Outlook Calendar Automation via Rube MCP

Automate Outlook Calendar operations through Composio's Outlook toolkit via Rube MCP.

Toolkit docs: composio.dev/toolkits/outlook

Prerequisites

• Rube MCP must be connected (RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS available)

• Active Outlook connection via RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit outlook

• Always call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS first to get current tool schemas

Setup

Get Rube MCP: Add https://rube.app/mcp as an MCP server in your client configuration. No API keys needed — just add the endpoint and it works.

• Verify Rube MCP is available by confirming RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS responds

• Call RUBE_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS with toolkit outlook

• If connection is not ACTIVE, follow the returned auth link to complete Microsoft OAuth

• Confirm connection status shows ACTIVE before running any workflows

Core Workflows

1. Create Calendar Events

When to use: User wants to schedule a new event on their Outlook calendar

Tool sequence:

• OUTLOOK_LIST_CALENDARS

• List available calendars [Optional]

• OUTLOOK_CALENDAR_CREATE_EVENT

• Create the event [Required]

Key parameters:

• subject : Event title

• start_datetime : ISO 8601 start time (e.g., '2025-01-03T10:00:00')

• end_datetime : ISO 8601 end time (must be after start)

• time_zone : IANA or Windows timezone (e.g., 'America/New_York', 'Pacific Standard Time')

• attendees_info : Array of email strings or attendee objects

• body : Event description (plain text or HTML)

• is_html : Set true if body contains HTML

• location : Physical location string

• is_online_meeting : Set true for Teams meeting link

• online_meeting_provider : 'teamsForBusiness' for Teams integration

• show_as : 'free', 'tentative', 'busy', 'oof'

Pitfalls:

• start_datetime must be chronologically before end_datetime

• time_zone is required and must be a valid IANA or Windows timezone name

• Adding attendees can trigger invitation emails immediately

• To generate a Teams meeting link, set BOTH is_online_meeting=true AND online_meeting_provider='teamsForBusiness'

• user_id defaults to 'me'; use email or UUID for other users' calendars

2. List and Search Events

When to use: User wants to find events on their calendar

Tool sequence:

• OUTLOOK_GET_MAILBOX_SETTINGS

• Get user timezone for accurate queries [Prerequisite]

• OUTLOOK_LIST_EVENTS

• Search events with filters [Required]

• OUTLOOK_GET_EVENT

• Get full details for a specific event [Optional]

• OUTLOOK_GET_CALENDAR_VIEW

• Get events active during a time window [Alternative]

Key parameters:

• filter : OData filter string (e.g., "start/dateTime ge '2024-07-01T00:00:00Z'")

• select : Array of properties to return

• orderby : Sort criteria (e.g., ['start/dateTime desc'])

• top : Results per page (1-999)

• timezone : Display timezone for results

• start_datetime /end_datetime : For CALENDAR_VIEW time window (UTC with Z suffix)

Pitfalls:

• OData filter datetime values require single quotes and Z suffix

• Use 'start/dateTime' for event start filtering, NOT 'receivedDateTime' (that is for emails)

• 'createdDateTime' supports orderby/select but NOT filtering

• Pagination: follow @odata.nextLink until all pages are collected

• CALENDAR_VIEW is better for "what's on my calendar today" queries (includes spanning events)

• LIST_EVENTS is better for keyword/category filtering

• Response events have start/end nested as start.dateTime and end.dateTime

3. Update Events

When to use: User wants to modify an existing calendar event

Tool sequence:

• OUTLOOK_LIST_EVENTS

• Find the event to update [Prerequisite]

• OUTLOOK_UPDATE_CALENDAR_EVENT

• Update the event [Required]

Key parameters:

• event_id : Unique event identifier (from LIST_EVENTS)

• subject : New event title (optional)

• start_datetime /end_datetime : New times (optional)

• time_zone : Timezone for new times

• attendees : Updated attendee list (replaces existing if provided)

• body : Updated description with contentType and content

• location : Updated location

Pitfalls:

• UPDATE merges provided fields with existing event; unspecified fields are preserved

• Providing attendees replaces the ENTIRE attendee list; include all desired attendees

• Providing categories replaces the ENTIRE category list

• Updating times may trigger re-sends to attendees

• event_id is required; obtain from LIST_EVENTS first

4. Delete Events and Decline Invitations

When to use: User wants to remove an event or decline a meeting invitation

Tool sequence:

• OUTLOOK_DELETE_EVENT

• Delete an event [Optional]

• OUTLOOK_DECLINE_EVENT

• Decline a meeting invitation [Optional]

Key parameters:

• event_id : Event to delete or decline

• send_notifications : Send cancellation notices to attendees (default true)

