extract Parameters: Timezone names, times, offsets
3. Execute PHP Script: Run cross-platform time-helper.php
4. Return Formatted Output: Human-readable response

Commands for PHP Script

The skill uses ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php script:

Get Current Time

php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php now "Asia/Tokyo"
php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php now "America/New_York"
php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php now "Europe/London"

Convert Time Between Timezones

php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php convert "15:00" "America/New_York" "Asia/Tokyo"
php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php convert "2025-10-20 14:00" "UTC" "America/Los_Angeles"

Add Time Offset

php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php add "5 hours"
php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php add "30 days"
php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php add "2 weeks" "2025-10-20"

Subtract Time Offset

php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php subtract "3 hours"
php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php subtract "7 days"

List Available Timezones

php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php list
php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php list "America"
php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php list "Europe"
php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php list "Asia"

Check DST Status

php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php dst "America/New_York"
php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php dst "Europe/Paris"

Example Interactions

Example 1: Current Time Query

User: "What time is it in Tokyo?"

Execute:

php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php now "Asia/Tokyo"

Output:

🕐 Sunday, October 20, 2025 - 8:03:51 PM JST
   Timezone: Asia/Tokyo
   UTC Offset: +09:00

Example 2: Timezone Conversion

User: "Convert 3pm EST to Tokyo time"

Execute:

php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php convert "15:00" "America/New_York" "Asia/Tokyo"

Output:

📍 Original:  3:00 PM EST (Sunday, Oct 20, 2025)
📍 Converted: 4:00 AM JST (Monday, Oct 21, 2025)

From: America/New_York
To:   Asia/Tokyo

Example 3: Time Calculation

User: "What's the date 30 days from now?"

Execute:

php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php add "30 days"

Output:

📅 Base time:   2025-10-20 11:03:51 UTC
➕ Adding:      30 days
📅 Result:      2025-11-19 11:03:51 UTC

   (Tuesday, November 19, 2025 at 11:03 AM)

Example 4: List Timezones

User: "Show me all America timezones"

Execute:

php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php list "America"

Output:

🌍 Available Timezones (filtered by 'America'):
═══════════════════════════════════════
   • America/New_York
   • America/Los_Angeles
   • America/Chicago
   • America/Denver
   ... (142 more)

Total: 146 timezone(s)

Example 5: DST Check

User: "Is New York in daylight saving time?"

Execute:

php ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/time-helper.php dst "America/New_York"

Output:

🌞 Timezone: America/New_York
   Current time: 2025-10-20 07:03:51 EDT
   DST Active: ✅ Yes
   UTC Offset: -04:00
   Abbreviation: EDT

Common Timezone Names

United States

• America/New_York - Eastern Time (ET)
• America/Chicago - Central Time (CT)
• America/Denver - Mountain Time (MT)
• America/Los_Angeles - Pacific Time (PT)
• America/Anchorage - Alaska Time (AKT)
• Pacific/Honolulu - Hawaii Time (HST)

Europe

• Europe/London - UK (GMT/BST)
• Europe/Paris - France (CET/CEST)
• Europe/Berlin - Germany (CET/CEST)
• Europe/Rome - Italy (CET/CEST)
• Europe/Madrid - Spain (CET/CEST)
• Europe/Moscow - Russia (MSK)

Asia

• Asia/Tokyo - Japan (JST)
• Asia/Shanghai - China (CST)
• Asia/Hong_Kong - Hong Kong (HKT)
• Asia/Singapore - Singapore (SGT)
• Asia/Dubai - UAE (GST)
• Asia/Kolkata - India (IST)

Others

• UTC - Coordinated Universal Time
• Australia/Sydney - Australia East (AEST/AEDT)
• Pacific/Auckland - New Zealand (NZST/NZDT)

Natural Language Processing

When User Says... Execute This:

Timezone Abbreviation Mapping

Map common abbreviations to full timezone identifiers:

Technical Details

Features

• ✅ 594+ timezone identifiers supported
• ✅ Automatic DST handling
• ✅ Cross-platform (Windows/Mac/Linux)
• ✅ No external dependencies (native PHP)
• ✅ DateTimeImmutable for thread safety
• ✅ Error handling with helpful messages

Requirements

• PHP 7.4+ (SubsHero uses PHP 8.3+)
• DateTimeZone class (included in PHP core)

Token Efficiency

• Without this skill: Use MCP (~400 tokens/query)
• With this skill: Direct PHP execution (~130 tokens/query)
• 10 time queries: Save 2,700 tokens per session!

Error Handling

Invalid Timezone

Input: php ... now "Invalid/Timezone"

Output:

❌ Error: Invalid timezone 'Invalid/Timezone'
   Use 'list' command to see available timezones

Invalid Time Format

Input: php ... convert "invalid" "UTC" "EST"

Output:

❌ Error: Failed to parse time string 'invalid'

Missing Arguments

Input: php ... now

Output:

❌ Error: Missing timezone argument
Usage: php time-helper.php now <timezone>

Maintenance

Adding New Features

To add new commands, edit time-helper.php:

1. Add new function (e.g., function getBusinessHours())
2. Add case to switch statement
3. Update skill.md with usage examples

Testing

Test all commands directly:

cd ~/.claude/skills/time-helper
php time-helper.php now "UTC"
php time-helper.php convert "12:00" "UTC" "America/New_York"
php time-helper.php add "5 hours"
php time-helper.php list "America"
php time-helper.php dst "Europe/London"

Migration from Timezone MCP

If you previously used a timezone MCP server:

1. ✅ Install this skill (2 files created)
2. 🧪 Test all use cases (verify same functionality)
3. 🗑️ Remove Timezone MCP from .mcp.json
4. 💾 Enjoy 67% token savings on all time queries!

Support

File Location: ~/.claude/skills/time-helper/

Files:

• skill.md - This documentation
• time-helper.php - Cross-platform PHP script

Timezone List: Use php time-helper.php list to see all 594 timezones

Common Issues:

• If PHP not found: Ensure PHP is in PATH
• If timezone invalid: Use list command to find correct name
• If DST info unavailable: Some timezones don't observe DST

Version History

v1.0.0 (2025-10-20)

• Initial release
• Get current time in any timezone
• Convert between timezones
• Time calculations (add/subtract)
• List available timezones with filtering
• DST detection and status
• Cross-platform PHP script (Windows/Mac/Linux)
• 67% token savings vs. MCP servers