Mind Map

Mind Map is a visual workspace for organizing a project, planning a system, or breaking a large idea into manageable parts. You can build a map with ThinkForge's Tool Agent, turn the current project's folder structure into a map, or start with one node and build it yourself.

Start here

  1. Open Mind Map from the main command bar, or choose Create > New Mind Map.
  2. On the Map tab, choose how to begin:
    • Tool Agent - Generate mind map builds a hierarchy from a focus and supporting documents.
    • Create from folders turns the current project's folders into a one-time map.
    • Create base node gives you one root node to build manually.
  3. Select a node to edit its text, documents, links, work state, or notes.
  4. Right-click a node to add, duplicate, move, link, or remove parts of the hierarchy.
  5. Use Save for the editable Mind Map document. Use Map > Export to Markdown when you need a readable outline to share.

Replacing a populated hierarchy requires confirmation. ThinkForge keeps the current Mind Map document and its generation sources rather than creating a new identity behind the scenes.

Open and manage maps

You can reach Mind Map in three ways:

  • Select Mind Map on the main command bar.
  • Choose Create > New Mind Map.
  • Open a saved map from the Mind Maps category in the document browser.

A project has one Mind Map tab, but it can contain several saved Mind Map documents. Opening or switching maps replaces the document shown in that tab; it does not open another Mind Map tab.

Use the Map tab to manage the current document:

  • Edit the title and press Enter to rename it. Clicking elsewhere before pressing Enter cancels the rename.
  • Choose New to create another map with a project-named root node.
  • Choose Switch map… to load another saved map from the current project. Unsaved changes are saved before the switch.
  • Choose Import help… for the NotebookLM and Chrome-extension import instructions. This opens guidance for that external workflow; it is not a desktop file-import dialog.

Know the workspace

The center canvas holds the hierarchy. The collapsible Project Navigator stays on the left and can be used to open or drag project documents. A separate side panel contains Map, Column, and Tools:

  • Map manages the document, generation, sources, and advanced settings.
  • Column shows the nodes, documents, and level controls for one visible depth.
  • Tools contains Mind Map tools, including Markdown export.

The side panel is resizable. Under Map > Advanced > Panel position, you can place it on the left or right. This is an application preference, so it applies to other Mind Maps you open.

The command bar above the canvas groups less frequent commands under Map, Edit, Insert, and View. It also keeps these common controls visible:

  • Undo and Redo recover supported structural and AI operations.
  • L0 through L6 control which hierarchy levels are visible.
  • Connections shows or hides connection lines.
  • Fit centers the visible map and zooms out when needed.
  • The model selector chooses the provider and model used by Mind Map Tool Agent actions.
  • The status field shows the current result or problem; hover it when the complete message does not fit.

The fixed Generation sources tray sits at the upper-left of the canvas. It does not move or zoom with the map. Select it to see the current source documents, open an available source, or remove a source from the map.

Build a map

Start with one node

Choose Create base node to replace the current hierarchy with one root node named after the active project. New Mind Maps already begin this way.

Use this option when you want complete manual control or need a clean starting point before adding nodes.

Create from project folders

Choose a maximum level from Max L1 through Max L6, then select Create from folders. L0 is the project root, so the default Max L3 includes three folder layers below it.

This command:

  • Creates nodes for folders, not files.
  • Does not read file contents.
  • Uses a stable alphabetical order for sibling folders.
  • Stops at 500 folder nodes and reports folders it could not include.
  • Creates a snapshot; later folder changes do not automatically change the map.

Link nodes to folders is on by default. When it is enabled, each generated node keeps a Folder Link to the corresponding project folder. Turn it off before creation if you want the same hierarchy without those links.

Generate with the Tool Agent

Enter an optional Focus, adjust Advanced settings if needed, and choose Tool Agent - Generate mind map.

Focus is the subject of the map, not its filename. If you leave it blank, ThinkForge uses the active project name. Renaming the document does not change Focus, and changing Focus does not rename the document.

Depth and organization are instructions for the selected model, not filters applied after the response. Generated maps still have application safety limits: no more than 120 nodes and no more than six child levels below the root.

On a populated map, the action changes to Tool Agent - Regenerate mind map… and asks before replacing the current hierarchy. ThinkForge accepts only a valid structured hierarchy. If the first response is invalid, it makes one repair attempt rather than turning arbitrary Markdown or bullets into nodes.

Choose what informs generation

Generation can use automatic sources or documents you choose.

Automatic sources

Generation sources: automatic does not mean “no context.” It means you have not selected documents yourself.

