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FAQ

Quick answers to the questions writers ask most. Each one points you to the full page when you want more.

This is a grab-bag, organized by theme. If you're brand new, Getting Started is a gentler place to begin. For plain-language definitions of Nabu terms, see the Glossary.

Starting a project

How do I start a new screenplay?

From your dashboard, click New Project. You'll see three cards: Ideate with Nisaba (she interviews you about your vision and builds the script with you), Write from Scratch (a blank screenplay you fill in yourself), and Import Project (bring in a file you already have). Pick whichever matches where you are. See Your first project for a walk-through of each path.

What's the difference between "Ideate" and "Write from Scratch"?

Ideate with Nisaba opens the wizard — a guided flow where Nisaba asks about your idea, genre, and instincts, then drafts a logline, synopsis, treatment, structure, and scenes with you. Write from Scratch drops you straight into a blank editor with no questions asked. Ideate is best when the blank page feels overwhelming; Write from Scratch is best when you already know exactly what you want to type. See Your first project and The Wizard.

Can I bring in a script I already wrote?

Yes. Choose Import Project and upload one file — Nabu accepts .pdf, .fdx (Final Draft), .fountain, .docx, .txt, and .md, up to 25 MB. Nabu reads the file, tells you what it thinks it is (a full script, a treatment, an outline, or an idea), and lets you confirm or correct before it builds the project. See Importing a script.

Note: Your first import on a verified free account is free. After that, importing costs credits. See What costs credits.

Saving and versions

Does Nabu save my work automatically?

Yes — like a modern doc editor, Nabu autosaves as you type. A small indicator near the top of the editor reads Saving… while a save is in flight and All changes saved when it's done. Your edits are also kept in a local backup that recovers unsaved typing after a crash or refresh. See Saving and autosave.

How do I save a version I can come back to?

Open History from the project sidebar and click Save Version. That creates a named restore point you can rename, pin, compare against another version, or restore later. You can also press Cmd+Shift+S (Ctrl+Shift+S) while editing. See Save points and history.

Note: On the History page, Save Version and Export Backup are the live actions. A "Lock as Draft" option you might have heard about is not finished yet, so it's hidden.

How do I undo something?

While typing, Cmd+Z (Ctrl+Z) undoes and Cmd+Shift+Z redoes, just like any editor — but that history clears when you refresh. To undo one of Nisaba's scene writes, click Undo on the toast that appears right after the AI applies a draft. To roll back further, restore an earlier version from History. See Undo and redo.

If I restore an old version, do I lose my recent work?

No. Restoring is non-destructive — Nabu first saves a new "before restore" version, then brings the older state back, so the restore itself can be undone. See Restoring an earlier version.

Working with Nisaba

What is Nisaba?

Nisaba is your AI writing partner inside Nabu. She drafts and revises scenes, answers questions about your story, watches for continuity issues, and reads your script like a development executive when you ask. You steer the creative vision; she carries the structural heavy lifting. See Meet Nisaba.

What can Nisaba actually do?

A lot — draft full scenes (including writing several versions and letting you pick), revise existing pages, build characters, shape your structure, propose inline edits, and recall what your coverage said. She never names her tools; from your side she simply does things. See What Nisaba can do for you.

Will Nisaba change my script without asking?

No. Nisaba's core rule is that she'll create new content whenever you ask, but she will never modify an existing scene, treatment, character, or synopsis without your explicit permission. When she wants to change something you already wrote, she proposes it as a suggestion you can accept or dismiss. See Inline AI suggestions.

Where do I find Nisaba?

On a tablet or computer she's a panel on the right side of every project page — you can collapse it or drag its edge to resize. On a phone she's a floating chat button in the bottom-right corner that taps open. She follows you from page to page. See Chatting with Nisaba.

Are there shortcuts I can type in the chat?

Yes — typed /commands. For example /help lists what she can do, /clear resets the conversation (your script is untouched), /cancel stops running AI jobs, and /remember saves a fact about how you work. See What Nisaba can do for you.

Credits

What are credits?

Credits are Nabu's unit for AI work. Most AI actions — chatting with Nisaba, writing a scene, running coverage — spend some credits. Your remaining balance shows as N cr in the footer at the bottom of every page. See How credits work.

How much does each action cost?

It varies. A chat message is cheap; writing a scene costs more; coverage is the most expensive single action. Costs depend on which AI model runs and how big your script is, so think of any number you see as approximate, not a fixed price. Current pricing is shown in the app. See What costs credits.

