What is the difference between Cal.com MCP and Calendly MCP?

Both are hosted remote MCPs with OAuth 2.1. Cal.com covers the full booking lifecycle with 34 tools (create bookings, manage schedules, query availability, reschedule, cancel). Calendly focuses on link-based scheduling and exposes a narrower tool set. Cal.com is also open-source (AGPL-3.0) and can be self-hosted; Calendly is SaaS-only.

Do I need a paid Cal.com plan?

No — the Free plan works with the MCP. Paid plans unlock team scheduling, round-robin, and advanced routing, but the MCP itself is available on all plans.

Can I self-host Cal.com and still use the MCP?

Yes. Cal.com is open source (AGPL-3.0) and the MCP server can be run alongside a self-hosted instance. Point the MCP client at your instance's MCP endpoint instead of mcp.cal.com.

How does the OAuth flow work in Claude Desktop?

Claude Desktop opens the Cal.com OAuth consent screen when you first connect. After you authorize, the client stores the token and subsequent tool calls authenticate automatically. You only see the consent screen once per session unless the token expires.

Cal.com

Name: Top MCPs — curated MCP directory
Creator: Top MCPs
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Official

Official Cal.com hosted MCP — AI agents book, reschedule, and query availability across 34 tools via OAuth 2.1, no local install.

Score 52(?)Cal.com (official)AGPL-3.0 27Verified Jun 28, 2026Top MCPs for Scheduling & Calendar →

Install View on GitHub

Quick answer

What it does

Exposes 34 tools for the full Cal.com scheduling lifecycle: list and create event types, query real-time availability, book and reschedule appointments, cancel bookings, and manage schedules — all over OAuth 2.1 with no local setup.

Best for

Agentic booking assistants
Product-embedded scheduling workflows
Demo and onboarding scheduling
Self-hosted scheduling setups

Not for

Raw calendar event management outside booking flows
Bulk calendar analytics

Setup recipe

Pick your client, then follow the three steps.

Install

claude_desktop_config.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "calcom-mcp": {
      "command": "Connect",
      "args": [
        "to",
        "https://mcp.cal.com/mcp",
        "(hosted;",
        "OAuth",
        "2.1,",
        "no",
        "local",
        "install)"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Paste under mcpServers. Fully quit and reopen Claude after editing.

CLI or .mcp.jsonshell

claude mcp add calcom-mcp -- Connect to https://mcp.cal.com/mcp (hosted; OAuth 2.1, no local install)

Run from your repo. Commit .mcp.json to share with your team.

.cursor/mcp.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "calcom-mcp": {
      "command": "Connect",
      "args": [
        "to",
        "https://mcp.cal.com/mcp",
        "(hosted;",
        "OAuth",
        "2.1,",
        "no",
        "local",
        "install)"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Global path: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Reload window after editing.

.vscode/mcp.jsonjsonc

{
  "servers": {
    "calcom-mcp": {
      "command": "Connect",
      "args": [
        "to",
        "https://mcp.cal.com/mcp",
        "(hosted;",
        "OAuth",
        "2.1,",
        "no",
        "local",
        "install)"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Code uses the "servers" key (not "mcpServers").

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "calcom-mcp": {
      "command": "Connect",
      "args": [
        "to",
        "https://mcp.cal.com/mcp",
        "(hosted;",
        "OAuth",
        "2.1,",
        "no",
        "local",
        "install)"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Open via Cascade → hammer icon → Configure.

cline_mcp_settings.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "calcom-mcp": {
      "command": "Connect",
      "args": [
        "to",
        "https://mcp.cal.com/mcp",
        "(hosted;",
        "OAuth",
        "2.1,",
        "no",
        "local",
        "install)"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Open via the Cline sidebar → MCP Servers → Edit.

~/.continue/config.jsonjson

{
  "experimental": {
    "modelContextProtocolServers": [
      {
        "transport": {
          "type": "stdio",
          "command": "Connect",
          "args": [
            "to",
            "https://mcp.cal.com/mcp",
            "(hosted;",
            "OAuth",
            "2.1,",
            "no",
            "local",
            "install)"
          ]
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Continue uses modelContextProtocolServers with a transport block.

~/.codex/config.tomlshell

# ~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.calcom-mcp]
command = "Connect"
args = [
  "to",
  "https://mcp.cal.com/mcp",
  "(hosted;",
  "OAuth",
  "2.1,",
  "no",
  "local",
  "install)",
]

Codex uses TOML. Each server is a [mcp_servers.<name>] subtable.

~/.config/zed/settings.jsonjsonc

{
  "context_servers": {
    "calcom-mcp": {
      "command": {
        "path": "Connect",
        "args": [
          "to",
          "https://mcp.cal.com/mcp",
          "(hosted;",
          "OAuth",
          "2.1,",
          "no",
          "local",
          "install)"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Zed calls them "context_servers". Settings live-reload on save.

ChatGPT → Settings → Connectors (remote URL)json

{
  "name": "Cal.com",
  "transport": "http",
  "url": "https://mcp.cal.com/mcp"
}

Paste this into Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector. Requires ChatGPT Pro / Team / Enterprise / Edu with Developer mode enabled. ChatGPT supports remote HTTPS MCP servers only — stdio servers must be hosted on a public HTTPS endpoint first.

