🧠 Bring Your Own LLM
Tree does not include an AI model. You need to connect your own LLM provider to use any AI features: chat, dreams, understanding, raw idea placement, and more. You bring the API key and pay your provider directly.
We recommend OpenRouter for the easiest setup. It gives you access to hundreds of models with a single API key. Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint works. OpenRouter, Groq, Together, OpenAI, or even a local server.
When you sign up, the setup page will walk you through connecting your first model before creating your first tree. Your API key is encrypted in our database and only used to route your requests.
Don't have your own LLM? You can still join someone else's tree if they've invited you and have their own model connected. You just won't be able to use AI features with your own trees.
✨ Create Your First Tree
After connecting your LLM, the setup page will ask you to name your first tree. You can also create trees later such as in Chat hit the + button at the bottom of the tree list, or in Dashboard find it on your profile home in My Roots.
Pick a root name that describes the big picture. It's the top of your hierarchy, so keep it broad enough to branch out from. Something like "Crypto Trading", "Learning Plan", or "Trip to Japan" works well. Once the tree exists, you can start talking to it and the AI will build it out from there.
"I want to plan a home renovation"
Nice, what kind of work are you thinking? Full remodel, cosmetic updates, or specific rooms? I can help you map it out.
Behind the scenes, the AI is already organizing your input into the tree. You won't see it building structure directly. It translates your intent through internal operators and responds to you in plain conversation.
🔷 Adding Nodes
Nodes give your tree its shape. They're the structural context, the categories and groupings that organize everything. Inside each node lives the detail: notes, values, schedules, goals, members, and more. You don't need to worry about all of that up front. Just know that nodes are the big picture and everything inside them is the depth.
You can grow them two ways, and most people use both depending on the moment:
Just talk
Describe what you need and the AI handles the rest. It picks the right spot, creates the node, and adds notes if needed. You don't have to think about structure.
"Add a budget section under Home Renovation"
Manual control
Open the dashboard to see the full tree visualization. Click any node to add children, edit content, or reorganize branches directly. Full control when you want it.
The context you and the AI work with is always the same. When you edit something in the dashboard, the AI reads the updated version next time it pulls context. When the AI makes changes, the dashboard updates in real time to reflect them. One shared workspace, always in sync.
The AI adapts to whatever you add. It restructures, expands, and consolidates over time so the tree stays clean as it grows.
📝 Notes
Notes are where the actual content lives. Every node can have multiple notes, and each one is tied to the node's current version. Write them yourself, or just mention something in chat and the AI will attach it to the right node.
The more you put in, the smarter the tree gets. Notes are what the AI reads when it builds understanding of your tree, so every detail you add gives it more to work with.
💬 Talking to the AI
You don't need to learn commands or remember how things are organized. The AI holds the full tree in context, so you can just say what you want in plain language:
"What do I have going on for the renovation?"
"I think budget stuff should live under planning"
"The first draft is done"
"We had a meeting today, here's what came out of it"
"Break the launch into a few smaller pieces"
You never have to think about structure. The AI figures out what you mean, handles the tree operations behind the scenes, and responds like a normal conversation. Things get created, updated, and moved around while you're just talking. You talk, the tree grows.
🌿 It Grows On Its Own
This is what makes Tree different. Once you set a dream time, your tree maintains itself daily. The AI cleans up messy branches, drains thoughts you mentioned in passing, and builds a compressed understanding of the whole structure.
You can go days without touching it and come back to a tree that's more organized than when you left. Or you can be hands-on and shape every branch yourself in the dashboard. Both work, and most people end up doing a mix of both.
The tree is an adaptable AI memory. The more you feed it, the more it knows, and the better it gets at helping you.
🚀 What Next?
Once you're comfortable with the basics, there's a lot more to explore: