Frequently Asked Questions: Google Calendar MCP Server

Q: What is an MCP Server? A: MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open protocol standardizing how applications provide context to LLMs. An MCP Server acts as a bridge, enabling AI models to access and interact with external data sources and tools, such as Google Calendar.

Q: What are the key features of the Google Calendar MCP Server? A: The server allows LLMs to list available calendars, list events, create events, update events, delete events, and even process event information from screenshots and images.

Q: What are the prerequisites for using the Google Calendar MCP Server? A: You’ll need Node.js 16 or higher, TypeScript 5.3 or higher, a Google Cloud project with the Calendar API enabled, and OAuth 2.0 credentials.

Q: How do I install the Google Calendar MCP Server? A: Clone the repository, install dependencies using npm install, build the TypeScript code with npm run build, and place your Google OAuth credentials in the root directory as gcp-oauth.keys.json.

Q: How does authentication work? A: The server supports both automatic and manual authentication flows. Automatic authentication (recommended) uses credentials in gcp-oauth.keys.json. If tokens are missing, it starts an auth server to guide you through the OAuth flow. Manual authentication can be initiated using npm run auth.

Q: How do I use the Google Calendar MCP Server with Claude Desktop? A: Add a configuration block to your Claude Desktop config file pointing to the index.js file in the build directory of the MCP server. Then, restart Claude Desktop.

Q: What are some example use cases? A: You can add events from screenshots, check event attendance, auto-coordinate events based on availability, and provide your availability across multiple calendars.

Q: What if my OAuth token expires? A: If your app is in testing mode, the OAuth token will expire after one week. You’ll need to re-authenticate using the OAuth flow. For production use, you need to get your OAuth application verified by Google.

Q: How is security handled? A: OAuth credentials are stored in gcp-oauth.keys.json. Authentication tokens are stored in .gcp-saved-tokens.json with restricted permissions. Tokens are automatically refreshed. Never commit OAuth credentials or token files to version control.

Q: Where can I find the Google Calendar MCP Server? A: The Google Calendar MCP Server is available on the UBOS Asset Marketplace, a platform dedicated to providing tools and resources for AI Agent development.