Tutorial · Task guide
Manage Story Branches: Create, Switch, Compare, and Choose
Before you start
- A book imported with at least one continuation, as covered in ‘Import and Continue a Novel Without Overwriting the Original’.
- A connected text model through the official channel or BYOK — a new branch is a real generation call.
- A concrete fork point in mind: a specific paragraph, or a plot-option card you picked earlier.
Where to find it
Reader > long-press paragraph > BranchReader > ‘Other paths you had here’ card > Take this pathReader > Contents > ⑂N branch badgeBranch panel > Switch to this pathReader > AI passage > ‹ › takes / ✦ New take
Step-by-step
Separate takes from branches
Before touching anything, decide what you are changing. If one passage reads wrong, use the ‹ › dots under the AI passage to switch candidate takes, or ✦ New take to reroll it. A branch is heavier: it changes everything after a chosen point. Switching takes is free, and so is switching branches later.
✓ You can say in one sentence whether you are fixing one passage or redirecting the whole story.
Create a branch from a selection
Long-press the paragraph at the fork point and choose Branch. Write one line for the new direction (for example, ‘he never boards the train and turns back to the hospital’), confirm the model, then tap Branch & rewrite. The old content after that point is archived as a read-only path and the mainline rewrites from there.
✓ New prose streams in, and the fork chapter now shows a ⑂N badge in Contents.
Regret a plot choice with ‘Other paths you had here’
Scroll back to a spot where you once picked a plot-option card. The card block stays in the text: your pick is marked ‘You picked’, and every other option shows ‘Take this path’. Tapping one opens a confirmation — content after this point is saved as a read-only branch and the mainline rewrites along the new option. The original stays available.
✓ After confirming, an ‘Archiving current path, rewriting as …’ notice appears and the new direction starts generating.
Compare paths in the Contents branch panel
Open Contents from the bottom control bar and find the chapter row with a ⑂N badge. Tap the badge: the current line sits under Main (marked ‘Reading now’), archived paths sit under Archived. Each card shows where it was archived and its word count; expand the preview to read its prose, and expand its chapter list to see where that line went.
✓ Without switching anything, you can read a preview and the chapter trail of each path.
Switch the active line, then keep writing
Tap Switch to this path on the line you want. It immediately becomes the readable, writable mainline, and your previous path is archived whole — nothing is lost. In a long multi-path book, make this a habit: open the branch panel and check which card says ‘Reading now’ before you generate anything.
✓ The text now follows the chosen path, the old line appears under Archived, and you can switch back anytime.
How to know it worked
- The fork chapter shows a ⑂N badge in Contents and the count matches the number of paths.
- Archived cards show the archive point, word count, and a readable preview.
- After Switch to this path, new continuations land on the chosen line.
- Switching back restores the old line word for word.
Cost, data, and irreversible-risk notes
- Switching paths, previews, chapter lists, and candidate-take switching are local and free.
- Creating a branch and ‘Take this path’ each include one real generation call, because the AI writes the new direction: official-channel calls spend credits at 1 credit = US$0.0001, BYOK is billed by your provider. If a generation fails and you are unsure whether it was charged, check Me → Request records before retrying.
- Branches and candidate takes are app data on this device. Export a backup before uninstalling or switching install channels.
- Deleting an AI passage cannot be undone, and splitting a passage or inserting an image/video inside it clears that passage's history takes — the app tells you when this happens.
Troubleshooting
A whole stretch of the story disappeared
Likely cause: You created a branch or switched paths, so the old content was archived — not deleted.
What to do: Open Contents → the ⑂N badge → Archived. Find the old line, read its preview to confirm, then Switch to this path to bring the whole thing back.
‘This is the last paragraph; cannot branch here’
Likely cause: A branch needs old content after the fork point to archive, and there is nothing after the final paragraph.
What to do: Pick an earlier paragraph as the fork point, or continue once and then branch. To send the ending itself in a new direction, use the New branch mode in the tail ‘Write the next part’ form.
‘Archived branch is read-only’
Likely cause: You are on an archived path. Archived lines cannot be continued and cannot fork new branches.
What to do: To write along that line, open the branch panel and Switch to this path so it becomes the mainline. If you only wanted to recover text, read the preview or switch back to Main.
Switching fails with ‘this path's file no longer exists’
Likely cause: That path was just archived or replaced by another switch, and the list you tapped was stale.
What to do: The list refreshes automatically. Reopen the branch panel and try again; do not tap repeatedly while a switch is still running.
Earlier takes of a passage are gone
Likely cause: Splitting the passage or inserting media inside it cleared its history takes; the app showed a warning at that moment.
What to do: Cleared takes cannot be recovered. Keep writing you care about as a branch rather than a take, or export a backup first.
Frequently asked questions
Does switching paths delete the other line?
No. A switch is an exchange: the target line becomes the writable mainline and your previous line is archived whole. You can switch back anytime, and both switching and previews are free.
When should I use a take, and when a branch?
Use ‹ › takes or ✦ New take when one passage needs a different rendition. Use a branch when everything after a point should go another way. Takes live on a single passage; a branch is a whole line.
Can I keep two endings at once?
Yes. Finish one ending, return to the fork point, and create a branch for the other. Both lines are kept, and you can read either from the Contents branch panel.
Can the AI manage branches for me?
Yes. The Reader's AI task entry can open a branch from one instruction, or open a read-only side path that leaves the mainline untouched. Approvals and one-tap rollback for those tasks are covered in ‘Run Agent Tasks Safely: References, Approvals, Results, and Rollback’.
Sources and verification
- Reader guide · Foreverse · Verified
- Agent and Companion guide · Foreverse · Verified
Coverage and verification
| Platform | Android Reader |
|---|---|
| App version | v76+ |
| Path verified |