diff --git a/backends/cxxrtl/cxxrtl_backend.cc b/backends/cxxrtl/cxxrtl_backend.cc
index ef718067f25..620b530b007 100644
--- a/backends/cxxrtl/cxxrtl_backend.cc
+++ b/backends/cxxrtl/cxxrtl_backend.cc
@@ -1072,9 +1072,9 @@ struct CxxrtlWorker {
 		dump_sigspec_rhs(cell->getPort(ID::EN));
 		f << " == value<1>{1u}) {\n";
 		inc_indent();
-			f << indent << "auto formatter = [&](int64_t itime, double ftime) {\n";
+			f << indent << "auto formatter = [&](struct performer *performer) {\n";
 			inc_indent();
-				fmt.emit_cxxrtl(f, indent, [this](const RTLIL::SigSpec &sig) { dump_sigspec_rhs(sig); });
+				fmt.emit_cxxrtl(f, indent, [this](const RTLIL::SigSpec &sig) { dump_sigspec_rhs(sig); }, "performer");
 			dec_indent();
 			f << indent << "};\n";
 			f << indent << "if (performer) {\n";
@@ -1082,11 +1082,11 @@ struct CxxrtlWorker {
 				f << indent << "static const metadata_map attributes = ";
 				dump_metadata_map(cell->attributes);
 				f << ";\n";
-				f << indent << "performer->on_print(formatter(performer->time(), performer->realtime()), attributes);\n";
+				f << indent << "performer->on_print(formatter(performer), attributes);\n";
 			dec_indent();
 			f << indent << "} else {\n";
 			inc_indent();
-				f << indent << print_output << " << formatter(0, 0.0);\n";
+				f << indent << print_output << " << formatter(performer);\n";
 			dec_indent();
 			f << indent << "}\n";
 		dec_indent();
diff --git a/backends/cxxrtl/runtime/cxxrtl/cxxrtl.h b/backends/cxxrtl/runtime/cxxrtl/cxxrtl.h
index cfdb66f5c22..a8a011d15aa 100644
--- a/backends/cxxrtl/runtime/cxxrtl/cxxrtl.h
+++ b/backends/cxxrtl/runtime/cxxrtl/cxxrtl.h
@@ -948,10 +948,10 @@ typedef std::map<std::string, metadata> metadata_map;
 // An object that can be passed to a `eval()` method in order to act on side effects.
 struct performer {
 	// Called to evaluate a Verilog `$time` expression.
-	virtual int64_t time() const { return 0; }
+	virtual int64_t vlog_time() const { return 0; }
 
 	// Called to evaluate a Verilog `$realtime` expression.
-	virtual double realtime() const { return time(); }
+	virtual double vlog_realtime() const { return vlog_time(); }
 
 	// Called when a `$print` cell is triggered.
 	virtual void on_print(const std::string &output, const metadata_map &attributes) { std::cout << output; }
@@ -976,10 +976,10 @@ struct observer {
 // Default member initializers would make this a non-aggregate-type in C++11, so they are commented out.
 struct fmt_part {
 	enum {
-		STRING  	= 0,
-		INTEGER 	= 1,
+		STRING    = 0,
+		INTEGER   = 1,
 		CHARACTER = 2,
-		TIME    	= 3,
+		VLOG_TIME = 3,
 	} type;
 
 	// STRING type
@@ -988,7 +988,7 @@ struct fmt_part {
 	// INTEGER/CHARACTER types
 	// + value<Bits> val;
 
-	// INTEGER/CHARACTER/TIME types
+	// INTEGER/CHARACTER/VLOG_TIME types
 	enum {
 		RIGHT	= 0,
 		LEFT	= 1,
@@ -1001,16 +1001,16 @@ struct fmt_part {
 	bool signed_; // = false;
 	bool plus; // = false;
 
-	// TIME type
+	// VLOG_TIME type
 	bool realtime; // = false;
 	// + int64_t itime;
 	// + double ftime;
 
