Pathways

Ever wanted to explore different directions in an AI conversation? When learning something new, you might have a follow-up question but also want to keep exploring the original thread. Or when planning something, you want to compare different options without starting over.

Pathways lets you branch conversations with Claude AI at any point and explore multiple paths simultaneously. A visual tree shows all your conversation branches, and you can easily jump between them.

Demo Videos

• Learning/Research Use Case
• Trip Planning Use Case

Use Cases

• 🧠 Learning complex topics: Go deep on one aspect, then return to explore another
• ✈️ Trip planning: Develop parallel itineraries and compare them
• ✍️ Creative writing: Explore different plot directions
• 🎯 Decision making: Properly explore "what if" scenarios

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14+)
• Anthropic API key

Setup

1. Clone and install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/arunabh98/pathways-ai.git
cd pathways-ai

# Install server dependencies
cd server
npm install

# Install client dependencies
cd ../client
npm install

2. Configure your API key:

cd ../server
cp .env.example .env

Edit server/.env and add your Anthropic API key:

PORT=3001
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_anthropic_api_key_here

3. Run the application:

Terminal 1 - Start the server:

cd server
npm start

Server runs on http://localhost:3001

Terminal 2 - Start the client:

cd client
npm start

App opens automatically at http://localhost:3000

How to Use

• Start a conversation: Type your message and press Send
• Create a branch: Click the ⤴ button on any AI response
• View the tree: Press Ctrl/Cmd+B or click the 🗺 button
• Switch branches: Click any node in the tree view to jump to that conversation path

Tech Stack

React • Express • Claude Sonnet 4.5 • D3.js for tree visualization

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Security Notes

⚠️ Important:

• Never commit your .env file - it contains your API key
• Never share your Anthropic API key publicly - treat it like a password
• Conversations are stored in memory only and cleared when the server restarts (no data persistence)
• This is an experimental project - use responsibly and don't share sensitive information in conversations

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About This Project

This is an experimental personal project exploring branching AI conversations. Built with AI-assisted development, it demonstrates how conversation trees can help with learning, planning, and decision-making.

The project is provided as-is for educational and personal use. Feel free to fork, experiment, and build upon it!

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Note: Conversations are stored in memory and will reset when you restart the server.