Helper mode.

Steps

Sign in as a helper

1. On the helper sign-in screen ("Who's cooking today?"), tap your name from the list.
2. Tap the number keys to enter your 4-digit PIN. The screen auto-submits when you enter the 4th digit.
3. If the PIN is wrong, you'll see "That PIN didn't work. Try again." and the PIN clears — re-enter it.
4. Tapped the wrong name? Tap "← Not you? Choose a different helper" to go back.

See today's meals and cook

1. At the top of the Helper Today screen, read the household name and today's date (for example "MONDAY · 24 JUN") in the header, shown with a circular initials badge.
2. Under the "TODAY'S MEALS" section below, tap a meal card (it shows the slot, a "Cooked" or "To cook" badge, and the meal name) to open its recipe.
3. On the recipe list, tap the minus or plus buttons to adjust SERVINGS, and check off ingredients as you gather them. Then tap "Start cooking".
4. Each step shows the step title and instructions. The on-screen buttons ("Mark step done", "Next", and "Mark dish cooked" on the last step) currently only show a confirmation message — the cooking-steps screen is in preview and does not yet record progress for the family.

Get the planner's handover (if shared)

1. If the planner has shared a briefing, the Helper Handover screen ("TODAY'S HANDOVER") shows who it's from, any notes (for example guest count or "use less oil"), and special-instruction pills like "No garlic tonight" or "+2 guests".
2. Read the notes, then tap "Got it" to acknowledge. This confirms you've seen it — it isn't a compliance check.

Tell the family

1. Under "TELL THE FAMILY", pick a category: "Something is missing", "I used something else", or "A note about cooking".
2. Optionally tap a meal chip ("General", or a specific slot) to say which meal the note is about.
3. Type your note (up to 1000 characters), then tap "Send to the family". (Your note is saved for the family's records but may not trigger a phone notification — check the confirmation message, and if it's urgent, tell them directly.)

Settings and signing out

1. In Helper Settings ("Your view"), tap the Language dropdown to change your language.
2. Tap "Sign out" to leave — you can do this yourself, no approval needed.

For the planner: set up a helper

1. On the Helper access page (from Settings), find the helper's card.
2. Tap "Generate PIN" (or "Rotate PIN" to replace an old one). Share the PIN once — it's shown only once.

Tips & troubleshooting

• Helpers can see only today's menu, the recipes for those meals, and the shopping for cooking. Health data, medications, finances, the family schedule, and member details stay private.
• The cooking-steps screen is still in preview: "Mark step done" and "Mark dish cooked" show a short confirmation message ("Step marked done" / "Dish marked cooked") but don't yet record progress for the family. The countdown timer, voice playback ("Hear in Malayalam"), the microphone, and hands-free voice commands are marked for Phase 2 and are not yet active.
• Forgot your PIN? Tap "Forgot PIN?" — only the household can issue a new one from Family ("Ask the household to issue a new PIN from Family.").
• The primary planner controls all PIN setup and resets on the Helper access page; rotating a PIN invalidates the old one.
• No helpers in the list? You'll see "No helpers set up yet. Ask the household to add a helper PIN from Family." Ask the household to add a helper PIN from Family first.
• A note marked "Saved for the family's records. If it's urgent, tell them directly." means no phone notification was sent — if it's urgent, tell the family directly. A note that "The family got a notification on their phone." was delivered.

Related

• Meal plans
• Today & logging what you ate