> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.reliantlabs.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Branching > Explore alternative paths without losing your conversation history Branching lets you explore different approaches without losing the original conversation. When you branch from a message, Reliant creates a new chat session that inherits all messages up to that point. Branch from a message to create a new chat or workspace ## How branching works 1. Find the message where you want to diverge. 2. Click the branch action on that message. 3. Reliant opens a new chat with the history up to that message. The original chat stays intact. The branched chat becomes an independent conversation from that point forward. ## Key behaviors * **New conversation:** the branch becomes a separate chat * **Original preserved:** the source conversation is unchanged * **Context inherited:** prior messages and tool results are carried over * **History retained:** branches appear in chat history so you can switch between them ## Switching workflows after branching Branching is also the safe way to pivot into a different workflow. A common pattern is: * discuss an idea in a general workflow * branch from the last planning message * switch to a coding or review workflow before sending the first message in the branch Important: you can change the workflow only before sending the first new message in that branch. ## Common use cases * comparing multiple implementation strategies * recovering from a conversation that went off track * switching from planning to implementation * testing a narrow edge case without cluttering the main thread ## Related topics * [Threads](/features/threads) * [Workflows Overview](/workflows/overview) * [Workflow Control](/workflows/workflow-control)