Working non-linearly

Create research branches with chats

Research rarely follows a straight line. Theo does not currently provide a visual branch graph or a one-click Branch command. This will be available in a future release. Instead, organize related lines of inquiry as separate chats inside the same session. Every chat can use the session’s shared sources, while each chat keeps its own conversation, phase runs, and artifacts.

Choose the right kind of continuation

Continue in the same chat when the next question directly depends on the current conversation.
Refine or rerun a phase when you want another version of the same artifact while preserving its earlier versions.
Create a new chat when you want to test an alternative hypothesis, method, assumption set, or independent verification path using the same session sources.
Create a new session when the work has become a different research topic that should not share the same source collection or research state.

Create a manual research branch

Open Chats in the workspace panel.
Select the + button labeled New chat.
Rename the chat so its purpose is easy to recognize, such as Baseline method, Alternative model, or Independent verification.
In the first message, state how this line of inquiry relates to the main question, which assumptions must remain fixed, which shared sources to use, and the output you want.
Switch between chats to continue each line independently. Use the Summary phase to bring knowledge from one chat to another.

Useful branch prompts

“Use the same session sources. Explore [alternative] as a separate line of inquiry. Keep [assumptions] fixed and compare the result with [baseline].”
“Independently verify [claim or result] using [method or source]. Identify agreements, contradictions, and the next test that would distinguish the alternatives.”