Raycast Extension

BusyCal's Raycast extension brings your calendars, events, and tasks into Raycast so you can create, search, and manage calendar items without leaving the keyboard.

The extension connects to BusyCal through the same local automation engine used by AppleScript and the Claude Desktop extension. All data stays on your Mac — nothing is sent to external servers.

note

The Raycast extension requires BusyCal version 2026.1.3 or later.

Requirements

• BusyCal installed on your Mac.
• Raycast installed on your Mac.

The first time you use a BusyCal command, macOS will ask you to grant Raycast permission to control BusyCal via Automation. Click OK to allow it.

Installing the Extension

note

The BusyCal extension will soon be available in the Raycast Store, subject to Raycast's approval. Once approved, you can install it by searching for "BusyCal" in the Raycast Store.

Manual Installation

If you'd like to install the extension before it's available in the Store, you can build it from the source code on GitHub:

1. Clone the repository and install dependencies:

   git clone https://github.com/BeehiveInnovations/busycal-raycast.git
   cd busycal-raycast
   npm install

2. Build and register the extension with Raycast:

   npm run dev

3. Once the build succeeds, press ⌃C to stop the process. The extension is now permanently registered — all BusyCal commands will appear in Raycast just like a Store-installed extension.

tip

Keep the cloned folder in place — Raycast references it to run the extension. To update, pull the latest changes and run npm run dev again.

Commands

Search Items

Search your local events and tasks by keyword. Select a result to jump to it in BusyCal.

Open Raycast and type "Search Items", then enter your search term.

Upcoming Items

Browse your upcoming events and tasks in a list. The number of days to look ahead is configurable in the extension preferences (default: 7 days).

Open Raycast and type "Upcoming Items".

Create Event

Create a new event using a structured form with fields for title, start and end dates, calendar, location, and notes.

Open Raycast and type "Create Event".

Create Task

Create a new task using a structured form with fields for title, optional due date, calendar, and notes.

Open Raycast and type "Create Task".

Quick Add Event

Create an event using natural language — type the event details in a single line and press Enter. Raycast returns immediately so you can keep working.

Open Raycast and type "Quick Add Event", then enter something like:

Lunch with Sam tomorrow at 1pm /Work

Use /CalendarName at the end to specify which calendar to use.

Quick Add Task

Create a task using natural language — same quick entry style as events.

Open Raycast and type "Quick Add Task", then enter something like:

Finish expense report Friday /Personal

Find Next Available Time

Find the next free time slot in your schedule. You can copy the slot, open it in BusyCal, or create an event directly in that slot.

Open Raycast and type "Find Next Available Time".

Preferences

You can configure the extension in Raycast's extension settings (Raycast > Settings > Extensions > BusyCal):

Preference	Description	Default
Hide Raycast after quick add	Dismiss Raycast immediately after a quick add command.	On
Upcoming horizon	How many days to look ahead in the Upcoming view.	7 days
Include tasks in upcoming	Show tasks alongside events in the Upcoming view.	On
Minimum slot duration	Minimum free slot length for Find Next Available Time (15, 30, 45, 60, or 90 minutes).	30 minutes
Respect working hours	Only find free time within your configured working hours.	On

Working hours are configured in BusyCal > Settings > General (Day starts at, Day ends at, and working days). The extension uses these settings when checking availability.