Forking Threads
Create branches from existing threads to explore different hypotheses without losing context.
Sometimes during an investigation, you want to explore a different hypothesis without abandoning your current line of reasoning. Thread forking creates a new thread that starts with the full context of the original conversation up to a specific point.
What is thread forking?
When you fork a thread, Sazabi creates a new thread that inherits the conversation history up to the message you select. The original thread remains unchanged, and you can continue both investigations independently.
Think of it like creating a branch in version control. The fork shares history with its parent, but future messages go in separate directions.
Forking is non-destructive. The original thread continues exactly as it was, and you can return to it at any time.
When to fork
Fork a thread when you want to:
- Test a different hypothesis: You suspect multiple root causes and want to investigate each without mixing findings
- Preserve a working investigation: Your current thread has valuable context, but you want to try a risky or speculative query
- Branch after a key finding: You discovered something important and want to explore its implications separately from the main investigation
- Hand off to a teammate: Create a fork for a colleague to continue investigating while you focus on another aspect
Creating a fork
You can fork from any message in a thread.
Hover over the message
Find the message you want to fork from. This becomes the last message included in the forked thread's history.
Click the fork button
In the message action bar, click the fork icon (branching arrow) or
press F while the message is focused.
Continue in the new thread
Sazabi creates a new thread and navigates you to it. A banner at the top shows where the fork originated.
The new thread has full context of everything that happened in the original thread up to and including the message you forked from. The assistant remembers all prior findings, tool calls, and artifacts.
Choosing the fork point
The message you fork from determines what context the new thread inherits.
| Fork from | What the new thread includes |
|---|---|
| Your question | Everything up through your question, but not the assistant's response |
| Assistant response | The complete exchange, including the assistant's answer and any tool calls |
| Middle of conversation | All messages before and including your selected message |
Tip: If you want to re-ask a question with different phrasing, fork from the message just before your original question.
Viewing fork relationships
Forked threads show their relationship to the parent thread:
- Fork banner: At the top of a forked thread, a link shows which thread it was forked from and which message was the fork point
- Clicking the link: Opens the original thread and scrolls to the fork point message
The parent thread does not show which forks were created from it. If you need to track multiple investigation branches, consider using consistent naming when you rename threads.
Managing multiple forks
When investigating complex issues, you might create several forks from the same thread or chain forks together.
Naming forks
Rename forked threads to indicate their purpose:
Original: API latency investigation
Fork 1: API latency - database hypothesis
Fork 2: API latency - network hypothesis
Fork 3: API latency - cache invalidationConsolidating findings
After exploring different hypotheses in separate forks:
- Return to your original thread or create a summary thread
- Reference findings from each fork by asking the assistant to summarize what you learned
- Copy key artifacts or conclusions into the main investigation
Each forked thread is independent. Changes in one thread do not affect others. To combine insights, you need to manually reference or summarize findings.
Fork vs new thread
| Scenario | Use fork | Use new thread |
|---|---|---|
| Continue the same investigation with different approach | Yes | No |
| Start investigating an unrelated issue | No | Yes |
| Preserve context from prior conversation | Yes | No |
| Share findings with someone who needs background | Yes | Maybe |
| Quick question unrelated to current work | No | Yes |
Forking costs more tokens because the assistant processes the inherited history. For unrelated questions, starting a new thread is more efficient.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Fork from focused message | F |
| Navigate to previous message | K or Up Arrow |
| Navigate to next message | J or Down Arrow |
Limitations
- No automatic merging: Sazabi does not automatically combine insights from multiple forks. You manage consolidation manually.
- History size: Very long threads may be summarized before forking to stay within context limits. The assistant still has access to the key information, but verbose details may be compressed.
- Visibility inheritance: Forked threads inherit the visibility setting (organization-wide or private) from the parent thread.