Conversations
Conversations are the core of ChatShell. Every chat is stored locally in SQLite and comes with powerful features that go beyond basic messaging.
Streaming Responses
Section titled “Streaming Responses”AI responses stream in real time — you see the output as it generates, not after. This works with all supported providers and models.
Thinking Display
Section titled “Thinking Display”For models that support chain-of-thought reasoning (e.g., DeepSeek R1, QwQ), ChatShell shows the model’s internal reasoning process in a collapsible section above the response.
Fork Conversations
Section titled “Fork Conversations”Made a wrong turn in a conversation? Click the Fork button on any AI reply to branch off into a new conversation. The new conversation keeps all the context up to that message, letting you explore a different direction without losing the original thread.
Resend Messages
Section titled “Resend Messages”If an AI response didn’t go the way you expected, click Resend on any user message to retry from that point.
Message Queue
Section titled “Message Queue”You can keep typing while the AI is still responding. Your messages are queued and sent in order once the current response completes — no need to wait.
Chat History Search
Section titled “Chat History Search”Find any message across all conversations instantly with full-text search. Open the search dialog, type your query, and see matching results with highlighted snippets. Click a result to jump directly to that conversation and message.
Rich Content Rendering
Section titled “Rich Content Rendering”ChatShell renders rich content natively in chat:
- Math formulas — LaTeX equations rendered inline and in blocks with KaTeX
- Diagrams — Mermaid flowcharts, sequence diagrams, class diagrams, and more
- Code blocks — Syntax-highlighted with language detection and one-click copy
Auto Title Generation
Section titled “Auto Title Generation”ChatShell automatically generates a descriptive title for each conversation based on the first exchange. You can rename conversations at any time.
Context Window Control
Section titled “Context Window Control”Configure how many previous messages to include in each request — choose from 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, or unlimited. This helps you balance context quality against token usage for longer conversations.
Working Directory
Section titled “Working Directory”Each conversation can have its own working directory for file system tools (Bash, Read, Edit, Write, Grep, Glob). Set it from the conversation settings to scope all file operations to a specific project folder.
Export
Section titled “Export”Screenshot Export — Export conversations as PNG images. Choose to export all messages, a single conversation, or just one message. Exports automatically respect your current light or dark theme.
Markdown Export — Download any assistant message as a .md file with one click using the download button in the message toolbar.