Fronting Tracker
The fronting tracker lets you log who is currently at the front of your system, with timestamps and history. Multiple people can front simultaneously, and all switches are recorded automatically.
What Is Fronting?
“Fronting” refers to which member (or members) of a plural system is currently in control of, or most active in, the body. This varies between systems — some use it to mean the person speaking, others use it to mean the most present person. Patchwork doesn’t define it; you record whatever is meaningful to your system.
Logging a Front
From the Fronting screen, you’ll see the current fronter(s) at the top, and a full member list below.
Start a front
Tap a member’s name or avatar in the list. They are immediately added to the current front and a new history entry begins with the current timestamp.
End a front
Tap a currently fronting member again to remove them from the front. Their history entry is closed with an end timestamp, and their total fronting duration is calculated.
Switch fronters
Tap the new fronter to add them, then tap the previous fronter to remove them. The order doesn’t matter — each action is timestamped independently.
Multiple fronters: There is no limit to how many members can front at once. All active fronters are shown in the “Currently Fronting” panel and tracked in history simultaneously.
Fronting History
Every front switch is stored locally in your system database. The history screen shows a chronological timeline of all past fronts.
Example history
Filtering history
You can filter the history view by member to see only their fronting entries, making it easier to track patterns for a specific member over time.
History storage
All history is stored in system.db on your device. It is never sent to the server.
Friends who receive your fronting notifications only see the current fronter — they
cannot browse your history.
Fronting Notifications
When you change fronters, Patchwork can automatically notify your friends. Each notification is encrypted specifically for the recipient — your other friends cannot read each other’s updates.
Notifications are controlled at two levels:
Global setting
Enable or disable all fronting notifications in Settings. When disabled, no updates are sent to any friend regardless of individual settings.
Per-member setting
Each member has a Notifications Allowed toggle on their profile. When off, switches involving that member are not broadcast to friends — useful for members who prefer more privacy.
Hidden members: Members marked as Hidden never appear in fronting notifications, even if their Notifications Allowed toggle is on.
What Friends See
When fronting notifications are enabled, friends receive only the name (and optionally avatar) of the member who just started fronting. They do not see:
- Your full member list
- Your fronting history
- Hidden members
- Members with notifications disabled
- Pronouns or other profile details (unless you choose to share them)
For full details on the encryption model, see Privacy & Security.