Side chat
Also called side chats.
In CursorCursor is a coding agent for building software: you use it to understand a codebase, plan and build features, fix bugs, and review changes., a side chat is a separate agent conversation that runs next to a main one, using the parent thread as reference contextContext is the information available to an AI model for a particular response, including instructions, conversation, supplied material, and tool results. while keeping its own transcript.
Example
Your main agent is midway through a change. You open a side chat to ask whether a library supports one function. The main conversation keeps going. You mention the side chat later if you want its answer in the main thread.
Why it matters
CursorCursor is a coding agent for building software: you use it to understand a codebase, plan and build features, fix bugs, and review changes.'s help page says a side chat is a full agent conversation attached to a parent agent. The parent's history is copied in as reference contextContext is the information available to an AI model for a particular response, including instructions, conversation, supplied material, and tool results. for the model, and that history does not appear in the side-chat transcript. By default, side chats focus on reading, searching, and answering, so the main agent can keep working. You can open one with /side or from a selection, and you can send follow-ups. Mention the side chat in the main thread when you want that context pulled back.
Closing a side chat archives it. The help page says that archives the agent and does not delete the conversation. A side chat cannot contain another side chat. The same page says side chats are local-only and are not available for Cloud AgentsA cloud agent is an AI coding agent that runs on a computer the vendor hosts, instead of only on the machine in front of you..
How it shows up on bot.ski
On bot.ski, the Conversation historyConversation history is the record of earlier messages, and in some products tool activity, that an app saves so you can reopen or search it. and ContextContext is the information available to an AI model for a particular response, including instructions, conversation, supplied material, and tool results. glossary pages explain a saved transcript and what a model can see on one reply. Nothing on bot.ski opens a side chat. Reading this page does not start an agent conversation.
Common confusion
A side chat is not a fork. CursorCursor is a coding agent for building software: you use it to understand a codebase, plan and build features, fix bugs, and review changes.'s help page says forking copies messages into a new chat, while a side chat only gives the model the parent history as hidden contextContext is the information available to an AI model for a particular response, including instructions, conversation, supplied material, and tool results.. It is also not the main transcript with a second name. Follow-ups stay in the side chat.
Sources
Updated October 3, 2026.