claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix Add time context to assistant prompts (timestamp or time-since-last-message) [1 comments, 2 participants]

TL;DR

Adding a lightweight time signal, such as a timestamp or time since last message, to each message can improve the assistant's conversational awareness and interaction quality.

Guidance

• Consider adding a time signal to each message, with the minimal option of including the time since the last message ([3m]) being preferred due to its low token cost.
• Evaluate the trade-offs between using a full timestamp ([2026-04-11 14:32:07]) versus the minimal time since last message ([3m]) based on specific use cases and requirements.
• Assess how the addition of time signals can enhance the assistant's ability to reason about durations and improve conversational pacing.
• Review the potential impact of this change on the overall interaction quality and user experience.

Example

No explicit code example is provided as the issue focuses on the conceptual approach rather than specific implementation details.

Notes

The effectiveness of this solution may depend on the specific requirements and constraints of the application, including token cost limitations and the need for precise timing information.

Recommendation

Apply the workaround of adding a lightweight time signal to each message, preferably using the minimal option of time since last message ([3m]), as it offers a significant improvement in conversational awareness with near-zero token cost.