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Forking Conversations

Create a copy of your conversation at any point to explore different directions without losing the original thread.

Fork Button

What Forking Does​

You're deep in a conversation. The AI just suggested three different approaches to solve your problem. You want to explore all three without losing context.

That's what forking is for.

Click the fork icon next to any AI response. Aisle creates a complete copy of your conversation up to that point. A new chat window opens with all previous context intact.

Now you can explore one direction in the new chat while your original conversation stays exactly where it was.

When to Fork​

Exploring strategic options - You're discussing Q4 strategy. The AI outlined three approaches. Fork the conversation three times and explore each path in depth.

Testing solutions - You're debugging code. The AI suggested multiple fixes. Fork to try each one without losing the conversation thread.

Content variations - You're drafting marketing copy. Fork to try different tones or angles while keeping the original.

Deep dives on tangents - You're in a long analysis and hit an interesting tangent. Fork to explore it without derailing your main conversation.

A/B testing approaches - You're not sure which problem-solving approach to take. Fork and try both in parallel.

How Forking Works​

Independence - After forking, the two conversations are completely independent. Changes in one don't affect the other.

Context preservation - The fork includes all messages up to the point where you forked. Everything before that moment is identical in both conversations.

Naming - Forked conversations get auto-generated names. Rename them immediately to track what each fork is exploring: "Q4 Strategy - Growth Focus" vs "Q4 Strategy - Cost Optimization."

History management - Both conversations appear in your chat history. They're not linked visually, so good naming helps you find related forks later.

Forking Patterns​

The Exploration Pattern​

Fork once to create a baseline and an experiment:

  • Original conversation: safe, proven approach
  • Fork: risky, innovative approach

Continue both. Compare results. Choose the better path or merge insights.

The Parallel Testing Pattern​

Fork multiple times to test options simultaneously:

  • Fork 1: Approach A
  • Fork 2: Approach B
  • Fork 3: Approach C

Explore each independently. Review all three. Pick the winner or combine the best parts.

The Depth vs. Breadth Pattern​

  • Original conversation: Stay high-level, cover multiple topics
  • Forks: Go deep on specific topics that need detailed exploration

Keep your main conversation focused while spinning off detailed analysis into forks.

The Recovery Pattern​

The conversation went off track. Fork from the last good message before things went sideways. Continue the new fork in the right direction while keeping the original as a record of what not to do.

After Forking​

Review and consolidate - After exploring multiple forks, review them all. Extract the best insights from each. Sometimes the answer is a combination of approaches from different forks.

Share forks - Share individual forks with different stakeholders. Your technical team sees the technical fork. Your business team sees the business fork. Each gets relevant context without wading through irrelevant discussion.

Archive unsuccessful forks - Not every fork produces value. That's fine. The cost of exploration is low. Delete or ignore forks that didn't pan out.

Document fork rationale - In the first message after forking, note why you forked and what you're exploring. Future you will appreciate the context.

Common Mistakes​

Forking too early - Don't fork at the start of a conversation. Get enough context first. Fork when you reach a decision point or branch.

Not renaming forks - "Forked Chat 1" and "Forked Chat 2" tell you nothing. Rename immediately with what each fork explores.

Forgetting the original - After creating multiple forks, people lose track of the original conversation. Pin or rename the original so you can find it.

Analysis paralysis - Don't create 10 forks. Two or three is usually enough. Too many forks and you spend more time managing them than benefiting from them.

Forking vs. Starting Fresh​

Fork when:

  • You want to keep the context you've built
  • You're at a branch point in the conversation
  • You want to compare approaches
  • The setup phase was valuable and you don't want to repeat it

Start fresh when:

  • The conversation context is no longer helpful
  • You want a completely different approach
  • The conversation is too long and context is getting confused
  • You're switching to a different topic entirely