Skip to main content

Delete Event

Delete a Google Calendar event. Supports deleting single events, recurring event instances, or entire recurring series with optional attendee notifications.

Overview​

The Delete Event tool allows you to remove events from your Google Calendar. It supports:

  • Simple deletion of single events
  • Single instance deletion for recurring events
  • This and future deletion for recurring events
  • Series deletion to remove all instances
  • Attendee notifications (optional, default: no notifications)

This tool works with any calendar you have write access to. Event deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.

Prerequisites​

  • A connected Google Account with OAuth authentication
  • Google Calendar API enabled in your Google Cloud project
  • Setup Guide
  • Event organizer permissions (only organizers can delete events)

Usage​

Delete a Simple Event​

Delete a single, non-recurring event without notifying attendees:

{
  "tool": "google_calendar_Delete_Event",
  "arguments": {
    "event_id": "abc123xyz"
  }
}

Note: send_notifications defaults to false to prevent accidental spam.

Delete Event with Attendee Notification​

Delete an event and send cancellation emails to attendees:

{
  "tool": "google_calendar_Delete_Event",
  "arguments": {
    "event_id": "abc123xyz",
    "send_notifications": true
  }
}

Delete Event from Specific Calendar​

Delete from a non-primary calendar:

{
  "tool": "google_calendar_Delete_Event",
  "arguments": {
    "event_id": "abc123xyz",
    "calendar_id": "work@group.calendar.google.com"
  }
}

Delete Single Instance of Recurring Event​

Delete only one occurrence of a recurring event:

{
  "tool": "google_calendar_Delete_Event",
  "arguments": {
    "event_id": "recurring_event_20240120T100000Z",
    "recurring_event_delete_scope": "this_instance"
  }
}

Delete This and Future Instances​

Delete this occurrence and all future occurrences:

{
  "tool": "google_calendar_Delete_Event",
  "arguments": {
    "event_id": "recurring_event_20240120T100000Z",
    "recurring_event_delete_scope": "this_and_future",
    "send_notifications": true
  }
}

Delete Entire Recurring Series​

Delete all instances of a recurring event:

{
  "tool": "google_calendar_Delete_Event",
  "arguments": {
    "event_id": "recurring_event_20240120T100000Z",
    "recurring_event_delete_scope": "all_instances",
    "send_notifications": true
  }
}

You can also provide the master event ID directly:

{
  "tool": "google_calendar_Delete_Event",
  "arguments": {
    "event_id": "master_recurring_event_id",
    "recurring_event_delete_scope": "all_instances"
  }
}

Input Parameters​

ParameterTypeRequiredDefaultDescription
event_idstringYes-Event identifier. Get this from Get Events tool.
calendar_idstringNo"primary"Calendar identifier. Use 'primary' for main calendar or ID from List Calendars tool.
send_notificationsbooleanNofalseWhether to send cancellation emails to attendees.
recurring_event_delete_scopestringNo-For recurring events only. Options: "this_instance", "this_and_future", "all_instances". Ignored for non-recurring events.

Recurring Event Delete Scope​

ValueDescriptionUse Case
this_instanceDelete only this occurrenceCancel one meeting in a series
this_and_futureDelete this and all future occurrencesEnd series starting from specific date
all_instancesDelete entire recurring seriesRemove all meetings in series

Important: If you don't specify recurring_event_delete_scope for a recurring event, the tool will delete only the specific instance ID you provided.

