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ArborBuddy ArborBuddy Help

Calendar sync (iCal subscribe)

ArborBuddy can mirror your approved schedule to the calendar app you already check on your phone. This is one-way push only — ArborBuddy never reads or edits your personal calendar.

Use a separate calendar

Section titled “Use a separate calendar”

Subscribe as a dedicated calendar named ArborBuddy Schedule — do not merge into your primary personal calendar.

In Google Calendar: Settings → Add calendar → From URL → paste your subscribe link. Work jobs stay separate from family appointments and personal reminders.

Setup

Section titled “Setup”
  1. Open Settings → Integrations → Calendar sync.
  2. Copy the Subscribe URL (iCal).
  3. Click Test feed URL to verify authentication (does not export job data).
  4. In your calendar app, add the URL as a subscribed calendar.

Google refreshes subscribed feeds every few hours. For near-instant updates, connect Google Calendar (OAuth) on Autopilot (rolling out — see below).

What appears in the feed

Section titled “What appears in the feed”
  • Jobs with status Scheduled or In progress
  • Cancelled jobs show as cancelled on the ArborBuddy calendar
  • Draft and Review queue jobs do not appear until you approve them on the board

Safety — what ArborBuddy will never do

Section titled “Safety — what ArborBuddy will never do”
  • Delete, clear, or replace events on calendars we did not create
  • Modify your personal calendar or events without an ArborBuddy job ID
  • Auto-import calendar entries without your confirmation (future import feature will always land in Review Cockpit first)

Each ArborBuddy event uses a stable ID ({job_id}@arborbuddy) so only our jobs are updated on the subscribed calendar.

Regenerating your key

Section titled “Regenerating your key”

Owners can Regenerate key in Settings. Old subscribe URLs stop working — re-add the new URL in Google Calendar. Only the ArborBuddy Schedule subscribed calendar is affected; personal events are untouched.

Google API key vs OAuth

Section titled “Google API key vs OAuth”

The subscribe URL (iCal) does not use Google at all — no API key, no OAuth. You paste a link; Google polls it.

Real-time push and import from your calendar require Google OAuth — you click Connect, sign in, and grant ArborBuddy permission on the ArborBuddy Schedule calendar only. A plain API key cannot read or write private calendar events.

Google Calendar connect (OAuth)

Section titled “Google Calendar connect (OAuth)”
  1. Open Settings → Integrations.
  2. Click Connect Google Calendar and approve the consent screen.
  3. ArborBuddy finds or creates a calendar named ArborBuddy Schedule — not your personal primary calendar.

Foreman+: scan for jobs to import (read-only). Autopilot+: scheduled jobs also push to Google when you change the board.

Import from calendar

Section titled “Import from calendar”

Opt-in import: Scan for jobs to import reads your ArborBuddy Schedule calendar for events ArborBuddy did not create, lets you confirm each one, then drafts them in the Review queue for approval. Each confirmed import uses one lead intake credit (same as Magic Paste). We never auto-import personal calendar entries or delete anything in Google.

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