> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chief.bot/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Concept Timelines

> When you open a Concept, its details panel shows a timeline of the citations the Concept was built from.

## What a Concept Timeline is

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/chief-2d405d1a/BBGD1uH7sfT84ugx/images/help/concept-timeline-overview.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BBGD1uH7sfT84ugx&q=85&s=6079210823f5f16201ed2172d1e2c2c4" alt="Chief: Concept Timelines — What a Concept Timeline is" width="620" height="600" data-path="images/help/concept-timeline-overview.png" />
</Frame>

When you open a [Concept](/help/concepts/what-are-concepts), its details panel shows a **timeline of the [citations](/help/chatting-with-chief/understanding-sources-citations-in-answers) the Concept was built from**. Each entry is a source file and the passages (chunks) Chief drew from it, listed with the passage's date. The timeline is your audit trail: it lets you see, in order, [exactly which evidence across your Library supports a theme](/help/how-chief-works-magic-under-the-hood/how-chief-creates-concepts) — so a Concept is never a black box.

## Open a Concept's timeline

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/chief-2d405d1a/BBGD1uH7sfT84ugx/images/help/concept-timeline-open.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BBGD1uH7sfT84ugx&q=85&s=2a03765733ded847b3a444a093edf30a" alt="Chief: Concept Timelines — Open a Concept's timeline" width="1096" height="360" data-path="images/help/concept-timeline-open.png" />
</Frame>

1. Go to [the **Concepts** page](/help/concepts/navigating-the-concepts-view-viewing-concept-details) in your Library.
2. Click a Concept card to open its details in the side panel.
3. Below the summary, find the line **This Concept is built from N citations**. The citation timeline appears beneath it.

## Read the timeline

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/chief-2d405d1a/ZjT7ckngTj8rjHF7/images/help/concept-timeline-entry.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ZjT7ckngTj8rjHF7&q=85&s=d2614d1d57cc6491da8e6459bb8687ce" alt="Chief: Concept Timelines — Read a timeline entry" width="1076" height="320" data-path="images/help/concept-timeline-entry.png" />
</Frame>

1. Each source file appears as an entry, connected down the panel so you can follow the sequence.
2. Each entry shows the citation name, a link reading **from \{file name}** back to the source file, and the passage's date.
3. Click a passage to expand its full text; click again to collapse it back to a few lines.
4. When an entry has several passages, click the **+ N more sources** control to reveal the rest.

<Note>
  ℹ️ **Good to Know:** Click **from \{file name}** on any citation to open the underlying file and read the passage in its full context.
</Note>

## When some citations are hidden

If you opened the Concept from inside a filtered view (such as a [Collection](/help/collections/what-are-collections)), the timeline shows only citations from files within that view. A note tells you how many additional citations are hidden because they fall outside your data view. Click **Remove filters** in that note to see the Concept's complete timeline.

<Tip>
  🚀 **Pro-Tip:** Use the dates on the timeline to spot how a theme developed over time — whether it shows up mostly in your earliest files or keeps recurring in your most recent ones.
</Tip>

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title={"The panel shows \"Loading concept timeline\" and a spinner — what's happening?"}>
    Chief is fetching the Concept's citations. This is normal; the timeline appears once loading finishes.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I see &#x22;Error loading concept timeline&#x22; — how do I fix it?">
    The citations couldn't load this time. Close and reopen the Concept, or refresh the page, to retry.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="It says &#x22;This concept has no citations yet&#x22; — is the timeline broken?">
    No. The Concept simply has no source passages attached yet, which is common right after you define a Concept. Give Chief time to build it and the timeline will fill in.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is my timeline shorter than the citation count on the card?">
    You're probably viewing the Concept through a filter, so citations from files outside that view are hidden. Click **Remove filters** to see every citation.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>
