Current guide
Insert a Scratchpad from the Sidebar
Insert a scratchpad from the sidebar
The sidebar route inserts collected material with the collection in sight. Open the Scratchpad tab, read what a scratchpad holds, and its insert control places the content in the chat input as editable text, nothing sent. The shortcut is the speed route; this is the sighted one: you see exactly what you are about to insert before it lands. This page covers inserting from the active scratchpad and from any saved one.
Prerequisites:
- Signed in: Insertion requires a signed-in account. See sign in to the extension.
- Something collected: The routes insert from your scratchpads. See save the last response.
- A chat page open: chatgpt.com or claude.ai, with the chat input on the page.
Open the Scratchpad tab#
- Click the green floater dot, then click Open sidebar for more actions.
- Open the Scratchpad tab if it is not already active. The tab's layout is covered in view scratchpads in the sidebar.
Insert the active scratchpad#
- Read the active scratchpad at the top of the tab. It sits in view mode, so what you see is exactly what will insert.
- Click its insert control.
- The content lands in the chat input, and a confirmation reads Scratchpad inserted.
- The text is editable and nothing is sent. Trim it to what the prompt needs, add your instruction around it, then send it yourself.
Insert a saved scratchpad#
- Find the scratchpad in the saved list beneath the active one. Search narrows the list as you type.
- Click the insert control on its row.
- The same landing follows: content in the input, confirmation over the page, nothing sent.
Inserting from a saved scratchpad never changes which one is active. Insertion reads content; only the mark-active control moves the role. See saved scratchpads.
The content arrives as it stands#
- The whole scratchpad, current version: Insertion takes the full content as it reads right now, edits included, so an edit pass before inserting is how a raw collection becomes a clean insert. See edit a scratchpad on the main page.
- A copy, not a link: What lands in the input is a copy. Editing it there, or sending it, never changes the scratchpad itself.
Sidebar or shortcut#
| Route | How it runs | When it wins |
|---|---|---|
| Sidebar | The insert control on a scratchpad you are reading in view mode. | You want to see the content before it lands, or you are already working in the tab. |
| Shortcut | //scratchpad in the chat input, all keyboard. | You know which scratchpad you want and speed matters. |
Both routes insert the same way: the whole scratchpad, editable, never sent.
FAQ#
Does inserting send the content?+
No. Insertion places the text in the chat input and stops. You review, edit, and send it yourself.
Can I insert only part of a scratchpad?+
Not from the sidebar; the scratchpad inserts whole. Trim the text in the input after it lands, or run an edit pass first so the scratchpad holds only what you want inserted. See edit a scratchpad on the main page.
Does inserting a saved scratchpad make it active?+
No. Insertion never touches the active state. The scratchpad you insert from stays where it is, and saves keep routing to the active one.
Does inserting use AI credits?+
No. Insertion is free on every plan, from the sidebar and the shortcut alike. Credits apply only to the AI features that run on scratchpad content. See Expand / Shorten.
Does this work the same on claude.ai?+
Yes. The tab, the insert controls, and the landing behave identically on chatgpt.com and claude.ai, over the same collection.