Google Calendar MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives Claude full access to your Google Calendar. Create events, check availability, manage calendars, and more - all through natural conversation.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Configuration
• Claude Code Setup
• Usage Examples
• Available Tools
• Security
• Development
• Troubleshooting
• License

Features

• 39 MCP Tools for complete Google Calendar control
• Events: Create, read, update, delete, move, import, quick add
• Calendars: CRUD operations, clear calendar contents
• CalendarList: Subscribe/unsubscribe, manage visibility
• ACL: Share calendars with others
• Settings: Read user preferences
• Free/Busy: Query availability across calendars
• Automatic Meet links for video conferencing
• Prompt-on-write security: Starts read-only, escalates as needed

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

1. Node.js 18 or higher installed:

   node --version   # Should show v18.x or higher
   npm --version    # Should show v9.x or higher
   

2. A Google Account with Google Calendar enabled

3. Claude Code installed and available in your PATH

Installation

Step 1: Get the Google Calendar MCP Server Code

Open your terminal and run:

# Navigate to where you keep your projects
cd ~/projects   # or any directory you prefer

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/sandeepmallareddy/gcalendar-mcp.git

# Go into the project folder
cd gcalendar-mcp

Step 2: Install Dependencies

In the terminal, inside the gcalendar-mcp folder:

npm install

This will download all required packages. Wait for it to complete (you'll see a list of packages installed).

Step 3: Build the Server

Compile the TypeScript code to JavaScript:

npm run build

You should see a build/ folder created with the compiled files.

Step 4: Verify the Build

# Check that the built file exists
ls -la build/index.js

Configuration

Step 1: Set Up Google OAuth Credentials

Google requires authentication to access your calendar. Here's how to set it up:

1. Go to Google Cloud Console

   https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials
   

2. Create a new project (or select existing):

   • Click "Select a project" at the top
   • Click "New Project"
   • Name: Google Calendar MCP
   • Click "Create"

3. Enable the Google Calendar API:

   • In the left menu, click "Library"
   • Search for "Google Calendar API"
   • Click on it and click "Enable"

4. Create OAuth 2.0 credentials:

   • In the left menu, click "Credentials"
   • Click "Create Credentials"
   • Select "OAuth client ID"
   • Application type: "Desktop application"
   • Name: "Google Calendar MCP"
   • Click "Create"
   • Copy the Client ID and Client Secret (you'll need them soon)

5. Add redirect URI:

   • Under the OAuth 2.0 Client ID you just created
   • Add http://localhost:3000/oauth2callback to "Authorized redirect URIs"
   • Click "Save"

Step 2: Create Environment File (Optional)

Create a file named .env in the gcalendar-mcp folder with your credentials:

# Create the file (or open with your editor)
nano .env

Add the following content (replace with your actual values):

GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=YOUR_CLIENT_ID.apps.googleusercontent.com
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET
GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URI=http://localhost:3000/oauth2callback

Important: Replace YOUR_CLIENT_ID and YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET with the values you copied from Google Cloud Console.

Save the file:

• Press Ctrl + X to exit
• Press Y to confirm
• Press Enter to save

Step 3: Set Proper File Permissions (Optional but Recommended)

Secure your environment file:

# Restrict access to your user only
chmod 600 .env

Claude Code Setup

Add the MCP Server Using CLI

Claude Code provides a built-in command to add MCP servers. Run this in your terminal:

# Add the Google Calendar MCP server
claude mcp add gcalendar --transport stdio \
  --env GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID="YOUR_CLIENT_ID.apps.googleusercontent.com" \
  --env GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET="YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" \
  --env GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URI="http://localhost:3000/oauth2callback" \
  -- node /PATH/TO/YOUR/gcalendar-mcp/build/index.js

Important: Replace the following:

• YOUR_CLIENT_ID - Your Google OAuth Client ID
• YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET - Your Google OAuth Client Secret
• /PATH/TO/YOUR/gcalendar-mcp/ - The actual path to your gcalendar-mcp folder

Example (adjust paths for your system):

claude mcp add gcalendar --transport stdio \
  --env GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID="398036798396-xxx.apps.googleusercontent.com" \
  --env GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET="GOCSPX-xxx" \
  --env GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URI="http://localhost:3000/oauth2callback" \
  -- node /home/username/projects/gcalendar-mcp/build/index.js

Verify Installation

# List all configured MCP servers
claude mcp list

# You should see gcalendar in the list

Complete Authentication

The first time you use a calendar tool:

