How to Set Pre and Post Buffers on Sparkforge Calendars

By Sparkforge Support Team ·Last reviewed May 3, 2026

Pre and post buffers add padding before or after a Sparkforge appointment for prep, travel, or wrap-up. Set them per calendar in Availability — and use only one direction if you want to keep more bookable slots.

Buffers are padding minutes Sparkforge adds before or after an appointment slot. Use them when you need prep time, travel time, or wrap-up between bookings. Each calendar has its own buffer settings.

Set pre and post buffers

Open the calendar. For a new one, go to Advanced Settings; for an existing one, click Edit.
Open the Availability section.
Set Pre buffer time and Post buffer time to the minutes you want.
Save.

Turn buffers off

Set both pre and post buffer values to 0 and save. Existing booked appointments keep whatever buffer was active when they were created — only new bookings use the new value.

How buffers interact with bookings

Buffers apply to appointments booked through Sparkforge or third-party calendars with Allow Contact Creation enabled. Blocked slots and synced events from Google, Outlook, and iCloud are also respected, so buffers do not overlap with existing commitments.

Watch out for double buffering

If you set both a pre and a post buffer, every appointment consumes time on both sides. With a 30-minute meeting and 15-minute buffers each way, the next bookable slot starts 30 minutes after the existing booking ends. On a busy calendar this can hide what looks like free time.

If maximum bookable slots matter more than tight padding, use only one buffer (pre or post) instead of both.

Round-robin and collective calendars

Buffers set on a user's other calendars affect this calendar too. In a round-robin event, that can create uneven distribution — one user's buffers from elsewhere block them on the round-robin schedule. In a collective event, individual buffers can mark slots unbookable that would otherwise show as free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do buffers apply to events booked outside Sparkforge?

Buffers only apply to appointments booked through Sparkforge. The exception is two-way or smart sync — if a third-party event is converted into a Sparkforge appointment instead of treated as a blocked slot, buffers apply.

Can I change a buffer after an appointment is booked?

Yes. Buffers always reflect the current calendar setting, so changing them affects future scheduling logic for that calendar.

What is double buffering?

Double buffering is using both pre and post buffers, so every appointment consumes time on both sides. It tightens scheduling but reduces total bookable slots.

Why are time slots showing as unavailable when nothing is booked?

Often this is double buffering or buffer settings on a user's other calendars (round-robin and collective events look across all calendars the user owns). Reduce one buffer or check the user's other calendars.

How long should pre and post buffers be?

Match them to real prep or wrap-up needs. For most service appointments 5–15 minutes is enough; longer buffers significantly reduce bookable slots.