vbitzceo/DateUtilsMCPServer

Date Utils MCP Server

A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides extensive date and time utilities for AI assistants and applications.

Overview

This MCP server offers a rich collection of date and time tools that can be used by AI models and applications through the Model Context Protocol. It provides utilities for getting current dates and times, date manipulation, comparison, and formatting across different formats and countries.

Features

Current Date and Time

• Get Server Date: Returns the current date based on server timezone in yyyy-MM-dd format
• Get Server Day of Week: Returns the current day of the week
• Get Server DateTime: Returns current local date and time
• Get Server Day of Year: Returns the current day of the year (1-366)
• Get UTC DateTime: Returns current UTC date and time in ISO 8601 format
• Get UTC Day of Week: Returns current UTC day of the week
• Get UTC Day of Year: Returns current UTC day of the year

Date Manipulation

• Add Days: Add specified days to current date
• Add Hours: Add specified hours to current date and time
• Add Minutes: Add specified minutes to current date and time
• Add Seconds: Add specified seconds to current date and time
• Add Weeks: Add specified weeks to current date
• Add Months: Add specified months to current date
• Add Years: Add specified years to current date

Date Comparison

• Compare Dates: Compare two dates and determine their relationship (earlier, later, or same)

Date Formatting

• Format Date: Convert a date string to a specific format
• Get Available Date Formats: Returns a list of common date formats with descriptions
• Get Date Formats by Country: Returns common date formats used by different countries

Prompts

• Date Format by Country Prompt: Example prompt for formatting dates according to country conventions

Prerequisites

• .NET 9.0 or later
• Node.js (for using the MCP inspector)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/DateUtilsMCPServer.git
   cd DateUtilsMCPServer
   

2. Restore dependencies:

   dotnet restore
   

3. Build the project:

   dotnet build
   

Usage

Running with MCP Inspector

The easiest way to test and interact with the server is using the MCP Inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector dotnet run

This will start the server and open a web interface where you can:

• View available tools
• Test tool execution
• Inspect server capabilities

Running as Standalone Server

You can also run the server directly:

dotnet run

The server will start and listen for MCP protocol messages on stdin/stdout.

Available Tools

Current Date and Time Tools

Date Manipulation Tools

Date Comparison Tools

Date Formatting Tools

Available Prompts

Integration

Using with Claude Desktop

Method 1: Using the Docker Image

The easiest way to use this MCP server with Claude Desktop is via the Docker image:

1. Add to Claude Desktop configuration:

   Edit your Claude Desktop configuration file:

   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add the MCP server configuration:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "date-utils": {
         "command": "docker",
         "args": [
           "run",
           "--rm",
           "-i",
           "vbitzceo/dateutilsmcpserver:latest"
         ]
       }
     }
   }
   

3. Restart Claude Desktop to load the new configuration.

Method 2: Using Local Build

If you prefer to run the server locally without Docker:

1. Build the project:

   dotnet build --configuration Release
   

2. Add to Claude Desktop configuration:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "date-utils": {
         "command": "dotnet",
         "args": [
           "run",
           "--project",
           "/path/to/DateUtilsMCPServer"
         ]
       }
     }
   }
   

Method 3: Using the Published Binary

1. Publish a self-contained executable:

   dotnet publish -c Release --self-contained -r osx-arm64
   # or for other platforms: win-x64, linux-x64, etc.
   

2. Add to Claude Desktop configuration:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "date-utils": {
         "command": "/path/to/DateUtilsMCPServer/bin/Release/net9.0/osx-arm64/publish/DateUtilsMCPServer"
       }
     }
   }
   

Using with Other MCP Clients

The server implements the standard MCP protocol and can be used with any compatible client. Connect to the server using stdio transport.

Development

Project Structure

DateUtilsMCPServer/
├── Program.cs                    # Main application entry point with MCP server setup
├── Tools/
│   └── CurrentDateTools.cs       # Comprehensive date/time tool implementations
├── Prompts/
│   └── PromptsForTools.cs        # Example prompts for date formatting
├── DateUtilsMCPServer.csproj     # Project file with container support
├── DateUtilsMCPServer.sln        # Solution file
├── global.json                   # .NET SDK version configuration
├── LICENSE                       # MIT License
└── README.md                     # This file

Container Support

This project includes container support with the following configuration:

• Base Image: mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/runtime:9.0-alpine
• Target Architecture: linux-arm64 (configurable)
• Repository: vbitzceo/dateutilsmcpserver

Building the Container

To build and publish as a container:

dotnet publish /t:PublishContainer

Running the Container

To run the container directly:

docker run --rm -i vbitzceo/dateutilsmcpserver:latest

Pulling from Docker Hub

The image is available on Docker Hub:

docker pull vbitzceo/dateutilsmcpserver:latest

Architecture Support

To target different architectures, modify the RuntimeIdentifier in the .csproj file:

• linux-x64 for x64 Linux
• linux-arm64 for ARM64 Linux (default)
• win-x64 for Windows x64

Adding New Tools

1. Create a new class in the Tools/ directory
2. Decorate the class with [McpServerToolType]
3. Add static methods decorated with [McpServerTool] and [Description]
4. The server will automatically discover and register your tools

Example:

[McpServerToolType]
public sealed class MyCustomTools
{
    [McpServerTool, Description("Description of what this tool does")]
    public static string MyTool(string parameter)
    {
        // Your tool implementation
        return "result";
    }
}

Adding New Prompts

1. Create a new class in the Prompts/ directory
2. Decorate the class with [McpServerPromptType]
3. Add static methods decorated with [McpServerPrompt] and [Description]
4. Return IEnumerable<ChatMessage> for the prompt content

Example:

[McpServerPromptType]
public class MyPrompts
{
    [McpServerPrompt(Name = "my_prompt"), Description("Example prompt")]
    public static IEnumerable<ChatMessage> MyPrompt(
        [Description("Input parameter")] string input)
    {
        return [
            new ChatMessage(ChatRole.User, $"Process this: {input}"),
        ];
    }
}

Dependencies

• Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting (9.0.6) - For hosting and dependency injection
• ModelContextProtocol (0.3.0-preview.1) - Core MCP protocol implementation

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the file for details.

Related Projects

• Model Context Protocol - The official MCP specification
• MCP Inspector - Tool for testing MCP servers

Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions, please open an issue on GitHub.