> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.medwrite.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Branching
> Create a new letter from an existing output by branching into another AI assistant
Branching lets you take a finished letter and generate a **new draft** with a different AI assistant, without starting the record from scratch. The same patient is kept. The original letter stays where it is.
Use this when one consultation should produce more than one document type — for example a clinic letter and a GP letter, or a summary and a referral.
Open the record on the letter page. Branch lives in the output toolbar, next to Copy and Export.
Branch is available only after the output leaves **Clinical Draft** — typically after you press **Clinically approve**. While the letter is still a draft, the more-options menu (and Branch) is hidden.
.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BzS_Tksx7GfS2Dso&q=85&s=d18cb5917b11dd23df7ff9ae58a2d87d "Image (14)")
In the output toolbar, press the **three-dot** menu, then **Branch**.
.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=_al075lHfve34oUu&q=85&s=9319c6f05cedafd936703387cd4d1ea5 "Image (16)")
A **BRANCH INTO** list opens with the other assistants for this clinic. Select the assistant you want the new letter to use. Hover an assistant to see that it **opens as a new draft**.
You cannot choose:
* The **same assistant** as the letter you are viewing (it appears greyed out).
* The assistant this letter was **branched from**, if you are already on a branched letter.
.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=_al075lHfve34oUu&q=85&s=e3b23c9a5aacd07cf837e25ff7ef29dc "Image (17)")
MedWrite creates a **new record** and generates the letter with the assistant you chose. The original record is unchanged.
On the new letter page you will see:
* **Patient details** – The same patient as the original record.
* **AI Assistant Input** – The text of the original letter, used as the input for the new assistant.
* **Branched from** – A link back to the original record, with the original assistant name and the date.
* **Record output** – The new draft, ready to review, edit, and clinically approve.
Audio and reference files from the original record are **not** copied. Add them again on the new draft if you need them.
.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=_al075lHfve34oUu&q=85&s=28b51f36360920a13cfb09b9509377cf "Image (15)")
Choose the assistant that matches the extra document you need. The new letter follows that assistant’s template and style, using the original letter as context.
**If you do not see Branch**, check the following:
* The output is no longer a **Clinical Draft** (clinically approve it first).
* Your role can **create records** with at least one other assistant for this clinic.
* **Medical admin** and **Critical care nurse** roles cannot branch.
* The letter is not empty, and a **patient name** is filled in.
* You are on the **web** letter page. Branching is not available in the mobile app.
## What branching does
When you branch, MedWrite does **four** things:
* **Creates a new record** as a Clinical Draft in the assistant you selected.
* **Keeps the patient** (name, ID, and date of birth) from the original record.
* **Uses the original letter text** as the input for the new assistant.
* **Links the two records** so you can open the original from **Branched from**.
The original letter is not edited, replaced, or deleted. You can keep reviewing, exporting, or sending it as usual.
## Next steps
Review, edit, and refine the new draft on the letter page.
Clinically approve the branched letter before sharing or sending.
This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.