In automatic mode, ThinkForge can use suitable wizard-generated documents from the current project's SK Memory. The project name and the selected model's general knowledge can also influence the result. A detailed map can therefore appear even when you did not add a document manually.

Add your own documents

Choose Add documents… beside Generation sources, or drag current-project documents from Project Navigator, its Search view, or Power Strip Doc Search onto either:

  • The map background
  • The fixed Generation sources tray

Adding a source does not start generation. It only changes the documents that will be available the next time you generate or regenerate the map.

When you have selected at least one document, ThinkForge uses that selection instead of automatic wizard-document discovery. Documents that are blank, shorter than 50 characters, or contain recognized placeholder text are not sent to the Tool Agent. If every selected document is filtered out, generation continues without reference text; it does not fall back to automatic sources for that run.

Select the Generation sources tray to review the list. Selecting a document row opens the document. The remove control removes only the source reference from this map; it does not delete or change the project document.

Generation sources and node attachments are different

Map-level generation sources apply to complete-map generation. They are not automatically sent to every later node action.

To guide work on one node, attach the relevant document to that node. You can drag a document directly onto the node or add it from the node's Attachments tab.

Older maps may show selected chunks in the source count. Those chunk IDs are preserved, but they do not currently affect generation. Select the complete owning document when its content must influence the result.

Select a node to make it the current node and open its editor. Select blank canvas space to clear the current selection. Use Fit when the visible hierarchy has moved outside the useful viewport, and use Map > Focus root when you want to return to the beginning of the hierarchy.

The columns use these fixed depth labels:

  • Project Root
  • Systems / Domains
  • Subsystems
  • Components
  • Features
  • Classes / Interfaces
  • Methods

These labels describe the intended software depth. They do not classify each node individually. A folder-based map can therefore contain a folder name that does not match the conceptual label above its column.

Select a column header to open that level in the Column tab. Right-click a header to expand, collapse, or toggle every branch at that level.

Hide one branch

A node with children has a small control on its right edge:

  • A minus sign means the branch is open. Select it to hide the descendants.
  • A plus sign means the branch is hidden. Select it to show the descendants.

Hiding a branch does not delete anything. The saved map remembers each branch's state.

The node's right-click menu also offers Open Only This Branch, plus level-wide commands such as Collapse All L1 Branches and Expand All L1 Branches when they apply.

Hide complete levels

The L0 through L6 controls hide and restore complete depths without deleting nodes. Turning off a level also suppresses every deeper level. Their individual choices are remembered, so restoring the shallower level restores only the deeper levels you had left on.

Turning off L0 produces an empty canvas without changing the map. Choose View > Show All Levels to restore every existing level. Level visibility and each node's branch state are separate; changing one does not reset the other.

Edit the hierarchy

Right-click a node to open its command menu.

Add and duplicate

  • Add Child… creates a child beneath the selected node and opens it for editing.
  • Add Sibling… creates a peer beside a non-root node.
  • Duplicate Node copies the selected node's fields, attachments, and Folder Link as a new sibling, but does not copy its children.
  • Duplicate Branch copies a non-root node and all its descendants as a new sibling branch. Links wholly inside the copied branch are carried into the copy; links to nodes outside it are not duplicated.

Move a branch

Choose Move Node…, then select the main card of the new parent. The selected node and all its descendants move beneath that parent as its last child.

The root cannot be moved. ThinkForge also refuses moves that would create a cycle, exceed the depth limit, or create a duplicate sibling title.

To cancel target selection, press Escape, choose Cancel, select blank canvas space, or open another node menu.

Remove a node or branch

  • Delete Node… removes only the selected node and promotes its direct children into the deleted node's former position.
  • Delete Branch… removes the selected node and every descendant.

Both actions require confirmation. The root cannot be deleted.

Choose Link to Node…, then select the target node. The initial relationship is Related and undirected. Semantic links are shown as dashed curves; directed link types include an arrowhead.

The Links tab in the node editor lists the current node's relationships and can remove a selected link. Hiding a linked node's branch hides the line without deleting the relationship.

Edit a node

Select a node or choose Edit Node from its menu to open the resizable editor. It contains five tabs:

  • Node edits the title, tags, content, and Action Instructions.
  • Attachments adds documents and controls how each one is used.
  • Links shows and removes semantic relationships.
  • Work Surface tracks the node's current work and review state.
  • Notes stores local notes for the node.

Action Instructions are available to the native node Tool Agent actions and Work with Codex. Notes remain local to the map and are not automatically sent to those providers.

Control attachment use

Each attached document has three independent choices:

  • Node design, Code build, or both
  • This node or Entire branch
  • Agent context or Private note

An Entire branch attachment is available to descendants without being copied onto each node. A Private note stays out of automatic Mind Map provider context.

