Outlook MCP Server

Outlook

Mail and calendar for the signed-in mailbox. Read, search, compose, send, triage, and schedule — messages live in folders; calendar events live on the default calendar.

First moves

1. User profile — confirm the connected mailbox identity when scope is unclear.
2. Mail folders — list folders to discover well-known ids (Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts) and custom folder ids.
3. Messages — search with keywords or structured filters, then fetch a single message by id for full detail.
4. Attachments — list attachment metadata on a message, then download bytes for a chosen attachment id.
5. Calendar events — list upcoming events with date filters, then fetch one event by id for full detail.

Hierarchy

Mailbox → mail folders → messages → attachments.

Calendar → events.

Folder ids from the folder list scope message reads. Message and event ids are opaque — do not guess them from subject lines or web links.

Operational order

1. List or search messages with read-state, date-range, sender, or subject filters before paging deeply through an unfiltered inbox.
2. Pass folder_id when the user names a folder (Inbox, Archive, a project folder) instead of searching the whole mailbox.
3. Fetch one message by id when you need body, recipients, or headers beyond the list preview fields.
4. Mark read/unread or flag messages after triage when the user wants inbox state updated.
5. Reply or forward only after loading the source message id; create a draft when the user wants to review before sending.
6. List attachment metadata, then download attachment content when you need file bytes or inline text.
7. List calendar events with a date window before paging an unbounded calendar; create or update events when scheduling.

Gotchas

• Search vs filter — free-text keyword search can lag a few seconds behind new mail; structured filters (read/unread, date windows, sender, subject) are better for triage rules. Use keyword search for "find that email about…"; use filters for "unread this week from Alex."
• Pagination — message and event lists paginate; follow the next page from the prior response instead of raising page size alone on huge mailboxes.
• Attachment bodies — attachment lists return metadata only. Large files spill to a download link instead of inline content.
• Send vs draft — send and reply deliver immediately; create a draft when the user must review first.
• Calendar scope — event reads target the signed-in user's default calendar, not shared or delegated calendars.
• Shared mailboxes — tools cover the connected user's mailbox only; delegated access to someone else's inbox is out of scope.
• Rate limits — aggressive pagination is throttled; prefer folder-scoped reads over mailbox-wide deep scans.