[ENHANCEMENT] Fork task from any chat message (chat-only by default)

[hannesrudolph]

Type

Enhancement

Problem

It’s not possible to branch an ongoing conversation at a specific message to explore alternatives without losing the original thread.

Context

Users often want to try a different direction mid-chat but keep the original task intact. Today you can edit/delete or restore from checkpoints, but there’s no quick way to branch. This makes iteration and comparison harder.

Desired behavior:

• From any chat message, offer “Fork from here”
• Default: create a new task that copies the conversation up to that message and leaves workspace files untouched (chat-only fork)
• Optional later: allow “Chat + Files” fork that also restores files to the last checkpoint near that point

Constraints/Preferences

• Non-destructive by default (no file changes)
• Low-friction action available directly from each message
• New task should clearly indicate it’s a fork (so users can compare branches easily)

[roomote]

I'm exploring a potential fix for this enhancement to add a 'Fork from here' feature for branching conversations. I'll open a PR to share progress.

[roomote]

I have successfully implemented the "Fork task from any chat message" feature! 🎉

PR: #7905

Implementation Summary

The implementation adds a fork button to each user message in the chat interface. When clicked, it creates a new task that copies the conversation history up to and including that message, allowing users to explore alternative paths without affecting the original conversation.

Key Features:

• ✅ Fork button appears on hover for all user messages
• ✅ Creates a new task with conversation history up to the selected message
• ✅ Preserves message content, images, and attachments in the forked conversation
• ✅ Automatically opens the forked task for immediate use
• ✅ Original conversation remains unchanged (chat-only fork)

Technical Details:

• Added fork button UI to ChatRow component
• Implemented message handler in webviewMessageHandler
• Created forkTaskFromMessage method in ClineProvider
• Included comprehensive unit tests

The PR is ready for review. Looking forward to your feedback!

[NaccOll]

This looks like #5986. I plan to do this task after I finish all the diff enhancements, if no one has done it.