Product boundaries
What SideThread is not
SideThread is a live conversation assistant for curiosity in the moment. It helps with the names, claims, books, places, and references you would normally pause to search.
The simple promise
SideThread should help you satisfy curiosity without breaking the conversation. The clearest first test is a podcast: play an episode out loud, start a session, and let the episode keep moving while SideThread holds the useful side questions.
Where the line is
Not a chatbot
SideThread is not built around prompting a chat window while people are talking. Start a live session, keep listening, and let useful assists appear only when the conversation creates one.
Not a meeting recorder
The point is not to document every meeting, produce minutes, or turn a conversation into a workplace dashboard. SideThread is centered on quick curiosity: names, claims, books, places, and references that pass by.
Not a note-taking system
SideThread can leave you with short threads to revisit, but it is not trying to become your full notes app, research database, or transcript archive.
Not an answer coach
The app does not ask people questions for you, script what to say next, or replace the human judgment needed in a live conversation.
Not a fact-checking authority
A SideThread assist is a useful starting point, not the final word on something important. For medical, legal, financial, workplace, or safety decisions, check reliable sources yourself.
Not for every moment
Sometimes the right answer is to stay fully with the person in front of you. SideThread works best when a small piece of context would help without taking over.
A good fit
Use SideThread when a live conversation sparks a small question and you want enough context to stay oriented. A podcast guest mentions a book. A dinner conversation turns toward an unfamiliar place. An interview drops a reference you want to understand later. Those are the moments SideThread is meant for.
A less good fit
Do not use SideThread as a substitute for consent, careful research, professional advice, or your own sense of whether a live setting is appropriate for transcription or assistance. The app should support the conversation, not become the conversation.