How does buffer time work in Nylas Scheduler?

Buffer time in Nylas Scheduler adds protected time around the meeting you're about to schedule, ensuring there's space before or after it. This avoids back-to-back meetings and gives users time to prepare or recover. 
 

Best Practices

Think "New Meeting Protection"

When setting buffer times, consider what the newly scheduled meeting needs:

• Before Buffer = prep time needed before the new meeting
• After Buffer = wrap-up time needed after the new meeting

Use Both Buffers for Complete Protection

If you want time blocked both before and after existing meetings, set both buffer values.

Buffer Combinations for Different Use Cases

Protecting Time Before New Booked Meeting:

• Goal: Ensure 30 minutes of prep time before the newly booked meeting
• Solution: Use Before Buffer = 30 minutes
  
  

Protecting Time After New Booked Meeting:

• Goal: Ensure 15 minutes of wrap-up after the newly booked meeting
• Solution: Use After Buffer = 15 minutes
  
  

Creating Gaps Around New Booked Meeting:

• Goal: Ensure 30 minutes of space both before and after the newly booked meeting
• Solution: Use both Before Buffer = 30 minutes and After Buffer = 30 minutes
  
  

Buffer Time Constraints

• Range: 0-120 minutes
• Increment: Must be divisible by 5 minutes
• Default: 0 minutes (no buffer)

Key Insight

This "new meeting protection" approach ensures consistent behavior and guarantees that newly scheduled meetings have appropriate protection time.

For more information about scheduler configurations, see the Nylas Scheduler API documentation.

Updated June 25, 2025 14:20