 	// Format the part as a string.
 	//
-	// The values of `itime` and `ftime` are used for `$time` and `$realtime`, correspondingly.
+	// The values of `vlog_time` and `vlog_realtime` are used for Verilog `$time` and `$realtime`, correspondingly.
 	template<size_t Bits>
-	std::string render(value<Bits> val, int64_t itime, double ftime)
+	std::string render(value<Bits> val, performer *performer = nullptr)
 	{
 		// We might want to replace some of these bit() calls with direct
 		// chunk access if it turns out to be slow enough to matter.
@@ -1077,8 +1077,12 @@ struct fmt_part {
 				break;
 			}
 
-			case TIME: {
-				buf = realtime ? std::to_string(ftime) : std::to_string(itime);
+			case VLOG_TIME: {
+				if (performer) {
+					buf = realtime ? std::to_string(performer->vlog_realtime()) : std::to_string(performer->vlog_time());
+				} else {
+					buf = realtime ? std::to_string(0.0) : std::to_string(0);
+				}
 				break;
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/kernel/fmt.cc b/kernel/fmt.cc
index 7d16b20c1d5..18eb7cb7193 100644
--- a/kernel/fmt.cc
+++ b/kernel/fmt.cc
@@ -110,9 +110,9 @@ void Fmt::parse_rtlil(const RTLIL::Cell *cell) {
 				} else if (fmt[i] == 'c') {
 					part.type = FmtPart::CHARACTER;
 				} else if (fmt[i] == 't') {
-					part.type = FmtPart::TIME;
+					part.type = FmtPart::VLOG_TIME;
 				} else if (fmt[i] == 'r') {
-					part.type = FmtPart::TIME;
+					part.type = FmtPart::VLOG_TIME;
 					part.realtime = true;
 				} else {
 					log_assert(false && "Unexpected character in format substitution");
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ void Fmt::emit_rtlil(RTLIL::Cell *cell) const {
 				}
 				break;
 
-			case FmtPart::TIME:
+			case FmtPart::VLOG_TIME:
 				log_assert(part.sig.size() == 0);
 				YS_FALLTHROUGH
 			case FmtPart::CHARACTER:
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ void Fmt::emit_rtlil(RTLIL::Cell *cell) const {
 					fmt += part.signed_ ? 's' : 'u';
 				} else if (part.type == FmtPart::CHARACTER) {
 					fmt += 'c';
-				} else if (part.type == FmtPart::TIME) {
+				} else if (part.type == FmtPart::VLOG_TIME) {
 					if (part.realtime)
 						fmt += 'r';
 					else
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ void Fmt::parse_verilog(const std::vector<VerilogFmtArg> &args, bool sformat_lik
 
 			case VerilogFmtArg::TIME: {
 				FmtPart part = {};
-				part.type = FmtPart::TIME;
+				part.type = FmtPart::VLOG_TIME;
 				part.realtime = arg->realtime;
 				part.padding = ' ';
 				part.width = 20;
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ void Fmt::parse_verilog(const std::vector<VerilogFmtArg> &args, bool sformat_lik
 									part.padding = ' ';
 								} else if (fmt[i] == 't' || fmt[i] == 'T') {
 									if (arg->type == VerilogFmtArg::TIME) {
-										part.type = FmtPart::TIME;
+										part.type = FmtPart::VLOG_TIME;
 										part.realtime = arg->realtime;
 										if (!has_width && !has_leading_zero)
 											part.width = 20;
@@ -541,7 +541,7 @@ std::vector<VerilogFmtArg> Fmt::emit_verilog() const
 				break;
 			}
 
-			case FmtPart::TIME: {
+			case FmtPart::VLOG_TIME: {
 				VerilogFmtArg arg;
 				arg.type = VerilogFmtArg::TIME;
 				if (part.realtime)
@@ -592,7 +592,7 @@ std::string escape_cxx_string(const std::string &input)
 	return output;
 }
 
