Fronting model

Draft v0.1

This page covers the shared fronting model. The goal is to accept different source app shapes without forcing every app into one representation.

How apps store fronting

Source pattern	Examples	Best OpenPlural target
Switch events	PluralKit	`front_events[]` directly
Per-member intervals	Prism, Simply Plural, OpenSelves, Ampersand, PluralSpace	One `FrontPeriod` per interval with a single `FrontAssignment`
Grouped intervals	Sheaf	One `FrontPeriod` per row and one `FrontAssignment` per member
Tiered periods	Plural Star	One `FrontPeriod` with tiered `front_role` assignments

Record shapes

FrontPeriod

A FrontPeriod is an interval during which one or more members were fronting.

{
  "id": "front_01HV4Z...",
  "system_id": "sys_01HV4Z...",
  "started_at": "2026-04-29T12:00:00Z",
  "ended_at": "2026-04-29T15:00:00Z",
  "assignments": [
    { "member_id": "mem_01HV4Z...", "front_role": "primary" },
    { "member_id": "mem_01HV5A...", "front_role": "co_front" }
  ],
  "status": null,
  "note": null,
  "source_kind": "tiered",
  "source_refs": [{ "app": "plural_star", "collection": "front_periods", "id": "p_..." }],
  "extensions": {}
}

Common fields:

id
system_id
started_at
ended_at
assignments
status
note
source_kind
source_refs
extensions

FrontAssignment

A FrontAssignment records a single member's role within a specific fronting period.

Recommended front_role values:

primary
co_front
co_conscious
influencing
member
custom_status
unknown

Common fields:

member_id
front_role
confidence
presence
mood
energy
location
note
source_refs

FrontEvent

A FrontEvent is a point-in-time switch. This fits PluralKit switch logs well.

{
  "id": "event_01HV4Z...",
  "system_id": "sys_01HV4Z...",
  "at": "2026-04-29T12:00:00Z",
  "assignments": [{ "member_id": "mem_01HV4Z...", "front_role": "member" }],
  "note": null,
  "source_refs": [{ "app": "pluralkit", "collection": "switches", "id": "abcde" }],
  "extensions": {}
}

FrontComment

A FrontComment is a comment anchored to a moment in time and optionally tied to a period or event.

Common fields:

id
system_id
front_period_id
front_event_id
target_time
author_member_id
body
created_at
edited_at
source_refs
extensions

Conversion notes

Sheaf exporters should emit front_periods[] with one assignment per member and source_kind: "grouped".
Prism exporters should emit front_periods[] with single-member assignments and preserve overlapping periods when co-fronting exists.
PluralKit exporters should emit front_events[] from the switch log and optionally derive front_periods[] for importers that need durations.
Plural Star exporters should emit explicit front_role values for each tier.
Importers without per-period roles should prefer the primary assignment when present, otherwise the first assignment.