Managing Your Commitments
Your commitments tab shows every active exchange you're part of — requests you've offered to help with, matches proposed to you by an admin, and exchanges you've already completed. Cards are sorted by
Managing Your Commitments
Your commitments tab shows every active exchange you're part of — requests you've offered to help with, matches proposed to you by an admin, and exchanges you've already completed. Cards are sorted by what needs your attention most urgently.
Action-Priority Ordering
Commitments are sorted into three tiers, and you always see the most urgent tier first:
| Tier | Status | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Needs Your Response | A match has been proposed and is waiting for you to accept or decline |
| 2 | In Progress | You've accepted and the exchange is underway |
| 3 | Completed | The exchange is done |
Within each tier, commitments are ordered newest first. This means a match proposed five minutes ago appears above one proposed yesterday — but both appear before anything "In Progress".
This ordering is intentional: proposed matches have a real person waiting. Responding promptly is part of building trust in your community.
The Step Indicator
Each commitment card shows three dots near the top right corner. These represent the three stages of an exchange:
- ● (filled dot) = current step
- ○ (empty dot) = future step
So a card at the "In Progress" stage shows: ○ ● ○ — past, current, future.
Hovering or tapping a dot shows its label (Proposed, In Progress, Completed).
Accepting a Proposed Match
When a match appears in "Needs Your Response":
- Read the request details on the card
- Click Accept to confirm you can help
- The card moves to "In Progress" and the requester is notified
- Use the inline conversation to coordinate timing and logistics
If you accept and then realize you can't follow through, cancel promptly so someone else can step in. Reliability is your most visible reputation signal.
Declining a Proposed Match
If you can't help:
- Click Decline on the "Needs Your Response" card
- The card is removed from your commitments
- The request returns to open status so another helper can be found
Declining is always better than accepting and not showing up.
The Inline Conversation
Every commitment card has a built-in conversation so you can coordinate without leaving the page.
To open the conversation: Click the chat icon on the commitment card. The conversation panel expands inline below the card details — you don't navigate away.
While open:
- Send messages directly to the other person
- See your message history
- The unread count badge on the chat icon updates in real time
To close the conversation: Click the chevron (∧) button at the top of the expanded panel. The panel collapses back to the card's compact view.
The conversation stays open as you scroll — it only closes when you explicitly click the chevron.
When a Commitment Completes
After the help is done, the requester marks it as fulfilled:
- The card moves to the Completed tier
- Karma transfers from the requester to you
- Your trust score updates to reflect the exchange
Completed commitments stay visible in your tab for reference and as part of your history.