> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bellabooking.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Appointment Tags

> Flag an individual appointment with free-text operational labels — patch test, first colour, running late — then see them on the scheduler card and filter the calendar by tag. Separate from client tags.

**Appointment tags** are short labels you add to a single **booking** to flag what it needs or how it's going — `Patch test`, `First colour`, `Running late`, `Rush`. They sit on the appointment itself, so a team member can see at a glance what's special about it without opening the card.

Appointment tags are a **separate** system from [client tags](/clients/tags): a client tag labels the **person** (`VIP`, `Lash client`) and travels with them across every booking; an appointment tag labels **one booking** and stays with that appointment only.

<Note>
  Appointment tags are **internal only**. They appear on the scheduler in your dashboard, but clients never see them — not on their booking page, receipts, or messages.
</Note>

***

## Appointment tags vs client tags

|                  | **Appointment tag**                          | **Client tag**                |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| What it labels   | One booking                                  | The person                    |
| Typical use      | `Patch test`, `First colour`, `Running late` | `VIP`, `Lash client`, `Brows` |
| Where you set it | On the appointment, in the scheduler         | On the client's profile       |
| Where it shows   | The appointment's scheduler card             | Wherever the client appears   |
| Vocabulary       | Its own list of tags                         | A separate list of tags       |

The two never mix: typing a new appointment tag won't add it to your client-tag list, and the other way around.

***

## Tagging an appointment

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the appointment">
    On the **Scheduler**, click an appointment to open its details panel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a tag">
    In the **Tags** field, start typing. Bella suggests appointment tags you've used before — pick one to reuse it, or type a new one and choose **Create "…"**. The tag is saved straight away.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Remove a tag">
    Click the **✕** on a tag chip to remove it from that appointment. It doesn't affect any other booking.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Autocomplete keeps your tags tidy — if `Patch test` already exists and you type `patch test`, Bella reuses the existing tag rather than creating a near-duplicate. Tags can be up to 50 characters. Editing tags needs the same permission as editing an appointment.
</Tip>

***

## Seeing tags on the scheduler

A tagged appointment shows its tag as a small flag in the **top-left** of its card, with a leading tag icon so it's easy to tell apart from a [client tag](/clients/tags) on the same card. When a booking carries more than one tag, the first is shown with a **+N** count; the full list is in the appointment's hover tooltip.

When an appointment has both an appointment tag and a client tag, the **appointment tag is shown first** — it's the flag your team acts on for that booking. On a very narrow card the client tag may be cropped to fit; the full set is always in the hover tooltip.

***

## Filtering the scheduler by tag

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Tags filter">
    In the **Scheduler** header, click the **Tags** button. It appears once you've used at least one appointment tag.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick one or more tags">
    Search or tick the tags you want. The calendar narrows to appointments carrying **any** of the selected tags — for example, show only today's bookings tagged `Patch test` — and the button shows a count of how many tags are active.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  You can also **search by tag** anywhere you search appointments — type a tag into the scheduler **search** box, the **Appointments** list search, or the **command palette** (`⌘K` / `Ctrl+K`), and matching appointments come straight up.
</Tip>