Rabbit, run!

TaskRabbit, the happy-go-lucky, hakuna-mata-chanting startup leading the charge for the new do-it-for-me economy, just released a public API to make outsourcing your dirty work even easier. (For the uninitiated, TaskRabbit is part of a growing number of startups that let harried urbanites posts tasks they don't have time for. Nearby "Rabbits" then bid on completing them.)

The API opens up that peer-to-peer outsourcing function beyond just the TaskRabbit website or mobile app. "Third-party applications around the world now have the ability to integrate with TaskRabbit’s API, allowing their users to seamlessly outsource their to-do workflow via TaskRabbit," the company wrote on its blog.

As part of the rollout, TaskRabbit also announced three partnerships, including one with YouEye, an online user testing platform, one with Producteev, a task management app, and one with Astrid, the personal organization and group collaboration app.

The API allows for both direct integration, "where a third-party application or Web service can engage with TaskRabbit on behalf of a company," as well as "a per user integration":

"Imagine a world where you can log on to your favorite productivity or to-do list app, and with one slide (or click) of a button, you could instantly outsource your to-dos to a fully-vetted and background-checked individual."

Hold on, okay, we're imaging it . . . except in our head, we're picturing a Google integration where with one click we can pawn off errands on our calendar or find someone to read our email. (Like everyone else, our inbox runneth over. )

Last month, TaskRabbit announced that it would be acquiring SkillSlate, a New York City-based auction site for skilled workers. The deal, which was closed for an undisclosed amount, was more of an acqui-hire, sources told Betabeat at the time. But TaskRabbit, which raised $17.8 million in funding in December certainly has money to burn. TaskRabbit's next largest competitor, a fast-growing contender called Zaarly, also looks to be working on an API. Perhaps they should Zaarly for some help?