> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.spike.sh/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.spike.sh/oncall-schedules/introduction-to-slots-in-schedules.md).
# Slots in schedules
Slots define specific windows within an on-call shift. Members are only alerted during the hours you configure. You can apply different slots to different layers.
There are two types:
* **Time of day**: limit on-call to certain hours each day
* **Days of week**: limit on-call to specific days and hours
## Slots for specific times of day
Members are on-call only during the hours you set. In the example below, the member is on-call from 6 PM to 9 AM every day for Layer 1.
On-call from 6 PM to 9 AM every day.
## Slots for specific times and days of week
Members are on-call only on the days and hours you set. In the example below, members are on-call every Monday 6 PM to Tuesday 9 AM, and Thursday 6 PM to Friday 6 PM, for Layer 1.
On-call Monday 6 PM to Tuesday 9 AM, and Thursday 6 PM to Friday 6 PM.
## How to add slots
While creating or editing an on-call schedule, find the option to add slots in each layer. Slots added to a layer affect the entire on-call schedule.
Add slots on each layer.
## Use cases
**Time of day slots:**
* Non-office hours coverage: e.g. 6 PM to 9 AM daily.
* Split coverage across layers: 12 AM to 8 AM for Layer 1, 8 AM to 4 PM for Layer 2, 4 PM to 12 AM for Layer 3. This rotates 8-hour duties across members daily or weekly.
**Days of week slots:**
* Weekdays only: Monday 9 AM to Friday 6 PM.
* Skip a maintenance day: use multiple slots to exclude a specific day. To exclude Thursday, set Monday 9 AM to Thursday 12 AM, then Friday 12 AM to Monday 9 AM.
{% hint style="danger" %}
Avoid overlapping time windows across slots. If one slot runs Monday 9 AM to Thursday 9 AM and another runs Tuesday 9 AM to Friday 9 AM, Tuesday and Wednesday are covered by both. This causes unexpected behavior.
{% endhint %}
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