What’s new here isn’t just exposing `current_datetime()`.
The server also gives the model tools to reason about time:
(1) time_difference(t1, t2) – exact gaps with human wording
(2) timestamp_context(t) – “weekend evening”, “workday morning”
(3) time_since(t) – “2 h ago, earlier today”
I also request that Claude ask for time at every turn, which creates a timeseries that is parallel to our interactions.
When Claude calls these every turn it starts noticing patterns (it independently labelled our chat as a three-act structure). That was the surprise that prompted the title.
Ask Claude “what patterns do you see so far?” after a few exchanges.
If you still find it trivial after trying, happy to hear why—genuinely looking for ways to push this further. Thanks for the candid feedback.
Finding a good title is really hard. I'd appreciate any advice on that. You'll notice I wrote the article several weeks ago, and that's how long it took me to figure out how to pitch on HN. I'd appreciate any feedback to improve. Thanks!
What’s new here isn’t just exposing `current_datetime()`. The server also gives the model tools to reason about time:
I also request that Claude ask for time at every turn, which creates a timeseries that is parallel to our interactions. When Claude calls these every turn it starts noticing patterns (it independently labelled our chat as a three-act structure). That was the surprise that prompted the title.Ask Claude “what patterns do you see so far?” after a few exchanges.
If you still find it trivial after trying, happy to hear why—genuinely looking for ways to push this further. Thanks for the candid feedback.
Finding a good title is really hard. I'd appreciate any advice on that. You'll notice I wrote the article several weeks ago, and that's how long it took me to figure out how to pitch on HN. I'd appreciate any feedback to improve. Thanks!