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#+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
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