Calculate the difference between two datetimes. Returns difference in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and approximate months. Handles past/future direction automatically.
Part of the Timestamp server.
Free to start. No card required.
AI agents use time_diff to create or modify resources in Timestamp. Write operations carry medium risk because an autonomous agent could trigger bulk unintended modifications. Rate limits prevent a single agent session from making hundreds of changes in rapid succession. Argument validation ensures the agent passes expected values.
Without a policy, an AI agent could call time_diff repeatedly, creating or modifying resources faster than any human could review. PolicyLayer's rate limiting ensures write operations happen at a controlled pace, and argument validation catches malformed or unexpected inputs before they reach Timestamp.
Write tools can modify data. A rate limit prevents runaway bulk operations from AI agents.
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"time_diff": {
"limits": [
{
"counter": "time_diff_rate",
"window": "minute",
"max": 30,
"scope": "grant"
}
]
}
}
}See the full Timestamp policy for all 5 tools.
These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access time_diff gives an agent. Each links to the full case and the policy that stops it:
Other write tools across the catalogue. The same approach applies to each: rate-limit and validate the arguments.
Calculate the difference between two datetimes. Returns difference in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and approximate months. Handles past/future direction automatically.. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Timestamp MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.
Register the Timestamp MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for time_diff: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Timestamp. Nothing to install.
time_diff is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the time_diff rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for time_diff. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
time_diff is provided by the Timestamp MCP server (openclaw-ai/timestamp-converter). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 5 Timestamp tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
4,600+ MCP servers and 31,000+ tools scanned and risk-classified.