For communities

How to create a communities waitlist

You linked a form from the landing page and it has 2,000 rows nobody has read. Applicants email to ask if they got in. Half the Discord invites you send bounce because the email was mistyped or a duplicate. The moderators keep their own list in a pinned message.

The invite form is a Google Form and nobody knows if they applied. 6 steps, about five minutes, or one click with the recipe below.

Step by step

Set up the Invite list yourself

These are the exact values the recipe applies. Change any of them to match your line.

  1. Create the waitlist

    Sign in, click New waitlist, and name it "Invite list". It starts as a draft, so nothing is public until you publish.

  2. Leave capacity unlimited

    In Settings, leave the capacity empty. Everyone who joins gets a number in order and the list never reads as full.

  3. Leave the hours open

    Under Hours, leave the schedule off so people can join at any time. You can pause the list by hand whenever you need to.

  4. Add the form fields

    Email is built in. On the Form tab, add Name (required), Handle (required), Why do you want to join?. Labels and help text render as plain text.

  5. Show the counter

    In Settings, turn on the counter so the form shows how many spots are left. People join faster when they can see the number.

  6. Publish and share

    Click Publish. The Share tab has the hosted link, a QR code, and the script tag or iframe for your site. The submit button reads "Request an invite".

Or do it in one click

Use the recipe

The "Invite list" recipe creates the waitlist with every step above already done. Sign in, click once, and it is live as a draft you can publish.

Create this waitlistSee the recipe page

Recipe

Invite list

  • Unlimited
  • Open any time
  • 4 fields
  • No cap. The list stays open until you pause it.
  • No opening hours.
  • Asks for name, a handle (GitHub, X, or Bluesky), and why they want to join.
  • Applicants see their place in line.
  • The running count is shown, so applicants see the community growing.

After you publish

How the list runs

No cap

Leave capacity off. The list grows and the number keeps climbing.

Ask for a handle

A text field for GitHub, X, or Bluesky. You look people up before you invite.

Ask why

A long text field. Multi-step forms if the application is longer.

Number the line

"You're #1,204." Applicants stop asking if they applied.

Invite in batches

CSV export in position order. Paste the next fifty into your Discord or Slack invite tool.

Automate it on Pro

A signed webhook per applicant into a script that checks the handle and sends the invite.

FAQ

Questions people here ask

Does it send the Discord invite?

No. Unwaited does not email joiners. Send invites from Discord or Slack using the export, or from a script on the webhook.

Can applicants refer friends for a better spot?

No. There are no referral links. Positions are first come, first served.

Can I approve people out of order?

Yes. The position is a number, not a rule. Read the answers and invite whoever fits.

Related

Keep reading

Five minutes by hand, or one click.

Free for 100 signups a month. Unlimited waitlists. Every setting above stays editable.

Create this waitlist