> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.node-pad.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # References and Cross-Branch Context > Use @ references and merge sources to pull context across branches without flattening the workspace into one prompt. export const EdgeChip = ({type = 'continuation', children}) => {children}; Two ways to reuse work from elsewhere on the canvas: `@` references for targeted cross-links, and merge sources for broader synthesis drafts. Both move context across branches without copy-pasting conversation text by hand. Type `@` in a draft to open the reference picker. Choose either a branch or a specific message. NodePad inserts the visible token into the draft and stores the actual linked node behind it. The text token alone is not the source of truth. Use `@` when one message elsewhere on the canvas already says the thing you want to reuse. Merge flows are better when the next prompt needs several sources at once. Instead of pointing to one message, you are asking the model to reason across a set of messages from different branches. Useful for comparing recommendations, combining research findings, rewriting a draft using evidence gathered elsewhere, or deciding between alternate approaches. ## How to choose Reach for `@` when you need one specific message and a narrow, explicit cross-link with a lightweight prompt footprint. Reach for merge sources when the next turn must reason across multiple messages from different branches and the prompt can carry a larger context. ## Practical examples Reference a fact-check branch with `@` when you only need one verified stat. Use merge sources when the next prompt needs several research findings or alternate versions at once. Reference a specific diagnosis message when you want to preserve its exact reasoning. Use merge sources when you want a decision draft that weighs two alternate fixes. Reference one branch when you need a quote or a specific result. Use merge sources when you want a summary that spans several lines of investigation. Merge sources can carry attachments and tool-call context with them. That is powerful, but it also increases the size of the next prompt — keep an eye on scope. Text notes are not referenceable model context by default; they are canvas annotations for humans. ## Continue How a merge composer assembles source messages. Branching is what makes cross-branch references possible.