• comment : Reason for declining (for DECLINE_EVENT)

• proposedNewTime : Suggest alternative time when declining

Pitfalls:

• Deletion with send_notifications=true sends cancellation emails

• Declining supports proposing a new time with start/end in ISO 8601 format

• Deleting a recurring event master deletes all occurrences

• sendResponse in DECLINE_EVENT controls whether the organizer is notified

5. Find Available Meeting Times

When to use: User wants to find optimal meeting slots across multiple people

Tool sequence:

• OUTLOOK_FIND_MEETING_TIMES

• Get meeting time suggestions [Required]

• OUTLOOK_GET_SCHEDULE

• Check free/busy for specific people [Alternative]

Key parameters:

• attendees : Array of attendee objects with email and type

• meetingDuration : ISO 8601 duration (e.g., 'PT1H' for 1 hour, 'PT30M' for 30 min)

• timeConstraint : Time slots to search within

• minimumAttendeePercentage : Minimum confidence threshold (0-100)

• Schedules : Email array for GET_SCHEDULE

• StartTime /EndTime : Time window for schedule lookup (max 62 days)

Pitfalls:

• FIND_MEETING_TIMES searches within work hours by default; use activityDomain='unrestricted' for 24/7

• Time constraint time slots require dateTime and timeZone for both start and end

• GET_SCHEDULE period cannot exceed 62 days

• Meeting suggestions respect attendee availability but may return suboptimal times for complex groups

Common Patterns

Event ID Resolution

1. Call OUTLOOK_LIST_EVENTS with time-bound filter
2. Find target event by subject or other criteria
3. Extract event id (e.g., 'AAMkAGI2TAAA=')
4. Use in UPDATE, DELETE, or GET_EVENT calls

OData Filter Syntax for Calendar

Time range filter:

filter: "start/dateTime ge '2024-07-01T00:00:00Z' and start/dateTime le '2024-07-31T23:59:59Z'"

Subject contains:

filter: "contains(subject, 'Project Review')"

Combined:

filter: "contains(subject, 'Review') and categories/any(c:c eq 'Work')"

Timezone Handling

• Get user timezone: OUTLOOK_GET_MAILBOX_SETTINGS with select=['timeZone']

• Use consistent timezone in filter datetime values

• Calendar View requires UTC timestamps with Z suffix

• LIST_EVENTS filter accepts timezone in datetime values

Online Meeting Creation

1. Set is_online_meeting: true
2. Set online_meeting_provider: 'teamsForBusiness'
3. Create event with OUTLOOK_CALENDAR_CREATE_EVENT
4. Teams join link available in response onlineMeeting field
5. Or retrieve via OUTLOOK_GET_EVENT for the full join URL

Known Pitfalls

DateTime Formats:

• ISO 8601 format required: '2025-01-03T10:00:00'

• Calendar View requires UTC with Z: '2025-01-03T10:00:00Z'

• Filter values need single quotes: "'2025-01-03T00:00:00Z'"

• Timezone mismatches shift event boundaries; always resolve user timezone first

OData Filter Errors:

• 400 Bad Request usually indicates filter syntax issues

• Not all event properties support filtering (createdDateTime does not)

• Retry with adjusted syntax/bounds on 400 errors

• Valid filter fields: start/dateTime, end/dateTime, subject, categories, isAllDay

Attendee Management:

• Adding attendees triggers invitation emails

• Updating attendees replaces the full list; include all desired attendees

• Attendee types: 'required', 'optional', 'resource'

• Calendar delegation affects which calendars are accessible

Response Structure:

• Events nested at response.data.value

• Event times at event.start.dateTime and event.end.dateTime

• Calendar View may nest at data.results[i].response.data.value

• Parse defensively with fallbacks for different nesting levels

Quick Reference

Task Tool Slug Key Params

Create event OUTLOOK_CALENDAR_CREATE_EVENT subject, start_datetime, end_datetime, time_zone

List events OUTLOOK_LIST_EVENTS filter, select, top, timezone

Get event details OUTLOOK_GET_EVENT event_id

Calendar view OUTLOOK_GET_CALENDAR_VIEW start_datetime, end_datetime

Update event OUTLOOK_UPDATE_CALENDAR_EVENT event_id, subject, start_datetime

Delete event OUTLOOK_DELETE_EVENT event_id, send_notifications

Decline event OUTLOOK_DECLINE_EVENT event_id, comment

Find meeting times OUTLOOK_FIND_MEETING_TIMES attendees, meetingDuration

Get schedule OUTLOOK_GET_SCHEDULE Schedules, StartTime, EndTime

List calendars OUTLOOK_LIST_CALENDARS user_id

Mailbox settings OUTLOOK_GET_MAILBOX_SETTINGS select

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