Chat compaction and long compliance threads
How long Think conversations keep working when context grows, and how modes relate to routing (not fixed brand names).
Long compliance threads (control mapping, multi-version policy edits, multi-doc gap work) can grow past a single model context window. ISMS Copilot uses modes (Fast, Think, Beyond) and, on long Fast and Think threads, chat compaction so you can keep iterating without starting from zero every time.
Providers are not locked to one brand name. Paid default routing (ADP off) can use xAI Grok with Anthropic backup; ADP uses an EU Mistral path; Free/Essential use economy routing. See Chat modes and the Trust Center.
Modes vs "model brand" docs
| Mode | Role |
|---|---|
| Fast | Everyday Q&A and short drafts |
| Think | Deeper single-shot reasoning; long threads may compact |
| Beyond | Multi-step plan / draft / verify (guide); uses bounded context per step, not chat compaction |
Do not treat older help text that said "Think = Claude Opus only" or "Fast = Claude Sonnet only" as current product truth.
How chat compaction works
Chat compaction keeps long Fast and Think conversations usable by summarizing older messages when the thread approaches the product's compaction threshold.
Typical flow:
- When the conversation nears the limit, compaction can run automatically.
- You may see a brief "compacting" status in the UI.
- Older turns are summarized while recent exchanges stay detailed.
- You continue the same thread for iterative compliance work.
If something important was summarized away, restate the control ID, decision, or clause in your next message.
Compaction is a reliability feature for long threads. It is not a separate "Opus mode" and does not mean every token always uses Anthropic.
When to start a new conversation
- New client, framework, or unrelated program of work
- You hit a hard conversation-too-long error and compaction is not enough
- You want a clean window for a large fresh document pack
Also see Managing long conversations and usage and Conversation too long.