Outlook Search Via Composio

Outlook search via Composio

The agent does not call Microsoft Graph directly. The full mailbox is reachable through Composio's hosted MCP server, which exposes Outlook as a family of tools prefixed OUTLOOK_* (exact names vary by Composio version — discover them in the toolset, don't hardcode).

The three-step search pattern

Every search request follows the same shape:

1. Plan — call plan_email_search("<user's phrase>"). Returns structured filters: from_addresses, keywords, has_attachments, after_iso, before_iso.
2. Execute — pick the right Composio Outlook tool:
   • Listing/filtering by sender or date window → OUTLOOK_LIST_MESSAGES (or whichever the toolset names it).
   • Full-text body+subject search → use the $search parameter where available.
   • Pull a specific thread → OUTLOOK_GET_CONVERSATION / OUTLOOK_GET_MESSAGE.
   • Drafts only → filter isDraft eq true.
3. Rank — pass the returned hits (as JSON) to rank_search_hits. Recent + frequent-sender hits float to the top.

When to widen, when to narrow

• Zero hits → first widen the date window (drop after_iso), then drop keywords one at a time, then try $search instead of exact filters. Tell the user what you widened.
• >20 hits → narrow with stronger filters (specific sender, tighter date window, attachment requirement). Don't dump 20 results on the user — show the top 5 ranked, summarize the rest as "12 more".

Common pitfalls

• The user says "last week" on a Monday — that usually means the previous Mon–Sun, not the past 7 days. If results from the literal 7-day window look thin, try the prior calendar week.
• Display names ≠ email addresses. If plan_email_search returns from_addresses=[] but the user named someone ("emails from Anna"), search by display name in $search instead of as a from-filter.
• Attachments in Outlook are not part of the message body by default. Use the attachment-specific tool to fetch them; the body field will not include their contents.

Output shape

When you reply to the user with results, return:

• A one-line summary of what you found (count + what you filtered on)
• Up to 5 hits as a compact list: [date] sender — subject (one-line snippet)
• If you searched and got nothing, say what you tried and offer a wider variant.

Do not paste full email bodies unless the user asked to read one specifically.