> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://wiki.secrets.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://wiki.secrets.ai/get-started/chat-time.md).

# Chat Time

Choose whether your companion uses live time, no clock, or a fixed scene date and time.

Chat time controls the automatic date and time information your companion receives. It is available on every plan and applies to text chats, group chats, and audio calls.

## Choose a mode

| Mode           | What your companion receives                                                                                                                |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Live time**  | Automatic message timestamps and real-world time context. This is the default.                                                              |
| **No time**    | No automatic message timestamps or real-world clock. Your companion is instructed to follow the chronology established in the conversation. |
| **Fixed time** | A scene date and time that stays fixed until you edit it. Waiting between messages does not advance this clock.                             |

Fixed time uses **hours and minutes**, with a separate date field. Your companion receives a simple value such as **12 Mar 1842 at 23:15**, without seconds or a timezone suffix. You can still advance the story yourself by saying something like “the next morning.”

## Set your account default

1. Open **User Settings → Companion Preferences**.
2. Find **Default chat time**.
3. Select the **Live time**, **No time**, or **Fixed time** tile.

Your choice saves automatically.

The account setting chooses only the mode. There is no account-wide scene date or time.

**The account default applies to new chats only.** Each new chat saves its starting mode. Changing the account default later leaves all existing chats unchanged; edit a conversation’s own settings to change its clock.

When the default is **Fixed time**, each new chat saves its own creation date and minute as its scene clock. This automatic starting value uses UTC; you can choose a different scene time in that chat’s settings.

## Change one chat

1. Open the conversation and select the **gear icon** to open its settings.
2. Find **Chat time**.
3. Select the **Live time**, **No time**, or **Fixed time** tile.
4. For **Fixed time**, choose the month, day, and year under **Scene date**, and the hour and minute under **Scene time**. Selecting Fixed starts these fields at your current local date and minute.
5. Select **Save** in the settings panel, or **Save Changes** in the dialog.

A manually selected scene time stays exactly as entered, without timezone conversion. Each chat keeps its own mode and scene time until you change them here.

The same control is available in group chat settings and applies to all companions in that conversation. Audio calls use the conversation's chat time setting.

## What happens to previous messages?

Switching from **Live time** to **No time** or **Fixed time** affects the older messages included in subsequent replies, too:

* **Automatic timestamps are removed from the history sent to your companion.** Earlier messages do not keep supplying their real-world send times to the model.
* **Your stored conversation is preserved.** Changing chat time does not rewrite or delete earlier messages.
* **Date and time dividers remain visible in the chat.** These help you navigate your history; they are separate from the clock supplied to your companion.
* **Dates mentioned in conversation remain.** A message saying “we met on Friday,” a previous reply mentioning a date, or a date saved in a memory is still part of the conversation's content.

With **No time**, the companion receives no replacement clock. With **Fixed time**, it receives the selected scene date and minute. The change applies to the next reply that starts after saving; a reply already generating can finish with the previous setting.

Switching back to **Live time** resumes automatic timestamps for new messages. It does not add timestamp prefixes to messages sent while No time or Fixed time was selected.

## Common questions

**Why does my companion still mention a date after I select No time?**

Chat time removes automatic clock information. Dates already written in messages, character descriptions, or memories remain available. You can tell your companion what chronology to follow for the scene.

**Why did changing my account default leave this chat unchanged?**

Account defaults apply only when creating a new chat. To change this conversation, open **Chat Settings → Chat time**, choose the mode you want, and save.

**Does Fixed time advance while I'm away?**

No. The scene clock stays at the same minute until you edit it. Story progression that you explicitly describe still applies.

For related controls, see [Chat Features](/get-started/chat-features.md), [User Settings](/extra/user-settings.md), and [Time Travel](/get-started/time-travel.md) for rewinding a conversation.