Roles & Capabilities
WooCommerce Appointments uses WordPress roles plus a granular staff permissions system (5.2.0+) to control who can view, create, and change appointments.
Before you begin
How it works
Administrators and Shop managers have full access. Shop staff see only their assigned appointments by default — fine-tuned with permissions that drive the Staff portal.
Where to configure
- Global defaults: Appointments → Settings → Staff Permissions
- Per staff: edit the user profile → permission overrides
Roles
Administrator / Shop manager
Full access:
- Any appointment — create, edit, cancel
- All products, staff, and settings
- Global availability and Google Calendar
Shop staff
Scoped to assigned appointments by default:
- View and manage own appointments
- Own availability and Google Calendar sync
- Cannot access other staff's appointments or global settings unless permissions allow
Exact access is set in Staff permissions.
WordPress capabilities
| Capability | Granted to | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
manage_appointments | Administrator, Shop manager, Shop staff | Access appointments |
manage_others_appointments | Administrator, Shop manager | Appointments assigned to other staff |
Shop staff also receive wc_appointment post-type caps and edit_shop_orders where applicable.
Staff permissions
Configure globally or per user.
Calendar and appointments
| Permission | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| View Calendar | ✅ | Calendar for assigned appointments |
| View Appointments List | ✅ | List filtered to their appointments |
| Change Appointment Status | ✅ | Confirm, complete, update status |
| Create Appointments | ❌ | Create from calendar (assigned products) |
| Create Appointments for Any Product | ❌ | Create for other staff or unassigned products |
| Cancel Appointments | ❌ | Cancel (may trigger refunds) |
Availability
| Permission | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Manage Availability | ✅ | Personal working hours and rules |
Products
| Permission | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| View Assigned Products | ✅ | Products they are assigned to |
| View Product Details | ✅ | Pricing, duration, capacity |
| Create & Edit Products | ❌ | Create or edit appointable products |
Customers
| Permission | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| View Customers | ❌ | Customers from their appointments |
| View All Customers | ❌ | All customers, not just own |
| View Customer History | ❌ | Past bookings per customer |
| Contact Customers | ❌ | Email and phone for direct contact |
Orders
| Permission | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| View Orders | ❌ | Orders linked to their appointments |
| Create & Edit Orders | ❌ | Create or edit orders |
Data and reports
| Permission | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| View Earnings | ❌ | Revenue from their appointments |
| Export Appointments | ❌ | CSV or ICS export |
Permission presets
- Minimal — calendar and list only
- Standard — calendar, status, create, availability, products, customers
- Full — all permissions
tip
Start with Standard and adjust per staff on their profile.
Permission dependencies
- Status changes, create, and cancel require View Calendar
- Create for any product requires Create Appointments
- View product details requires View Assigned Products
- Customer history, all customers, and contact require View Customers
Staff portal
Permissions control what appears in the Staff portal — dashboard widgets, menu items, admin bar links, and quick actions.
Related
- Staff — assign staff to products
- Staff portal — staff admin experience
- Admin appointment panel — create and edit appointments