# Return to a past chat

Find an earlier assistant conversation, continue a web chat and manage the archive without confusing it with assistant memory.

Canonical: https://docs.lead-knight.com/en/assistant/past-chats/


## What this is for

**Past chats** lets you return to conversations in the current workspace. Web conversations can be continued; WhatsApp conversations are read-only in the app. **Archive** hides a chat from the main list without erasing the assistant's memory.

## Before you start

Check the current workspace and review any unsent message in the composer. Continuing another chat changes which conversation is current. Do not assume a message written for one conversation is appropriate in another.

Wait for an in-progress reply or approval decision to finish before switching. The app disables continuation while a conflicting chat operation is running.

## Continue a web conversation

1. Open **Assistant**.
2. Select **Past chats** from the home view or conversation header. A side panel opens and loads the conversation list.
3. Identify the chat using its title, activity time and channel label. **Current** marks the current web chat. Some conversations may be **Untitled**.
4. For a web chat in the main list, select **Continue**. The chosen chat becomes the active conversation and the panel closes.
5. Read the restored messages before sending your next request. A pending proposal is not proof that its action was completed.

If the list has another page, **Show more** loads additional chats. **No past chats yet.** is the empty-list state, not an error.

The home view may also show recent chats. Selecting one opens the relevant web conversation or the read-only WhatsApp detail, depending on its channel.

## Read a WhatsApp conversation

1. Open **Past chats** and select a WhatsApp chat's title.
2. Read the detail view, marked **This conversation is read-only.**
3. Use **Back** to return to the list, or **Done** to close the panel.

There is no web composer or web approval action for this history view. Continue the exchange and approve or reject requests in WhatsApp itself.

## Archive a completed chat

1. Find a closed conversation that is not the current chat.
2. Select **Archive** when the action is offered. The row leaves the main list.
3. Expand the **Archive** section to find archived conversations.

The archive action is not offered for every row: a current or still-open conversation is not eligible for the same action. Do not treat a missing button as proof that the chat was already erased.

## Restore an archived conversation

1. Open **Past chats** and expand **Archive**.
2. Select the archived chat's title. The detail opens read-only.
3. Select **Restore**. The chat leaves the archive and returns to the main list.
4. For a restored web chat, use **Continue** to make it the active conversation. Restoring alone does not automatically resume it.

> **Important:** Archiving only hides the chat. It does not erase the assistant's remembered facts, shared rules or learned writing preferences. Manage those separately in [Memory and writing style](https://docs.lead-knight.com/en/assistant/memory-and-writing-style/).

## Start a separate conversation

From an active web conversation, select **New chat**. The app must successfully start the new conversation before replacing the old view. Starting a new chat is not the same as archiving, deleting memory or increasing your usage allowance.

## If something goes wrong

- The list fails to load: select **Retry**. Existing conversations are not proven missing by a load error.
- A chat fails to open: the app reports that the current conversation is unchanged. Retry rather than assuming the switch happened.
- **Continue** is disabled: wait for streaming, a new-chat request, another switch or an approval decision to finish.
- Archiving or restoring fails: the panel shows the error. Retry the intended action; do not infer a successful move from a click alone.
- **New chat** fails: the old conversation stays on screen. Do not send sensitive new-context instructions assuming they will enter a different chat.
- You cannot find an older exchange: check **Archive**, load more rows and confirm the workspace. You can also ask the assistant to search earlier conversations by topic or date.

## Related pages

- [Assistant overview](https://docs.lead-knight.com/en/assistant/overview/).
- [Chat and give a task](https://docs.lead-knight.com/en/assistant/chat/).
- [Memory and writing style](https://docs.lead-knight.com/en/assistant/memory-and-writing-style/).


## Go back to a past chat

[Go back to a past chat](https://kwqpaiaguxkmadaipfrf.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/guide-videos/guides/videos/M2/nadlanite-en-1e5e3cbe62b5.mp4)

1. Your conversations with the assistant are saved. Click Past chats.
2. Each chat shows its first message and when it started.
3. Archive hides a chat you no longer need. It doesn’t erase what the assistant remembers.
4. Click Continue to reopen a chat.
5. The chat opens where you left off.
6. To start fresh, click New chat.