Note: A small cost preview chip (like ◇ ~50) and a plan-tier badge are still being rolled out, so you may not see them yet.

What happens if I run out of credits?

If an action would cost more credits than you have, Nabu shows a message explaining how many you need and offers a way to get more. Nothing is charged or half-finished — you just top up or upgrade and try again. See How credits work.

Can I buy more credits?

Credit packs (one-time top-ups) are available to subscribers. If you're on the free plan, the pack buttons are disabled with an "upgrade to top up" note. See Plans and credit packs.

Getting feedback

How do I get notes on my script?

Open Doctor (the stethoscope icon) from the project sidebar and click Run Coverage. Nabu reads your whole screenplay across several dimensions and returns a professional coverage report — a verdict, a scorecard, an executive summary, and specific notes. See Coverage and the Script Doctor.

Note: Coverage is a computer-and-tablet feature; it isn't available on phones. Running it costs credits.

What do "Recommend," "Consider," and "Pass" mean?

Those are the three possible verdicts, in the tradition of professional script coverage. Pass is the default; Consider has to be earned by both a strong idea and strong pages; Recommend is rare. The verdict is deliberately tough — a great premise alone won't lift a script out of Pass if the writing on the page isn't there yet. See Coverage and the Script Doctor.

Can I keep my coverage report?

Yes — at the top of a coverage report, Export PDF downloads the full report (including the readers' detailed notes) as a PDF you can save or share. See Coverage and the Script Doctor.

Exporting

How do I get my screenplay out of Nabu?

Open Export (the download icon) from the project sidebar. You can download your script as Fountain, PDF, Final Draft (FDX), or a Nabu backup bundle (a complete, re-importable copy of your project). Each format card tells you honestly what it leaves behind. See Exporting your screenplay.

Can I get a cast or scene list?

Yes. The Export page also offers downloadable Cast, Scene, and Location reports as CSV files — handy for production planning. See Exporting your screenplay.

Settings and account

Where are my settings?

Click Settings (the gear) from your dashboard for global, account-wide settings — your profile, sign-in methods, sessions, notifications, what Nisaba remembers, and model preferences. The gear inside a project opens that project's own settings instead. See A tour of your settings.

How do I change my name, photo, or email?

Go to Settings → Account. There you edit your display name, handle, bio, avatar, and contact links (these autosave). To change your email, use the Change email link there. See Your profile and account settings.

Does Nabu train AI on my writing?

No. Nabu never trains AI on your scenes, treatments, synopses, notes, or your conversations with Nisaba. It only collects anonymous "shape and choices" signals — counts and accept/reject decisions, never your actual prose — and you can opt out in Settings → Account. See Your profile and account settings.

Why something looks dimmed or missing

Some menu items are greyed out and say "Coming soon" — why?

During Nabu's private alpha, a few areas are dimmed and not yet clickable. In Settings, that's Billing, Referrals, API Keys, and Webhooks. The pages exist but aren't open to alpha testers yet. Invites is the live way to share Nabu with a friend. See A tour of your settings.

Note: Depending on your plan, some of these may not be visible yet.

I don't see an "Outline" or "Timeline" page — where did they go?

They were merged into one place called Temporal, in the project sidebar. The outline lives at the top of the Temporal page, with story dynamics and motif views below it. Old /outline and /timeline links redirect there automatically. See The Temporal Page.

I hit a screen that says Nabu is down for maintenance — what's that?

Occasionally Nabu shows a maintenance screen while the team ships an update or runs a migration. It's temporary and expected — your work is safe, because autosave means nothing is lost. Wait a few minutes and reload; if it persists for a long time, check back a little later.

How do I invite someone to Nabu?

Use the Invite button on your dashboard, or go to Settings → Invites. Every alpha tester is given a couple of invite codes to share. See A tour of your settings.

The editor

How do I add a scene heading, character, or dialogue?

Press Enter twice to open the element picker, then type the first letter of what you want — s for a Scene heading, c for a Character, d for Dialogue, p for a Parenthetical, t for a Transition. Character and location names automatically become UPPERCASE as you type. See Screenplay formatting and Keyboard shortcuts.

Note: There's no "/" slash menu in the editor — the double-Enter picker is how you choose an element.

How do I rename a character everywhere?

When you're editing an existing character cue in the script, a small rename popup lets you change that name everywhere it appears. (The right-click "Rename everywhere" verb is turned off for now.) See Characters and locations.