Compare & combine
Once a node has branches, the Branches button in the chat header opens three operations. They’re named rather than inferred from how many boxes you ticked, because the difference between them is exactly what you need to know before you act.
Diff — read-only, compares meaning
Section titled “Diff — read-only, compares meaning”Pick two branches and Diff them. Cymose reports where they actually part company — by meaning, not by characters: where they agree, where they diverge, and a short reconciliation. It writes nothing. Reach for it when you want to understand two approaches, not merge them.
Merge — writes one synthesis
Section titled “Merge — writes one synthesis”Pick two or more branches and Merge. Cymose synthesises them into a single takeaway and posts it as a new message in the current chat. The source branches are left untouched. Reach for it when several explorations should become one answer.
Cherry-pick — copies exact text, no model involved
Section titled “Cherry-pick — copies exact text, no model involved”Pick a branch and choose messages from it; they’re copied into the current chat verbatim, in order, each marked with where it came from. This is the only one of the three with no model in between — reach for it when what you want to keep is exact: a paragraph of code, a precise wording a merge would paraphrase away.