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worldclock-tty puts your local time and several configurable international clocks in one terminal display. It is a Python command-line tool for readers who want IANA time zones, adjustable refresh timing, military time or Date-Time Groups, and customizable color themes without opening a graphical clock app.

What worldclock-tty displays

The project describes itself as “A terminal-based world clock that displays multiple timezones in real-time.” Local time appears at the top, with configured zones arranged in two columns beneath it. The display updates once per second by default. The software is a substantial refactor of a timezone clock its author made in 2016. Official project README

It is a terminal interface, not a graphical clock. Its listed defaults span the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific; you can change the set to suit your own locations.

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Install and start the clock

worldclock-tty requires Python 3.10 or later. The project’s documented installation method uses uv:

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uv tool install worldclock-tty
worldclock-tty

Use Ctrl+C to exit the running clock. The project README documents these commands; installation details and availability may vary with your Python environment. Official project README

Manage the time zones you see

Enter IANA time zone names, such as America/Chicago or Europe/Paris. The tool includes commands to add, list, remove, and reset configured zones:

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worldclock-tty add America/Chicago

The configured zone list is stored in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/worldclock-tty/config.json. If XDG_CONFIG_HOME is not set, the default path is ~/.config/worldclock-tty/config.json. This lets the clock retain its timezone setup between runs.

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Choose the time format and refresh behavior

Display options let you select 12- or 24-hour time, show or hide numeric UTC offsets, sort zones by offset, and change the refresh interval. The interval aligns to the wall clock, according to the README. These examples show documented switches:

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  • worldclock-tty --12h selects 12-hour time.
  • worldclock-tty --no-offset hides numeric UTC offsets.
  • worldclock-tty --no-sort disables sorting by offset.
  • worldclock-tty -n 5 sets the refresh interval to five seconds.

Numeric offsets can help distinguish zones that share an abbreviation or whose local time differs by a fraction of an hour. Verify flags against the project README if using a different release.

Use military time or a Date-Time Group

For military-style notation, the README documents --military and its alias --zulu. The --full-military and --dtg options show a Date-Time Group at minute precision. Zones without an official NATO/military zone letter use numeric fallbacks, as described by the project.

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worldclock-tty --military
worldclock-tty --full-military

You can combine military notation with a UTC clock using worldclock-tty --military --utc.

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Set a color theme

Built-in themes are default, mono, matrix, amber, and ocean. Select one for a run with --theme, or override an individual display element’s color:

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worldclock-tty --theme ocean
worldclock-tty --color time=green

The saved theme is the only persisted display preference documented by the project. Per-run color overrides are not saved as defaults; the README explains how to save a theme as the default. Official project README

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Release, license, and fit

PyPI lists worldclock-tty 0.4.4, uploaded February 28, 2026, and identifies Python 3.10 or later as a requirement. The package declares the MIT license. Those are registry details for that release, not a guarantee that a newer version will not appear. worldclock-tty on PyPI

It is a practical fit if you want several named time zones visible together in a terminal and value controls for refresh cadence, military notation, offsets, and colors. The documented feature set does not establish platform-specific support beyond its Python requirement, so check your environment before relying on it.

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Quick Recap

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