Recipe: Invitation Manager

Process pending calendar invitations by checking availability for each and presenting a decision list with recommendations.

Prerequisite: Read the use-spark base skill for command reference and filter syntax.

Access level required: read-only.

Steps

Step 1: List pending invitations

spark emails Inbox --filter "category:invitation"

Collect all pending invitations. Note the senders, subjects, and IDs.

Step 2: Read each invitation

For each invitation, read the thread to understand the meeting details:

spark thread <id>

Note the proposed time, attendees, and purpose.

Step 3: Check availability for each

For each invitation's proposed time, check whether the user is free:

spark events --today

Or for a specific date range:

spark events --start 2026-04-14 --end 2026-04-14

For a broader view:

spark availability --start 2026-04-14 --end 2026-04-14

Step 4: Present a decision list

Summarize each invitation with a recommendation:

• Accept - the user is free at the proposed time
• Conflict - the user has an overlapping event (name the conflict)
• Needs discussion - the user is technically free but the meeting needs clarification

Step 5: Check invitation responses

Review any invitation responses the user has received:

spark emails Inbox --filter "category:invitation_response"

Report who accepted, declined, or proposed alternative times.

Tips

• Process invitations daily - they're time-sensitive and forgetting one can mean missing an important meeting.
• Use availability to quickly check free slots rather than scanning through events manually.
• Invitation responses (category:invitation_response) are a separate category - check them to see who RSVPed.
• For recurring meeting invitations, read the thread to check if the pattern works long-term, not just the next occurrence.
• When there's a conflict, suggest an alternative time by checking availability around the proposed date.
• Combine with recipe-schedule-meeting when an invitation leads to rescheduling.