gcalcli

Calendar Reference

This document provides details on using gcalcli to view and manage calendar events.

Installation

gcalcli is a Python CLI for Google Calendar that works with uvx for one-time execution.

IMPORTANT: Always use the custom fork with attachment support:

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli

This custom version includes attachments in TSV and JSON output, which is essential for accessing meeting notes and other event attachments.

Authentication

First time running gcalcli, it will:

1. Open a browser for Google OAuth authentication
2. Cache credentials for future use
3. Request calendar read permissions

Common Commands

View Upcoming Agenda

Recommended: JSON format with full details (structured data with attachments):

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --details all --json

Alternative: TSV format (tab-separated, parseable):

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --details all --tsv

Human-readable format (may truncate long descriptions):

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --details all

Basic agenda view (minimal details):

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com

Date Ranges

Important: gcalcli agenda shows events from NOW onwards by default.

When you run gcalcli agenda "today" at 2pm, it shows events from 2pm onwards for today and into the future. Past events from earlier today won't appear.

Specific date range:

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com "tomorrow" "2 weeks"

Today only (from current time onwards):

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com "today"

See earlier today's events (use absolute dates):

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com "2025-10-07" "2025-10-07"

Next week:

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com "monday" "friday"

Search Calendar

Search for events by text:

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli search --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com "MCP Server"

Access Meeting Attachments and Gemini Notes

IMPORTANT: The custom gcalcli fork includes attachments array in JSON/TSV output.

Each event's attachments array contains objects with:

• attachment_title: Title of the attachment (e.g., "Notes by Gemini", "Recording", "Chat")
• attachment_url: Direct link to Google Drive file or Google Doc

Common attachment types:

• "Notes by Gemini": AI-generated meeting notes from Google Meet
• Recording: Meeting recordings (video files)
• Chat: Meeting chat transcripts
• Shared docs: Agendas, planning docs, presentations

Search for events with Gemini notes:

# Find all events with Gemini notes
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli search "MCP" --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --details all --json | jq '.[] | select(.attachments[]? | .attachment_title | contains("Notes by Gemini")) | {title, attachments: [.attachments[] | select(.attachment_title | contains("Notes by Gemini"))]}'

# Get just the titles and Gemini note URLs
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli search "MCP" --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --details all --json | jq -r '.[] | select(.attachments[]? | .attachment_title | contains("Notes by Gemini")) | "\(.title): \(.attachments[] | select(.attachment_title | contains("Notes by Gemini")) | .attachment_url)"'

Filter events by attachment type:

# Events with recordings
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --json | jq '.[] | select(.attachments[]? | .attachment_title | contains("Recording"))'

# Events with any attachments
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --json | jq '.[] | select(.attachments | length > 0)'

Export Gemini notes using gcmd:

Single meeting export:

# 1. Find meeting with Gemini notes
GEMINI_URL=$(uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli search "MCP proposals" --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --json | jq -r '.[0].attachments[] | select(.attachment_title | contains("Notes by Gemini")) | .attachment_url' | head -1)

# 2. Export to markdown using gcmd
cd /var/home/shanemcd/github/shanemcd/gcmd
uv run gcmd export "$GEMINI_URL" -o ~/Downloads/

Bulk export ALL Gemini notes from search results (parallel):

# Extract Gemini note URLs and export in parallel (8 concurrent processes)
cd /var/home/shanemcd/github/shanemcd/gcmd
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli search "MCP" --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --details all --json "2 months ago" "today" | jq -r '.[] | select(.attachments[]? | .attachment_title | contains("Notes by Gemini")) | .attachments[] | select(.attachment_title | contains("Notes by Gemini")) | .attachment_url' | sort -u | xargs -P 8 -I {} sh -c 'uv run gcmd export "{}" -o ~/Downloads/meeting-notes/'

This efficiently:

• Searches calendar for meetings matching your query
• Filters to only meetings with Gemini notes
• Exports all notes in parallel (8 at a time) to organized directory
• Uses direct pipeline (no intermediate files)
• Deduplicates URLs with sort -u

Common workflow - Review recent meeting notes:

# Search for recent meetings on a topic
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli search "ANSTRAT-1567" --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --json

