Friend Time is a bot that automatically detects times mentioned in chat and converts them to each user’s local timezone instantly.
Unlike heavy scheduling bots like Sesh or Raid-Helper that require complex setups for events, Friend Time is designed for casual conversation. When someone types “Let’s play at 10 PM,” the bot silently adds a reaction (🕰️). Anyone who clicks that reaction gets a private message saying, “That is 5 PM in your timezone.”
It is the most polite, unobtrusive way to solve the “Timezone Headache” in international servers.
🌏 Why Friend Time? (Bridging North America & Oceania)
This bot is considered “essential etiquette” in communities with members from New Zealand (NZ), Australia, and North America.
1. The “Tomorrow is Today” Problem
For gamers in NZ, playing with friends in the US involves a 19-21 hour time difference. “Friday night” in Los Angeles is “Saturday afternoon” in Auckland. Calculating this mentally every time is exhausting.
2. Designed Not to Interrupt
Old bots required typing commands like !time us-west. This kills the flow of conversation.
Friend Time’s genius lies in its Passive Detection. It reads natural sentences. You don’t talk to the bot; you talk to your friends, and the bot quietly helps out in the background.
⚙️ How It Works
The mechanism is simple but smart:
- Detection: A user types “I’ll be there at 5pm.”
- Reaction: The bot recognizes the time format and adds a 🕰️ reaction to that message.
- Conversion: A reader (who lives in a different country) clicks the 🕰️.
- Notification: The bot sends a DM (or ephemeral message) to the clicker: “5:00 PM (Their Time) is 9:00 AM (Your Time).”
Requirement: Both the speaker and the clicker must have their timezones registered with the bot.
💻 Essential Command List
The default prefix is ft!.
🕒 Time & Setup
| Command | Description |
| ft!set [City/Country] | Essential. Sets your personal timezone (e.g., ft!set New York). |
| ft!time [User] | Checks the current time for a specific user. |
| ft!map | Generates a world map showing where all server members are located. |
🛠️ Utility
| Command | Description |
| ft!remind [Time] [Text] | Sets a personal reminder (e.g., ft!remind 2h Pizza). |
| ft!stats | Shows bot statistics. |
| ft!help | Displays the help menu. |
🚀 Setup Tutorial: Everyone Must Do This
Friend Time is useless if users haven’t set their location. Make an announcement telling everyone to follow Step 2.
Step 1: Invite the Bot
Invite Friend Time from Top.gg or their official site.
- Permissions: It needs “Read Message History,” “Add Reactions,” and “Send Messages.”
Step 2: Set Your Timezone (ft!set)
Every member needs to run this once.
- Type ft!set [Your City] (e.g., ft!set Tokyo or ft!set London).
- The bot will reply: “Time zone set to Asia/Tokyo. Current time is 8:00 PM.”
- If the time matches your clock, you are done!
Step 3: Test It
- Have a friend (who has set their time) type “Testing 10am”.
- Wait for the 🕰️ reaction to appear.
- Click it.
- Check if you get the conversion notification.
❓ FAQ: Troubleshooting
Q: The bot isn’t reacting to my time.
A: You haven’t set your time yet.
If the speaker hasn’t run ft!set, the bot doesn’t know which timezone “10am” belongs to, so it ignores it.
Also: Ensure you use a clear format like “10am”, “10:00”, or “10 PM”. Vague numbers like “10” are ignored.
Q: I clicked the clock, but nothing happened.
A: Your DMs might be closed.
If you block DMs from server members, the bot cannot message you. Alternatively, you might not have run ft!set yourself yet.
Q: Is ft!map safe? Will it leak my address?
A: Yes, it is safe.
The map only shows a generic pin on your city or country. It does not reveal your IP address or street address. It creates a cool visual of your community’s global spread.
Q: Does it understand relative time like “in 3 hours”?
A: Generally, no.
It looks for specific timestamps. Relative time (“in 3 hours”) doesn’t need conversion because 3 hours from now is 3 hours for everyone, regardless of timezone.
🌟 Pro Tip: How to Write Dates
To ensure the bot catches your time, adopt a standard format in your announcements.
- Bad: “Let’s meet at 9.” (Bot sleeps)
- Good: “Let’s meet at 9:00 PM EST.” (Bot reacts!)
Encourage your members to always include “am/pm” or a colon (:) when discussing plans.
Next Step for You: Invite Friend Time and run ft!set [Your City] right now so you never miss an international event again!