> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rikka-ai.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Conversation Branching: Explore Alternate Chat Paths

> Fork any conversation at a specific message to explore different answers, compare models, or A/B test prompts — all without losing prior context.

Branching lets you diverge a conversation from any point and explore a different direction without overwriting what came before. Every branch shares the full message history up to the split point, so the AI always has the context it needs.

## What Branching Is

Every message in Rikka is stored inside a **message node**. A node can hold multiple versions of the same message — for example, the original assistant reply and one or more regenerated alternatives. When you regenerate a response, a new version is added to the same node, and you can swipe left and right through the versions at that position without affecting any other part of the conversation.

A **fork** (also called a branch) is something bigger: it creates a brand-new conversation that starts with a copy of every message up to and including the message you forked from. Both the original conversation and the fork are independent — editing one does not affect the other.

## Creating a Branch

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find the message you want to fork from">
    Scroll to any message in the conversation — it can be a user message or an assistant reply.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the message action menu">
    Long-press the message, or tap the overflow (three-dot) menu that appears below it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap Fork">
    Select **Fork** from the action menu. Rikka copies all messages up to and including the selected one into a new conversation and navigates you there immediately.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Continue from the fork point">
    You are now in a fresh conversation that picks up exactly where the fork was made. Send a different prompt, change the model, or adjust the assistant settings — none of these changes affect the original conversation.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Navigating Between Versions on the Same Node

When a message node has more than one version (created by **Regenerate** or **Edit**), a small branch navigator appears inline with that message. It shows the current version number and the total, for example **2 / 3**.

* Tap the **left arrow** (←) to go to the previous version.
* Tap the **right arrow** (→) to go to the next version.

The arrows dim when you are already at the first or last version. All subsequent messages in the conversation update automatically to reflect the selected branch of history — Rikka always shows the path formed by the currently selected version at each node.

<Tip>
  Use branching to A/B test prompts or compare how different models answer the same question. Fork the conversation at your user message, switch models, and send the same question — then compare both forks side by side.
</Tip>

## How Branched Conversations Are Stored

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Shared history up to the branch point" icon="code-branch">
    The forked conversation contains full copies of every message up to the split. Editing a message in the fork does not modify the original conversation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Independent from that point on" icon="arrows-split-up-and-left">
    Any new messages sent after the fork exist only in that conversation. The original continues on its own timeline.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Files are duplicated" icon="copy">
    Any image or document attachments in the copied messages are duplicated into the fork's storage so that deleting the original conversation does not break the fork.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Same assistant and settings" icon="robot">
    The fork inherits the original conversation's assistant, system prompt overrides, injected modes, and lorebook bindings, giving you a consistent starting point.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Why Branching Is Useful

* **Exploring different answers** — Not happy with a response? Fork from your last user message, resend it, and compare both answers without losing either.
* **Comparing models** — Fork the conversation twice from the same point and set each fork to a different model. Run the same follow-up question in each to directly compare quality or style.
* **Safe experimentation** — Try a risky or speculative prompt in a fork. If the conversation goes off track you can simply abandon the fork and return to the original.
* **Sharing a subset** — Fork at an early message to create a clean, shorter version of a conversation you want to share, without exposing the full history.

<Note>
  Branches are stored locally like any other conversation. They appear in your conversation history alongside originals, sorted by last updated time. You can rename, pin, or delete a branch the same way you manage any other conversation.
</Note>