khal
Manage and view calendar events
TLDR
Start Khal in interactive mode
Print all events scheduled in personal calendar for the next seven days
Print all events scheduled not in personal calendar for tomorrow at 10:00
Print a calendar with a list of events for the next three months
Add new event to personal calendar
SYNOPSIS
khal [options] {calendar,list,new,edit,delete,search,export,import,printcal} [args]
PARAMETERS
-h, --help
Show help message and exit
-a ADDRESSBOOK, --addressbook ADDRESSBOOK
Only show events from specified calendar/addressbook
-b CONFIG, --configfile CONFIG
Path to configuration file (default: ~/.config/khal/khal.conf)
-d DAYFORMAT, --dayformat DAYFORMAT
Format for day headers (strftime)
-D, --debug
Enable debug logging
-l LOCALE, --locale LOCALE
Locale for dates and week starts
-f {ics,vcf}, --format {ics,vcf}
Input/output format (default: ics)
-V, --version
Show version and exit
--color COLOR
Color scheme (never/auto/always)
--firstweekday FIRSTWEEKDAY
First day of week (0=Mon,6=Sun)
--datetimeformat DATETIMEFORMAT
Strftime for datetime display
--print-format {calendar,agenda,detailed}
Format for printcal command
--term-width TERM_WIDTH
Terminal width override
DESCRIPTION
Khal is a standards-compliant command-line calendar application designed for terminal users. It reads and writes events to vdir directories using iCalendar (ICS) format and supports synchronization with CalDAV servers via vdirsyncer.
Key features include displaying calendars, listing events in agenda or detailed views, creating/editing/deleting events and recurring events, searching by text or time, importing/exporting ICS files, and printing calendars. It handles multiple calendars/addressbooks, todos, and customizable output formats for dates, times, and colors.
Khal emphasizes speed, privacy (local-first), and Unix philosophy, integrating well with tools like ikhal (curses TUI frontend), khard (contacts), and shell scripts. Configuration is via INI files specifying calendars, locales, and formats. No GUI dependencies; pure Python with dateutil and icalendar libraries. Ideal for power users avoiding bloated clients like Thunderbird.
CAVEATS
Requires valid configuration file with [calendars] section pointing to vdir paths. Recurring events may need manual handling. No built-in CalDAV sync (use vdirsyncer). Python 3.8+ needed.
CONFIGURATION
Edit ~/.config/khal/khal.conf: define [calendars] paths, [locale] settings, [view] formats. Example:
[calendars]
personal = ~/calendars/personal
SUBCOMMANDS
calendar: display grid
list: agenda view
new YYYY-MM-DD [HH:MM]: create event
edit/delete UUID: modify/remove
search TEXT: find events
INSTALLATION
Via pip: pip install khal
Or distro packages: apt install khal (Debian), dnf install khal (Fedora)
HISTORY
Started in 2013 by Georg Faerber to create a free calendaring stack. Reached v0.1 in 2014; current stable ~0.11 (2023). Maintained on GitHub with focus on standards compliance and CLI usability.
SEE ALSO
vdirsyncer(1), ikhal(1), khard(1), cal(1)
