Your booking flow already runs through Calendly. Clients pick a time on your scheduling page, Calendly puts it in your diary and sends its own emails, and you would rather not rebuild any of that. What you want is something in front of it: an assistant that answers the questions people ask before they book, and then gets them onto your Calendly page without a "let me email you the link" delay.
That is what Klugon's Calendly AI receptionist connection is for. Once you paste a Calendly token into Klugon, the assistant in your website chat and messaging channels can look up your Calendly event types and create a one-time booking link for the right one, which the customer opens to choose a time in Calendly. It can also check your Calendly busy times so that bookings it takes in Klugon's own calendar don't land on top of your Calendly meetings.
What it does not do is book a time inside Calendly on the customer's behalf. The customer finishes the booking on Calendly's page. This page explains exactly how that works, how to set it up, which plan you need, and the limits, so you can decide whether it fits the way you work.
What the Calendly AI receptionist connection does
The connection gives Klugon's assistant three abilities, all of them in text conversations.
1. Listing your Calendly event types
A tool called get_calendly_event_types asks Calendly for your active event types. For each one, Klugon reads the name, the duration, the scheduling URL and the plain-text description. The assistant uses that list to understand what meetings you offer, for example "30-minute discovery call" and "60-minute strategy session".
If you set a specific event type when you connect (an optional field, explained below), the assistant sees only that one.
2. Sending a single-use booking link
A tool called create_calendly_booking_link asks Calendly to create a scheduling link for one event type, limited to a single booking. The assistant then replies with a line like "Book your 30-minute discovery call here:" followed by the link. The customer taps it, sees your Calendly availability for that event type, and books there.
If you have several active event types and the customer hasn't made clear which one they want, the assistant asks first. If you only have one, it uses that.
Because the link is single-use, it can't be passed around and reused for further bookings. After one booking, it stops working, which keeps your public scheduling page as the place for repeat bookings.
3. Checking your Calendly busy times
When the assistant checks a specific time for a booking in Klugon's own calendar, using a tool called check_availability, Klugon looks at its own bookings first and then asks Calendly for your busy times in that window. If Calendly reports you as busy, the time is treated as unavailable.
This matters if you take some bookings in Klugon (for example, short appointments the assistant books directly) and others in Calendly. It stops the assistant offering a time that Calendly already has a meeting in, at least when it checks that time.
What data goes where
The Calendly connection moves very little data, which is part of its appeal.
| Direction | What moves | When |
|---|---|---|
| Calendly to Klugon | Your active event types: name, duration, scheduling URL, description | When the assistant looks up event types |
| Calendly to Klugon | Busy periods (start and end times only) for your Calendly user | When the assistant checks a specific time |
| Klugon to Calendly | A request to create a single-use link for one event type | When the assistant sends a link |
| Calendly to the customer | The booking page, then Calendly's own confirmation | When the customer uses the link |
Klugon does not send the customer's name, email or phone number to Calendly. The customer types their details into Calendly's booking form themselves. Klugon is not told when the customer completes a Calendly booking, so that booking does not appear on Klugon's Bookings page. Calendly is the record for anything booked through the link.
If you also want those people as leads in Klugon, the assistant can still collect their details in the conversation before sending the link, as long as lead capture is switched on for the assistant. That lead then appears in Klugon's Leads list like any other.
Where the connection works
The Calendly tools run in Klugon's chat engine, so they are available in:
- the website chat widget;
- WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram conversations (see Instagram and Messenger automation and the WhatsApp AI chatbot).
They are not used on phone calls. Klugon's AI phone receptionist has its own smaller set of tools, and the Calendly ones are not among them. Klugon does not send text messages either, so there is no way for a voice call to hand a caller a Calendly link. On a call, the assistant books into Klugon's own calendar, which does not check Calendly. If phone bookings are a large share of your business and you rely on Calendly for your diary, keep that in mind: phone bookings and Calendly meetings will not see each other.
Setting up the Calendly AI receptionist connection
The setup is short. You need a Calendly account and a Klugon voice or social plan on the Business tier or higher.
Step 1: create a personal access token in Calendly
The Klugon dashboard's setup guide puts it like this: in Calendly, go to Integrations and apps, then API and webhooks, then Personal access tokens, and generate a new token.
