now - Get current date and time

Get the current date and time in a standardized format.

For Claude Code

If you are Claude: DO NOT invoke this slash command. Use the date command directly via Bash tool:

date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S (%A)'

See the Implementation section below for the exact command pattern.

For Users

Usage

/datetime:now
/datetime:now [format]

What it does

1. No arguments: Returns current date/time in standard format

   • Format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS (DayName)
   • Example: 2024-11-13 16:45:30 (Wednesday)

2. With format argument: Returns current date/time in custom format

   • Uses date command format strings
   • Example: /datetime:now "%B %d, %Y" → November 13, 2024

Implementation

Standard format:

date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S (%A)'

Custom format:

date '+[format-string]'

Common format strings

• %Y-%m-%d - Date only (2024-11-13)
• %H:%M:%S - Time only (16:45:30)
• %A - Full day name (Wednesday)
• %B %d, %Y - Formatted date (November 13, 2024)
• %V - Week number (45)
• +%s - Unix timestamp (1699896330)

Examples

# Standard output
/datetime:now
→ 2024-11-13 16:45:30 (Wednesday)

# Custom format - date only
/datetime:now "%Y-%m-%d"
→ 2024-11-13

# Week number
/datetime:now "%V"
→ 45

# Unix timestamp
/datetime:now "+%s"
→ 1699896330

When to use

• Verify current date/time before making temporal decisions
• Get current week number for academic week mapping
• Generate timestamps for logging or calculations
• When <env> context date may be outdated

Related commands

• /datetime:parse - Parse natural language date expressions
• /datetime:calc - Calculate date differences