Remove an option once someone picks it

The idea

This is a per-option limit of 1. After each submission, a small script counts the picks and removes any option that has been chosen. The next person simply doesn’t see it.

Set it up

1. Make a multiple choice question, for example What will you bring?, with one option per dish, gift or topic.
2. In the free generator, paste the question title and give every option a limit of 1.
3. In your form, open ⋮ → Apps Script, paste the script, save, then run setupLimiter once.

var QUESTION = 'What will you bring?';
var LIMITS = {
  'Salad': 1,
  'Dessert': 1,
  'Drinks': 1,
  'Paper plates and cups': 1
};

Mixing “once only” with “several”

Limits don’t have to be 1. Five people can bring drinks while dessert stays once only:

var LIMITS = { 'Dessert': 1, 'Drinks': 5, 'Salad': 2 };

Options you leave out of the list are unlimited, so an “Anything else” option can stay open for everyone.

Keep taken options visible instead

Sometimes it’s nicer for people to see what’s already covered. The full script has a mode that keeps taken options on the form, marked — FULL, instead of removing them. It also handles checkbox questions, so one person can claim several items, each of which is still limited overall.

If someone changes their mind

Delete their response in the form’s Responses tab. The option comes back after the next submission, or straight away if you run applyLimit by hand from the script editor.