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

# Drip Scheduling: Release Lessons Over Time

> Unlock lessons gradually, either a set number of days after each completed lesson or on a fixed calendar from the day a student starts, with unlock and reminder emails.

Drip scheduling releases a course's lessons gradually instead of all at once. It suits daily programs, habit-building courses, and anything where pacing matters more than binge access. Drip is a per-course setting and is off by default.

Drip is pacing, not a paywall. It decides **when** a student who already has access can open the next lesson. Who can enter the course at all is still set by its access setting and your [offers](/docs/payments/offers).

## Turn on drip for a course

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open course settings">
    Go to **Courses**, open the course, and open its settings (the gear in the editor top bar). Choose the **Drip Schedule** tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Switch on Drip lessons">
    Turn on **Drip lessons**. The schedule controls appear below.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick an unlock schedule">
    * **After each completed lesson**: the timer starts when a student finishes a lesson. Nobody falls behind and nobody binges ahead.
    * **On a fixed schedule**: lessons unlock at fixed intervals from each student's start date, whether or not they keep up.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the time between lessons">
    Enter the interval in days, from 1 to 90. The default is one day.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the emails">
    * **Lesson unlocked**: an email from your academy with a direct link to the newly unlocked lesson. On by default.
    * **Remind inactive students**: available on the completed-lesson schedule. One reminder after a number of days without activity (default 3, up to 60). Students can opt out of reminders.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Use **Save & Close** on the settings dialog. The schedule applies immediately to every student in the course.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Drip is computed live from each student's progress and start date. There is nothing to backfill or resync: change the interval, switch schedules, reorder lessons, or turn drip off, and every student's locks are recalculated on their next visit.
</Note>

## What students see

* The first lesson is always open.
* Locked lessons appear in the lesson sidebar and the course outline with a lock, and hovering shows when they unlock ("Unlocks in 2 days", "Unlocks in 3 hours", "Unlocks on your next visit").
* The lesson footer replaces **Next** with the unlock time while the next lesson is locked. A direct link to a locked lesson sends the student to the course page.
* On the completed-lesson schedule, finishing a lesson is what starts the clock for the next one. Reading ahead is not possible.

## How drip works with other features

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Knowledge checks">
    A [required knowledge check](/docs/content/knowledge-checks) gates the lessons after it regardless of drip. While the check is unpassed, the check lock shows; once passed, the drip timer takes over.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Modules">
    [Modules](/docs/content/modules) are labels over the lesson order and do not change drip timing. Lessons unlock one at a time in sequence, across module boundaries.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The Learning Assistant">
    The assistant reads every published lesson in the courses a student has access to. Drip does not hide lessons from it, so it can answer questions about a lesson that has not unlocked yet.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Certificates and completion">
    A course completes when every published lesson is finished, as before. Drip only spaces out when those lessons become available.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Note>
  **Preview** in the owner sidebar shows every lesson open, because drip depends on a real student's progress and start date. To check the schedule, look at what a test student sees after they start the course.
</Note>