I moved my ChatGPT context to Claude — and it actually worked

(Image credit: Shutterstock) I use ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini constantly and, and one of the most frustrating things about switching between AI chatbots is that each one essentially becomes its own island.I can spend hours working through a project in ChatGPT, giving it background information and explaining exactly how I want something done. Then I might decide Claude is better suited to the next part of the job, only to realize I'm starting over. Or, vice versa, I start with Claude, hit my usage limit and have to switch to a new AI assistant. And sure, can copy and paste parts of the original conversation into Claude, but that gets messy fast when I'm dealing with a thread that stretches back dozens of messages.That's why SkillSync caught my attention. The tool is designed to let you move ChatGPT conversations to Claude, or Claude conversations back to ChatGPT, rather than abandoning all that context when you switch AI assistants. And while there have been prompt workarounds, SkillSync does much more.Using this tool is particularly for someone like me who jumps between AI models throughout the day. But transferring a ChatGPT conversation is one thing. I wanted to know whether I could actually continue it in Claude.So I took one of my real ChatGPT conversations, moved it over to Claude and tried to pick up exactly where I'd left off.How I transferred a ChatGPT conversation to Claude (Image credit: Future)To see if this would really work, I chose a ChatGPT conversation with about 20 messages that included a detailed project brief, specific instructions about tone and several formatting rules we'd established along the way.After moving the ChatGPT conversation into Claude with SkillSync, I didn't explain where it came from or give Claude a summary of what we'd been discussing. I simply asked it to draft the next section based on the structure we'd already established. To my total surprise, it actually worked.Sign up to the Tom's AI Guide weekly newsletter summing up all the biggest AI news you need to know. Plus, analysis from our AI editors and tips on how to use the latest AI tools!Claude picked up instructions from earlier in the ChatGPT conversation and continued without asking me to explain anything again. More importantly, it felt like a continuation of the same conversation rather than a new chatbot trying to reconstruct one from a handful of copied messages.The formatting survived, too. Markdown headers, lists and code blocks came across intact, which becomes particularly useful with longer ChatGPT conversations where copying and pasting everything manually can quickly turn into a mess.There is one important limitation. Attachments don't make the trip in the same way. This was a real bummer for me because I'm always uploading drafts of my manuscripts and research. So, if your original ChatGPT conversation contains uploaded PDFs or images that the chatbot needs to reference, you'll still have to upload those files again in Claude. SkillSync can bring the conversation over, but it can't recreate the files that went with it. Honestly, a huge disappointment, but everything else worked well.I also tried going in the opposite direction by transferring a Claude conversation to ChatGPT. Again, the text and context came across well enough that I could continue the conversation without starting over.What is SkillSync?SkillSync is a local-first tool designed to make your AI conversations portable instead of leaving them locked inside one platform.AI tools store conversations in different formats, which makes switching between them difficult even when you want to continue working on exactly the same thing. SkillSync converts those sessions so they can be picked up in another supported AI tool without having to rebuild the context manually.It currently works with a long list of AI tools, including ChatGPT, Claude Chat, Claude Code, Codex and Cursor. You can search previous sessions, reopen them in their original tool or create a copy that can be continued with another supported agent.The technology behind that conversion is an open-source project called txcript, which handles the different session formats. SkillSync says the process is local by default, meaning local sessions remain on your computer unless you explicitly choose to sync them to its service.That last part caught my attention because moving an entire AI conversation can involve considerably more information than copying a few prompts. You're potentially moving the context you've built up over dozens of messages, which is exactly what I wanted to put to the test.How to try SkillSync (Image credit: Future)SkillSync is easiest to try on a Mac, where the company offers a graphical desktop app. Windows and Linux users aren't completely left out, but they'll need to use SkillSync's command-line tool instead. Head to the SkillSync website and download the Mac app or, if you're comfortable, there's also a command-line version for macOS, Linux and Windows if you're comfortable working in a terminal.Once SkillSync is installed, it can find conversations from supported AI tools on your computer, including ChatGPT and Claude Chat, along with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and several other AI coding tools.From there, you can browse your available sessions and choose one to continue. If you want to move a conversation to another supported AI tool, SkillSync creates a new version of the session in the destination's format while leaving your original conversation untouched.You don't need a SkillSync account just to work with local sessions, and the company says those sessions stay on your device unless you explicitly choose to sync one to its service.If you're trying it for the first time, I'd start with a conversation that doesn't contain sensitive information and move it between two AI tools you already use. Then ask the destination chatbot something that relies on information from much earlier in the conversation. That's a quick way to see whether you've actually brought the useful context with you rather than simply moving a transcript.Is it safe to transfer ChatGPT conversations to Claude? (Image credit: Pexels / Eren Li)There is an obvious issue with moving entire AI conversations between services: those conversations can contain a lot of information you probably don't want floating around.Think about how much you've told ChatGPT over the past year. Depending on how you use it, that could include work information, personal details, documents, code or other material you wouldn't casually hand to another company.Before transferring anything sensitive, I'd check if you are personally satisfied with how SkillSync processes conversations.I'd be particularly cautious with confidential work material. Until you're comfortable with how your data is being handled, starting with conversations that don't contain sensitive information makes much more sense.Final thoughts ChatGPT and Claude should already let us do this. Why isn't this a regular feature? That was my first thought after giving this a try. Until ChatGPT, Claude and other AI platforms make it easier to transfer conversations between them, tools like SkillSync offer a useful workaround.And after being able to open Claude and simply continue a conversation I started in ChatGPT, going back to explaining everything from scratch feels even more annoying than it did before.s that I shouldn't need it.Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok. More from Tom's GuideAI is turning ordinary photos of kids into sexual abuse imagery — here's how to protect your familyOpenAI paid contractors to read ChatGPT conversations — here's how to protect yourselfI stopped reading the fine print myself after discovering this overlooked ChatGPT trick Amanda Caswell is the AI Editor at Tom's Guide and one of today’s leading voices in AI and technology. A celebrated contributor to various news outlets, her sharp insights and relatable storytelling have earned her a loyal readership. Amanda’s work has been recognized with prestigious honors, including outstanding contribution to media.Known for her ability to bring clarity to even the most complex topics, Amanda seamlessly blends innovation and creativity, inspiring readers to embrace the power of AI and emerging technologies. As a certified prompt engineer, she continues to push the boundaries of how humans and AI can work together.Beyond her journalism career, Amanda is a long-distance runner and mom of three. She lives in New Jersey.