google-calendar

name	google-calendar
version	1.0.0
tier	communication
description	Calendar management for small businesses. Schedule meetings, check availability, prep for meetings, manage staff schedules, and coordinate with customers. Built on the gws CLI.
requires	{"bins":["gws"],"skills":["google-workspace"]}

Google Calendar

Calendar management built for how small businesses actually schedule.

Uses the gws CLI for all Calendar operations. See the google-workspace skill for setup.

Triggers

• "what's on my calendar"
• "schedule a meeting"
• "check availability"
• "meeting prep"
• "cancel / reschedule a meeting"
• "block time for..."
• Any request involving scheduling, events, or availability

Prerequisites

• gws CLI installed and authenticated with Calendar scope
• Run gws auth login -s calendar if not already done

Core Commands

gws calendar +agenda             # Today's upcoming events
gws calendar +agenda --week      # This week's events
gws calendar +insert             # Create a new event
gws workflow +meeting-prep       # Prep for next meeting (attendees, docs, agenda)
gws workflow +standup-report     # Today's meetings + open tasks

Daily Scheduling Workflow

Morning: Know your day

# What's on today?
gws calendar +agenda --format table

# Full week view (Monday planning)
gws calendar +agenda --week --format table

Before each meeting: Prep

# Get attendees, description, linked docs for next meeting
gws workflow +meeting-prep

Scheduling: Create events

# Quick event from natural language
gws calendar events quickAdd --params '{"calendarId": "primary", "text": "Team standup tomorrow at 9am for 30 minutes"}'

# Structured event with attendees
gws calendar +insert

Check availability before scheduling

# Check free/busy for specific people
gws calendar freebusy query --json '{
  "timeMin": "2026-01-15T09:00:00-05:00",
  "timeMax": "2026-01-15T17:00:00-05:00",
  "items": [
    {"id": "[e-mail]"},
    {"id": "[e-mail]"}
  ]
}'

SMB Scheduling Patterns

Staff Meetings

# Create a recurring weekly team meeting
gws calendar events insert --params '{"calendarId": "primary"}' --json '{
  "summary": "Weekly Team Standup",
  "start": {"dateTime": "2026-01-20T09:00:00-05:00", "timeZone": "America/New_York"},
  "end": {"dateTime": "2026-01-20T09:30:00-05:00", "timeZone": "America/New_York"},
  "recurrence": ["RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=MO"],
  "attendees": [
    {"email": "[e-mail]"}
  ]
}'

Customer Appointments

# Schedule a customer meeting
gws calendar events insert --params '{"calendarId": "primary"}' --json '{
  "summary": "Meeting with [Customer Name]",
  "description": "Discuss: [agenda items]",
  "start": {"dateTime": "2026-01-20T14:00:00-05:00", "timeZone": "America/New_York"},
  "end": {"dateTime": "2026-01-20T15:00:00-05:00", "timeZone": "America/New_York"},
  "attendees": [
    {"email": "[e-mail]"}
  ],
  "reminders": {
    "useDefault": false,
    "overrides": [
      {"method": "email", "minutes": 60},
      {"method": "popup", "minutes": 15}
    ]
  }
}'

Focus Time / Deep Work Blocks

# Block focus time so meetings don't eat your day
gws calendar events insert --params '{"calendarId": "primary"}' --json '{
  "summary": "Focus Time — Do Not Schedule",
  "start": {"dateTime": "2026-01-20T08:00:00-05:00", "timeZone": "America/New_York"},
  "end": {"dateTime": "2026-01-20T10:00:00-05:00", "timeZone": "America/New_York"},
  "recurrence": ["RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=TU,TH"],
  "transparency": "opaque"
}'

Vendor / Supplier Meetings

# Find all events with a specific vendor this month
gws calendar events list --params '{
  "calendarId": "primary",
  "timeMin": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
  "timeMax": "2026-01-31T23:59:59Z",
  "q": "vendor name"
}'

Managing Events

Reschedule

# Update an event's time (need the eventId)
gws calendar events patch --params '{"calendarId": "primary", "eventId": "EVENT_ID"}' --json '{
  "start": {"dateTime": "2026-01-21T14:00:00-05:00", "timeZone": "America/New_York"},
  "end": {"dateTime": "2026-01-21T15:00:00-05:00", "timeZone": "America/New_York"}
}'

Cancel

# Delete an event
gws calendar events delete --params '{"calendarId": "primary", "eventId": "EVENT_ID"}'

Add notes / agenda to existing meeting

gws calendar events patch --params '{"calendarId": "primary", "eventId": "EVENT_ID"}' --json '{
  "description": "Agenda:\n1. Review last week\n2. Discuss Q1 goals\n3. Action items"
}'

Weekly Planning (Monday Routine)

A good Monday routine for any small business owner:

1. Review the week:

   gws calendar +agenda --week --format table
   

2. Identify conflicts: Look for overlapping events or back-to-back meetings without breaks

3. Block focus time: Protect at least 2 hours/day for deep work

4. Prep for key meetings:

   gws workflow +meeting-prep
   

5. Check for missing follow-ups: Are there meetings from last week that need follow-up emails?

Integration with Other Skills

• morning-briefing — Calendar is part of the daily briefing
• gmail — Meeting-related emails, sending agendas
• google-tasks — Convert meeting action items to tasks
• google-docs — Meeting notes and agendas
• playbook-discovery — Analyze calendar for recurring meeting patterns

Tips

• Always check free/busy before proposing times to external contacts
• Use quickAdd for fast event creation with natural language
• Set up recurring events for regular meetings — don't recreate them each week
• Use --dry-run before creating/modifying events to preview the request
• Keep event descriptions structured: agenda items, links, prep notes

Related Skills

• google-workspace — Required setup (install and auth)
• gmail — Email coordination around meetings
• google-tasks — Action items from meetings
• morning-briefing — Daily calendar + email + business digest

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Your calendar is your commitment log. Protect it.