Response Format​

Success Response​

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Event deleted successfully",
  "event_id": "abc123xyz",
  "calendar_id": "primary",
  "was_recurring": false,
  "delete_scope": null,
  "notifications_sent": false,
  "deleted_event": {
    "summary": "Team Meeting",
    "start": {
      "dateTime": "2024-01-15T10:00:00-08:00",
      "timeZone": "America/Los_Angeles"
    },
    "end": {
      "dateTime": "2024-01-15T11:00:00-08:00",
      "timeZone": "America/Los_Angeles"
    }
  }
}

Response Fields​

FieldTypeDescription
successbooleanWhether deletion succeeded
messagestringSuccess message
event_idstringID of deleted event
calendar_idstringCalendar the event was deleted from
was_recurringbooleanWhether event was part of recurring series
delete_scopestringScope of deletion for recurring events ("this_instance", "this_and_future", "all_instances", or null)
notifications_sentbooleanWhether cancellation emails were sent to attendees
deleted_eventobjectBasic details of the deleted event (summary, start, end)

Error Handling​

Event Not Found (404)​

Error:

{
  "error": "Event not found with ID 'abc123xyz' in calendar 'primary'..."
}

Causes:

  • Invalid or incorrect event_id
  • Event was already deleted
  • Wrong calendar_id

Solution:

  • Use Get Events tool to find valid event IDs
  • Verify you're using the correct calendar_id
  • Check if event still exists

Permission Denied (403)​

Error:

{
  "error": "Insufficient permissions to delete this event..."
}

Causes:

  • You're not the event organizer
  • No write access to calendar
  • Calendar is read-only

Solution:

  • Only event organizers can delete events
  • Request organizer to delete, or ask for organizer permissions
  • Ensure you have write access to the calendar

Already Deleted (410)​

Error:

{
  "error": "Event 'abc123xyz' has already been deleted from calendar 'primary'."
}

Cause: Event was previously deleted (HTTP 410 Gone status)

Solution: Event is already removed, no action needed.

Invalid Recurring Scope​

Error:

{
  "error": "Cannot specify recurring_event_delete_scope for non-recurring events..."
}

Cause: Trying to use recurring_event_delete_scope on a single, non-recurring event

Solution: Remove recurring_event_delete_scope parameter for single events.

Cannot Use this_and_future on Master Event​

Error:

{
  "error": "Cannot use 'this_and_future' on the master recurring event..."
}

Cause: Attempting to use "this_and_future" on the master event ID

Solution:

  • Use "all_instances" to delete entire series, OR
  • Get a specific instance ID from Get Events tool and use that

Calendar Not Found​

Error:

{
  "error": "Resource not found: Calendar not found"
}

Solution:

  • Use List Calendars to find valid calendar IDs
  • Verify calendar_id spelling
  • Use "primary" for your main calendar

Calendar API Not Enabled​

Error:

{
  "error": "Google Calendar API is not enabled in your Google Cloud project..."
}

Solution: Follow Setup Guide to enable the API.

How to Get Event IDs​

Before deleting, you need the event's ID. Use the Get Events tool:

{
  "tool": "google_calendar_Get_Events",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "Team Meeting",
    "start_date": "2024-01-01",
    "end_date": "2024-12-31"
  }
}

From the results, copy the id field of the event you want to delete.

Recurring Event IDs​

Recurring events have two types of IDs:

  • Instance ID: Specific occurrence (e.g., eventid_20240120T100000Z)
  • Master ID: Base recurring event (no date suffix)

When you get events with single_events: true (default), you'll see instance IDs. Use these with recurring_event_delete_scope to control what gets deleted.

Recurring Event Deletion Explained​

Delete Single Instance​

Only removes one occurrence. Other instances remain unchanged.

Before: Weekly meeting every Monday for 10 weeks
Delete: Monday Jan 20 instance with this_instance
After: Weekly meeting on all Mondays EXCEPT Jan 20

Delete This and Future​

Ends the series starting from a specific occurrence.

Before: Weekly meeting every Monday for 10 weeks
Delete: Monday Jan 20 instance with this_and_future
After: Weekly meeting only up to Jan 13. No meetings after Jan 20.

How it works: The tool updates the master event's recurrence rule to end before the specified instance.

Delete All Instances​

Removes the entire recurring series.