# Filter to show only events with Gemini notes
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli search "ANSTRAT-1567" --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --json | jq '.[] | select(.attachments[]? | .attachment_title | contains("Notes by Gemini")) | {title, date: .s, gemini_notes: [.attachments[] | select(.attachment_title | contains("Notes by Gemini")) | .attachment_url]}'

# Export the most recent Gemini notes for review
# (extract URL, then use gcmd export)

Output Formats

--json (JSON Format) RECOMMENDED

• Structured JSON output with complete event data
• Includes attachments array with title and fileUrl for each attachment
• All event fields preserved
• Easy to parse programmatically with jq or Python
• No truncation of any fields
• Best for accessing meeting notes and attachments

--tsv (Tab-Separated Values)

• One event per line
• Tab-separated fields:
  • id
  • start_date, start_time
  • end_date, end_time
  • html_link
  • hangout_link
  • conference details
  • title
  • location
  • description (full, no truncation)
  • calendar
  • email
  • attachments (pipe-separated: title|url|title|url...)
  • action
• Ideal for parsing with standard Unix tools (grep, awk, cut)
• No ANSI color codes or formatting

Default Format

• Human-readable colored output
• Shows time, title, basic details
• May truncate long descriptions with "..." indicator

--details all

• Includes full descriptions
• Shows all attendees with response status
• Conference/meeting links
• Location information
• Attachments (in human-readable format)

Use Cases

1. Morning Review

Check what's on today's schedule (shows from current time onwards):

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --json "today"

Note: This shows events from NOW onwards. To see the full day including past events, use the specific date:

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --json "2025-10-07" "2025-10-07"

2. Weekly Planning

See upcoming week to plan deep work time:

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --json "monday" "friday"

3. Meeting Preparation

Check details for upcoming meetings:

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --details all --json "today" "tomorrow"

4. Find Meeting Links and Notes

Get conference links and meeting notes for a meeting:

# Using JSON (recommended for accessing attachments)
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --details all --json | jq '.[] | select(.title | contains("Meeting Name"))'

# Using TSV
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --details all --tsv | grep "Meeting Name"

5. Context Before Work

Before working on a feature, check if there are relevant sync meetings:

uvx gcalcli search --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com "ANSTRAT-1673"

Integration with Work Tracking

Calendar-Aware Planning

When planning your day's agenda:

1. Check calendar for upcoming related meetings
2. Note if meetings happen before important deadlines (e.g., sync 2 days before release)
3. Plan work to prepare for discussions
4. Identify good time blocks for focused work (between meetings)

Examples

ANSTRAT-1673 Scenario:

• Oct 8: Sync meeting with Demetrius Lima
• Oct 10: Expected llama-stack release
• Action: Check calendar to confirm timing, prepare talking points

Pre-Meeting Prep:

# See what's coming up this week with attachments
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --json "monday" "friday"

# Check specific meeting details
uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli search --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --json "ANSTRAT"

Tips

1. Always use custom fork with constraint: Use uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" for attachment support
2. Always use --json flag: Default to JSON format for structured data with attachments
3. Use jq for parsing: JSON output works perfectly with jq for filtering and extracting data
4. Check calendar at session start: Part of standard workflow
5. Time-box focused work: Look for gaps between meetings
6. Prepare for syncs: Check calendar 1-2 days before important meetings
7. Access meeting notes: Use jq to filter for Gemini notes, then export with gcmd
8. Search before export: Use gcalcli search to find relevant meetings, then filter attachments array
9. Understand time ranges: "today" shows from NOW onwards, not the full day. Use specific dates for complete day view.

Limitations

• Read-only (no event creation/modification via CLI documented here)
• Requires OAuth authentication
• May need periodic re-authentication
• Multiple calendars require separate --calendar flags

Additional Commands

List all calendars:

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli list

View in calendar format (month view):

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli calm

Quick view (next 5 events) with JSON:

uvx --from "git+https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli@attachments-in-tsv-and-json" --with "google-api-core<2.28.0" gcalcli agenda --calendar smcdonal@redhat.com --json | jq '.[0:5]'

Reference

• Official gcalcli documentation: https://github.com/insanum/gcalcli
• Custom fork with attachment support: https://github.com/shanemcd/gcalcli/tree/attachments-in-tsv-and-json
• Uses Google Calendar API v3
• Supports multiple output formats (JSON, TSV, text)