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#+TITLE: Read Calendar Events Workflow
#+AUTHOR: Craig Jennings & Claude
#+DATE: 2026-02-01
* Overview
Workflow for viewing and querying calendar events. Uses the Google Calendar MCP server (preferred) or gcalcli (fallback, personal account only).
* Triggers
- "what's on my calendar"
- "show me appointments"
- "summarize my schedule"
- "what do I have today"
- "calendar for this week"
- "any meetings tomorrow"
* 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)
* CRITICAL: Cross-Calendar Visibility
The MCP server has access to both personal and work Google calendars. Use =list-events= with the appropriate =account_id= ("personal" or "work") to see events from each.
For a complete picture, also check the Proton calendar (not accessible via MCP or gcalcli):
#+begin_src bash
grep "2026-02-18" ~/.emacs.d/data/pcal.org # Proton calendar
#+end_src
*ALWAYS check Proton calendar* alongside MCP results when showing a full schedule or checking availability.
* Workflow Steps
** 1. Parse Time Range
Interpret the user's request to determine date range:
| Request | Interpretation |
|--------------------+-------------------------------|
| "today" | Today only |
| "tomorrow" | Tomorrow only |
| "this week" | Next 7 days |
| "next week" | 7-14 days from now |
| "this month" | Rest of current month |
| "April 2026" | That entire month |
| "next Tuesday" | That specific day |
| "the 15th" | The 15th of current month |
*No fixed default* - interpret from context. If unclear, ask.
** 2. Determine Calendar Scope
Options:
- All calendars (default — query both MCP accounts + Proton org file)
- Personal only: =account_id: "personal"=
- Work only: =account_id: "work"=
** 3. Query Calendar
*** MCP (preferred)
Use =list-events= MCP tool with:
- =account_id=: "personal" or "work" (query both for full picture)
- =time_min=, =time_max=: ISO 8601 datetime range
- =calendar_id=: specific calendar (optional, defaults to all)
Also use =get-freebusy= to quickly check availability across calendars.
*** gcalcli (fallback, personal only)
#+begin_src bash
gcalcli agenda "start_date" "end_date"
gcalcli calw # weekly view
gcalcli calm # monthly view
#+end_src
** 4. Format Results
Present events in a readable format:
#+begin_example
=== Tuesday, February 4, 2026 ===
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Team Standup
Location: Conference Room A
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Dentist Appointment
Location: Downtown Dental
=== Wednesday, February 5, 2026 ===
(No events)
=== Thursday, February 6, 2026 ===
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Project Review
Location: Zoom
#+end_example
** 5. Summarize
Provide a brief summary:
- Total number of events
- Busy days vs free days
- Any all-day events
- Conflicts (if any)
* gcalcli Command Reference
** Agenda View
#+begin_src bash
# Default agenda (next few days)
gcalcli agenda
# Today only
gcalcli agenda "today" "today 11:59pm"
# This week
gcalcli agenda "today" "+7 days"
# Specific date range
gcalcli agenda "2026-03-01" "2026-03-31"
# Specific calendar
gcalcli --calendar "Work" agenda "today" "+7 days"
#+end_src
** Calendar Views
#+begin_src bash
# Weekly calendar (visual)
gcalcli calw
# Monthly calendar (visual)
gcalcli calm
# Multiple weeks
gcalcli calw 2 # Next 2 weeks
#+end_src
** Search
#+begin_src bash
# Search by title
gcalcli search "meeting"
# Search specific calendar
gcalcli --calendar "Work" search "standup"
#+end_src
* Output Formats
gcalcli supports different output formats:
| Option | Description |
|------------------+--------------------------------|
| (default) | Colored terminal output |
| --nocolor | Plain text |
| --tsv | Tab-separated values |
* Time Range Examples
| User Says | gcalcli Command |
|------------------------+----------------------------------------------|
| "today" | agenda "today" "today 11:59pm" |
| "tomorrow" | agenda "tomorrow" "tomorrow 11:59pm" |
| "this week" | agenda "today" "+7 days" |
| "next week" | agenda "+7 days" "+14 days" |
| "February" | agenda "2026-02-01" "2026-02-28" |
| "next 3 days" | agenda "today" "+3 days" |
| "rest of the month" | agenda "today" "2026-02-28" |
* Calendars
| Calendar | Access | Account | Notes |
|---------------------------+--------+----------+--------------------------------|
| Craig Google | owner | personal | Default personal calendar |
| Christine | owner | personal | Christine's calendar |
| Craig Deepsat | owner | work | DeepSat work calendar |
| Todoist | owner | personal | Todoist integration |
| Craig Jennings (TripIt) | reader | personal | View only |
| Holidays in United States | reader | personal | View only |
| Craig Proton | reader | personal | View only (no API access) |
* Handling No Events
If the date range has no events:
- Confirm the range was correct
- Mention the calendar is free
- Offer to check a different range
Example: "No events found for tomorrow (Feb 3). Your calendar is free that day."
* Error Handling
** No Events Found
Not an error - calendar may simply be free.
** MCP Authentication Error
Use =manage-accounts= MCP tool with =action: "add"= to re-authenticate.
** gcalcli Authentication Error
Run =gcalcli init= to re-authenticate.
** Invalid Date Range
MCP: Use ISO 8601 format: =YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS±HH:MM=
gcalcli: Use explicit dates: =YYYY-MM-DD=
* Related
- [[file:add-calendar-event.org][Add Calendar Event]] - create events
- [[file:edit-calendar-event.org][Edit Calendar Event]] - modify events
- [[file:delete-calendar-event.org][Delete Calendar Event]] - remove events
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