Create Your First Scribe

Step-by-step guide to creating your first AI-generated scribe

Getting Started

Creating your first scribe on Coffeescribe takes just a few steps. Here's how to go from idea to finished scribe.

Step 1: Sign Up or Log In

Create a free account using your email, Google, or GitHub. No credit card required — the Free tier includes a welcome credit to explore the full app.

Step 2: Start Creating

From your Library or the navigation bar, click Create. You'll land on the Create page (/create) — a picker that shows you the routes available on your tier. Pick how you want to start.

What you'll see on the Create page

The picker shows three primary cards plus a 2-up band of secondary entry points:

  • AI Create — describe an idea and let AI build the structure and content.
  • Guided Creation — review the chapter structure first, then write or AI-assist section-by-section.
  • Empty Mug — start with a blank single-chapter scribe and build everything manually.
  • Start with Research first (left of the secondary band) — opens Research Mode (Cafes) so you can collect sources before you create.
  • Simple Mode (right of the secondary band, amber) — takes you to /brew, the quickest way to a scribe: just a topic, a length tile, and submit.

All five entry points are available to every tier, including Free. Your token balance is the only limit — when tokens run out, you'll be prompted to upgrade.

After picking a card

  • AI Create opens a sub-picker with two options: "Fill out a form" (the slideshow form) or "Just describe it" (the Barista chat). Both lead to the same creation outcome.
  • Guided Creation opens the same Form-or-Barista sub-picker, leading to the Guided slideshow or the Barista chat.
  • Empty Mug stays on the Create page and reveals an inline title field — type a name, click Create, and you're taken straight to the Workspace with a blank scribe ready to edit.

Filling out the slideshow form

The form is a 6-card slideshow, one focused question at a time:

  1. Card 1 — Title & length — Give your scribe a working title and pick a target length tile: 10 min / 20 min / 30 min / 60 min (Quick Read) or Full scribe. Both answers calibrate everything AI Quick Fill picks for you on later cards, so set them both before clicking Quick Fill.
  2. Card 2 — Topic & Purpose — Pick the kind of content (Genre, Scribe Type, Purpose) using tile buttons. Click Other… to type your own.
  3. Card 3 — Audience & Reader Level — Tile controls for Reader Level, Audience, Age Range, Style, and Tone. Most fields are multi-select — click multiple tiles to combine them.
  4. Card 4 — Structure — Shows your chosen length read-only ("Length: 10 min — change on Card 1"). For Guided + Full Scribe, you'll also see optional Chapters and Sections tiles as legacy overrides.
  5. Card 5 — Description — Optional textareas to shape the AI's output (description, goals, pain points, unique angle, reader outcome, notes). All skippable.
  6. Card 6 — Review — Every answer appears as a small card you can tap to expand and edit. Use ✨ Let AI fill the rest to populate any blanks, then click Create Scribe.

After Create Scribe, AI Create / Full Scribe lands you on the Structure Review screen — review and edit the AI's proposed chapter and section layout before writing begins.

AI shortcuts

  • Sticky FAB ("AI fill everything") — purple gradient button at the bottom-right of every card. Tap it any time after entering a title and AI fills every blank field, taking you straight to Review.
  • Per-card Skip — leave a card blank if you're not sure. The hint at the top of every card reminds you: "Skip anything you're not sure about — AI can fill the rest on Review."
  • AI fill the rest (on Review) — only fills fields you actually skipped; preserves what you typed. Edit or delete what AI suggests before generating.

Resume a draft later

Your progress saves automatically as you go (locally on your device). If you close the tab and come back to /create/quick or /create/guided, you'll see a "Resume your scribe?" prompt with [Resume] / [Start fresh]. Drafts expire after 7 days.

A loading overlay appears while your scribe is being built. The AI generates the structure (chapters and sections) and then writes each section. Once complete, your scribe opens automatically.

Optional fields left blank

If you click Create Scribe with optional fields still blank, a confirm modal appears with three options:

  • Let AI fill the rest first — runs the AI fill the blanks pass before generating.
  • Create with what I've given — generates immediately; AI fills any gaps with sensible defaults during generation.
  • Cancel — back to Review to fill the gaps yourself.

Step 3: Read Your Scribe

Once generation is complete, your scribe opens in the Scribe Hub where you can see the chapters and sections. Click Reading Mode to enter the full reader experience where you can:

  • Navigate between chapters and sections
  • Highlight text in different colors
  • Add notes to passages
  • Look up words with the dictionary

Step 4: Share or Export

  • Make it public — Share your scribe in the Coffeescribe library for others to discover
  • Export as PDF — Download a formatted PDF (Free tier: 3 lifetime PDF exports; Pro/Creator: unlimited)

Barista (Talk to AI)

If you'd rather describe your idea than fill in a form, try the Barista:

  1. Click Create, pick AI Create (or Guided Creation on Creator), then choose Just describe it on the next screen
  2. Tell the AI what you want to create — just describe it naturally
  3. The AI asks follow-up questions and picks the best creation mode for you
  4. Review the brief, then continue to the form with everything pre-filled

You can also use voice input (Chrome/Edge) by clicking the microphone button.

Custom Instructions (All Tiers)

On any creation form, scroll to Final Settings and click Add instruction to give the AI extra context. For example: "Format: Include comparison tables" or "Avoid: No corporate jargon". Up to 10 custom instructions per scribe.

Power-user tip — keep Advanced settings open

If you usually tweak the model, web search, or custom instructions before generating, go to Settings → Preferences and turn on "Show advanced controls". The Advanced settings accordion on the Review card will then open automatically every time you reach Review (Pro+ only — Free users don't have an Advanced section to expand). The preference is saved to your account and persists across browsers and devices.

Tips for Better Results

  • Be specific with your topic — "The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health in Teenagers" produces better results than just "Social Media"
  • Use the description field — Tell the AI about your target audience, preferred tone, or specific areas to focus on
  • Set Style and Tone tiles — These guide the AI's writing approach more precisely than instructions alone
  • Try different topics — Each scribe is unique, so experiment to see what works best

What's Next?