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FAQ#

Quick answers to the questions writers ask most.

If you're brand new, Getting Started is a gentler place to begin. For Nabu terms, see the Glossary.

Starting a project#

How do I start a new screenplay?#

From your dashboard, click New Project. You'll see two doors — Develop an Idea (Nisaba helps you take a logline or a scene to a full outline) and Write from Scratch (a blank screenplay) — and an Import Project link for a file you already have. See Your first project.

What's the difference between "Develop an Idea" and "Write from Scratch"?#

Develop an Idea opens the wizard — a guided flow where Nisaba asks about your idea, genre, and instincts, then drafts a logline, synopsis, treatment, and structure with you, ending with scene cards. Write from Scratch drops you into a blank editor. Develop an Idea is best when the blank page feels overwhelming; Write from Scratch when you already know what to type. See Your first project and The Wizard.

Can I import a script I already wrote?#

Yes. Choose Import Project and upload one file — Nabu accepts .pdf, .fdx (Final Draft), .fountain, .docx, .txt, and .md. 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 before it builds the project. See Importing a script.

Note: When Nabu confidently recognizes your file as a screenplay, you can choose Import only (no AI). Otherwise, the import is analyzed — you'll see Import and analyze, which uses your plan and isn't on every plan.

Saving and versions#

Does Nabu save my work automatically?#

Yes — Nabu autosaves as you type. A small indicator at the bottom of the left menu reads On this device while your newest words are still on their way, and All changes saved once Nabu has them. 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, or restore later. You can also press Cmd+S (Ctrl+S). See Save points and history.

How do I undo something?#

Cmd+Z (Ctrl+Z) undoes and Cmd+Shift+Z redoes — scene undo survives a refresh. When you pick a draft from a set (A/B or Workshop), a one-click Undo toast appears. For other writes Nisaba makes, press Cmd+Z in that scene. To roll back further, restore from History. See Undo and redo.

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

No. Nabu first saves a "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 helps you organize ideas, block out your story, and keep characters, arcs, threads, and structure straight. She also drafts and revises scenes when you ask, answers questions about your story, watches for continuity issues, and reads your script like a development executive. See Meet Nisaba.

What can Nisaba actually do?#

She can help you shape structure, track story threads, build characters, catch continuity problems, and recall what your coverage said. She can draft scenes, write several versions for you to pick from, revise existing pages, and propose inline edits. See What Nisaba can do for you.

What if Workshop is interrupted while comparing drafts?#

Nabu can resume the comparison from its saved drafts after a service interruption. Keep the project open; the finished draft set appears when the comparison completes. If the saved work cannot be verified, Nabu reports the failure instead of presenting an uncertain result.

Will Nisaba change my script without asking?#

Small edits arrive as suggestions you accept or dismiss. Rewrites you ask for land at once and can be undone (Cmd+Z) or restored from History. 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. See Chatting with Nisaba.

Are there shortcuts I can type in the chat?#

Yes — /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 Chatting with Nisaba.

Usage#

How does Nabu measure what I use?#

Nabu tracks AI work as a share of your plan. A filling bar in the status bar shows your usage as a percentage — for example, "62% used" — and hovering over it tells you when it resets. The bar's colour warms as you approach your limit. See How usage works.

How much does each action use?#

It varies with the model and the length of your script. Some larger jobs show a confirmation with the estimated share of your plan before you proceed. See What uses your plan.

What happens if I use my whole plan?#

Nabu tells you before the job starts. Anything that doesn't need AI — writing, the board, exporting — keeps working. See How usage works.

Can I buy more?#

Plans and extra usage live under Settings → Usage & billing. See How usage works.

Getting feedback#

How do I get notes on my script?#

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

Uses your plan: Running coverage uses a share of your plan.

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. See Coverage and the Script Doctor.

Can I keep my coverage report?#

Yes — in the report's This report panel, Export PDF downloads the full report as a PDF. 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. See Exporting your screenplay.

Can I get a cast or scene list?#

Yes. The Export page offers Cast, Scene, and Location reports as CSV files. See Exporting your screenplay.

Settings and account#

Where are my settings?#

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

How do I change my name or email?#

Go to Settings → Account. There you edit your display name, handle, bio, and contact links. To change your email, use Change email. See Your profile and account settings.

Does Nabu train AI on my writing?#

Nabu does not train AI on your scenes, treatments, synopses, notes, or your conversations with Nisaba with its default models. It only collects "structure and choice" signals — counts and milestones like exporting a draft, never your prose — and you can opt out in Settings → Account. See Your profile and account settings.

Getting help#

How do I report a bug or get help?#

Open your account menu and click Help & feedback. You'll see How can we help? with four options: Something isn't working, Billing or my account, A question about Nabu, and An idea or feedback.

  • A bug — you see Report received on screen, and we email you a copy.
  • Billing, your account, or a question — you get a ticket number on screen and by email, and we reply by email.
  • An idea — you see Idea received.

The right-click Report a bug… item and the bug icon in the status bar open the bug form directly.

Why something looks dimmed or missing#

Some menu items are greyed out and say "Soon" — why?#

A few areas aren't open yet. In the project sidebar, Journal shows "Soon". In Settings, Agents & integrations is dimmed.

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

They were merged into Temporal, in the project sidebar. The outline lives at the top of the Temporal page, with visualizations and threads below it. 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. Your saved work stays put. Wait a few minutes and reload.

How do I bring someone to Nabu?#

Send them your referral link: use Referrals on your dashboard, or open Settings → Referrals. See Referrals.

The editor#

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

Press Enter on a blank line to open the element picker, then type the first letter of what you want — s for a Scene heading, a for Action, c for a Character, p for a Parenthetical, d for Dialogue, t for a Transition, n for a Note. You can also use Cmd+1 through Cmd+6. Character and location names automatically become UPPERCASE. See Screenplay formatting and Keyboard shortcuts.

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

How do I rename a character everywhere?#

Go to Characters in the project sidebar, right-click the character, and choose Rename "X" everywhere…. See Characters and locations.