Before: Weekly meeting every Monday for 10 weeks
Delete: Any instance with all_instances
After: No meetings at all (entire series deleted)

Use Cases​

1. Cancel a One-Time Meeting​

{
  "tool": "google_calendar_Delete_Event",
  "arguments": {
    "event_id": "abc123xyz",
    "send_notifications": true
  }
}

2. Cancel One Occurrence in Series (Keep Others)​

{
  "tool": "google_calendar_Delete_Event",
  "arguments": {
    "event_id": "recurring_20240120T100000Z",
    "recurring_event_delete_scope": "this_instance",
    "send_notifications": true
  }
}

3. End a Recurring Series Early​

{
  "tool": "google_calendar_Delete_Event",
  "arguments": {
    "event_id": "recurring_20240120T100000Z",
    "recurring_event_delete_scope": "this_and_future",
    "send_notifications": true
  }
}

4. Remove Entire Recurring Series​

{
  "tool": "google_calendar_Delete_Event",
  "arguments": {
    "event_id": "master_event_id",
    "recurring_event_delete_scope": "all_instances",
    "send_notifications": true
  }
}

5. Silent Deletion (No Notifications)​

{
  "tool": "google_calendar_Delete_Event",
  "arguments": {
    "event_id": "abc123xyz"
  }
}

Default behavior - no emails sent.

Limitations​

  1. Permanent Deletion - Deleted events cannot be recovered. They're permanently removed from Google Calendar.

  2. Organizer Only - Only the event organizer can delete events. Attendees cannot delete events they didn't create.

  3. No Trash/Recycle Bin - Google Calendar doesn't have a trash folder. Deletion is immediate and final.

  4. No Batch Deletion - Can only delete one event per tool call. To delete multiple events, call the tool multiple times.

  5. No Undo - There's no undo functionality. Double-check event_id before deleting.

  6. OAuth Only - Requires Google Account with OAuth (App Passwords don't support Calendar API).

  7. Cancelled vs Deleted - This tool permanently deletes. To mark as cancelled (but keep in history), use Update Event tool to change status instead.

Tips​

  1. Get Event ID First - Always use Get Events tool to find the correct event_id before deleting.

  2. Default: No Notifications - send_notifications defaults to false to prevent accidental spam. Explicitly set to true when you want to notify attendees.

  3. Double-Check Before Deleting - Deletion is permanent. Verify you have the correct event_id.

  4. Be Explicit with Recurring Events - Always specify recurring_event_delete_scope when deleting recurring events to avoid accidentally deleting the wrong instances.

  5. Test with Non-Critical Events - When learning to delete recurring events, practice on test events first.

  6. Use Response for Confirmation - The response includes deleted_event details so you can confirm you deleted the right event.

  7. Recurring Series Safety - For recurring events, consider:

    • Delete single instance: Safest, only affects one occurrence
    • Delete this_and_future: Ends series from specific date
    • Delete all_instances: Nuclear option, removes everything

  8. Event Organizer Check - If you get permission errors, you're likely not the organizer. Use Get Events tool to check the organizer.self field.

  9. Silent Cleanup - For internal cleanup operations, use default (no notifications) to avoid unnecessary emails.

  10. Notify Important Changes - For attendee-facing events, set send_notifications: true so people know the event is cancelled.

Safety Considerations​

⚠️ High-Risk Operations​

  • Delete all_instances: Removes entire series
  • Delete this_and_future: Ends series permanently

Best Practice: Double-check event details before deleting recurring series.

✅ Low-Risk Operations​

  • Delete single event: Only affects one event
  • Delete this_instance: Only one occurrence removed

Confirmation Pattern​

For critical deletions:

  1. Use Get Events to fetch event details
  2. Review summary, start time, attendees
  3. Confirm it's the correct event
  4. Delete with appropriate scope and notifications

Billing​

Cost: 1 credit per execution

Fixed cost regardless of whether deleting single instance or entire recurring series.