Message Timestamps

⏱ Message Timestamps for Claude Code

See the time on every message in Claude Code — and let Claude know it too.

_{Illustration of the plugin in action — each reply is prefixed with the local time, and Claude can reason about elapsed time.}

[09:12:54] Here's the plan: I'll start by …

Claude Code doesn't show when anything happened. Long sessions blur together: you can't tell how long a build took, when you asked something, or point a teammate to "the part around 09:15." This plugin fixes that in two ways, and installs in 15 seconds.

Why this exists

Timestamps are one of the most-requested missing features in Claude Code. At least 11 issues ask for some form of it:

#2441 · #60711 · #44763 · #30745 · #21051 · #63488 · #61672 · #52944 · #56855 · #49084 · #60492

This plugin is a working solution today, while we wait to see if it ships natively.

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Why you want this (the 10-second version)

Without it	With it
"How long did that step take?" — no idea	Read it off the timestamps
"When did I ask that?" — scroll and guess	It's right there on the message
"Look at the part around 9am" — good luck	Every message is time-labeled
Claude has no sense of elapsed time	Claude knows when each prompt was sent and can reason about it

No tracking, no telemetry, no account, no network calls. It just reads your computer's clock. Runs in a few milliseconds per message.

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Install (copy, paste, done)

In Claude Code, run these two lines:

/plugin marketplace add zoharbabin/claude-code-message-timestamps
/plugin install message-timestamps@zoharbabin-claude-tools

Restart Claude Code. That's it — timestamps now appear on every message, in every project. ✅

Prefer the terminal? claude plugin marketplace add zoharbabin/claude-code-message-timestamps then claude plugin install message-timestamps@zoharbabin-claude-tools.

To remove it: /plugin uninstall message-timestamps@zoharbabin-claude-tools.

Requirements

• Claude Code 2.1.152 or newer — that version added the MessageDisplay hook used for the on-screen timestamps. (Older versions still get the "Claude knows the time" half.)
• jq on your PATH:
  • macOS: brew install jq
  • Linux: sudo apt-get install jq / sudo dnf install jq
  • Windows: winget install jqlang.jq or choco install jq
• Windows only: the hooks are bash scripts, so you need Git Bash (bundled with Git for Windows). Claude Code runs command hooks via Git Bash automatically when it's installed.

If jq is missing the plugin fails safe — it adds no timestamp rather than breaking anything, so you never lose a message. It also shows a one-time message at session start telling you exactly how to install jq. Install it, restart, and timestamps light up.

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Platform support — what to expect on each OS

The hooks are small Bash scripts that call date (for local time) and jq (to build JSON safely). Claude Code runs command hooks through a shell: sh -c on macOS/Linux, and Git Bash on Windows (falling back to PowerShell if Git Bash isn't installed). Here's exactly how that plays out:

	macOS	Linux	Windows
Shell used for hooks	sh / system bash	sh / system bash	Git Bash (auto-detected)
date (local time)	built in	built in	provided by Git Bash
jq	brew install jq	apt/dnf install jq	winget/choco install jq
On-screen [HH:MM:SS]	✅ (Claude Code 2.1.152+)	✅ (2.1.152+)	✅ (2.1.152+, with Git Bash)
Claude knows the time	✅	✅	✅ (with Git Bash)
If Git Bash is absent	n/a	n/a	scripts can't run — install Git Bash
If jq is absent	one-time notice, no timestamps	one-time notice, no timestamps	one-time notice, no timestamps

Why it works without fuss: