Conversation Forking

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.stardeck.ai/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Overview

Conversation forking lets you branch off from any point in your chat to explore ideas, brainstorm approaches, or discuss plans — all without making any changes to your code. When you’re done, you can merge the conversation back into your main chat and optionally build from there. Think of it like a scratch pad that remembers everything from your conversation up to that point. You get the full context of what’s been discussed, but anything you explore in the fork stays separate until you decide to merge it.

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Creating a Fork

There are two ways to start a fork:

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From a Message

Every completed assistant message has a fork button (the split icon) in its footer, next to the ... menu. Click it to create a fork that starts from that point in the conversation. The fork inherits the full conversation history up to and including that message. Everything after it in the main chat is not visible to the fork.

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While the Agent is Running

If the agent is currently working and you want to explore a different direction without interrupting it:

1. Type your message in the chat input
2. Click the split icon button that appears next to the submit button, or press Cmd+Enter (or Ctrl+Enter on Windows)

This creates a fork from the latest assistant message and immediately sends your message in the new fork. The main agent continues working undisturbed.

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Working in a Fork

When you’re in a fork, you’ll notice a few differences:

• Fork tabs appear above the chat, letting you switch between your main conversation and any active forks
• A “Read-only fork” banner appears above the chat input with merge and discard actions
• The Agent mode is locked — you can use Plan, Chat, and Design modes, but not Agent mode (since forks can’t modify code)
• View and Revert buttons on previous messages are disabled, since forks don’t produce code changes

Beyond these restrictions, the fork works just like a normal conversation. The agent has access to your project context, can read files, view your sandbox, propose plans, answer questions, and use most tools — it just can’t execute code changes.

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What the Fork Can Do

• Answer questions about your codebase
• Propose plans with step-by-step breakdowns
• Discuss architecture and design approaches
• Read and analyze your project files
• View your sandbox and browser logs
• Access project memory, tasks, and knowledge stores
• Generate images and search the web

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What the Fork Cannot Do

• Edit files or run code
• Make commits
• Run builds or migrations
• Restart the dev server

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Fork Naming

When you send your first message in a fork, Stardeck automatically generates a short descriptive title based on what you’re exploring. You can also rename a fork at any time by clicking the pencil icon on its tab, or by double-clicking the tab name.

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Merging a Fork

When you’ve finished exploring and want to bring the conversation context back into your main chat, click Merge in the fork banner above the chat input. Merging appends all fork messages to the end of your main conversation. The main chat agent can then see everything that was discussed in the fork and continue from there.

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What Happens When You Merge

1. A “Merged from fork” divider appears in the main chat
2. All user and assistant messages from the fork are appended in order
3. An “End of merged fork” marker closes the section
4. The fork tab is removed (the fork is marked as merged)

After merging, you’re back on the main chat with the full fork context available. You can continue chatting normally — the agent has visibility into everything that was discussed in the fork.

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Merge & Build

If the agent proposed a plan in your fork, the plan card shows a “Merge & Build” button instead of the usual “Build plan.” Clicking it merges the fork first, then triggers the plan build on the main chat — switching to Agent mode and executing the plan.

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Discarding a Fork

If you no longer need a fork, click Discard in the fork banner. This removes the fork tab and marks it as discarded. The fork’s messages are preserved in the database but won’t appear in the UI.

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Multiple Forks

You can have multiple active forks at the same time. Each fork is independent — they don’t see each other’s messages. Switch between them using the tabs above the chat.

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Tips for Using Forks

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Exploring Alternatives

When you’re unsure which approach to take, create a fork for each option:

1. Fork from the current point
2. Ask the agent to plan approach A
3. Switch back to main, fork again
4. Ask the agent to plan approach B
5. Compare the plans, merge the one you prefer

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Non-Disruptive Questions

If the agent is in the middle of a long build and you have a question that can’t wait, use Cmd+Enter to fork and ask your question without interrupting the build.

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Pre-Planning Complex Features

Before committing to a large feature, fork and have the agent plan it out in detail. Review the plan, iterate on it, then merge and build when you’re satisfied.

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