feat(time): add time_ prefix to tool names for consistency

[Sean-Kenneth-Doherty]

Summary

Adds a time_ prefix to the Time MCP server tool names for consistency with other MCP servers:

• get_current_time → time_get_current
• convert_time → time_convert

Motivation

This follows the naming convention used by other MCP servers (e.g., git_status, git_commit, git_diff) and makes it easier to identify related tools when multiple MCP servers are registered with a client.

As noted in issue #3201, users integrating multiple MCP servers see tool names like:

• MCP_DOCKER_convert_time
• MCP_DOCKER_get_current_time

With this change, the tools become:

• MCP_DOCKER_time_get_current
• MCP_DOCKER_time_convert

This makes it immediately clear these tools belong to the Time server.

Changes

• Updated tool name enum values in server.py
• Updated README documentation and examples

Breaking Change Notice

⚠️ This is a breaking change for existing users of the Time MCP server. Any automation or configuration referencing the old tool names (get_current_time, convert_time) will need to be updated.

Closes #3201

[cliffhall]

@claude review

[claude]

Claude finished @cliffhall's task in 2m 9s —— View job

---

PR Review: feat(time): add time_ prefix to tool names for consistency

• Gather context and read changed files
• Examine naming conventions across other servers
• Analyze the changes and provide review feedback

---

Summary

The implementation is technically correct and the motivation is reasonable, but there are significant concerns about naming convention consistency and the specific names chosen.

---

Naming Convention Analysis

The PR cites the git server's git_status / git_commit pattern as precedent, but the actual naming conventions across this repo are not uniform:

Server	Naming Pattern	Examples
git (Python)	<server>_<verb> prefix	git_status, git_diff, git_commit, git_log
fetch (Python)	No prefix, single tool	fetch
filesystem (TypeScript)	No prefix, verb-first	read_file, write_file, create_directory, get_file_info
memory (TypeScript)	No prefix, verb-first	create_entities, search_nodes, read_graph
time (this PR)	time_ prefix	time_get_current, time_convert

The git server is the only server in this repo with a server-name prefix. The other three multi-tool servers (filesystem, memory) use unprefixed, verb-first names. This PR would make the time server follow the git server pattern while the rest of the repo stays with the verb-first convention.

---

Concerns

1. Name loses descriptive clarity (src/time/src/mcp_server_time/server.py:18)

The original name get_current_time is a complete English phrase — it clearly tells the user what is being retrieved. The new name time_get_current drops "time" as the object: get current what? Compare with git_status (a complete concept) vs time_get_current (which requires the prefix to complete the meaning). get_current_time → time_get_current is semantically weaker.

If following the git pattern strictly, time_get_current_time would be the lossless equivalent, but that's redundant. This suggests the <server>_<verb> pattern is a better fit for git's atomic operations (status, diff, commit) than for the time server's more descriptive operations.

2. Inconsistency with the rest of the repo

The filesystem and memory servers — both officially maintained in this repo — do not use server-name prefixes. Merging this would make the time server diverge from those conventions without a broader effort to standardize across all servers. The PR references issue #3201 but that issue doesn't appear to establish an official policy.

3. Breaking change cost vs. benefit

This is a breaking change for all existing users, integrations, and configurations referencing get_current_time and convert_time. The benefit (easier disambiguation in multi-server setups) is real but the disambiguation problem is already partially handled by how MCP clients present tools (e.g., with a server name namespace). This is a high cost for a quality-of-life improvement.

---

What's Correct

• The actual code changes are minimal and technically correct — only server.py:18-19 (enum values) and the README are updated.
• The README examples are updated consistently to match the new names.
• The PR is honest about the breaking change.

---

Minor Pre-existing Issues (Not Introduced by This PR)

• README.md:213-217 — the get_current_time response example omits the day_of_week field that TimeResult actually returns.
• README.md:244 — the convert example has a trailing comma in the JSON response block (invalid JSON).

---

Recommendation

Request changes. The motivation (disambiguation in multi-server setups) is valid, but before merging:

1. Either establish a repo-wide decision to prefix all server tool names consistently (updating filesystem and memory servers too), or keep the time server consistent with those servers by not adding a prefix.
2. If the time_ prefix is kept, consider time_get_current_time → too redundant — or a restructured name like time_now and time_convert that don't drop the subject. time_convert is actually fine; time_get_current is the weak name.