---
kind: tool-guide
id: curabis-m365
version: 1
title: Microsoft 365 MCP — Usage Guide
description: >
  How to use the Microsoft 365 MCP connector (email, calendar, SharePoint, Teams)
  correctly. Defines when to use each tool, key parameters, and what never to do.
inputs: [task-context, search-intent]
outputs: [emails, events, documents, messages]
domain: operations
keywords: [m365, outlook, calendar, sharepoint, teams, email, mcp, microsoft]
---

# Microsoft 365 MCP — Usage Guide

## Available tools

| Tool | What it searches | Returns |
|---|---|---|
| `outlook_email_search` | Email (inbox, sent, all folders) | Metadata + URI; fetch body via `read_resource` |
| `outlook_calendar_search` | Calendar events | Metadata + URI; fetch details via `read_resource` |
| `sharepoint_search` | SharePoint documents and pages | Metadata + URI; fetch content via `read_resource` |
| `chat_message_search` | Teams 1:1 / group / meeting chats | Message text + context |
| `find_meeting_availability` | Free/busy slots across attendees | Available time windows |
| `outlook_find_available_time` | Free/busy for a single user | Available time windows |
| `read_resource` | Full content from a URI returned by any search | Full email body / document / event |
| `sharepoint_folder_search` | SharePoint folder structure | Folder paths and URIs |

## When to use each tool

### `outlook_email_search`
Use when: looking for a specific email, checking if a message was received, finding
communication history with a sender or about a topic.

```
# Find unread emails from the last 24 hours
outlook_email_search(query="*", afterDateTime="yesterday", order="newest", limit=10)

# Find emails about a specific topic
outlook_email_search(query="faktura Jernpladsen", afterDateTime="last week")

# Find emails from a specific sender
outlook_email_search(sender="kunde@example.dk", afterDateTime="last month")
```

**Key rules:**
- Always set `afterDateTime` to limit scope. Never scan the full inbox without a date boundary.
- Use `read_resource` with the returned URI to fetch the full email body — do not guess content from the subject alone.
- Max 25 results per call. Use `nextOffset` / `nextCursor` to paginate if needed.

### `outlook_calendar_search`
Use when: checking today's agenda, finding a specific meeting, preparing a morning brief,
or checking when someone is next available.

```
# Today's agenda
outlook_calendar_search(query="*", afterDateTime="today", beforeDateTime="tomorrow", order="oldest")

# Find a specific meeting
outlook_calendar_search(query="BC TechDays")

# Check attendee schedule
outlook_calendar_search(query="*", attendee="kollega@curabis.dk", afterDateTime="today")
```

**Key rules:**
- `query` is required — use `"*"` to match all events within a date range.
- Date range defaults to 1 year past → 1 year future. Always narrow it for operational queries.
- For morning briefs: `afterDateTime="today"`, `beforeDateTime="tomorrow"`, `order="oldest"`.

### `sharepoint_search`
Use when: finding a document, specification, or knowledge article in SharePoint.

```
# Find a document by name or topic
sharepoint_search(query="Jernpladsen miljøattest")

# Find recent Excel files
sharepoint_search(query="affaldsindberetning", fileType="xlsx", afterDateTime="2026-01-01T00:00:00Z")
```

**Key rules:**
- `query` is required and mandatory — cannot be empty.
- Use `fileType` to narrow to a specific format (pdf, docx, xlsx).
- Use `read_resource` to fetch document content from the returned URI.
- SharePoint search covers content, filename, and metadata simultaneously.

### `chat_message_search`
Use when: finding a Teams conversation about a topic, checking what was said in a channel,
or recovering context from a recent discussion.

```
# Find Teams messages about a topic
chat_message_search(query="BC deployment")

# Messages from a specific sender today
chat_message_search(query="*", sender="kollega@curabis.dk", afterDateTime="today")
```

**Key rules:**
- `query` is required.
- Coverage is limited to 1:1 and group chats — not all channel messages.
- When `afterDateTime`/`beforeDateTime` is set, scans up to 50 most-recently-modified chats.
  Results may be partial if rate-limited.
- Channel messages are NOT reliably covered — do not rely on this for GitHub/ALGo notifications.

### `read_resource`
Use when: a search tool returned a URI and you need the full content.

```
# Fetch full email body
read_resource(uri="<URI from email search result>")

# Fetch full document content
read_resource(uri="<URI from SharePoint search result>")
```

**Key rules:**
- Only call `read_resource` when the full content is actually needed for the task.
- Do not read every result from a search — identify the relevant one first, then fetch it.

## Florence's morning brief pattern

When Florence runs a morning brief for Michael, she follows this order:

1. **Calendar** — today's events (meetings, deadlines)
   ```
   outlook_calendar_search(query="*", afterDateTime="today", beforeDateTime="tomorrow", order="oldest")
   ```

2. **Urgent email** — unread messages from the last 24 hours that may need action
   ```
   outlook_email_search(query="*", afterDateTime="yesterday", order="newest", limit=10)
   ```
   Classify each: routine / notable / concerning. Fetch body via `read_resource` only for concerning.

3. **BC tasks** — via BC MCP (not M365). See `bc-mcp.agent.md`.

4. **Open PRs** — via GitHub API. See `florence.agent.md`.

Florence reports only what deserves attention. 10 routine emails = no mention in the report.

## Privacy rules

- Read only what is needed to answer the specific question at hand.
- Never summarise email content beyond what the user asked for.
- Never expose email addresses or personal details from third parties without a task context.
- Shared mailbox access (`mailboxOwnerEmail`) requires explicit instruction from the principal — never assume access.
- Calendar owner access (`calendarOwnerEmail`) same rule.

## What NOT to do

- Do not scan the full inbox without a date boundary (`afterDateTime` is always required for operational queries).
- Do not call `read_resource` on every search result — identify the relevant item first.
- Do not use `chat_message_search` as a substitute for GitHub PR/issue notifications — it does not reliably cover channels.
- Do not guess email content from subject alone — fetch the body when the content matters.
- Do not paginate indefinitely — if more than 2 pages are needed, narrow the query instead.