I know this was requested a few years ago, but wanted to request the option for bookings to require approval before going onto the calendar. I know there are forms and workflows, but that doesn’t quite fit my needs (non-profit and need to manage meetings with clients). And I get the logic that “this adds one more step, and Calendly is about eliminating steps” - but that’s why I request this to be added as an option. For some users, this would be incredibly helpful. In my situation, I get meeting requests from non-clients that I don’t always want to take, but I like having my meeting link in my email signature and on my business card. I realize I can always cancel or unschedule a meeting with someone, but it would be a lot easier if I had the option to “require approval for meetings before adding to calendar.” Thanks for considering this.
Approve Bookings
Hi
Thanks for sharing this request — and for articulating the use case so clearly. You're not alone in wanting this. We hear from other users in similar situations (non-profits, consultants, professionals with public booking links) who want the ability to review and approve meeting requests before they hit the calendar.
We understand the tension you're describing: Calendly is built to reduce friction, but for some workflows, a lightweight approval step would actually make the tool more usable. The key insight is that this would be an opt-in option, not a default behavior change.
Right now, there isn't a native "pending approval" feature in Calendly. The closest workarounds available today are:
- Automation-based: Using a tool like Zapier with the "Invitee Created" trigger to notify you when someone books, so you can manually review and cancel if needed. The downside is the invitee still receives an immediate confirmation.
- Blocking specific invitees: If there are known contacts you'd like to prevent from booking, you can block them after their first booking via the meeting details menu.
I acknowledge that neither fully solves for what you're describing. A true "accept/decline" step before the meeting is confirmed to the invitee.
We've logged this as a feature request and it's on our team's radar. We appreciate you taking the time to explain your workflow — that context helps us prioritize. We'll keep the community updated if this moves forward.
Best,
Allie
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