The AI assistant

AI in AmyMind works at two levels: actions on a single node, and a conversation about the whole map. Both open the AI drawer on the right.

Where AI lives in the editor

• Select a node and use the three AI buttons on its floating toolbar.
• Hover the right edge of the canvas to reveal the drawer handle, then click it.
• After a generated map finishes, the drawer is already open with suggestions based on the map.

On a narrow screen the drawer covers the canvas and has a close button in its top-right corner.

Three actions on a selected node

Action	What it does	Where the result goes
Ask AI	Asks a question about the node and the surrounding map.	The drawer shows a question and suggested follow-ups; click a suggestion to continue.
AI branch	Generates child nodes for the selected node, using the whole map as context.	New children are added directly to the map.
AI explore	Researches the node in depth and streams a longer answer.	The answer appears in the drawer.

Each action adds a short "working" message to the conversation, then replaces it with the result. While a node-level action runs, the node is marked so you can see what is busy.

Chat with the whole map

Type in the drawer and press send. The AI sees the current map as an outline, so you can ask things like:

• "Which branch is doing too much?"
• "Add a risk section under Launch."
• "Rewrite these node names as verbs."
• "What am I missing for a 10-minute talk?"

After a normal answer, two actions appear under the message:

• Add as node note — appends the answer to the selected node's note.
• Add as child node — turns the answer's list items into children of the selected node.

Select a node before using either action. Both are undoable in one step.

When the map is empty, the drawer starts with examples; on an existing map it asks for suggested questions based on the content. Suggested questions count as AI requests.

Generate or rebuild a map from chat

The assistant can propose generating a map from a topic or a block of text. It asks for confirmation first — nothing is generated until you click Confirm. This is useful for starting a new structure from inside an existing conversation, or for redoing a map after you have described what you actually want.

Translate a map

Right-click the empty canvas and choose Translate. AmyMind translates node names and notes across the whole map and keeps the structure.

The target depends on the AI language selector:

• A specific language translates into that language.
• Auto translates predominantly Chinese maps to English and predominantly English maps to Chinese; other source languages go to English.
• Follow interface language uses the app language.

Select a specific language before translating if you need something other than the Auto behavior. Translation replaces the map in one undoable step.

Output language

The selector in the create box is the same preference used here. It is stored in your browser and applies to:

• new map generation,
• chat replies,
• AI branches and exploration,
• translation.

Auto follows the source material. Follow interface language keeps AI output in the app language. A specific language always wins.

AI actions and limits

Every AI request counts as one action, including generation, chat messages, Ask AI, AI branch, AI explore, translation, and suggested questions.

• The current allowance is shown in the dashboard sidebar and on the Plans page.
• Free plan defaults to 10 actions/day; Pro defaults to 500 actions/day.
• The counter resets at 00:00 UTC. The sidebar shows the reset time in your local time zone.
• A request that fails before producing a result is refunded.

When the limit is reached, the editor offers an upgrade path. You can keep editing, exporting, and presenting the existing map without AI.

Getting better results

• Give the AI a job. "A 10-minute talk for new hires" produces a different map from "Everything about onboarding."
• Select the right node. Ask AI, AI branch, and AI explore all use the selected node as the starting point.
• Work a level at a time. Deepen one branch instead of regenerating the entire map.
• Keep node names short. The AI reads the outline more reliably when each node is a phrase.
• Put detail in notes. Ask for the detail in the drawer, then use Add as node note instead of creating a dozen tiny nodes.

When something goes wrong

Message	What it means	What to do
AI usage exceeded	The daily action limit is reached.	Wait for the UTC reset or upgrade.
Request timed out	The model took too long.	Retry; a failed request is refunded.
Request failed	A network or server error.	Retry. If it keeps failing, check your connection.
No new branches were generated	The model returned nothing usable for this node.	Rephrase the node or ask in the drawer.

Some errors appear as a warning bubble in the drawer with a Retry button. Retry resends the same input.