#+TITLE: Edit Calendar Event Workflow
#+AUTHOR: Craig Jennings & Claude
#+DATE: 2026-02-01

* Overview

Workflow for editing existing calendar events. Uses the Google Calendar MCP server (preferred) or gcalcli (fallback, personal account only).

The MCP server supports direct event updates via =update-event= — no delete-and-recreate needed. gcalcli fallback still uses delete-and-recreate since gcalcli's edit command is interactive.

* Triggers

- "edit the meeting"
- "change my appointment"
- "reschedule"
- "update the event"
- "move my appointment"

* Prerequisites

- Google Calendar MCP server configured and authenticated (=@cocal/google-calendar-mcp=)
- Two accounts available: =personal= (Craig Google) and =work= (Craig Deepsat)
- Fallback: gcalcli installed (personal account only)
- Event must exist on calendar

* CRITICAL: Check All Calendars Before Rescheduling

When rescheduling an event, ALWAYS check for conflicts at the new time across ALL calendars:

1. *MCP server* — check both personal and work accounts via =list-events= or =get-freebusy=
2. *Emacs org files* — for Proton calendar (not accessible via MCP or gcalcli):

#+begin_src bash
grep "TARGET_DATE" ~/.emacs.d/data/pcal.org   # Proton calendar
#+end_src

Verify the new time is free across all calendars before rescheduling.

* Workflow Steps

** 1. Parse User Request

Extract:
- Which event (title, partial match, or date hint)
- What to change (if mentioned)

Examples:
- "Edit the dentist appointment" → search for "dentist"
- "Reschedule tomorrow's meeting" → search tomorrow's events
- "Change the 3pm call to 4pm" → search by time

** 2. Search for Event

*** MCP (preferred)
Use =search-events= or =list-events= MCP tool with appropriate =account_id= ("personal" or "work").

*** gcalcli (fallback, personal only)
#+begin_src bash
gcalcli --calendar "Calendar Name" search "event title"
gcalcli --calendar "Calendar Name" agenda "date" "date 11:59pm"
#+end_src

** 3. Handle Multiple Matches

If search returns multiple events:

#+begin_example
Found 3 events matching "meeting":

1. Team Meeting - Feb 3, 2026 at 9:00 AM
2. Project Meeting - Feb 4, 2026 at 2:00 PM
3. Client Meeting - Feb 5, 2026 at 10:00 AM

Which event do you want to edit? (1-3)
#+end_example

** 4. Display Full Event Details

Show the current event state:

#+begin_example
Event: Team Meeting
When: Monday, Feb 3, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Duration: 1 hour
Location: Conference Room A
Description: Weekly sync
Reminders: 5 min, 0 min
Calendar: Craig
#+end_example

** 5. Ask What to Change

Options:
- Title
- Date/Time
- Duration
- Location
- Description
- Reminders

Can change one or multiple fields.

** 6. Show Updated Summary

Before applying changes:

#+begin_example
Updated Event:
Event: Team Standup (was: Team Meeting)
When: Monday, Feb 3, 2026 at 9:30 AM (was: 9:00 AM)
Duration: 30 minutes (was: 1 hour)
Location: Conference Room A
Description: Weekly sync
Reminders: 5 min, 0 min
Calendar: Craig

Apply these changes? (yes/no)
#+end_example

** 7. Explicit Confirmation

*Do NOT apply changes until user confirms.*

** 8. Execute Edit

*** MCP (preferred — direct update)
Use the =update-event= MCP tool:
- =account_id=: "personal" or "work"
- =calendar_id=: calendar name or ID
- =event_id=: event ID (from search/list results)
- Only pass the fields that changed (summary, start, end, location, description, etc.)

*** gcalcli (fallback, personal only — delete + recreate)

Since gcalcli edit is interactive, use delete + add:

#+begin_src bash
# Delete original
gcalcli --calendar "Calendar Name" delete "Event Title" --iamaexpert

# Recreate with updated fields
gcalcli --calendar "Calendar Name" add \
  --title "Updated Title" \
  --when "new date/time" \
  --duration NEW_MINUTES \
  --where "Location" \
  --description "Description" \
  --reminder 5 \
  --reminder 0 \
  --noprompt
#+end_src

*Warning:* The gcalcli delete+recreate approach deletes ALL instances of a recurring event. The MCP =update-event= tool handles this more gracefully.

** 9. Verify

*** MCP
Use =search-events= or =get-event= to verify the update.

*** gcalcli (fallback)
#+begin_src bash
gcalcli --calendar "Calendar Name" search "Updated Title"
#+end_src

Report success or failure.

* Error Handling

** Event Not Found
- Verify spelling
- Try partial match
- Check date range

** Multiple Matches
- Show all matches
- Ask user to select one
- Use more specific search terms

** MCP Authentication Error
Use =manage-accounts= MCP tool with =action: "add"= to re-authenticate.

* Related

- [[file:add-calendar-event.org][Add Calendar Event]] - create events
- [[file:read-calendar-events.org][Read Calendar Events]] - view events
- [[file:delete-calendar-event.org][Delete Calendar Event]] - remove events