Single-Use Links

A scoped, expiring URL tied to a specific contact and a specific booking link template — book once, link goes dead.

A single-use link is a tokenized URL that lets one specific contact book exactly one meeting on a template booking link. The moment they book, the token expires.

Use it when:

You're sending a personalized "here's a link to schedule" message and you don't want it forwarded
You want to track which contact actually booked from which outbound touch
You want a "follow-up offer" on a specific contact (e.g. "you no-showed last week — here's a fresh link, valid for 7 days")
You want to send a short-lived calendar offer that disappears if not used

Single-use redirect

Screenshot needed — /single-use/<token> redirecting to /book/<slug> with the token in sessionStorage

Single-use vs one-off

These two sound similar — both are single-shot scheduling URLs. Here's the practical split:

	One-off	Single-use
Slots	Hardcoded list you set	Computed from a normal booking link's availability
Tied to	Just the URL	A specific contact + a specific template booking link
Setup	One-time, manual offer	Generated programmatically (CRM workflow, follow-up, etc.)
Use case	"Pick from these 3 times I'm offering"	"Book my normal link, but only this once"

A single-use link is a normal booking link with an extra sticker on it: "this contact, this token, one booking." The availability rules, pre-meeting form, branding, payment, and workflows of the template link all apply.

Creating one

Single-use links are usually created programmatically — from a CRM workflow when a deal hits a certain stage, from a sequence step, or from a no-show follow-up workflow. The host-facing UI is at /calendar/single-use (also reachable from a contact's CRM detail page).

Field	What it does
Template booking link	The link whose availability and rules apply
Contact	The CRM contact this single-use is for. Email is captured here.
Expiration	Optional. After this time, the token URL returns "this link has expired." Default: 30 days.

A token is generated and stored on scheduling_single_use_links. The URL is /single-use/<token>. Copy it from the row; send it however you'd send any other link.

How the redirect works

The single-use page is a thin redirect. When a visitor hits /single-use/<token>:

The token is validated server-side. If expired or already consumed, an error page renders.
If valid, the token is stored in sessionStorage["workestra:single_use_token"] and the visitor is redirected to /book/<slug> of the template link.
They book normally.
The booking endpoint reads the sessionStorage token, validates it server-side again (TOCTOU re-check), records consumption (consumed_at, consumed_by_booking_id), and confirms.
The sessionStorage entry is cleared on success.

If they close the tab between steps 2 and 4, the token is still consumable by reopening the URL — it's only marked consumed on actual booking confirmation. Repeat reopens are fine.

What "consumed" means exactly

Outcome	Token state
Visitor abandons before booking	Still valid until expiration
Visitor books → payment required → pays	Consumed at payment confirmation
Visitor books → payment required → never pays → expires	Stays valid (no consumption on `pending_payment`)
Visitor books normally → confirmed	Consumed
Visitor books → reschedules later	Stays consumed; reschedules don't re-open the link
Visitor books → cancels later	Stays consumed; cancellation doesn't re-open the link

If you need a "if cancelled, give them another shot" pattern, generate a fresh single-use link from the cancellation workflow.

When the contact lookup matters

The contact tied to the single-use is used for two things:

Pre-fill the booking page — name and email are auto-filled from the contact, no URL params needed.
Strict email match — by default, the booker's email must match the contact's email. If the URL is forwarded to a different person, the booking is rejected with "this link is not for you."

To allow forwarding (e.g. a "send to a colleague" pattern), turn off Strict email match when creating the link. Forwarding then becomes safe — anyone can book on it, but the link still only works once.

Programmatic creation

The most common way to create single-use links is via Workflows on the No-show marked trigger:

Add a workflow with the No-show trigger
Add an Email step
Use {{single_use_url}} in the body — Workestra generates a fresh token at send time

The same pattern works inside Sales sequences, Recruiting follow-ups, and FSM dispatch workflows. Each call creates a new token.

Listing your single-use links

/calendar/single-use shows all open single-use tokens — contact, template link, expiration, status (open / consumed / expired). Filter by template, by contact, or by date range. CSV export works for outreach attribution.