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Forking lets you branch off from any node in any thread. The new thread starts with the full conversation history up to the point you forked, then grows independently from there. Your original thread is untouched. Nothing is lost. You just gained a new line of exploration running alongside the first.

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Why fork instead of just asking in the same thread

Every message you add to a thread becomes part of the context the model carries forward. That’s useful when ideas build on each other — but it’s a liability when you want to try something genuinely different. A tangent, a second opinion, an alternative framing: any of these can quietly contaminate the main thread if you explore them in place. Forking solves this cleanly. The branch gets the context it needs — everything that happened before the fork — and the main thread is never polluted with your exploration.

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Common reasons to fork

You’re mid-conversation and a related question emerges that deserves a real answer but doesn’t belong in the main thread. Fork from the current node, chase the tangent in the branch, and return to the main thread when you’re done — both intact.Example: You’re drafting a policy document and realize you need a fact-checked stat. Fork, run the fact-check in the branch, then merge the result back into the main draft.

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How to fork a node

1

Hover the node you want to fork from

Move your cursor over any node in any thread. The action menu appears.
2

Select Fork

Click the fork action. NodePad creates a new thread on the canvas, connected to the node you selected.
3

Choose a model (optional)

By default the branch uses the same model as the current thread. Change it before you send your first message if you want a different model’s perspective.
4

Send your first message in the branch

The branch carries all the context from the original thread up to the fork point. Send your message and the model replies with that full history in scope.

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What the branch inherits

The forked thread starts with a copy of the conversation context — every message and reply from the start of the original thread up to and including the node you forked from. That context is baked in at fork time: changes you make to the original thread after forking do not propagate to the branch.
The fork point is a snapshot, not a live link. The branch and the original thread evolve independently from the moment the fork is created.

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After you fork

You now have two threads on the canvas: the original and the branch. Both are fully editable. You can continue either one, fork again from either one, or — when the branch has produced something worth keeping — merge it back into the original.
Forking a node does not delete or alter that node or any other node in the original thread. If you’re not seeing both threads on the canvas, pan or zoom out to find the branch — it may have been placed outside your current viewport.