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Chore Dependencies

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tempus2016 edited this page Jun 26, 2026 · 1 revision

Chore dependencies let you chain chores together so one only becomes available after others are finished. A chore with dependencies stays locked until every chore it depends on has been completed and approved today by the same child — then it unlocks for that child.

This turns a loose list of chores into an ordered routine: tidy the room before vacuuming, clear the table before loading the dishwasher.

How It Works

Each chore can list one or more prerequisite chores it depends on (the depends_on field — a list of chore IDs). The dependent chore is only available to a child when all of its prerequisites are satisfied for that child:

  • Each prerequisite must have an approved completion (a pending, not-yet-approved completion does not count).
  • The completion must have been made today, by the same child who is trying to do the dependent chore.
  • Parent chore completions count; bonus sub-task completions do not.

Because the check is evaluated per day, dependencies reset every night. Yesterday's approved prerequisites don't carry over — the child has to work back up the chain each day. If a prerequisite is rejected (or an approval is undone), the dependent chore locks again until the prerequisite is re-completed and re-approved.

Setting Dependencies

Open the chore editor in the Admin Panel → Chores → Edit chore. Below the assignment options there's a "Depends on" picker listing your other chores. Tap a chore to mark it as a prerequisite; tap again to remove it. (A chore can't depend on itself, so it never appears in its own list.)

The editor hint sums it up: "This chore stays hidden until the selected chores are approved for the child today."

You can select several prerequisites — they must all be satisfied before the dependent chore unlocks.

Effect on Availability and Visibility

Dependencies are one more gate on top of everything else that decides whether a child sees a chore. A chore that is scheduled and due today can still be locked purely because its prerequisites aren't done yet. Dependencies are checked alongside:

  • The chore's schedule (see Chore Scheduling) — a dependent chore must still be due today and have its prerequisites met.
  • Rotation assignment, vacation/away status, and per-child disabling.
  • Any Dynamic Chore Visibility entity condition.

While locked, the dependent chore follows the same child-card display rules as any other not-yet-available chore — it is hidden or dimmed according to the card's configuration. Once the last prerequisite is approved, the chore appears for the child to complete on the next refresh.

Example

A bedtime routine, all assigned to the same child:

  1. Tidy room — no dependencies, available from the start of the day.
  2. Vacuum — depends on Tidy room. Hidden until Tidy room is approved.
  3. Put out pyjamas — depends on Vacuum. Hidden until Vacuum is approved.

The child can only ever see the next step in the chain, in order, and only after a parent has approved the previous one — each day afresh.

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