Calendar Copilot Documentation

Calendar Copilot is an iOS calendar automation utility that runs actions on your calendars in the background. It enables you to sync events between calendars, delete events matching criteria, and modify events in bulk - all automatically.

Getting Started

Requirements

  • iOS 17.0 or later
  • iPhone or iPad
  • Calendar access permission
  • Background App Refresh permission

Initial Setup

1. Grant Calendar Access

When you first launch Calendar Copilot, you'll be prompted to grant calendar access. This permission is required for the app to read and modify your events. Your calendar data never leaves your device.

2. Enable Background App Refresh

For automatic processing, make sure Background App Refresh is enabled:

  1. Go to Settings → General → Background App Refresh
  2. Enable it for Calendar Copilot
  3. Keep the app in your recent apps (don't force quit)

3. Create Your First Action

Tap the + button to create your first automation action. Follow the step-by-step wizard to configure what you want to automate.

Creating Actions

Actions are the core of Calendar Copilot. Each action defines an automation task that runs on your calendars.

Action Properties

  • Name: A descriptive name for your action
  • Type: Sync, Delete, or Change events
  • Criteria: Optional filters to target specific events
  • Mode: Continuous (runs repeatedly) or One-time
  • Dry Run: Test mode that shows what would happen without making changes

Building Match Criteria

Use criteria to target specific events:

  • Title: Contains, starts with, ends with, or exact match
  • Attendees: Email or name matching
  • Location: Text matching
  • Date Range: Events within specific dates
  • Logic: Combine with AND/OR operators

Action Types

🔄 Sync Events

Copy events from one calendar to another with intelligent duplicate detection.

Features:

  • Idempotent syncing (no duplicates)
  • Maintains recurring event series
  • Preserves all event properties
  • Option to modify synced events (title, alerts, location, notes)

Use Cases:

  • Sync work events to personal calendar
  • Share family events to your personal calendar
  • Create calendar blocks on your work calendar based on personal events
  • Remove information from events on the destination calendar for privacy

🗑️ Delete Events

Remove events matching your criteria with safety confirmations.

Features:

  • Confirmation for large operations
  • Dry run mode for testing
  • Detailed activity logging

Use Cases:

  • Remove spam calendar invites
  • Clean up old events
  • Delete events from specific senders

✏️ Change Events

Modify multiple events at once.

Modifications Available:

  • Title: Replace, prepend, or append text
  • Location: Set, clear, or replace
  • Notes: Add, replace, or append
  • Alerts: Add or remove reminders
  • Attendees: Add or remove participants

Use Cases:

  • Add meeting room to all team meetings
  • Bulk add alerts to important events
  • Update event titles in bulk

Background Processing

Calendar Copilot uses iOS background processing to run your actions automatically.

How It Works

  1. Actions run approximately every 30 minutes when conditions are favorable
  2. iOS determines the exact timing based on usage patterns and battery
  3. Processing is battery-efficient and respects system resources

Maximizing Background Execution

  • Don't force quit the app - Keep it in recent apps
  • Use the app regularly - iOS prioritizes frequently used apps
  • Good battery level - Background tasks run more often above 20%
  • Connected to Wi-Fi - Some tasks prefer Wi-Fi connection
  • Plug in overnight - iOS runs maintenance tasks when charging

Examples

Example 1: Never miss a Family calendar event

Goal: Copy your iCloud Family events to your Personal calendar on Google Calendar

Action: Sync Events
Source: iCloud Family calendar
Destination: Personal calendar on Google Calendar
Modifications:
  - Remove Alerts
Mode: Continuous

Example 2: Work-Life Balance

Goal: Copy personal appointments to your work calendar to block off your time, while removing private details

Action: Sync Events
Source: Personal calendar
Destination: Work Calendar
Modifications:
  - Hit the "Block my calendar" button to automatically apply the following settings:
  - Change Title: Replace with "Busy"
  - Remove Alerts
  - Remove Note
  - Change Location to ""
Mode: Continuous

Example 3: Remove Calendar Spam

Goal: Automatically delete spam invitations

Action: Delete Events
Criteria:
  - Title contains "Prize" OR
  - Sender ends with "@spam.com" OR
  - Title contains "Winner"
Mode: Continuous

Example 4: Add Meeting Locations

Goal: Add conference room to all team meetings

Action: Change Events
Criteria:
  - Title starts with "Team Meeting"
  - Has no location
Modifications:
  - Location: Set to "Conference Room A"
Mode: Continuous

Best Practices

1. Start with Dry Run

Always test new actions in dry run mode first. This shows you exactly what would be affected without making any changes.

2. Use Specific Criteria

Be as specific as possible with your matching criteria to avoid unintended changes. It's better to be too specific than too broad.

3. Order Actions Carefully

Actions run in the order shown in your list. Place more specific actions before general ones to ensure proper processing.

4. Monitor Activity Logs

Regularly check the Activity Log tab to ensure your actions are working as expected. Look for any failures or unexpected results.

5. Test Before Automating

Run actions manually a few times before enabling continuous mode to ensure they work correctly.

Troubleshooting

Actions Not Running in Background

  1. Check that Background App Refresh is enabled in iOS Settings
  2. Ensure the app isn't force quit (keep in recent apps)
  3. Check the last run time in the app
  4. Try running the action manually first
  5. Open the app occasionally - iOS deprioritizes unused apps

Calendar Access Denied

  1. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Calendars
  2. Enable access for Calendar Copilot
  3. Restart the app

Sync Creating Duplicates

  • Check if events already exist in the destination calendar
  • Ensure the source events haven't been modified externally
  • Try clearing the destination calendar and re-syncing

Performance Issues

  • Reduce the number of events processed by using date range criteria
  • Disable unused actions
  • Break large actions into smaller, more specific ones

Events Not Matching Criteria

  • Use the preview feature to see what events match
  • Check for extra spaces or special characters in criteria
  • Try using "contains" instead of exact match
  • Verify the logic operator (AND vs OR)

Need More Help?

If you're experiencing issues not covered here, please contact support:

  • Email: [email protected]
  • Include your iOS version, device model, and steps to reproduce the issue