# Forking

### What is forking?

{% embed url="<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIDeyg5tYiM>" %}

Forking creates a **new agent and branch** from the current agent’s state.

The fork:

* Starts from the same commit as the original agent
* Gets its own container, branch, and history
* Lets you try a different approach without overwriting prior work

> **Mental model:** Forking is like creating a new feature branch from an existing one, but managed for you by Sculptor.

***

### When to fork an agent

Forking is useful when you want to:

* Try an alternate implementation of a feature
* Experiment with risky refactors without touching a “good” version
* Explore different design options in parallel
* Keep one agent focused on fixing bugs and another on new work

***

### How forking works under the hood

When you fork:

1. Sculptor creates a new agent.
2. It clones the original agent’s Git state into a new branch.
3. A new container is created for the forked agent.
4. The two agents can now evolve independently.

Both agents:

* Have their own commit history
* Can be paired with your local repo via Pairing Mode
* Can be merged using the Merge Review UI

***

### Forking from the UI

You can fork an agent from its task view.

Typical flow:

1. Open the agent you want to fork in the sidebar.
2. Use the **Fork** option in the task or overflow menu.
3. Sculptor creates a new agent with a name derived from the original.

![Fork agent from task view](https://3805321663-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FjFN3RamrZpFlLcWLQKea%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-535c741b7a58dc183cf11e9a22f2f0570d42d46d%2Ffork-agent.png?alt=media)

The forked agent will appear in the sidebar as a separate entry with its own conversation and changes.

***

### Working with forked agents

Once you’ve forked:

* Use **Pairing Mode** to inspect and run each branch locally.
* Use the **Merge Review UI** to pull whichever version you prefer into your local repo.
* You can keep multiple forks around to compare approaches, then delete the ones you don’t need.

***

### Summary

Forking lets you:

* Safely branch off from an existing agent
* Explore alternatives without losing progress
* Keep experiments isolated while still using the same project

Combine forking with Pairing Mode and Merge Review UI to manage complex work across multiple parallel agent branches.