k8s-timezone-config

Q: How do I install k8s-timezone-config?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/julianobarbosa/claude-code-skills --skill k8s-timezone-config in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/k8s-timezone-config/ (personal) or .claude/skills/k8s-timezone-config/ (project).

by julianobarbosaDevOps & Cloud

Configure timezone for Kubernetes pods using TZ environment variable. Use when deploying workloads that need Brazil/São Paulo timezone or when logs show UTC (+0000) instead of local time.

Installs: 98
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Trending rank: —
Security: Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/julianobarbosa/claude-code-skills --skill k8s-timezone-config

01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads k8s-timezone-config automatically when relevant.
03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

Kubernetes Pod Timezone Configuration

Standard timezone for your organization infrastructure: America/Sao_Paulo

Problem

Kubernetes pods run in UTC by default. Logs and application timestamps show +0000 offset instead of local Brazil time (-0300).

Solution

Add the TZ environment variable to container specifications.

Implementation Patterns

1. Helm Values (extraEnv pattern)

For Helm charts that support extraEnv:

# In values.yaml
extraEnv:
  - name: TZ
    value: America/Sao_Paulo

2. Multiple Containers

When a deployment has multiple containers (e.g., API server + frontend), add TZ to ALL containers:

apiServer:
  extraEnv:
    - name: TZ
      value: America/Sao_Paulo

frontend:
  extraEnv:
    - name: TZ
      value: America/Sao_Paulo

3. Raw Kubernetes Deployment

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: app
          env:
            - name: TZ
              value: America/Sao_Paulo

4. StatefulSet

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: StatefulSet
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: app
          env:
            - name: TZ
              value: America/Sao_Paulo

Verification

After deployment, verify timezone is set correctly:

# Check pod logs for timestamp offset
# Before: 2026-01-13T11:37:06 +0000
# After:  2026-01-13T08:37:06 -0300

# Or exec into pod
kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -n <namespace> -- date
# Should show: Mon Jan 13 08:37:06 -03 2026

Common Applications Requiring Timezone

Application	Config Location	Notes
Dependency-Track	`apiServer.extraEnv` + `frontend.extraEnv`	Both containers need TZ
Grafana	`env` or `extraEnvVars`	Single container
Loki	`extraEnv`	Affects log timestamps
Prometheus	`server.env`	Affects alert timestamps
DefectDojo	`extraEnv`	Django app
PostgreSQL	`primary.extraEnvVars`	Database timestamps

Important Notes

Restart required: Pods must restart for TZ changes to take effect
All containers: Set TZ on ALL containers in a pod, including sidecars
Init containers: Also set TZ on init containers if they log timestamps
Cron jobs: Kubernetes CronJob schedules are always UTC - TZ only affects container-level time

your organization GitOps Workflow

Edit values.yaml in argo-cd-helm-values/kube-addons/<service>/<cluster>/values.yaml
Add TZ environment variable to all containers
Commit and push (ArgoCD auto-syncs)
Verify pods restart with new timezone

Reference

IANA Timezone Database: America/Sao_Paulo = UTC-3 (no DST since 2019)
Linux TZ variable: Uses /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Sao_Paulo

Gotchas

TZ env var only affects app-level timestamps, not kubectl logs timestamps (those come from the container runtime, which stays UTC). The kubelet timestamps stay +0000 even after the pod's internal clock is São Paulo.
CronJob schedule: is always UTC regardless of pod TZ. A 0 8 * * * schedule fires at 05:00 BRT, not 08:00 BRT. Use spec.timeZone: America/Sao_Paulo on the CronJob itself (K8s 1.27+) or compute the UTC offset manually.
Distroless and scratch images have no /usr/share/zoneinfo — TZ=America/Sao_Paulo silently falls back to UTC. Either use a base image that ships tzdata or mount it via configMap/volume.
Init containers don't inherit TZ from the main container in older charts — set it on the init container spec separately or their migration logs stay UTC.
Java apps need -Duser.timezone=America/Sao_Paulo in JAVA_OPTS in addition to TZ — the JVM reads its own property, not the env var, on some distributions.
PostgreSQL TZ env var sets the OS clock, not the database timezone setting. Server timestamps via now() still use the value in postgresql.conf — set both.

FAQ

What does the k8s-timezone-config skill do?

Configure timezone for Kubernetes pods using TZ environment variable. Use when deploying workloads that need Brazil/São Paulo timezone or when logs show UTC (+0000) instead of local time.

How do I install k8s-timezone-config?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/julianobarbosa/claude-code-skills --skill k8s-timezone-config in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/k8s-timezone-config/ (personal) or .claude/skills/k8s-timezone-config/ (project).

Which AI agents can use k8s-timezone-config?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is k8s-timezone-config safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains k8s-timezone-config?

It is published by julianobarbosa in julianobarbosa/claude-code-skills. It has 98 recorded installs.