Export an AI chat to Markdown and keep the useful context
Save Mono chats and coding conversations as Markdown, check what the export includes, and prepare a portable handoff without mistaking it for a backup.
A chat export is useful when a decision needs to survive outside the chat app. Markdown gives you readable text that you can open in an editor, attach to a project, or turn into a concise handoff.
Mono can export ordinary chats and coding conversations as Markdown. The file is a readable copy of the conversation, not a full account backup or an agent session you can resume. Before you rely on it, check what was actually saved. Mono is currently on a waitlist.
1. Choose the conversation and purpose
Decide whether you need a complete readable transcript, a decision record, or instructions for another person. Export the original first. Write a shorter summary separately, so it stays clear what the chat said and what you concluded.
For example, a website review might need the agreed changes, open questions, and code suggestions. It usually doesn’t need every unrelated conversation from the same day. Choose the specific chat, and wait until the answer or tool action you want to keep has finished.
A title helps you find the file, but it doesn’t show that the export is complete. If timing matters, note the export date in your handoff.
2. Save the Markdown file
In an ordinary chat, open the plus menu and choose Export conversation, then pick where to save the file. In a coding conversation in Mono Code, the export dialog offers Copy to clipboard or Save as Markdown; choose Save as Markdown for a lasting copy.
Use a descriptive name such as website-review-2026-10-08.md. Keep the .md extension. If you cancel the file picker, nothing is saved. If saving fails, try another folder you can access, and open the file before you assume the export worked.
Copying to the clipboard is handy for a short handoff, but it doesn’t save a file. If you need to keep it, paste it somewhere and save it.
3. Check what survived the export
Open the file in a text editor and check the beginning, an exchange in the middle, and the final answer. Mono writes the conversation title and a section for each speaker, with the content that can be shown as Markdown.
| Conversation content | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Text messages | Readable text under speaker headings |
| Tool activity | Tool names and any response text |
| Code changes | File paths and diffs in code blocks, where available |
| Images | A placeholder, not the image itself |
| The model’s thinking steps | Left out of the export |
Coding exports can include tool status and the names of changed files. These help explain a proposal, but a diff in a text file isn’t the whole repository. Check important attachments and files separately. When you see an image placeholder, save the original image another way.
4. Add a short handoff note
Write a short note of your own at the top of the transcript, or save it next to the original:
Purpose: Review the homepage wording.
Decision: Keep the shorter introduction.
Unresolved: Confirm the launch date.
Next action: Ask the project owner to confirm the date.
Evidence: Transcript plus the separately saved design image.Keep your decisions separate from the model’s suggestions. If the transcript says a command should be run, don’t write “the command succeeded” unless you checked the result. Link to the actual file or document you reviewed when you can.
This extra minute stops the reader from mistaking a first idea for an approved instruction. It also lets you find the export by the real task, not only by the chat’s title.
5. Review the destination and sensitive content
Once exported, the file follows the storage and sharing rules of wherever you save it. Mono’s app lock and encrypted sync don’t protect a copy saved in another folder, an email, or a document app.
Before sharing, read the transcript for passwords, keys, personal information, and tool responses. Remove them from a separate copy for sharing, and keep the original if you need it.
You can export Secret Mode chats too. If you do, the file is a separate, lasting copy: closing the Secret Mode chat won’t delete it. Review the privacy and sync guide for the differences.
6. Know what an export cannot restore
A Markdown transcript can’t restore account settings, memories, skill setup, sign-ins, or a coding agent’s live session. Don’t treat it as a full backup or a way to continue the same session in another app.
To pick up the work later, keep the actual project files and a checked next-step note with the conversation. For ongoing written material, the Markdown notes guide explains a different workflow. Before you delete anything from the original place, reopen the exported file and check that what you need is there.
