Configure Apple PIM Access

Help the user configure which domains, calendars, and reminder lists the apple-pim plugin can access.

Tip: If you encounter permission errors during configuration, use /apple-pim:authorize to check and request macOS permissions first.

Configuration Location

The config file is at ~/.config/apple-pim/config.json (JSON format). The Swift CLIs read this file directly via the PIMConfig library. Do NOT write to any plugin cache directory or use YAML/markdown format.

Process

1. Check permissions with apple-pim action config_show to see current config and action status for macOS access
   • If any domain shows notDetermined, use action authorize to trigger prompts
   • If any domain shows denied, warn the user and guide to System Settings
2. Discover available items with apple-pim action config_init — this lists ALL calendars and reminder lists from macOS
3. Read existing config from ~/.config/apple-pim/config.json if it exists
4. Ask which domains to enable (Calendars, Reminders, Contacts, Mail) — multi-select
5. For enabled domains with filtering (Calendars, Reminders):
   • Use the discovery data from apple-pim action config_init (do NOT use calendar action list — that returns filtered results)
   • Ask user which to allow
6. Set defaults for new events/reminders
7. Write config file as JSON to ~/.config/apple-pim/config.json
8. Confirm changes are effective immediately (no restart needed)

Configuration File Format

Write the config file as JSON to ~/.config/apple-pim/config.json:

{
  "calendars": {
    "enabled": true,
    "mode": "allowlist",
    "items": ["Calendar Name 1", "Calendar Name 2"]
  },
  "reminders": {
    "enabled": true,
    "mode": "allowlist",
    "items": ["List Name 1", "List Name 2"]
  },
  "contacts": {
    "enabled": true,
    "mode": "all",
    "items": []
  },
  "mail": {
    "enabled": true
  },
  "default_calendar": "Calendar Name",
  "default_reminder_list": "List Name"
}

Field Reference

• mode: "all" (no filtering), "allowlist" (only listed items), "blocklist" (all except listed)
• items: Array of calendar/list names to allow or block (only used when mode is allowlist or blocklist)
• enabled: true/false to enable/disable an entire domain
• default_calendar: Name of the calendar for new events when none specified
• default_reminder_list: Name of the list for new reminders when none specified

Workflow

1. Call apple-pim with action config_show and action config_init in parallel to get current config AND available items
2. Read ~/.config/apple-pim/config.json if it exists (for preserving user choices)
3. Ask domain enable/disable first using AskUserQuestion with multi-select:
   • Present all 4 domains: Calendars, Reminders, Contacts, Mail
   • Default to all enabled (or preserve existing settings)
   • This is important for users who have Fastmail MCP and want to disable mail here
4. For enabled domains that support filtering (calendars, reminders):
   • Use the apple-pim action config_init results (these show ALL items, unfiltered)
   • Plan the questions carefully:
     • AskUserQuestion allows max 4 options per question
     • Calculate how many questions needed: ceil(item_count / 4)
     • CRITICAL: Create a checklist of ALL items and verify each one is assigned to a question
     • Group logically (e.g., personal calendars, subscriptions, work-related)
   • Ask the user:
     • First ask: "All items" vs "Select specific" to simplify if user wants everything
     • If selecting specific: present ALL calendars across multiple questions (multi-select)
     • Present ALL reminder lists across multiple questions (multi-select)
     • Which calendar should be the default for new events?
     • Which list should be the default for new reminders?
5. Verify before writing: Double-check that user was asked about every calendar and reminder list
6. Write JSON to ~/.config/apple-pim/config.json using the Write tool
7. Display a summary (changes take effect immediately — CLIs read config on every invocation)

Important: Use apple-pim config_init, NOT calendar list

• apple-pim with action config_init returns ALL calendars and reminder lists from macOS (unfiltered) — use this for discovery
• calendar with action list returns only calendars allowed by the CURRENT config — do NOT use this for configuration
• Using calendar action list would miss calendars the user previously blocked, making them impossible to re-enable

Important: Preventing Missed Items

Before presenting options to the user, explicitly list out:

• Total number of calendars found: X
• Total number of reminder lists found: Y
• Questions needed for calendars: ceil(X/4)
• Questions needed for reminders: ceil(Y/4)

Then verify your questions cover all items. Missing items means the user can't configure them!