> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.calgest.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Availability configuration

> How to configure when clients can book appointments.

The availability configuration controls which time slots appear on your public booking page. You define when your business is open for bookings using **availability groups**.

## Availability groups

An availability group is a set of time windows when clients can book. You can create multiple groups to handle different scheduling patterns.

Each group has a **scope** that determines when it applies:

| Scope              | When to use                                                                 |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Weekly**         | Regular recurring hours with no date boundaries (e.g., every Monday–Friday) |
| **Date range**     | Available only between two dates, filtered by day of week                   |
| **Specific dates** | Available only on individual dates (e.g., a special Saturday opening)       |

## Setting up weekly availability

This is the most common pattern. For example, if your business is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create an availability group">
    In **Settings > Booking**, scroll to the availability section and add a new group.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Weekly scope">
    Choose **Weekly** as the scope.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add time slots">
    For each day you're open, add the start and end times. For example:

    * Monday: 09:00–18:00
    * Tuesday: 09:00–18:00
    * (and so on)
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Handling exceptions

Use **Specific dates** groups to handle one-off changes:

* **Special openings** — add a group for a date you're normally closed (e.g., a Saturday before a holiday)
* **Holiday closures** — don't add any availability for that date

<Tip>
  You can combine multiple availability groups. For example, use a Weekly group for your regular hours and a Date range group for a seasonal schedule change.
</Tip>

## How slot generation works

CalGest combines all your availability groups and generates bookable time slots based on your **slot interval** setting. It then removes slots that are already occupied by existing appointments (depending on your exclusive/concurrent mode settings).

Slots respect your booking window settings:

* Slots in the past are never shown
* Slots beyond your **max advance days** are hidden
* Slots within your **min lead time** are blocked