Relative Time Formatting

What it grounds

Give enterprise agents human-readable relative time through the same data layer, rendering timestamps as '2 hours ago' phrases on demand.

Ways to ground with it

Ground answers in real data

Enable Relative Time Formatting and it becomes a tool your agent calls over MCP to check itself against live data before it answers — grounding the response instead of guessing.

On the same endpoint and key

Relative Time Formatting rides the one VerveContext MCP endpoint alongside 300+ other sources, so adding it to an agent is a toggle, not an integration.

Traceable and current

The agent pulls relative time formatting at answer time and can carry the source with the result, so the reasoning stays current and auditable.

Connect over MCP

Point your agent framework at the VerveContext endpoint. Every enabled source — this one included — becomes a tool the model can call. No per-source plumbing.

context.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vervecontext": {
      "url": "https://api.vervecontext.com/v1/mcp",
      "headers": { "x-api-key": "vc_live_••••" }
    }
  }
}

# “relativetimeformatter” is now a tool your agent can call

What it returns

Each call returns structured fields your agent can read.

target_date
reference_date
relative_time
is_past
is_future
difference_ms
primary_unit
primary_value

Relative Time Formatting, answered

How to ground an agent in it over MCP.

How do I give my agent Relative Time Formatting?

Enable it on VerveContext and point your agent framework at the VerveContext MCP endpoint. Relative Time Formatting then appears to the model as a tool named relativetimeformatter, which it calls when a task needs it — no per-source plumbing.

Which agents and frameworks can use it?

Any MCP client — Claude, Cursor, LangChain, and custom agents all speak the Model Context Protocol. Relative Time Formatting is exposed as a standard tool, so nothing source-specific is required.

Can the agent cite Relative Time Formatting?

Relative Time Formatting is a capability rather than a factual source, so it isn't something to "cite" — but it runs on the same real-data layer, over the same MCP endpoint and key as every grounding source.

How many credits does a Relative Time Formatting call cost?

Each call costs 1 credit. Scoped keys let you grant an agent only the sources it should reach, and usage logs show exactly what was pulled to ground each answer.

How current is the data?

Relative Time Formatting is served live from APIVerve's production data engine and pulled at the moment the agent calls it, so answers reflect the world now rather than the model's training cutoff.

Where does the data come from, and what shows on my bill?

VerveContext runs on APIVerve, our production data engine; Relative Time Formatting is one of 300+ sources on the same key. Invoices and card statements show APIVERVE.

Ground answers in real data

On the same endpoint and key

Traceable and current

Relative Time Formatting, answered

Ground your agents in Relative Time Formatting. Connect over MCP, enable the source, and every answer carries its receipts.

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