Dragging a current-project document onto an exact node creates an attachment on that node. It does not add the document as a complete-map generation source.

A linked node shows a Folder Link badge.

  • Left-click the badge to preview supported files in that folder and manage the link.
  • Left-click a listed document to preview it without attaching it.
  • Right-click an eligible text document in the list to attach it as Node design, Code build, or both.
  • Right-click the badge to reveal the linked folder in Project Navigator.

If a folder is moved or removed, the badge changes to a warning. Use its menu to relink the node or remove the broken link. Folder creation is never synchronized back into the map automatically.

Use AI after the map exists

The model selector on the command bar applies to complete-map generation and the native node Tool Agent actions.

The node editor provides four focused actions:

  • Tool Agent - Expand Node adds 1 to 12 child topics without replacing the current node's content. The node menu also exposes the quick Tool Agent - Expand Topic command.
  • Tool Agent - Build New Context rebuilds the selected node's Content from its current hierarchy, instructions, and eligible Node design attachments.
  • Tool Agent - Create Node Document writes a reusable Markdown explanation, saves it to the project, and attaches it to the node.
  • Tool Agent - Build Design Spec reviews the selected node and its complete descendant branch, asks for approval, then saves and attaches an implementation-ready design document for the entire branch.

Under Map > Advanced, Agent output folder controls where file-producing Mind Map actions save their results. Choose a project folder or select Use default to return to the project's _captured folder.

Node actions receive the node's hierarchy and eligible attachments. They do not automatically receive the Map tab's generation sources. Attach a document to the node when that document must guide the action.

Workspace Tools

A node with a Folder Link can show Workspace Tools deployed to that folder. A run receives the linked folder and eligible Agent context attachments from the node and its ancestors. Private-note attachments are excluded.

Work with Codex

Work with Codex opens a conversational provider for the selected node. It is separate from ThinkForge's Tool Agents and requires a compatible Codex installation plus enablement under Settings > Codex.

Codex can discuss the map and, with the normal confirmation and approval boundaries, add, update, duplicate, move, reorder, delete, and link nodes. It cannot currently add attachments or create document artifacts through the Mind Map patch path.

One Codex conversation is associated with each Mind Map document, and only one Mind Map provider run can be active at a time. The conversation receives eligible Node design and Code build attachments; Private notes are excluded.

Save, switch, search, and export

Mind Maps are saved as editable .mmdata documents. Use ThinkForge's normal Save command. Switching to another map saves the current one first when it has unsaved changes.

Choose Map > Export to Markdown or use the Tools tab when you need a readable outline. The Markdown file is for sharing and reading; it is not a round-trip format for replacing the editable Mind Map.

Saving also refreshes the map's searchable SK Memory text. If a recently added, moved, or deleted node is missing from Mind Map search, save the map and try the search again. Attachments and Private notes are not copied into that searchable map text.

Undo and Redo

Mind Map keeps at most three Undo and three Redo recovery points for consequential hierarchy and AI operations. These include adding, duplicating, moving, deleting, or linking nodes; complete-map generation; supported native node changes; and successful Codex or MCP map patches.

Undo and Redo are not a general history for every field:

  • Ordinary title, content, tag, or note edits do not create a recovery point.
  • Generation-source changes do not create a recovery point.
  • Attachment-only actions do not create a recovery point.
  • If newer untracked edits would be overwritten, ThinkForge refuses the restore.

Save important field edits normally instead of relying on Undo.

Troubleshooting

The map was detailed even though I added no sources

Automatic mode can use suitable wizard-generated documents. The project name and the selected model's general knowledge also affect the result.

My selected documents seem to have been ignored

A selected document is filtered out when it is blank, shorter than 50 characters, or contains recognized placeholder wording. If all selected documents are filtered, generation continues without reference text.

Selected chunks are not influencing generation

Selected chunks from older maps are preserved but are not sent through the current generation path. Select the complete owning documents instead.

Expanding a node ignores the Map tab sources

That is expected. Generation sources belong to complete-map generation. Attach the required documents to the node and mark them as Node design and Agent context.

Nodes disappeared after I used a branch or level control

Branch and level controls hide nodes; they do not delete them. Reopen the branch, restore the disabled level, or choose View > Show All Levels.

The linked folder can no longer be found at its saved project-relative location. Left-click the warning and choose the relink or remove action.

Undo will not restore a change

The operation may not create recovery points, the three-level history may have rolled past it, or later field, note, source, or attachment changes may make a full restore unsafe.

Codex cannot find my newest node

Save the Mind Map to refresh its searchable node index, then try again.