If the AI needs to write a date, its every time wrong.
Sometimes year 2021 sometimes 2023… but never my actual date..
For example if a db migration file gets created or if I want that it writes a last changed datetime in a file.
Or a Versioning with date.
Is there a solution?
yeah, i also have a tone of files with wrong date. It’s crazy to check them all.
So now I personally use a simple trick : When i ask it to modify a file, i tell it the date to implement :
“Modify the file to blabla blabla and remember today date is 2024-04-05”
darn – I noticed that even in text content the bot is creating files that it is post 2023 dates.
I have serious concerns over what the @cursor team is doing with the agentic capabilities right now.
The agents are getting EVIL (meaning their deleting and fark-ing with code out_of_scope in such a fashion that they_are_not_your_friend fashion is shocking
I’m curious if it is possible to tell him the actual date via rule. Like “use the machines date everywhere youbare asked to use an actual date”
But it cant ne that hard for cursor devs to implement a function to get actual date…
I have this in my main rule file:
- ALWAYS get timestamp from system using:
```powershell
Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm"
```
```bash
date "+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M"
```
it works better than nothing, but still need to remind the ai as sometimes it will just guess the date based on other lines/files in context.
In my user rule i tell it what my system/terminal is, thats why there are ps and bash examples as i use windows and linux.
Hi Guys!! i have found a very good solution fot that problem!! MCP!
Use this MCP Server → servers/src/time at main · modelcontextprotocol/servers · GitHub
Example:
And with a rule like this, it uses the real time everytime when it needs it:
When adding or updating timestamps in documents
When marking last updated dates in files
When recording version release dates
When timestamping documentation changes
When adding creation dates to files
Always use the MCP time tool to fetch the current date/time when inserting timestamps in documents
Format dates consistently as YYYY-MM-DD for date-only timestamps
Format date and time as YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM for timestamps requiring time
Use time zones where appropriate, preferably using Vienna (Europe/Vienna) timezone if none specified
Update any existing “Last updated” or similar timestamps when making significant content changes
Never use hardcoded dates when dynamic dates are appropriate
# Project Documentation
*Last updated: 2023-06-15* // WRONG: Hardcoded date
# Project Documentation
*Last updated: 2024-07-07* // CORRECT: Date fetched using MCP time tool
When significant changes are made to this document, the “Last updated” date should be refreshed using the MCP time tool.
/**
* Core API for token tracking
* @version 1.2
* @lastModified June 15, 2023 // WRONG: Hardcoded date with inconsistent format
*/
/**
* Core API for token tracking
* @version 1.2
* @lastModified 2024-07-07 // CORRECT: Date fetched using MCP time tool with consistent format
*/
To get the current time in a specific timezone, use:
mcp_time_get_current_time with timezone parameter (e.g., 'Europe/Vienna')
For date-only formats:
Always prefer ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)
Be consistent with date formatting throughout the project
For datetime formats:
Use ISO format with time (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)
Include timezone information when necessary
Update “Last updated” timestamps in documentation when making substantial changes
Use appropriate level of time precision for the context (date-only for documentation, precise timestamps for logs)
Consider user’s local timezone for user-facing timestamps
Use timezone-aware timestamps for scheduled operations or events
NEVER use hardcoded dates for dynamic timestamps
ALWAYS use MCP time tool to get the current date/time
ALWAYS update timestamps when making significant document changes
ALWAYS format dates consistently across the project