Google Calendar: List instances of a recurring event — MCP tool
Google Calendar MCP tool: Expands one recurring series into individual occurrences, each with its own id for targeted edits.
Technical name: list_event_instances
What task it solves
I want to work with single occurrences of a repeating event.
Expands a recurring event (the series master) into its instances, each with its own id (like masterId_20260901T100000Z) and concrete start/end.
When to use it
Use it before changing or cancelling ONE occurrence: take the instance id from here and pass it to update_event or delete_event. Exceptions already made to the series show their changed times here. For a general "what's coming up" view, list_events with single_events: true is usually simpler.
What to provide
calendar_id— required. Fromlist_calendars, or"primary".event_id— required. The recurring series master id.time_min/time_max— optional. RFC3339 window bounds — recommended, an infinite series otherwise pages forever.time_zone,max_results,page_token,show_deleted— optional.
What it returns
Compact JSON with items[] (one entry per occurrence) and nextPageToken when more pages exist.
What changes in Google Calendar
The tool reads Google Calendar data and does not change it.
Example request
Show the next five occurrences of my weekly team standup so I can cancel the one that falls on the holiday.
Errors and limitations
The event must be a recurring master; a non-recurring id yields no instances. Cancelled occurrences appear only with show_deleted: true (as status: cancelled).
Access also depends on token permissions, quotas, and upstream API limits.
Related MCP tools
- List events —
list_events - Update an event —
update_event - Delete an event —
delete_event
Technical details
- Impact: read-only
- Group: Events
- Description source:
list_event_instancesregistration insrc/tools/events.ts - Full technical reference
- All MCP capabilities