Opening lock settings
Go to Settings > Smart Locks, click the ⋯ button to the right of your lock, and choose Settings. Your lock's settings open on their own page. Make your changes and click Save — the locks list updates straight away. Cancel takes you back without saving.
The settings page is split into sections:
Lock Details — the name you'll recognise this lock by. It's used in the locks list and in guest messages that reference the lock.
Access Code Timing — how early a guest's code activates before check-in, and how long it stays active after check-out.
Code Format — how many digits your guest codes have. This one applies to every lock on your account, not just this lock.
Linked Listings — the listings whose reservations get an access code added to this lock.
Guest Notifications — the backup access code message, for Seam-connected locks.
Checking your lock's status
Choosing Details instead of Settings opens the lock's details page, where the header shows what the lock is reporting right now:
Battery — the current battery level, when the lock reports one. It turns amber below 50%.
Online or Offline — whether Host Tools can reach the lock at the moment. An offline lock can't be given new codes until it comes back.
Locked or Unlocked — the position of the bolt, green when the door is locked and amber when it isn't.
If your lock doesn't report whether it's locked, no Locked or Unlocked badge is shown at all, rather than a state that might be wrong. Underneath the badges you'll see the listings the lock is linked to and every access code currently on it, and — for locks other than August — a button to lock or unlock the door from Host Tools. That button is unavailable while the lock is offline.
[SCREENSHOT: the Lock Details page header showing the battery, Online, and Locked badges next to the lock name]
Backup access code message (Seam locks)
If your lock is connected via Seam, you can customize the message sent to guests when a backup access code is issued. This message is used when the lock is offline, and the primary code can't be set, and you manually issue a backup code from the reservation details.
The message supports the same template tags as your other automated messages, including {{Guest First Name}}, {{Guest Lock Code}}, and {{Listing Nickname}}. If you leave the field empty, Host Tools uses a built-in default message.
💡 Pro tip: Include {{Guest Lock Code}} in your backup message so guests receive their new code automatically without you needing to copy it manually.
For step-by-step instructions on issuing a backup code during a guest's stay, see How do I issue a backup access code for a Seam lock?
Airbnb Seamless Entry
When Host Tools programs a door code for an Airbnb reservation, it automatically pushes the code and access window to Airbnb's Seamless Entry system. Guests see their entry code natively in the Airbnb app — no extra message from you is required.
This works automatically for new Airbnb connections. It applies to:
August locks — all 4-digit August lock types
Seam-connected locks — Yale, Schlage, and August models connected via Seam, when programmed with a 4-digit pin
⚠️ Existing accounts need to reconnect: If your Airbnb account was connected before June 9, 2026, you need to reconnect it so Host Tools can request the seamless_entry_management scope required for Seamless Entry. Go to Settings > Channels, disconnect your Airbnb account, and reconnect it. Once reconnected, door codes will be pushed to the Airbnb app automatically.
💡 Note: Airbnb Seamless Entry requires the listing to be directly connected to an Airbnb account on Host Tools. Co-host listings and non-4-digit pins are not supported and will be skipped automatically.
Removing a lock
To take a single lock off your account, go to Settings > Smart Locks, click the ⋯ button to the right of that lock and choose Delete. Host Tools names the lock and asks you to confirm before anything happens. The option only appears if you have permission to edit locks.
If the lock is still linked to listings, the confirmation tells you how many. Deleting it removes the lock from Host Tools and refreshes Airbnb Seamless Entry on those listings, so codes from that lock are no longer handed to guests. A lock connected through Seam is removed from your Seam account at the same time.
💡 Deleting one lock leaves every other lock on the same connected account in place. Deleting the account itself still removes all of its locks together.
Deleting a lock can't be undone. To use it with Host Tools again you'd connect it as a new lock and link it back to your listings.