Models & context

Context and branches: guide what each answer sees

Continue, link, merge, or exclude nodes so each model answer receives the conversation context you intend.

Before you start

A workspace is a graph of nodes. Each generated node normally receives the conversation on its own branch above it; unrelated branches are not silently mixed together. An Input Node holds your text or images without asking a model to answer. Links and merges let you add context from elsewhere while keeping the original material intact.

When to use this

Use branches to preserve alternatives, test a different assumption, or continue from a particular answer. Use a link when one saved note should inform another node. Use Merge when you want one answer to consider several selected perspectives. Exclude a node when it should remain visible but not influence later answers on its path.

Steps

Click a node’s + to create a branch beneath it. The new prompt starts with the parent branch’s context. In Chat, select Branch beneath an answer to choose that answer as the starting point.
To write your own context, add an Input Node with Ctrl+I or the canvas control. Enter text or attach material, then Save. It is a note, not a generated answer.
To connect an existing node as additional context, drag its + onto an input node or a draft. A link indicates that the target can use the source node’s content. Do not confuse this with clicking +, which starts a new branch.
To combine multiple source nodes, hold Shift and select them, then choose Merge. The merged answer receives the selected sources as context. You can still open and continue each original branch afterward.
Open a node’s ⋮ menu and choose Exclude from context to leave it out of later context on its branch without deleting it. Choose Include in context to restore it.
Review the resulting path before generating. Keep only relevant notes and branches in scope, especially when a model reports that the context is too long.
In Chat, use Edit to send an alternative user message; the original remains as another branch. Regenerate creates a parallel answer to the same message, while Other model asks another model.

Worked example

You have two draft strategies for a community event: one prioritizes attendance, the other a small budget. Keep each on its own branch. Select both source answers on Canvas and press Merge, then ask: “Combine the strongest ideas into one plan, but keep total spending below €1,000 and identify which suggestions came from each strategy.” The merge uses both answers as context; neither is overwritten.

What happens next

Continue from the merged node, export a path as Markdown from ⋮, or save the useful sequence as a template. If a note is no longer relevant, exclude it instead of deleting it so you can re-include it later. To remove a link, select the line between nodes and press Delete. Deleting a node is available only when it has no children; remove or preserve descendants deliberately before changing a developed tree.

Cost and limitations

Creating a note, moving nodes, and changing context visibility do not themselves generate a model answer. Generating from a branch, using Merge, regenerating, or asking another model may use credits. More context can increase cost, distract a model, or exceed its context window. A linked source contributes its content; it does not make every unrelated branch part of the target’s context. Review privacy and relevance before attaching sensitive notes or documents.

Troubleshooting

The model missed a detail: confirm the relevant node is on the path or linked as context, and that it is not excluded.
The context is too long: exclude older or irrelevant nodes, shorten an input note, or choose a model with a larger context window.
Merge is unavailable: select at least two nodes on Canvas; the selection toolbar appears above the canvas.
Dragging the + creates a branch instead: start dragging from the source + and drop directly on an input node or draft; a click creates a child branch.
A deleted item is still referenced elsewhere: deleting library attachments has separate effects; see the guide to images and documents before removing a shared file.