On-Call Schedules

Build rotation schedules so the right engineer is always on-call, and use them in workflow escalations.

What is a schedule?

An on-call schedule defines a rotation of team members using layers, time windows, and overrides. At any given moment, AlertFlow can determine who is on-call and route notifications directly to them.

This means your workflows can say "notify the current on-call engineer" instead of hardcoding a specific person.

Creating a schedule

1. 1
   Open Schedules

   In the sidebar, click Schedules, then New Schedule.

2. 2
   Set timezone

   Choose the timezone for this schedule (usually your primary work location).

3. 3
   Add a rotation layer

   Click Add Layer and configure:

   • Name: e.g., "Primary On-call"
   • Rotation type: Weekly, Daily, or Custom
   • Rotation starts: the date/time the first rotation begins
   • Engineers: add team members in rotation order
   • Handoff time: when the shift changes (e.g., 09:00 Monday)
4. 4
   Add additional layers (optional)

   Layers stack. If the primary layer has no one on-call (e.g., a gap or vacation), AlertFlow falls through to the next layer. This is useful for backup coverage.

   Common pattern:

   • Layer 1: Primary weekly rotation (front-line engineers)
   • Layer 2: Secondary rotation (senior engineers / managers)
5. 5
   Add overrides

   Use overrides to cover vacations or swaps:

   1. Click Add Override.
   2. Set the date/time range.
   3. Select the engineer covering the shift.

   Overrides take precedence over the rotation layers for their time window.

6. 6
   Enable and save

   Toggle the schedule Enabled and click Save.

Rotation types

Using schedules in workflows

In any Notify node, set Recipients to On-call engineer:

1. In the Workflow Builder, add a Notify node.
2. Set Recipients → On-call (from schedule).
3. Select the schedule.
4. Select the layer (Primary, Secondary, or Auto — falls through layers until someone is found).

AlertFlow resolves the current on-call engineer at the time the workflow executes — not when it was configured. If the on-call engineer changes mid-incident, subsequent workflow steps will notify the new person.

Viewing the current on-call engineer

The Overview page shows who is currently on-call with a countdown to the next handoff.

You can also query it via the API:

GET /api/v1/schedules/current-oncall
Authorization: Bearer af_your_api_key

iCal feed

Every schedule has an iCal URL for importing into Google Calendar, Outlook, or any calendar app:

1. Open the schedule in the dashboard.
2. Copy the iCal URL.
3. In Google Calendar: Other calendars → + → From URL → paste the URL.

The iCal feed updates automatically when the schedule changes.

Schedule gaps

If no engineer is on-call at a given time (gap in the rotation), AlertFlow:

1. Logs the notification as no on-call engineer found
2. Continues to the next workflow step (which may target a fallback)

Prevent gaps by ensuring layers overlap or by assigning a permanent fallback engineer in Layer 2.

Best practices for MSPs

• Weekly rotations work well for teams of 4+ — each person is on-call for 7 days and then has 3 weeks off.
• Always have a Layer 2 (manager or senior engineer) as backup. This prevents "notification black holes" when someone forgets to set an override for vacation.
• Use overrides liberally — they're designed for this. You don't need to restructure the rotation for a one-week vacation.
• Test the schedule before it goes live: use the Test button on a workflow to simulate an alert and confirm the right person gets notified.
• Export to Google Calendar so the on-call engineer's personal calendar shows their shifts — reduces "I didn't know I was on-call" incidents.