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Source-grounded rewrite of 529 published docs pages with per-unit information-loss verification: 1,713 factual corrections cited to src/**, generated surfaces regenerated, frontmatter titles preserved for i18n, release notes pages untouched. All docs gates green. Closes #100141
126 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
126 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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summary: "Date and time handling across envelopes, prompts, tools, and connectors"
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read_when:
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- You are changing how timestamps are shown to the model or users
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- You are debugging time formatting in messages or system prompt output
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title: "Date and time"
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---
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OpenClaw uses **host-local time for transport timestamps** and puts **only the time zone** in the system prompt.
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Provider timestamps are preserved so tools keep their native semantics. When the agent needs the current
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time, it runs the `session_status` tool.
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## Message envelopes (local by default)
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Inbound messages are wrapped with a weekday plus second-precision timestamp:
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```
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[WhatsApp +1555 Mon 2026-01-05 16:26:34 PST] message text
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```
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The envelope timestamp is **host-local by default**, regardless of the provider timezone.
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Override under `agents.defaults`:
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```json5
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{
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agents: {
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defaults: {
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envelopeTimezone: "local", // "utc" | "local" | "user" | IANA timezone
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envelopeTimestamp: "on", // "on" | "off"
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envelopeElapsed: "on", // "on" | "off"
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},
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},
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}
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```
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| Key | Values | Behavior |
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| ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| `envelopeTimezone` | `local` (default), `utc`, `user`, explicit IANA name | `user` uses `agents.defaults.userTimezone` (host timezone when unset). An explicit IANA name (e.g. `"America/Chicago"`) pins a fixed zone; unrecognized names fall back to UTC. |
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| `envelopeTimestamp` | `on` (default), `off` | `off` removes absolute timestamps from envelope headers, direct agent prompt prefixes, and embedded model-input prefixes. |
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| `envelopeElapsed` | `on` (default), `off` | `off` removes the elapsed-time suffix (the `+30s` / `+2m` style) shown since the previous message in the session. |
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### Examples
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**Local (default):**
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```
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[WhatsApp +1555 Sun 2026-01-18 00:19:42 PST] hello
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```
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**User timezone:**
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```
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[WhatsApp +1555 Sun 2026-01-18 00:19:42 CST] hello
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```
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**Elapsed time with `envelopeTimezone: "utc"`:**
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```
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[WhatsApp +1555 +30s Sun 2026-01-18T05:19:00Z] follow-up
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```
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## System prompt: current date and time
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The system prompt includes a **Current Date & Time** section with the **time zone only**
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(no clock or time format) so prompt caching stays stable:
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```
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Time zone: America/Chicago
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```
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The zone is `agents.defaults.userTimezone` when configured, otherwise the host timezone.
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The prompt also instructs the agent to run the `session_status` tool whenever it needs the
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current date, time, or day of week.
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## System event lines (local by default)
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Queued system events inserted into agent context are prefixed with a timestamp using the
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same `envelopeTimezone` selection as message envelopes (default: host-local).
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```
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System: [2026-01-12 12:19:17 PST] Model switched.
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```
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### Configure user timezone + format
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```json5
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{
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agents: {
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defaults: {
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userTimezone: "America/Chicago",
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timeFormat: "auto", // auto | 12 | 24
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},
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},
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}
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```
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- `userTimezone` sets the **user-local timezone** for prompt context (and for `envelopeTimezone: "user"`).
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- `timeFormat` controls **12h/24h display** in prompt-facing times. `auto` follows OS preferences.
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## Time format detection (auto)
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When `timeFormat: "auto"`, OpenClaw inspects the OS preference (macOS and Windows)
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and falls back to locale formatting. The detected value is **cached per process**
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to avoid repeated system calls.
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## Tool payloads + connectors (raw provider time + normalized fields)
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Channel tools return **provider-native timestamps** and add normalized fields for consistency:
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- `timestampMs`: epoch milliseconds (UTC)
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- `timestampUtc`: ISO 8601 UTC string
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Raw provider fields are preserved so nothing is lost.
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- Discord: UTC ISO timestamps
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- Slack: epoch-like strings from the API
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- Telegram/WhatsApp: provider-specific numeric/ISO timestamps
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If you need local time, convert it downstream using the known timezone.
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## Related docs
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- [System Prompt](/concepts/system-prompt)
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- [Timezones](/concepts/timezone)
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- [Messages](/concepts/messages)
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