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Composio profile image Aakash R
Aakash R for Composio

Posted on • Edited on • Originally published at composio.dev

How to use Outlook MCP with Claude for email management

#webdev #programming #ai #productivity

I use Outlook every day. Emails carry updates, questions, follow-ups, and decisions. Calendar events are packed with context. It is where most of my work lives, whether I plan for it or not.

Getting that information into LLMs like Claude takes too much effort. I copy pieces from a thread, clean them up, explain what they mean, and hope the response lands.

That routine gets old fast.

Outlook MCP changes how this works. It connects Claude to my inbox and calendar so it can pull what it needs directly. Everything stays up to date, and nothing important gets lost in translation.

In this blog, I will demonstrate how to set up Outlook MCP and utilize it with Claude to bring real context into your workflow without requiring additional steps.

What is Outlook MCP

Outlook MCP is a secure integration that connects your Outlook account to large language models (LLMs) like Claude and tools like Cursor. It allows these AI systems to access your Outlook data in real time using a fixed set of supported actions.

With Outlook MCP, LLMs can read calendar events, list emails, send replies, create drafts, and more based on the actual content in your inbox and calendar. This eliminates the need to copy content or explain context in every prompt manually.

Once connected, Outlook becomes a core part of your AI workflow. It gives your assistant direct access to the information and tools you already use every day.

What you can do with Outlook MCP

  • Read and manage your inbox: List messages, reply to emails, send new messages, and download attachments from specific threads.
  • Create and update emails: Draft emails before sending and update message content when needed.
  • View your calendar: List upcoming or past events and get full details of any specific calendar entry.
  • Create events and schedule meetings: Add new events to your Outlook calendar with defined start and end times.
  • Manage contacts: Look up existing contacts or create new ones in your Outlook account.
  • Access your Outlook profile: Retrieve basic profile details to support personalized responses and workflows.

Setting Up Outlook MCP with Claude

Before connecting Outlook to Claude, there are a few things you will need in place. This setup will let Claude access your inbox through Composio’s Outlook MCP server.

Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop must be installed

    Download from https://claude.ai/download and install it for your operating system.

  • Node.js must be available on your system

    You can check this by running node -v in your terminal or command prompt. If it is not installed, download it from https://nodejs.org.

Step 1: Get the MCP Script from Composio

  1. Go to http://mcp.composio.dev

  1. Search for Outlook in the list and open it, where you will see setup scripts for different tools

  2. Find the script labeled for Claude, which will look like this:

    npx @composio/mcp@latest setup "https://mcp.composio.dev/partner/composio/outlook/mcp?customerId=<your_customer_id>" "" --client claude

  3. Copy that script, which you will shortly.

Step 2: Confirm Action Support

Before running the script, ensure Outlook MCP has the necessary permissions to perform the required actions. Inside the page, look for Available Actions:

  • Download Outlook attachment
  • Create Calendar Event
  • Create contact
  • Create email draft
  • Get contact
  • Get calendar event
  • Get Outlook profile
  • List events
  • List Messages
  • Reply to Email
  • Send email
  • Update email message

Step 3: Run the MCP Script from Claude Config

  1. Open the Claude Desktop

  1. Go to File > Settings

  1. Then Developer > Edit Config

    This will open the Claude config directory on your system. On Windows, it usually resolves to:

    C:\Users\<your_username>\AppData\Roaming\Claude

  2. In that directory, open a terminal window or command prompt that points to that path

  3. Paste and run the MCP script you copied earlier:

    npx @composio/mcp@latest setup "https://mcp.composio.dev/partner/composio/outlook/mcp?customerId=<your_customer_id>" "" --client claude

  4. This will launch an OAuth2 flow in the terminal. You will be redirected to sign into your Outlook account and accept permissions.

  1. Once authentication is complete, you can see a screen like this

In Terminal, you can find this message

Step 4: Verify the MCP Connection (Optional)

Still inside the Claude config folder, locate the file:

claude_desktop_config.json
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Open it and verify that your Outlook MCP connection is listed. You should see an entry under "clients" that includes "outlook" and "claude" with the endpoint you just connected.

This confirms that Claude is now aware of and linked to your MCP server.

Step 5: Restart Claude

Fully close and restart the Claude Desktop app. This step is required to load the new MCP configuration. Once restarted, Claude will be able to query your Outlook data live using the actions you enabled.

Use Case: Generate and Send Availability Based on Outlook Calendar

Consider you have a few meetings tomorrow, and you want to let someone know when you will be available. Instead of checking your calendar manually and drafting an email, you can ask Claude to handle it using the Outlook MCP connection.

Prompt 

1. Check my Outlook calendar for tomorrow. 2. List my busy time slots and identify when I am free. 3. Send an email to example@gmail.com with my availability.
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What happens behind the scenes

  1. List events: MCP fetches all events from your Outlook calendar for the day
  2. Parse busy times: Free time is inferred from gaps between scheduled events
  3. Send email: A message is composed and sent via the Send email action

Watch it in action

This video shows the full flow from checking your Outlook calendar to sending an email with your availability.

Summary

Outlook holds the context behind your work. Composio’s Outlook MCP brings that context into Claude in a way that fits naturally into your workflow.

Once the connection is set up, Claude can access real-time information from your inbox and calendar. You can stay focused and move through tasks with less effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I control what Outlook MCP can access?

Yes. When setting up the MCP through Composio, you choose which actions to enable. You can allow only what your workflow needs, like listing calendar events or sending emails.

2. Does Claude store any of my Outlook data?

No. Claude accesses your data live through Composio’s secure MCP connection. Nothing is stored permanently or locally unless you explicitly save it yourself.

3. Can I use the same Outlook MCP server with other tools?

Yes. The same MCP endpoint can be used across tools like Cursor or custom scripts, as long as they support MCP and the required actions.

4. What happens if I update or delete an Outlook event?

Since Claude pulls data in real time, any updates to your Outlook calendar or inbox will be reflected immediately in future prompts.

5. Do I need to run the setup script every time?

No. You only need to run the script once. After setup, the connection persists in your Claude config unless you remove it manually.

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