Symptoms
Two consecutive nodes on a Timeline read almost identically — the new node didn't add anything.
Possible causes
Usually, this isn't a malfunction — it's the feature being honest.
- Little new writing on the topic since the last node. Every node re-reads your notes fresh (it deliberately never looks at previous answers). Same pages in, similar answer out. A repeated answer is a true measurement: nothing has changed in the record.
- New pages exist but weren't found — misdated (check their Date Written), not yet transcribed, or outside the Timeline's notebook scope.
How to fix
- Check what the new node cited. Your latest relevant pages missing? Then it's a retrieval issue — fix dates, transcribe the missing pages, or note the Timeline's notebook scope — and the next node will see them.
- Let life accumulate. The rhythm that works: write about the topic for a few weeks, then add a node. Nodes added hours apart will nearly always match.
- Delete the redundant node if you don't want it on the thread (its Ask unit isn't refunded, though — see Usage limits).
A repeated node can even be signal, not noise: asking "what am I avoiding?" quarterly and getting the same answer three times is your journal telling you something.
When to contact support
If a node ignores pages that are transcribed, correctly dated, in scope, and clearly about the Timeline's question, email support@sanddune.ai with the Timeline question and the date you added the node.