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Radicale Automation

Automated workflows and maintenance patterns for the Radicale CalDAV/CardDAV server.

What it is

Radicale Automation refers to the set of scripts, n8n workflows, and configuration patterns used to automate calendar management, contact synchronization, and server maintenance for Radicale.

What problem it solves

It reduces the manual effort required to manage self-hosted calendars and contacts. This includes automated backups of .ics and .vcf files, syncing contacts from external sources (like CRM or social media), and setting up automated alerts for server health.

Where it fits in the stack

Category: Services / Automation. It bridges the gap between raw data storage in Radicale and actionable scheduling/contact management.

Typical use cases

  • Automated nightly backup of calendar and contact files to off-site storage.
  • Synchronizing family contacts from a shared spreadsheet into Radicale CardDAV.
  • Automatically creating calendar events in Radicale based on incoming emails (via n8n).
  • Monitoring Radicale service availability and alerting via Telegram.

Strengths

  • Simple File Format: Since Radicale stores data as plain text files, automation via standard filesystem tools is straightforward.
  • REST-like API: Supports standard HTTP methods for easy integration with tools like curl and n8n.
  • Python-Based: Easy to extend with custom Python scripts.

Limitations

  • No Native Webhooks: Relies on polling or filesystem watchers for change detection.
  • Authentication Complexity: Requires handling htpasswd or LDAP credentials in automation scripts.

When to use it

  • To ensure your self-hosted calendar data is regularly backed up and synchronized.
  • When you need to integrate your private calendar with other automation tools like n8n or Home Assistant.

When not to use it

  • If you only have a single user and a single device, manual management might be sufficient.

Getting started

Prerequisites

  • A running Radicale instance.
  • Access to the Radicale storage directory (usually ~/.var/lib/radicale/collections).

Automated Backup Script

Create a simple bash script to backup your collections:

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/path/to/backups/radicale_$(date +%Y%m%d)"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
cp -r ~/.var/lib/radicale/collections/* "$BACKUP_DIR"
tar -czf "${BACKUP_DIR}.tar.gz" "$BACKUP_DIR"
rm -rf "$BACKUP_DIR"

Hello World (n8n)

  1. Add an HTTP Request node in n8n.
  2. Set the Method to PROPFIND.
  3. URL: http://your-radicale-server:5232/user/.
  4. Authentication: Basic Auth (Radicale credentials).
  5. This node will return the list of available collections, serving as a starting point for more complex scheduling automations.

CLI examples

Automation often involves interacting with the filesystem or using curl.

# Verify all storage items for integrity via CLI
python3 -m radicale --verify-storage

# Use curl to create a new calendar collection automatically
curl -u user:pass -X MKCOL http://localhost:5232/user/new_calendar/

# List all files in a collection to check for recent changes
ls -ltr ~/.var/lib/radicale/collections/collection-data/user/

API examples

Python (Syncing Contacts)

import requests

# Example of pushing a new VCard to Radicale
url = "http://localhost:5232/user/contacts/new-contact.vcf"
vcard_data = """BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
FN:John Doe
N:Doe;John;;;
EMAIL;TYPE=INTERNET:john.doe@example.com
END:VCARD"""

response = requests.put(
    url,
    data=vcard_data,
    auth=("user", "pass"),
    headers={"Content-Type": "text/vcard"}
)
print(f"Status Code: {response.status_code}")

curl (Exporting Calendar)

# Download a full calendar as a single .ics file for external processing
curl -u user:pass "http://localhost:5232/user/calendar/" -o my_calendar.ics

Sources / References

  • https://radicale.org/v3.html
  • https://docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.httprequest/

Contribution Metadata

  • Confidence: high
  • Last reviewed: 2026-06-12