Can I prevent the AI SDR from auto-booking into the client's calendar (gate interested calls instead)?
If you want the AI SDR to identify interested prospects but not automatically book meetings, you can try: 1.
There is not a dedicated "gate interested calls but never book" switch in the current AI SDR settings. The safest choice depends on how much automation you still want.
Safest options
| Goal | What to do |
|---|---|
| Handle one campaign manually | Go to Settings → AI SDR Agent → Configure AI SDR for Specific Campaigns and turn off AI SDR for that active campaign. |
| Handle one thread manually | Open the thread in AI SDR Inbox and check Disable AI SDR. |
| Pause everything | Go to Settings → AI SDR Agent and turn Auto Agent Run off. |
Those options stop the AI SDR instead of relying on it to partially automate the conversation.
Alternative: Modify your Knowledge Base
If you want to keep your calendar connected but change the AI SDR's behavior:
- In the left sidebar, click Settings → AI SDR Agent
- Scroll down to the Knowledge Base textarea
- Add instructions like: "When a prospect expresses interest, ask them for their availability and escalate to the team instead of booking directly."
- Click Save Settings
Note: This approach influences the AI SDR's behavior but may not be 100% consistent. The AI SDR's primary goal is to progress conversations toward booking meetings.
Avoid using calendar disconnection as the main workaround
Disconnecting the calendar prevents clean booking, but it also leaves AI SDR setup incomplete. You will see the Complete Your AI SDR Setup modal when you open AI SDR Inbox, and booking behavior can be inconsistent. Use the campaign or thread controls above when you want a clean manual gate.
Re-enabling automatic booking
To restore automatic booking later:
- Go to Settings → Email & Calendar
- Click Connect and complete the Google OAuth flow
- Select which calendar to use for bookings
- The AI SDR will resume automatic meeting scheduling