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User Impersonation

User impersonation allows administrators and managers to perform actions on behalf of other users in their circle.

Overview​

When impersonating a user, you can:

  • View tasks from their perspective
  • Complete, skip, start, and pause chores on their behalf
  • See their assigned tasks and due dates
  • Perform some chore operations as if you were that user

Prerequisites​

To use impersonation, you must:

  • Have Admin or Manager role in your circle
  • Be in the same circle as the user you want to impersonate
  • Have the user impersonation feature enabled (available in recent versions)

How to Use Impersonation​

Starting Impersonation​

  1. Locate the User Switcher: Look for the "View tasks as" panel on your dashboard (only visible to admins/managers)

  2. Select a User:

    • Click "Choose User" if no one is currently selected
    • Or "Change User" if you're already impersonating someone
    • Select the user you want to impersonate from the dropdown

  3. Confirmation: You'll see a confirmation that impersonation has started, along with an impersonation banner

While Impersonating​

When actively impersonating a user, you'll notice:

  • Impersonation Banner: A prominent warning banner showing who you're impersonating
  • Task Filtering: Only tasks assigned to the impersonated user are visible
  • User Context: All actions are performed as the impersonated user
  • Visual Indicators: Clear indication that you're in impersonation mode

Stopping Impersonation​

To stop impersonating a user:

  • Click "Exit Impersonation" in the warning banner, OR
  • Click "Cancel" in the User Switcher panel

Technical Implementation​

API Headers​

When impersonating, the frontend automatically includes:

X-Impersonate-User-ID: [impersonated_user_id]

Security Considerations​

Session Management​

  • Impersonation state is stored locally and expires with browser sessions
  • No server-side session state is maintained
  • Each request is validated independently

API Reference​

Impersonation Headers​

HeaderValueDescription
X-Impersonate-User-IDstringID of the user to impersonate

Endpoints Supporting Impersonation​

All chore-related endpoints support impersonation:

  • POST /api/v1/chores/{id}/do - Complete chore
  • POST /api/v1/chores/{id}/skip - Skip chore
  • PUT /api/v1/chores/{id}/start - Start chore timer
  • PUT /api/v1/chores/{id}/pause - Pause chore timer
  • GET /api/v1/chores - List chores (filtered by impersonated user)

Response Format​

API responses include both users in audit fields:

{
  "updatedBy": 123,     // Actual user (admin/manager)
  "performedAs": 456,   // Impersonated user
  "updatedAt": "2023-..."
}