---

name: outlook-calendar description: "Read Outlook calendar events via ICS subscription. Use when user asks about meetings, schedule, calendar, appointments, or availability."

Outlook Calendar Reader

Overview

This skill reads calendar events from Outlook via ICS subscription URL.

When to Use

• User asks about today's meetings or schedule
• User asks about upcoming events
• User wants to check availability
• User asks "What's on my calendar?"

ICS URL Configuration

ICS URL: <YOUR_ICS_URL_HERE>

⚠️ Setup Required: Replace <YOUR_ICS_URL_HERE> above with your actual ICS URL.

How to get your ICS URL:

1. Open Outlook Web
2. Go to Calendar → Settings (gear icon) → View all Outlook settings
3. Calendar → Shared calendars → Publish a calendar
4. Select calendar and permissions → Publish → Copy ICS link

Execution Steps

Method 1: Use ics_parser.py (Recommended)

The skill includes ics_parser.py that handles all parsing and RRULE expansion.

Prerequisite: uv must be installed.

Copy# Get today's date
TODAY=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)

# Parse events for today
uv run ~/.claude/skills/outlook-calendar/ics_parser.py \
  --url "ICS_URL_HERE" \
  --start "$TODAY" \
  --end "$TODAY"

# Parse events for a date range
uv run ~/.claude/skills/outlook-calendar/ics_parser.py \
  --url "ICS_URL_HERE" \
  --start 2025-12-01 \
  --end 2025-12-31

# Output as JSON
uv run ~/.claude/skills/outlook-calendar/ics_parser.py \
  --url "ICS_URL_HERE" \
  --start 2025-12-01 \
  --end 2025-12-31 \
  --format json

# Debug mode (shows event counts)
uv run ~/.claude/skills/outlook-calendar/ics_parser.py \
  --url "ICS_URL_HERE" \
  --start 2025-12-01 \
  --end 2025-12-31 \
  --debug

Method 2: Manual Parsing with WebFetch

If the script is not available, use WebFetch and parse manually:

1. Fetch ICS: Use WebFetch to retrieve the ICS URL
2. Parse Events: Extract VEVENT blocks
3. Handle RRULE: Expand recurring events (see RRULE Reference below)
4. Filter & Format: Filter by date range and output as table

Script Features

The ics_parser.py script handles:

• ✅ All 3 DTSTART formats (UTC, TZID, all-day)
• ✅ RRULE expansion (WEEKLY, DAILY with BYDAY, INTERVAL, UNTIL, COUNT)
• ✅ Automatic timezone conversion (UTC → Taipei UTC+8)
• ✅ Dependencies auto-installed by uv
• ✅ Table or JSON output format
• ✅ Debug mode for troubleshooting

Output Format

The script outputs a markdown table:

• 🔄 indicates a recurring event

RRULE Reference

Identify Recurring Events

A VEVENT with RRULE is a recurring event:

CopyBEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Taipei Standard Time:20250424T103000
RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1;BYDAY=MO,TU,WE,TH,FR
SUMMARY:Standup Meeting
END:VEVENT

Common RRULE Parameters

DTSTART Formats

Outlook ICS uses 3 different formats:

Example Queries

• "What meetings do I have today?"
• "Show my calendar for this week"
• "Am I free tomorrow afternoon?"
• "What's on my schedule for 12/5?"

Troubleshooting

Quick Debug

Copy# Run with debug flag
uv run ics_parser.py --url "..." --start 2025-12-01 --end 2025-12-31 --debug

Output shows:

• Total VEVENTs in ICS
• Number of recurring events
• Whether dateutil is available
• Events found in range

Common Issues

Error Handling

• If ICS URL shows placeholder: Guide user to edit this file and configure their ICS URL
• If uv not found: Install uv first (see README)
• If no events found: Confirm the date range and calendar permissions
• If parsing fails: Use --debug flag to see event counts