contextsforum

Contextsforum is a web-based discussion platform designed to organize conversations around contextual threads and references. It emphasizes preserving the semantic context of discussions by linking messages to tags, documents, and related responses, enabling users to follow ideas across multiple threads and maintain coherence over time.

The platform was launched in the early 2020s by a cooperative of open-source developers and educators. It offers an open-core philosophy, with a freely available core platform and optional hosted services. The project publishes its software under an open-source license and encourages community contributions in code, documentation, and discussion guidelines.

Key features include context tagging and cross-thread linking, which allow users to attach contextual metadata to posts and reference related conversations. It supports threaded discussions, contextual search, and versioning of threads to track changes and evolving arguments. Users can attach documents, cite sources inline, and rely on an API for integrations and custom tooling. The system includes moderation tools, customizable community guidelines, and a plugin ecosystem that extends functionality without altering the core architecture.

Governance is community-driven, with processes for contributing, reviewing changes, and electing moderators or a representative council. Data privacy and transparency are emphasized, with settings that let communities control visibility, retention, and access to contextual histories.

Contextsforum has found niche use in education, research groups, and policy discussions where maintaining context is valuable. It has drawn both praise for helping preserve long-form arguments and criticism for potential complexity and a steeper learning curve compared with simpler forum software. As of this writing, contextsforum remains active and under ongoing development.