Calendly's developer documentation on personal access tokens gives the same route in more detail:
- Log in to Calendly and open the Integrations page.
- Choose the API and Webhooks tile.
- Under Personal Access Tokens, choose "Get a token now" (or "Generate new token" if you already have one).
- Give it a name you will recognise, such as "Klugon", create it and copy it.
Calendly shows the token only once. It doesn't store it in a way you can view later, so copy it straight into Klugon. If you lose it, generate a new one.
If Calendly asks you to choose scopes for the token, make sure it can read your user details, your event types and your availability, and can create scheduling links, because those are the calls Klugon makes.
On plans: Calendly's API overview says basic API requests work on any Calendly plan, while webhooks and some newer scheduling endpoints need a paid plan. Klugon doesn't use webhooks.
Step 2: decide whether to pin one event type
The Klugon panel has an optional field called Event type. It expects Calendly's API address for an event type, which looks like https://api.calendly.com/event_types/ followed by an ID. This is not the same as the link on your scheduling page, and it is not shown in Calendly's normal screens.
For most businesses the right answer is to leave it blank. The assistant then sees all your active event types and picks, or asks, as needed. Fill it in only if you want the assistant to offer one meeting type and nothing else, and you or a developer can get the API address for it.
If you need to tidy up which meetings are offered, do it in Calendly instead: turn off event types you don't want the assistant to offer, because Klugon only lists active ones. Calendly's guide to setting up an event type covers names, durations and descriptions. Clear names and a short description help the assistant match the customer to the right meeting.
Step 3: connect Calendly in Klugon
- In the Klugon dashboard, open Integrations.
- Find Calendly by searching or with the Calendar filter.
- Click Connect. The panel shows two fields and a collapsible Setup Guide.
- Paste the token into Personal access token.
- Leave Event type blank, or paste the event type's API address.
- Save.
Unlike some other connections, Klugon tests the Calendly token when you save. If Calendly rejects it, you will see "Calendly rejected that token. Create a new personal access token and paste it again." If the event type address is in the wrong format, or Calendly can't find it, you will see an error explaining that, with the suggestion to leave it blank.
Once connected, the card shows Configure. You can replace the token with Update Credentials or remove the connection with Disconnect.
Step 4: tell the assistant when to send a link
The assistant decides when to use the Calendly tools based on the conversation and on what you have told it. It helps to add a line to the assistant's instructions or knowledge base, such as "For consultations, send the customer a Calendly link rather than booking a slot directly." Without guidance, the assistant may book into Klugon's own calendar when a customer asks for an appointment, if appointment booking is switched on.
Which plan includes the Calendly connection
The Calendly connection falls under the feature Klugon's billing labels "Google Calendar, HubSpot and Zoho sync". It is included on:
- Voice plans: Business ($299 a month) and Scale ($499 a month);
- Social plans: Business ($249 a month) and Scale ($449 a month).
It is not part of any chat widget plan, and not part of any Starter plan. On a plan without it, the Calendly card shows a locked button naming the feature and the Business plan, linking to Billing. The pricing page has full figures, including yearly prices.
Klugon's trial is 7 days. A card is required, and you are charged at the end unless you cancel.
Limits to know before you rely on it
- The customer completes the booking in Calendly. The assistant does not pick a time or create the Calendly event itself. If the customer never opens the link, no booking is made.
- Klugon is not told about Calendly bookings. They don't appear in Klugon's Bookings list or analytics.
- Busy-time checks are only used for Klugon bookings, and only when the assistant checks a time. Klugon's main slot finder, which lists open times, reads Klugon's own calendar. The Calendly check is part of the separate
check_availabilitystep. - Errors count as free. If Calendly can't be reached when the assistant checks a time (an expired token, for example), the time is treated as free. A broken token can therefore lead to a clash between a Klugon booking and a Calendly meeting.
- One Calendly user. Busy times and event types are read for the Calendly user who owns the token. Team members' separate calendars are not checked unless they are part of that user's Calendly availability.
- Text channels only. No Calendly links or checks on phone calls.
