Complete Guide: Integrating Calendly with FlowMattic Connects

This guide will walk you through the process of creating a Calendly OAuth application and connecting it with FlowMattic Connects, enabling you to automate your Calendly workflows within WordPress. The integration allows FlowMattic to interact with your Calendly account programmatically, opening up possibilities for automated scheduling, event management, and data synchronization.

Prerequisites

Before beginning this integration, ensure you have:

• A Calendly account with appropriate permissions to create OAuth applications
• Access to your WordPress dashboard with FlowMattic installed and activated
• Administrative privileges in both systems

Part 1: Creating Your Calendly OAuth Application

The first phase involves setting up an OAuth application in Calendly’s developer console. OAuth (Open Authorization) is a secure protocol that allows FlowMattic to access your Calendly data without storing your password directly.

Step 1: Access the Calendly Developer Console

Navigate to the Calendly developer console at https://developer.calendly.com/console/apps. You’ll need to log in with your Calendly credentials if you haven’t already. This console is where Calendly allows third-party applications to register for API access.

Step 2: Create a New OAuth Application

Once in the developer console, look for the option to create a new app. You’ll be presented with a form that requires several important pieces of information.

Configuring Your Application Details:

For the Name of app field, choose something descriptive that will help you identify this connection later. “FlowMattic Integration” works well, but you might want to be more specific if you plan to create multiple integrations.

When selecting the Kind of app, choose “Web” since FlowMattic operates as a web-based service. The “Native” option is intended for desktop or mobile applications, which doesn’t apply to our WordPress-based integration.

For the Environment type, select “Production” if you’re setting up a live integration. The “Sandbox” option is useful for testing but won’t work with real Calendly data, so production is typically the right choice for FlowMattic integrations.

The Redirect URI is crucial - this is where Calendly will send users after they authorize your application. Enter exactly: https://api.flowmattic.com/calendly

This URI is specifically configured by FlowMattic to handle the OAuth callback process. Any typo here will cause the authentication to fail, so double-check this entry carefully.

Step 3: Save and Retrieve Your Credentials

After clicking “Save & Continue”, Calendly will generate your application and provide you with essential credentials.

You’ll see three important pieces of information:

1. Client ID: This is your application’s public identifier. Think of it as your app’s username that identifies it to Calendly.

2. Client Secret: This is your application’s private key - treat it like a password. Never share this publicly or commit it to version control. FlowMattic will store this securely encrypted in your WordPress database.

3. Webhook Signing Key: While not needed for basic OAuth integration, this key is used to verify that webhook notifications genuinely come from Calendly if you plan to use real-time event notifications later.

Copy both the Client ID and Client Secret immediately, as the Client Secret won’t be shown again after you leave this page. If you lose it, you’ll need to generate a new one, which will invalidate the old secret.

Part 2: Configuring FlowMattic Connects

Now that your Calendly application is ready, we’ll configure FlowMattic to use these credentials to establish a connection.

Step 4: Access FlowMattic Connects

In your WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to FlowMattic → Connects. This section manages all your external service integrations.

The Connects feature in FlowMattic serves as a centralized authentication manager. It stores your API credentials securely and handles the OAuth flow, so you don’t need to manage tokens manually or worry about token refresh cycles.

Step 5: Add Calendly Integration

Click the “Connect Integration” button (highlighted with the arrow in the screenshot). This opens the integration selection modal.

In the search field or by scrolling through the available integrations, locate and click on “Calendly”. FlowMattic supports numerous integrations, so you might find it faster to use the search function at the top of the modal.

Step 6: Configure the Calendly Connection

You’ll now see the Calendly connection configuration form.

Let’s understand each field:

Connect Name: This helps you identify the connection, especially useful if you manage multiple Calendly accounts. Keep the default “Calendly” or customize it to something like “Main Calendly Account” or “Team Scheduling Account”.

Callback URL: This field is pre-filled with https://api.flowmattic.com/calendly and should match exactly what you entered in the Calendly developer console. This field is typically locked to prevent accidental changes.

Client ID: Paste the Client ID you copied from the Calendly developer console. This tells Calendly which application is requesting access.

Client Secret: Paste the Client Secret here. FlowMattic will encrypt this before storing it in your database for security.

After entering both credentials, click “Save Connect & Authenticate”. This button performs two actions: it saves your credentials locally and initiates the OAuth authorization flow with Calendly.

Step 7: Authorize FlowMattic to Access Your Calendly Account

After saving, you’ll be redirected to Calendly’s authorization page.

This page is hosted by Calendly, not FlowMattic, which is an important security feature of OAuth. Here, Calendly asks you to confirm that you want to allow “FlowMattic Integration” (or whatever you named your app) to access your account and manage your Calendly events.

Review the permissions being requested - these typically include reading and writing calendar events, accessing user information, and managing scheduling links. Click “Connect to Calendly” to grant these permissions.

After authorization, Calendly will redirect you back to FlowMattic with an authorization code. FlowMattic automatically exchanges this code for access tokens behind the scenes, completing the connection setup.

Part 3: Using Your Calendly Connection in Workflows

With the connection established, you can now use Calendly actions and triggers in your FlowMattic workflows.

Step 8: Create or Edit a Workflow

Navigate to FlowMattic → Workflows and either create a new workflow or edit an existing one where you want to add Calendly functionality.

Step 9: Add a Calendly Action

When adding an action step to your workflow, select Calendly as the application. You’ll see various action options like “Create One-Off Meeting”, “Cancel Event”, “Get Event”, and more.

Notice the “Choose Connect Account” dropdown. This is where your previously configured connection appears. Select your Calendly connection from the dropdown (it will show as “Calendly” with an ID number, like “ID: 208” in the example).

The connection you select here determines which Calendly account the action will interact with. This separation between connection management and workflow configuration means you can easily switch between different Calendly accounts without re-entering credentials, and multiple workflows can share the same connection.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you encounter problems during setup, here are the most common issues and their solutions:

Authentication Fails: Double-check that the Redirect URI in your Calendly app settings exactly matches https://api.flowmattic.com/calendly. Even a small difference like http vs https or a trailing slash will cause failure.

Connection Appears But Doesn’t Work: This often indicates the Client Secret was copied incorrectly. Try deleting the connection in FlowMattic Connects and recreating it, carefully copying the credentials again.

Permissions Error: Ensure your Calendly account has the necessary permissions. Some Calendly features require specific subscription levels.

Security Best Practices

Protecting your integration is crucial for maintaining the security of both your WordPress site and Calendly account:

1. Regularly rotate your Client Secret: Consider updating your Client Secret periodically through the Calendly developer console, then updating the connection in FlowMattic.

2. Monitor usage: Check your Calendly developer console periodically to review API usage and ensure there’s no unexpected activity.

3. Limit access: Only give WordPress administrator access to users who need to manage these integrations.

4. Use HTTPS: Ensure your WordPress site uses HTTPS to encrypt all communication between your server and external services.

Next Steps

With your Calendly integration complete, you can now:

• Create automated workflows that schedule meetings based on form submissions
• Sync Calendly events with other systems like CRMs or email marketing platforms
• Send custom notifications when meetings are booked or cancelled
• Generate reports on meeting patterns and scheduling efficiency

The connection you’ve established serves as the foundation for all these automations, handling the complex authentication process so you can focus on building powerful workflows that save time and reduce manual work in your scheduling processes.