-void Fmt::emit_cxxrtl(std::ostream &os, std::string indent, std::function<void(const RTLIL::SigSpec &)> emit_sig) const
+void Fmt::emit_cxxrtl(std::ostream &os, std::string indent, std::function<void(const RTLIL::SigSpec &)> emit_sig, const std::string &context) const
 {
 	os << indent << "std::string buf;\n";
 	for (auto &part : parts) {
@@ -602,7 +602,7 @@ void Fmt::emit_cxxrtl(std::ostream &os, std::string indent, std::function<void(c
 			case FmtPart::STRING:    os << "STRING";    break;
 			case FmtPart::INTEGER:   os << "INTEGER";   break;
 			case FmtPart::CHARACTER: os << "CHARACTER"; break;
-			case FmtPart::TIME:      os << "TIME";      break;
+			case FmtPart::VLOG_TIME: os << "VLOG_TIME"; break;
 		}
 		os << ", ";
 		os << escape_cxx_string(part.str) << ", ";
@@ -620,7 +620,7 @@ void Fmt::emit_cxxrtl(std::ostream &os, std::string indent, std::function<void(c
 		os << part.realtime;
 		os << " }.render(";
 		emit_sig(part.sig);
-		os << ", itime, ftime);\n";
+		os << ", " << context << ");\n";
 	}
 	os << indent << "return buf;\n";
 }
@@ -636,8 +636,8 @@ std::string Fmt::render() const
 				break;
 
 			case FmtPart::INTEGER:
-			case FmtPart::TIME:
-			case FmtPart::CHARACTER: {
+			case FmtPart::CHARACTER:
+			case FmtPart::VLOG_TIME: {
 				std::string buf;
 				if (part.type == FmtPart::INTEGER) {
 					RTLIL::Const value = part.sig.as_const();
@@ -720,7 +720,7 @@ std::string Fmt::render() const
 					} else log_abort();
 				} else if (part.type == FmtPart::CHARACTER) {
 					buf = part.sig.as_const().decode_string();
-				} else if (part.type == FmtPart::TIME) {
+				} else if (part.type == FmtPart::VLOG_TIME) {
 					// We only render() during initial, so time is always zero.
 					buf = "0";
 				}
diff --git a/kernel/fmt.h b/kernel/fmt.h
index 126d020c016..3bedb786ec4 100644
--- a/kernel/fmt.h
+++ b/kernel/fmt.h
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ struct FmtPart {
 		STRING  	= 0,
 		INTEGER 	= 1,
 		CHARACTER = 2,
-		TIME    	= 3,
+		VLOG_TIME = 3,
 	} type;
 
 	// STRING type
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ struct FmtPart {
 	// INTEGER/CHARACTER types
 	RTLIL::SigSpec sig;
 
-	// INTEGER/CHARACTER/TIME types
+	// INTEGER/CHARACTER/VLOG_TIME types
 	enum {
 		RIGHT	= 0,
 		LEFT	= 1,
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ struct FmtPart {
 	bool signed_ = false;
 	bool plus = false;
 
-	// TIME type
+	// VLOG_TIME type
 	bool realtime = false;
 };
 
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ struct Fmt {
 	void parse_verilog(const std::vector<VerilogFmtArg> &args, bool sformat_like, int default_base, RTLIL::IdString task_name, RTLIL::IdString module_name);
 	std::vector<VerilogFmtArg> emit_verilog() const;
 
-	void emit_cxxrtl(std::ostream &os, std::string indent, std::function<void(const RTLIL::SigSpec &)> emit_sig) const;
+	void emit_cxxrtl(std::ostream &os, std::string indent, std::function<void(const RTLIL::SigSpec &)> emit_sig, const std::string &context) const;
 
 	std::string render() const;
 
diff --git a/tests/fmt/always_full_tb.cc b/tests/fmt/always_full_tb.cc
index a29a8ae05bc..1dd80d0a230 100644
--- a/tests/fmt/always_full_tb.cc
+++ b/tests/fmt/always_full_tb.cc
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 int main()
 {
 	struct : public performer {
-		int64_t time() const override { return 1; }
+		int64_t vlog_time() const override { return 1; }
 		void on_print(const std::string &output, const cxxrtl::metadata_map &) override { std::cerr << output; }
 	} performer;