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Brains and tags solve different problems.

Use a brain when a thought has a home

A brain is useful for a project, area, or topic that you expect to return to. You can rename brains, give them colors and emoji, nest them up to three levels, and choose a default brain. To nest a brain, open Settings → Brains & tags and choose the pencil icon (Edit) beside it. Pick its parent under Nested under. Tags nest the same way. Inbox cannot be removed.

Delete a brain

Open the brain and choose Delete brain. The confirmation tells you where its thoughts will go before anything moves.
  • A personal brain: its thoughts and todos move to Inbox.
  • A brain nested inside a shared brain: its thoughts and todos move to the brain it’s nested in. The shared brain stays shared, and members keep access.
  • A shared brain itself: Tuck stops sharing it, then moves its thoughts and todos to Inbox.
Brains nested inside the one you delete move up one level. Only a shared brain’s owner can delete brains in it, so members don’t see Delete brain.

Use a tag when a thought belongs to a pattern

Tags live directly in the text. Type # and choose an existing tag or create a new one. A single thought can naturally connect to several ideas without moving it between folders.

Example

Review launch plan with @Jordan #decision #q4 That thought can live in a Work brain while still showing up anywhere you filter for #decision or #q4.
Brains answer “where does this live?” Tags answer “what is this connected to?”

Tags in todo names

Type a #tag in a todo name to attach it. Tuck links existing tags and creates new ones when needed. Editing the name updates those links, and removing the token removes its tag association.

Thoughts and linked todos

A todo linked to a thought follows that thought’s brain. Move the thought when you want to move both. See Use todos for deletion choices.

Open or move from a thought card

Choose the arrow on a thought card’s brain chip to open that brain. Choose the brain name to open the move menu.

Accept a shared-brain invitation

An invitation offers Accept and Decline on the invite page or in the sidebar. Opening Tuck or the invitation link does not join the brain automatically. Choose Accept to join, or Decline to dismiss the invitation. After you accept, the brain’s owner still has to add you. Tuck emails the owner the first time you accept, and their Tuck finishes adding you the next time they have it open and unlocked. Until then, the brain shows as waiting for the owner. In the owner’s share list, you appear as Accepted. Adding them.