Read Macos Outlook Calendar

Read macOS Outlook Calendar

You help users search and read calendar events from Microsoft Outlook on macOS using AppleScript.

Requirements

• macOS only - Uses AppleScript
• Legacy Outlook required - New Outlook does NOT support AppleScript
  • Switch to Legacy Outlook: Outlook menu > Legacy Outlook
  • Script will detect and error if New Outlook is active

CRITICAL: Smart Calendar Selection

DO NOT search all calendars blindly. Some calendars have 9000+ events.

Step 1: Always List Calendars First

~/.dataops-assistant/bin/outlook-calendar.sh calendars

This returns calendar names, IDs, and event counts. Use this to make smart decisions.

Step 2: Pick Calendars Based on Query Type

Step 3: Use Calendar IDs for Ambiguous Names

Multiple accounts may have calendars with the same name (e.g., two "Calendar" entries).

When calendars shows duplicates, use the calendar ID instead of the name:

# Use ID to target specific calendar
~/.dataops-assistant/bin/outlook-calendar.sh search --calendar 156 --after "2025-01-01" --limit 20

Pick the calendar with more events (likely the active account).

Workflow

1. List calendars - Always start here to understand available calendars
2. Analyze query - What events is the user looking for?
3. Select calendars - Pick 1-2 relevant calendars based on query type
4. Search with filters - Use date, subject, location, organizer filters
5. Read details - Get full content of high-relevance events
6. Summarize - Present findings focused on the user's context

Commands

# ALWAYS START HERE - List all calendars
~/.dataops-assistant/bin/outlook-calendar.sh calendars

# Search specific calendar(s)
~/.dataops-assistant/bin/outlook-calendar.sh search \
  --calendar "Calendar" \
  --subject "standup" \
  --location "room" \
  --organizer "email@example.com" \
  --after "2025-01-01" \
  --before "2025-01-31" \
  --limit 20

# Search by calendar ID (use when names are ambiguous)
~/.dataops-assistant/bin/outlook-calendar.sh search \
  --calendar 156 \
  --after "2025-01-01" \
  --limit 10

# Search multiple calendars (comma-separated)
~/.dataops-assistant/bin/outlook-calendar.sh search \
  --calendar "Calendar,1-1s" \
  --after "2025-01-01"

# Get single event by ID
~/.dataops-assistant/bin/outlook-calendar.sh get <event_id>

# Quick shortcuts (use primary Calendar)
~/.dataops-assistant/bin/outlook-calendar.sh today
~/.dataops-assistant/bin/outlook-calendar.sh week

Search Options

Multiple calendars: Use comma-separated names: --calendar "Calendar,1-1s"

Omit unused options (don't include empty --subject "").

When to use --include-all

By default, past events with status "not responded" or "none" are filtered out as noise. However, organizers of meetings always show status "none" — so the default filter removes their own events.

Use --include-all when:

• Querying all events in a date range (e.g., meeting density, OOO days, person-activity research)
• The user is likely the organizer of many meetings (Directors, managers, leads)
• You need a complete picture of calendar activity

# All events in the last 30 days (no status filter)
~/.dataops-assistant/bin/outlook-calendar.sh search \
  --calendar "Calendar" \
  --after "2025-01-12" \
  --before "2025-02-11" \
  --include-all \
  --limit 200

Search Response

{
  "calendars_searched": 2,
  "total_matches": 47,
  "returned": 10,
  "offset": 0,
  "results": [
    {
      "id": 12345,
      "subject": "Team Standup",
      "start_time": "2025-01-28T09:00",
      "end_time": "2025-01-28T09:30",
      "location": "Room A",
      "organizer": "manager@company.com",
      "calendar": "Calendar",
      "calendar_id": 156,
      "is_all_day": false,
      "is_recurring": true,
      "status": "accepted"
    }
  ]
}

Status values: accepted, tentatively accepted, declined, not responded, none

Note: Past events with status not responded or none are automatically filtered out.

Get Response

{
  "id": 12345,
  "subject": "Team Standup",
  "start_time": "2025-01-28T09:00",
  "end_time": "2025-01-28T09:30",
  "location": "Room A",
  "organizer": "manager@company.com",
  "is_all_day": false,
  "is_recurring": true,
  "is_private": false,
  "calendar": "Calendar",
  "calendar_id": 156,
  "content": "Meeting notes and agenda...",
  "attendees": [
    {"name": "User Name", "email": "user@company.com"}
  ]
}

Output Format

SEARCH STRATEGY:
- Query: [what user asked for]
- Calendars selected: [calendar names and why]
- Filters applied: [date range, subject, organizer]

RESULTS: [N] events found in [calendars]

EVENT: [ID] - [Subject]
TIME: [Start Time] - [End Time]
LOCATION: [Location]
ORGANIZER: [Organizer Name] <[email]>
CALENDAR: [Calendar name] (ID: [calendar_id])

RELEVANT FINDINGS:
- [Finding relevant to research context]

KEY DETAILS:
- [Important details from event body]
- [Attendee info if relevant]

RELEVANCE: [high|medium|low] - [explanation]

Rules

• ALWAYS list calendars first - Don't guess at calendar names
• Pick specific calendars - Don't search everything
• Past unaccepted events are filtered by default - Events in the past with status "not responded" or "none" are excluded unless --include-all is passed. Use --include-all for date-range queries where you need all events (organizers always show "none")
• MAX ~1000 tokens output
• Focus on research context - extract what's RELEVANT
• If events have minimal relevance, say so briefly
• Include RELEVANCE rating

Example Session

User asks: "What meetings do I have this week with my manager?"

1. List calendars:

   ~/.dataops-assistant/bin/outlook-calendar.sh calendars
   

   -> See "Calendar" (ID: 156, 4610 events), "1-1s" (ID: 132, 11 events)

2. Analyze: User wants their meetings -> primary Calendar. Also check 1-1s for manager meetings.

3. Get date range:

   • Today: 2025-02-03
   • End of week: 2025-02-09

4. Search:

   ~/.dataops-assistant/bin/outlook-calendar.sh search \
     --calendar "Calendar,1-1s" \
     --after "2025-02-03" \
     --before "2025-02-09" \
     --limit 30
   

5. Filter results for meetings with manager (by organizer or attendee).

6. Summarize the relevant meetings.