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Task Groups

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tempus2016 edited this page May 4, 2026 · 1 revision

Task Groups coordinate how rotation-mode chores are assigned together. They solve the problem of related chores being randomly split across different children when you want them handled as a set.

Why Use Task Groups?

Without groups, three rotation-mode chores (Set Table, Serve Dinner, Clear Table) might be assigned to three different children on the same day. With a sticky group, all three go to the same child. With a spread group, each goes to a different child — guaranteed.

Policies

Sticky

All chores in the group are assigned to the same child today.

  • The first chore in the group is the leader — its rotation pick determines who gets the whole group
  • All other chores (followers) are forced onto the leader's assigned child, provided that child is in their assignment pool
  • If the leader's child is not in a follower's pool, the follower falls back to its own rotation pick

Use case: Related chores that should be done by one person — setting and clearing the table, washing and drying dishes.

Spread

Each chore in the group is assigned to a different child — no child gets two chores from the same group on the same day.

  • Children are distributed in order, wrapping around if there are more chores than children
  • Each chore starts from its own raw rotation pick, then walks forward to find an unused child

Use case: Distributing a set of equivalent chores fairly — three different rooms to tidy, each assigned to a different child.

Creating a Task Group

Via the Admin Panel

  1. Open the TaskMate panel in the HA sidebar
  2. Navigate to task group management
  3. Click Add Task Group
  4. Enter a name, select a policy (sticky or spread), and choose the chores to include
  5. Save

Via Services

service: taskmate.add_task_group
data:
  name: "Dinner Duties"
  policy: sticky
  chore_ids:
    - abc12345
    - def67890
    - ghi11223

Services

taskmate.add_task_group

Create a new task group.

Field Required Default Description
name Yes — Group display name
policy Yes sticky sticky or spread
chore_ids No [] Ordered list of chore IDs

taskmate.update_task_group

Update an existing group. Only supplied fields are changed.

Field Required Description
group_id Yes ID of the group to update
name No New name
policy No New policy
chore_ids No New ordered chore list 
service: taskmate.update_task_group
data:
  group_id: grp_abc123
  policy: spread

taskmate.remove_task_group

Delete a task group. The chores themselves are not deleted — they revert to independent rotation.

Field Required Description
group_id Yes ID of the group to remove 
service: taskmate.remove_task_group
data:
  group_id: grp_abc123

How Groups Interact with Assignment Modes

  • Groups only apply to chores using rotation assignment modes (alternating, random, balanced)
  • Chores in everyone mode are unaffected by groups — every child sees them regardless
  • Group policies are applied after the raw per-chore rotation picks are calculated at midnight
  • The order of chore_ids matters for sticky groups — the first chore is the leader

Skip Behaviour

  • Sticky followers cannot be skipped individually — skip the leader and followers follow
  • Leader skip propagates to all followers via the daily assignment recompute
  • Spread groups allow individual chore skips normally

Tips

  • Keep groups small (2–4 chores) — large groups with sticky policy can overload one child
  • Order matters for sticky — put the most important chore first as the leader
  • Mix with balanced mode — balanced + spread distributes work most evenly across children
  • Use spread for fairness — when all group chores are equivalent effort, spread ensures no child does two

Related

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