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Microsoft 365 Outlook MCP server

Integrate Outlook email and calendar with AI agents to automate message management, scheduling, and communication. An AI agent connected to Outlook can send and read emails, manage folders, schedule meetings, check calendar availability, create tasks, and organize contacts—all from natural language instructions. Use this for email automation, meeting scheduling, task management, or intelligent inbox organization.

Setting up an MCP server

This article covers the standard steps for creating an MCP server in AI Gateway and connecting it to an AI client. The steps are the same for every integration — application-specific details (API credentials, OAuth endpoints, and scopes) are covered in the individual application pages.

Before you begin​

You'll need:

  • Access to AI Gateway with permission to create MCP servers
  • API credentials for the application you're connecting (see the relevant application page for what to collect)

Create an MCP server​

Find the API in the catalog​

  1. Sign in to AI Gateway and select MCP Servers from the left navigation.
  2. Select New MCP Server.
  3. Search for the application you want to connect, then select it from the catalog.

Configure the server​

  1. Enter a Name for your server — something descriptive that identifies both the application and its purpose (for example, "Zendesk Support — Prod").
  2. Enter a Description so your team knows what the server is for.
  3. Set the Timeout value. 30 seconds works for most APIs; increase to 60 seconds for APIs that return large payloads.
  4. Toggle Production mode on if this server will be used in a live workflow.
  5. Select Next.

Configure authentication​

Enter the authentication details for the application. This varies by service — see the Authentication section of the relevant application page for the specific credentials, OAuth URLs, and scopes to use.

Configure security​

  1. Set any Rate limits appropriate for your use case and the API's own limits.
  2. Enable Logging if you want AI Gateway to record requests and responses for auditing.
  3. Select Next.

Deploy​

Review the summary, then select Deploy. AI Gateway provisions the server and provides a server URL you'll use when configuring your AI client.

Connect to an AI client​

Once your server is deployed, you'll need to add it to the AI client your team uses. Select your client for setup instructions:

Tips​

  • You can create multiple MCP servers for the same application — for example, a read-only server for reporting agents and a read-write server for automation workflows.
  • If you're unsure which OAuth scopes to request, start with the minimum read-only set and add write scopes only when needed. Most application pages include scope recommendations.
  • You can edit a server's name, description, timeout, and security settings after deployment without redeploying.

Authentication​

Outlook integration uses OAuth 2.0 authentication through Microsoft Graph. When you register an application in Azure AD, you'll receive a tenant-specific authorization endpoint (https://login.microsoftonline.com/{tenant-id}/oauth2/v2.0/authorize) and token endpoint (https://login.microsoftonline.com/{tenant-id}/oauth2/v2.0/token). You'll need these values plus your client ID and client secret to configure the MCP server. The integration requires Graph API scopes such as Mail.ReadWrite, Mail.Send, Calendars.ReadWrite, Contacts.ReadWrite, and Tasks.ReadWrite depending on the features you need.

Available tools​

These tools enable email management, calendar operations, contact management, task creation, and mailbox configuration.

ToolDescription
List messagesGet emails from a folder with filtering and sorting options
Send messageSend an email with subject, body, and attachments
Create draftCreate a draft message for later editing
Move messageMove an email to a different folder
Delete messageDelete or archive an email
List foldersGet all mail folders and categories
Create folderCreate a new mail folder
List eventsGet calendar events within a date range
Create eventCreate a new calendar meeting with attendees
Update eventModify an existing meeting's details or time
Delete eventRemove a calendar event
List contactsGet contacts from the address book
Create contactAdd a new contact with details
Create taskAdd a new task with due date and priority
List tasksGet tasks with filtering and sorting

Tips​

Schedule messages during business hours to reach recipients when they're attentive.

Use calendar free/busy queries before suggesting meeting times to avoid conflicts.

Store frequently used email templates to speed up draft creation.

Organize mail folders consistently so the agent can route emails reliably.

Cache contact IDs when working with large contact lists to reduce lookup time on subsequent operations.