2
Set required secrets
No credentials required — this MCP runs over stdio without authentication.
3
Try a minimum working prompt
Book a 30-minute call in the next 3 days
Check my Cal.com availability for 30-minute slots in the next 3 business days and book the first one that works for me at 10am or 2pm.
Tested with: Claude Desktop, Cursor.

Tools & permissions

Tools list pending verification. The server exposes tools over MCP; we haven’t yet parsed its capability manifest into this page. Check the GitHub repo for the authoritative list.

Security & scope

Access scope: Network
Sandbox: OAuth 2.1 scoped to the authenticated Cal.com account. The hosted MCP is Cal.com-operated — no user credentials touch your machine. The agent can only manage calendars, bookings, and availability that belong to the authorized account.
Gotchas: Booking creation is irreversible without an explicit cancellation tool call — the agent should confirm booking details with the user before calling create_booking.
Availability queries respect the configured Cal.com schedule and buffer times; the agent cannot book outside the configured availability windows.
Self-hosted instances require configuring the NEXTAUTH_URL and MCP_URL environment variables to expose the MCP endpoint.

Agent prompt pack

— copy into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT.

Paste into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT. Edit the [brackets] before sending.

Recommend the best MCP servers for [task: e.g. scheduling & calendar work] in [client: Claude].

Constraints:
- Prefer tools that are [official | open-source | read-only] — pick what matters for my use case.
- Exclude MCPs that require [e.g. a paid plan, OAuth-only flows, remote-only transport].
- Return at most 3 picks, ranked.

For each pick include:
1. One-sentence rationale.
2. The ready-to-paste install snippet for my client.
3. Any required secrets I need to create before installing.

Cross-check the top-mcps.com listing: https://top-mcps.com/top-mcps-for-scheduling-calendar

Compare Cal.com against a real alternative. Swap the second MCP in [brackets] if you want a different match.

Compare Cal.com MCP vs [Google Calendar MCP] for the following job: [describe the job, e.g. "let an agent create GitHub issues on bug triage"].

Judge them on:
- Setup time and complexity (what a new user hits first).
- Auth model (none / API key / OAuth 2.1) and credential risk.
- Transport (stdio / Streamable HTTP / SSE) and where the server runs.
- Required secrets and the blast radius if they leak.
- Operational risk in an unattended agent loop.
- Which one is "good enough" for a weekend prototype vs. production.

End with one sentence: which should I pick for my scenario, which is: [my scenario].

References:
- https://top-mcps.com/mcp/calcom-mcp
- top-mcps.com listing for Google Calendar

Asks the agent to install and verify. Works inside Claude Code, Cursor Agent, Codex CLI.

Install the Cal.com MCP server for my [client: Claude] at the default config path for that client.

Use the exact install snippet published at https://top-mcps.com/mcp/calcom-mcp (fetch https://top-mcps.com/mcp/calcom-mcp.json for the canonical server.json if you can read URLs).

Before finishing:
1. Create the required secrets (no secrets) and put them in the appropriate env block — do not hard-code them.
2. Restart or reload the client so it picks up the new server.
3. Verify the server is connected (green / running state) and at least one tool is listed.
4. If anything fails, read the client's MCP logs and report the exact error — do not silently retry.

Confirm when done and list the tools the server now exposes.

Frequently asked questions

What changed

— 2 updates tracked.

Jun 28, 2026
Refreshed install snippets and fact sheet; verified for 2026.
Apr 23, 2026
Initial directory listing.

At a glance

Maintainer: Cal.com (official)
Transport: Streamable HTTP
Auth model: OAuth 2.1
Required secrets: None
Supported clients: Claude Desktop
Claude Code
Cursor
License: AGPL-3.0
Language: TypeScript
Latest version: latest
Last verified: Jun 28, 2026

GitHub repo Official website

Alternatives

Google Calendar →
Read, create, and manage events across Google Calendar — via Google's official remote MCP or a self-hosted community server.
Calendly →
Official hosted MCP for booking-link scheduling — share availability without exposing the raw calendar.
Outlook Calendar →
Outlook Calendar — official ChatGPT Apps directory listing, verified for 2026.

Related guides

Square MCP vs Stripe MCP: Which to Use in 2026 →
Comparison
Best Free MCP Servers in 2026 (No API Key Required) →
Ranked Guide
Best MCPs for ChatGPT: The Apps and Connectors Worth Installing →
Setup Guide

More Scheduling & Calendar MCPs

Other tools in the same category worth evaluating.

Google Calendar

Read, create, and manage events across Google Calendar — via Google's official remote MCP or a self-hosted community server.

google-calendarschedulingeventsproductivity

10 minMedium

Calendly

Official hosted MCP for booking-link scheduling — share availability without exposing the raw calendar.

calendarschedulingcalendlybooking

5 minLow

Apple Calendar (CalDAV)

Read and create events in Apple Calendar via CalDAV from any MCP client.

calendarapplecaldavicloud