What the Calendly connection doesn't do
To be completely clear, the connection does not:
- book a meeting in Calendly for the customer;
- send the customer's details to Calendly;
- import Calendly bookings into Klugon;
- send confirmations or reminders from Klugon (Calendly may send its own, depending on your Calendly settings);
- work on phone calls;
- send links by SMS;
- use Calendly webhooks;
- reschedule or cancel Calendly meetings.
If you want Klugon to hold the whole booking, including the time, use Klugon's own booking calendar, described on the AI appointment booking page. If you want Calendly to stay in charge, the link route is a tidy way to get customers there.
A sample conversation with Calendly connected
This is a sample conversation for a made-up accountancy practice, Northgate Accounts, which takes consultations through Calendly. It shows the order of steps, not a real customer.
The visitor then books in Calendly, and Calendly handles the confirmation, according to how the practice has set it up.
When Calendly is the right choice, and when it isn't
The Calendly route suits businesses where:
- the meeting is a consultation, discovery call or demo rather than a service with a fixed duration and a staff member;
- you already depend on Calendly's features, such as its routing, payments or team scheduling;
- you want the booking record to stay in Calendly with your other meetings.
Klugon's own booking calendar tends to suit businesses where:
- appointments map to services with set lengths and prices, such as a 45-minute treatment;
- several staff members take different services;
- many bookings arrive by phone, where Calendly links can't be sent.
Some businesses use both: the assistant books routine appointments in Klugon and sends a Calendly link for consultations. In that set-up, the busy-time check helps stop a routine appointment landing on a consultation, when the assistant checks the time. Our guide to automating appointment booking covers how to choose.
If you prefer a calendar that the assistant can write to directly, see Google Calendar AI booking. The full list of connections is on the integrations page.
Getting more from the connection
Write event descriptions for people, not for Calendly
The assistant reads your event type names and descriptions to decide which one fits. "Call" and "Meeting 2" give it nothing to work with. "Free 20-minute intro call for new clients" and "Paid 60-minute review for existing clients" do.
Turn off old event types
Klugon lists active event types only. Old or test event types that are still switched on will be offered unless you pin one event type. A quick tidy in Calendly avoids that.
Capture the lead before the link
If you want a record of everyone who asked for a link, switch on lead capture so the assistant collects a name and contact detail first. Leads also trigger Klugon's Slack and Zapier notifications, if you have those set up, so you know someone is on their way to your Calendly page.
Refresh the token if it stops working
If the assistant starts saying it can't find your meeting types, the token has probably been revoked or deleted in Calendly. Generate a new one and use Update Credentials.
Frequently asked questions
Does Klugon book meetings directly into Calendly?
No. The assistant sends the customer a single-use Calendly link for the right event type, and the customer chooses a time and books on Calendly's page. Klugon does not create the Calendly event itself.
Will Calendly bookings appear in Klugon's Bookings page?
No. Klugon is not notified when a customer books through the link, so those bookings stay in Calendly only.
Can the AI phone receptionist send a Calendly link during a call?
No. The Calendly tools aren't available on phone calls, and Klugon doesn't send SMS. On calls, the assistant books into Klugon's own calendar instead.
What does the busy-time check do?
When the assistant checks a specific time for a booking in Klugon's calendar, Klugon asks Calendly whether you are busy then. If Calendly says yes, the time is treated as unavailable. If the check fails, the time is treated as free.
Do I need to fill in the event type field?
No, and most businesses shouldn't. Leave it blank and the assistant sees all your active event types. Fill it in only if you want to restrict the assistant to one meeting type.
Which Calendly plan do I need?
Calendly says basic API requests are available on any Calendly plan. Klugon uses the token to read your event types and busy times and to create scheduling links. It does not use Calendly webhooks, which need a paid Calendly plan.
Which Klugon plan includes Calendly?
A voice or social plan on the Business tier or above. Calendly isn't included in the chat widget plans.
Is the booking link shared or unique?
Each link the assistant creates is limited to one booking. Once it has been used, it can't be reused for further bookings.
For businesses that live in Calendly, this is a light-touch way to put Klugon's AI receptionist in front of your scheduling page: it answers questions in chat and messaging, then hands the customer a link to book, while Calendly keeps doing the rest.