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This guide covers how to manage on-call schedules, view who’s on-call, and create schedule overrides using the PagerDuty MCP server.

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Overview

Effective on-call management ensures the right people are notified at the right time. The MCP server provides tools to view schedules, check current on-call status, and make temporary schedule adjustments.

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Viewing On-Call Status

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Check Who’s Currently On-Call

To see who is currently on-call: 
Who is on-call right now?
The list_oncalls tool shows:
  • User currently on-call
  • Schedule name
  • Escalation policy
  • Start and end times of the current on-call period

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Filter On-Call by Schedule

View on-call status for a specific schedule: 
Who is on-call for schedule SCHED123?
Provide the schedule_ids parameter to filter results.

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Filter On-Call by User

Check if a specific user is currently on-call: 
Is user PABCDEF on-call right now?
Use the user_ids parameter with list_oncalls.

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View On-Call by Time Range

See who will be on-call during a specific period: 
Who will be on-call this weekend?
Specify since and until parameters to check future on-call assignments.

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Working with Schedules

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List All Schedules

View all schedules in your PagerDuty account: 
List all on-call schedules
The list_schedules tool returns schedule names, IDs, and descriptions.

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Get Schedule Details

Retrieve detailed information about a specific schedule: 
Show details for schedule SCHED123
The get_schedule tool provides:
  • Schedule layers and rotation patterns
  • Time zone configuration
  • Team associations
  • Schedule restrictions (business hours, weekends, etc.)

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View Users in a Schedule

List all users who participate in a schedule: 
Show all users in schedule SCHED123
The list_schedule_users tool returns all users configured in any layer of the schedule.

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Creating Schedule Overrides

Requires --enable-write-tools flag
Schedule overrides allow you to temporarily replace the scheduled on-call person. This is useful for:
  • Covering for someone who’s unavailable
  • Swapping shifts between team members
  • Handling planned time off

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Create a Simple Override

Create an override for a specific time period: 
Create an override for schedule SCHED123: user PXYZ789 from 2026-03-10T09:00:00Z to 2026-03-10T17:00:00Z
The create_schedule_override tool requires:
  • schedule_id: The schedule to override
  • user_id: The user who will be on-call during the override
  • start: ISO 8601 datetime when the override begins
  • end: ISO 8601 datetime when the override ends
All times must be in ISO 8601 format with timezone information (e.g., 2026-03-10T09:00:00Z).

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Create Multiple Overrides

You can create multiple overrides in a single operation: 
Create two overrides for schedule SCHED123:
1. User PABC123 from March 10 9am to 5pm UTC
2. User PDEF456 from March 11 9am to 5pm UTC
The tool accepts an array of overrides in the overrides field.

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Managing Schedules

Requires --enable-write-tools flag

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Create a New Schedule

Create a new on-call schedule: 
Create a new schedule named "Engineering Primary" with a daily rotation starting at 9am UTC
The create_schedule tool requires:
  • name: Schedule name
  • time_zone: IANA timezone (e.g., “America/New_York”)
  • schedule_layers: Array of rotation configurations
Each schedule layer defines:
  • start: When the schedule begins
  • rotation_virtual_start: Reference point for rotation calculation
  • rotation_turn_length_seconds: Length of each on-call shift
  • users: Array of user references who participate
Schedule layers allow complex rotations like:
  • Primary on-call (24x7 rotation)
  • Business hours only (weekday 9-5)
  • Weekend coverage (Saturday-Sunday)

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Update a Schedule

Modify an existing schedule: 
Update schedule SCHED123 to use America/Los_Angeles timezone
The update_schedule tool can modify:
  • Schedule name and description
  • Time zone
  • Schedule layers and rotations
  • Restrictions (time-of-day, day-of-week)

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Common On-Call Operations

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Check Next On-Call

Find out who’s on-call after the current person: 
Who is on-call for schedule SCHED123 tomorrow?
Use list_oncalls with a future time range.

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Swap On-Call Shifts

To swap shifts between two team members:
  1. Create an override for the time period the first person would normally be on-call
  2. Assign the override to the second person
Create an override for schedule SCHED123: swap tomorrow's shift from user PABC to user PDEF

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Cover for PTO

When a team member is taking time off: 
Create an override for schedule SCHED123: user PXYZ will cover for March 15-17
The assistant will:
  1. Calculate the appropriate date range
  2. Create the override
  3. Confirm the coverage period

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View Historical On-Call

Check who was on-call during a past incident: 
Who was on-call for schedule SCHED123 on March 1st at 2am UTC?
Use the since and until parameters set to historical dates.

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Schedule Best Practices

Name schedules clearly to indicate:
  • Team or service (e.g., “Database Team Primary”)
  • Coverage type (e.g., “Business Hours”, “After Hours”)
  • Level (e.g., “Level 1”, “Escalation”)
Set the schedule time zone to match:
  • Where your team is located
  • Business hours requirements
  • Customer time zones for global services
Consider rotation duration carefully:
  • Too short (< 1 day): Disruptive, hard to plan
  • Too long (> 1 week): Fatigue risk, impacts team morale
  • Recommended: 1 week for most teams
Combine multiple layers for:
  • Different coverage during business vs. after hours
  • Primary and secondary on-call
  • Specialized expertise (database, security, etc.)
When creating overrides:
  • Note the reason in team communication channels
  • Confirm with the covering person
  • Update any team calendars or documentation
Periodically check that:
  • All team members are included appropriately
  • Rotation patterns still match team needs
  • Time zones are correct (especially after DST changes)
  • No gaps exist in coverage

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Troubleshooting

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No One On-Call

If a schedule shows no current on-call person:
  1. Check if the schedule has active layers
  2. Verify users are assigned to schedule layers
  3. Ensure the schedule start date is in the past
  4. Check for schedule restrictions that might exclude current time

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Override Not Working

If an override doesn’t take effect:
  1. Verify the override time range includes the current time
  2. Check that times are in correct timezone format
  3. Ensure the override hasn’t expired
  4. Confirm the user ID is correct

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Wrong Person Notified

If incidents go to the wrong person:
  1. Check which schedule is in the escalation policy
  2. Verify the correct schedule layer is active
  3. Review any active overrides
  4. Confirm the escalation policy is attached to the service

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