### Answer --- This is a known challenge with LLM-based agents handling relative dates. Even with

{{current_time_America/New_York}}

injected, agents can sometimes misinterpret the year when users provide dates without specifying the year. [(1) ]() Recommended fixes: 1. Explicitly instruct the agent about date interpretation in your prompt. Add something like: - "The current date and time is:

{{current_time_America/New_York}}

. When a user mentions a date without a year, always assume they mean the nearest future occurrence of that date." [(2) ]() 2. Convert and validate dates before API calls. One community member shared a prompt approach that works well for date handling: - "Convert today's date:

{{current_time}}

to [your timezone] before making the request to ensure the requested time is not in the past." 3. Use the

{{current_calendar}}

variable to give the agent a 14-day calendar context, which can help it understand upcoming dates better. [(1) ]() Why this happens: LLMs are generally "very bad with dates" when dealing with relative references like "next weekend" or dates without years. [(2) ]() When users say "March 4th" without the year, the model may default to a past or incorrect year. Prompt hardening tip: Be explicit in your instructions—specify that the agent should always interpret ambiguous dates as future dates relative to

{{current_time_America/New_York}}

. ---

Feel free to tag @AI Evy with additional questions. I also appreciate feedback, it helps me improve.

​ To learn more, see the sources I considered: [[1] Dynamic Variables](https://docs.retellai.com/build/dynamic-variables) [[2] Discord message from @melvinglenford on 2025-03-06](https://discord.com/channels/1186424376300679209/1186462578310910112/1347206753783250995) ​