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Your first project

The three ways to start a screenplay in Nabu — and where you'll find them.

In Nabu, a project is one screenplay. Everything starts from your dashboard, the home screen you land on after signing in. From there you can open a project you've already begun or start a new one — by ideating with Nisaba, writing from a blank page, or importing a script you already have.

Your dashboard (home)

Your dashboard is the first thing you see when you sign in. It lists all your screenplays as cinematic cards — each card shows the project's title and author, and (if you imported a script with a title page) a cover graphic. Click any card to open that project in the editor.

A few things you'll notice as your list grows:

  • Continue where you left off. Once you have more than one project, your most-recently-edited screenplay rises to the top as a large "Continue Writing" card so you can jump straight back in. If a project is still in its idea stage with no scenes yet, this card offers to Continue Wizard (or Resume at the step you stopped on) instead.
  • Sort your list. When you have more than a couple of projects, a small sort control lets you switch between recent (last edited) and title (alphabetical).
  • Archived projects sit in a separate strip below the main grid. Each shows when it was archived and a Restore button. Archived projects can't be opened until you restore them.

Across the top of the dashboard you'll find a few buttons — most importantly New Project, which is where every new screenplay begins.

Note: Knowledge in the dashboard header is dimmed with a "Coming soon" label for now. You won't be able to click it yet — that's expected.

The New Project splash — the three ways to start

Click New Project (or, the very first time, Start Your First Screenplay) and Nabu shows you a full-screen splash with three cards. Each card is one way to begin:

  1. Ideate with Nisaba — Nisaba interviews you about your story and helps you shape it into structure. This opens the guided wizard (the start-a-script flow). Best when you have feelings, themes, and moments but the structure feels overwhelming.
  2. Write from Scratch — Gives you a quick Title and Author form, then drops you straight into a blank screenplay in the editor. Best when you'd rather just start typing.
  3. Import Project — Brings in a screenplay, treatment, or outline you already have. The card shows the kinds of files it accepts (FDX · PDF · .fountain, and more).

Pick whichever fits where your story is right now. You can always start more projects later — and you're never locked into your choice; a blank project and an ideated one end up in the same editor.

Tip: Don't agonize over which card to pick. The fastest way to beat a blank page is to choose Ideate with Nisaba and let her ask the questions.

Start from a blank page

Choose Write from Scratch and Nabu asks for two things:

  1. A Title for your screenplay.
  2. An Author name (this is you, or whoever's credited).

Click Create Project and Nabu opens your new, empty screenplay in the editor, ready for your first scene. That's all there is to it — you can rename the project or change the author later.

Start with the guided wizard

Choose Ideate with Nisaba and Nabu creates an Untitled Project for you and opens the wizard. Nisaba — your AI writing partner — interviews you about your vision and carries the heavy structural work while you steer the creative direction. This is the gentlest way in if you're staring at a blank page.

For a full walkthrough, see The wizard.

Costs credits: The wizard uses Nisaba's AI help, which draws on your credits. The amounts vary by what you ask for; where an estimate is available, the app shows it before you commit. See Credits explained for how credits work.

Import a script you already have

Choose Import Project to bring an existing file into Nabu — a Final Draft file, a PDF, a plain-text or Fountain screenplay, a treatment, or an outline. Importing always goes through Nabu's upload-and-review flow (the Intake): you drop in one file, Nabu reads it and works out what it is, and then you confirm before it becomes a project.

For the full step-by-step, see Importing a script.

Note: Import always goes through the upload flow above — there's no other way to bring a file in, and that's by design, so Nabu can read and classify your file before creating the project.

What to do with a project card

Each project on your dashboard has a small ⋮ menu. Hover over a card to reveal the ⋮ handle (top-left), or simply right-click the card. The menu gives you project-level actions:

  • Open — Opens the project in the editor (the same as clicking the card).
  • Rename… — Opens a dialog to give the project a new working title.
  • Duplicate — Makes a complete copy of the project as a new screenplay.
  • Export… — Takes you to the project's export page, where you choose a format to download (see Exporting).
  • Copy link — Copies the project's web address to your clipboard so you can paste it elsewhere.
  • Archive — Hides the project from your main grid and stops any of its background AI work. You can bring it back any time from the Archived strip with Restore.
  • Report Bug — Opens a form for telling the Nabu team something went wrong.
  • Delete — Permanently removes the project. Nabu asks you to confirm first.

There's also a quick Archive button revealed at the top-right of a card on hover, so you can tidy your dashboard without opening the menu.

Warning: Delete cannot be undone. If you only want a project out of the way, use Archive instead — archived projects are fully recoverable. Reach for Delete only when you're certain.

Tip: Duplicate is the safe way to experiment. If you want to try a bold rewrite without risking your draft, duplicate the project first and play in the copy.

Good to know

  • Archiving stops background work. When you archive a project, Nabu also halts any AI that was quietly working on it in the background. Restoring brings the project — and that work — back.
  • The featured "Continue" card only appears with more than one project. If you have exactly one screenplay, it simply shows in the grid; there's no separate hero card yet.
  • The wizard works on your phone too. Tapping Ideate with Nisaba on a phone takes you straight into the wizard — there's no extra step. It can feel roomier on a larger screen, but you don't have to switch to start.
  • You'll only see the welcome splash once. After your first time, Nabu remembers you've been welcomed and lands you straight on your dashboard.