1. Claude will indicate authentication is needed
2. A URL will be displayed - open it in your browser
3. Sign in with your Google account
4. Review the permissions and click "Continue"
5. You'll be redirected to a localhost page
6. Copy the code from the URL and provide it when prompted

Your tokens are stored securely at:

• macOS/Linux: ~/.config/gcalendar-mcp/tokens.json

Managing the Server

# List all MCP servers
claude mcp list

# Get details about gcalendar server
claude mcp get gcalendar

# Remove the gcalendar server
claude mcp remove gcalendar

# Restart Claude Code to reload the server

Configuration Storage

The MCP server configuration is stored in ~/.claude.json. After adding the server, you can view it:

cat ~/.claude.json

The configuration will look like:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gcalendar": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/gcalendar-mcp/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID": "...",
        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET": "...",
        "GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URI": "..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

Once connected, you can ask Claude to:

# Check your schedule
"What meetings do I have tomorrow?"

# Create events
"Schedule a team meeting with [email protected] next Tuesday at 2pm for 1 hour"

# Find free time
"When is everyone free next Friday afternoon?"

# Get availability
"Am I free at 3pm today?"

# Manage calendars
"Create a new calendar called 'Side Projects'"

# Share calendars
"Share my work calendar with [email protected] as writer"

# Natural language
"Remind me to call mom on Sunday at 10am"

Available Tools

Events

Tool	Description
create_event	Create a new event with title, time, location, attendees
get_event	Get details of a specific event
list_events	List events with filters (date range, search, etc.)
update_event	Fully update an event
patch_event	Partially update an event (only changed fields)
delete_event	Delete an event
move_event	Move event to another calendar
quick_add	Create event from natural language
import_event	Import event by UID
list_instances	Get occurrences of a recurring event
watch_events	Set up push notifications for changes

Calendars

Tool	Description
get_calendar	Get calendar metadata
create_calendar	Create a new calendar
update_calendar	Update calendar properties
delete_calendar	Delete a calendar
clear_calendar	Remove all events from a calendar

Calendar List

Tool	Description
list_calendar_list	List all calendars you're subscribed to
add_calendar_to_list	Subscribe to a calendar
remove_calendar_from_list	Unsubscribe from a calendar

Access Control (ACL)

Tool	Description
list_acl	List who has access to a calendar
create_acl_rule	Share a calendar with someone
delete_acl_rule	Remove someone's access

Other

Tool	Description
query_freebusy	Check availability across calendars
get_colors	Get available calendar and event colors
list_settings	List your Google Calendar settings

Security

This server follows security best practices:

• OAuth 2.0: Industry-standard authentication
• Token storage: Credentials stored in ~/.config/gcalendar-mcp/
• Minimal scopes: Starts with read-only, requests more only when needed
• No logging: Credentials are never written to logs

Token File Permissions

After authentication, secure your token file:

chmod 700 ~/.config/gcalendar-mcp
chmod 600 ~/.config/gcalendar-mcp/tokens.json

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Development mode with hot reload
npm run dev

# Build for production
npm run build

# Run built server
node build/index.js

# Run tests
npm test

# Type check
npm run typecheck

# Lint code
npm run lint

# Format code
npm run format

# Full check
npm run check

Troubleshooting

"Command not found: claude"

Claude Code CLI is not installed or not in your PATH.

# Check if Claude is installed
which claude   # macOS/Linux)

# If not installed, download from https://claude.com/claude-code

Authentication fails

1. Verify your Client ID and Client Secret are correct
2. Ensure redirect URI is exactly http://localhost:3000/oauth2callback
3. Check that Google Calendar API is enabled
4. Try deleting tokens and re-authenticating:

   rm ~/.config/gcalendar-mcp/tokens.json
   

Tools not appearing in Claude

1. Restart Claude Code completely
2. Verify the server is listed:

   claude mcp list
   

3. Check the server details:

   claude mcp get gcalendar
   

4. Verify the server builds successfully:

   cd gcalendar-mcp
   npm run build
   

"Server already running" error

The OAuth callback server might still be running. Kill it:

# Find the process
lsof -i :3000

# Kill it (replace PID with the number you see)
kill [PID]

Token expired errors

Tokens refresh automatically. If you see persistent errors:

rm ~/.config/gcalendar-mcp/tokens.json
# Re-authenticate through Claude

MCP server not starting

Check the server configuration:

# View full MCP configuration
cat ~/.claude.json

# Verify the path to your build file exists
ls -la /path/to/gcalendar-mcp/build/index.js

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Support

• Report bugs via GitHub Issues
• Security issues: see SECURITY.md