Changelog
Updates and improvements to familytree.chat.
Links to Ancestry and FamilySearch
When your tree was exported from Ancestry.com or FamilySearch, the assistant will now include a direct link to each person's profile on the original site when discussing them. Just ask about someone and you'll see a "View on Ancestry" or "View on FamilySearch" link alongside their details.
Dark mode
Dark mode is now available. The app will automatically detect your system preference and display accordingly. You can also toggle between light and dark mode at any time using the sun/moon icon in the navigation bar. Your preference is saved in your browser.
Invite history, friendly tree names, and re-invite confirmation
You can now see a history of all past invites in the Share dialog, including their status (pending, accepted, or canceled). You can resend pending invites or cancel them as needed. If you try to invite someone who has already been invited or is already a member, you will be prompted to confirm before sending a duplicate invite. Trees now have a user-friendly name (separate from the original filename) that can be edited inline from the Trees page. Invite emails now use the friendly tree name instead of the raw .ged filename.
Invite family members by email
You can now invite someone to view your family tree by sending them an email directly from the Share dialog. Enter their email address and click Send — they will receive a link that lets them join even if they do not yet have an account.
Print your chat history
You can now print your chat or save it as a PDF. Click "Print / Save PDF" in the sidebar to open a clean, printer-friendly version of your full conversation. From there, choose Print in your browser to print on paper, or select "Save as PDF" to save a copy to your computer.
Various UX improvements
The homepage example carousel now cycles correctly when you click the arrows or dots. The high-context warning banner can be dismissed. When you run out of messages for the month, an upgrade link appears inline. Chat drafts are now saved automatically — if you refresh the page while typing, your unsaved message will be restored. Navigating away while a response is still generating shows a browser warning. On the Trees page, the chat count is now a clickable link, and a "Shared with me" section is always visible (even when empty). Tree cards now show a "Shared" badge when the tree has been shared with others.
Reduced token usage and faster responses
Chat responses now use significantly fewer tokens per message. Search results return a more focused set of fields (full details are still fetched when you ask about a specific person), and the AI no longer blindly paginates through hundreds of results when only a few are needed. Token counts in the message details panel now update in real time as soon as the response finishes, without needing a page refresh.
Smarter name search: find people by any part of their name, with fuzzy matching
Searching for someone by name now works even when their name contains unusual formatting — for example, searching "Elena Colella" will now find a person recorded as "Helen \ Elena Colella". Phonetic (Soundex) matching is also applied, so variant spellings like "Collela" will correctly find "Colella". Name searches across all alternate and married names were also improved.
Chat improvements: multiline input, smarter loading messages, and shared chat fixes
The chat input now supports multiline messages — press Shift+Enter to add a new line, and Enter to send. While waiting for a response, you now see informative status messages (like "Searching your family tree…") instead of just a loading spinner. Chat sessions shared with you from trees others have given you access to now appear in your Chat history under "Shared with me". Logged-in users viewing a shared chat no longer see a "Sign up" prompt. The Share button is now visible as soon as you open a chat, even before sending the first message. Chat titles are now generated by AI for a more descriptive summary instead of just showing the first message verbatim. Added "Am I eligible for Italian citizenship?" to the example questions on the home page.
Chat history is preserved when you delete a tree
Deleting a tree no longer immediately wipes your chat history. Conversations are now archived and remain readable in Chat history. On the free plan, archived chats are kept for 30 days before being permanently removed. Hobby and Pro subscribers keep their chat history forever. The delete confirmation dialog now shows how many chats will be affected and what will happen to them.
Hobby and Pro plans, tree limits, and subscription management
Introduced two paid plans: Hobby ($4/mo, 3 trees, unlimited messages) and Pro ($9/mo, unlimited trees and messages). Free accounts are now limited to 1 tree and 20 messages per month. The upload page and trees page show your current usage and let you know when you're approaching or have reached your limit. After upgrading, you'll see a confirmation with a summary of what's unlocked. Paid subscribers can now downgrade or cancel directly from the Account page via the billing portal. Upgrade prompts appear inline when you hit the message limit mid-chat or try to upload a tree when you're at your limit.
Error messages now persist in chat history
When a request fails (for example, due to hitting a rate limit), the error is now saved to the chat history so it remains visible after a page refresh. Failures are no longer counted against your message limit. Assistant messages now show an expandable "details" section when available, including token usage and a support request ID.
Trees page, info pages, and nav improvements
Added a dedicated Trees page showing all your uploaded trees with upload date, people count, and chat count. Added Contact, FAQ, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Changelog pages. "By EphemeraSearch" in the nav now opens a modal with project info. The upload page now has a "How do I export a GEDCOM?" guide with step-by-step instructions for Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, and more. Fixed hover cursor on all navigation links.
Tree sharing
You can now share your family tree with others via a share link. Anyone with the link can chat with your tree using their own account. Shared trees appear in a "Shared with me" section on your Account page.
Shareable chat links
Chat sessions can now be made public. Click the Share button in a chat to generate a link that anyone can view.
Large GEDCOM support
Improved support for large GEDCOM files. Duplicate uploads are now detected and reuse the existing tree rather than creating a copy.
Mobile layout
Improved mobile experience across the app, including a hamburger menu and a mobile-friendly chat interface that shows tree info.
Demo tree and Stripe billing
Added a public demo tree so you can try familytree.chat without uploading your own GEDCOM file. Added paid plan support via Stripe.
Initial launch
familytree.chat launched. Upload a GEDCOM file and chat with your family history using Claude AI.