Understanding Scribe Types

Three Ways to Create

Coffeescribe offers three distinct creation modes, each suited to different needs. Every mode is available to every signed-in user — token balance is the only limit.

New (May 2026): The Create page (/create) now shows three plain-language cards — AI Create, Guided Creation, and Empty Mug — plus a Research band. The names below (Instant Coffee, Americano, Cold Brew, Espresso) are still the underlying creation modes — they appear in chat summaries, the Workspace, and elsewhere. The picker just uses plain labels so the routes are obvious to first-time users.

Picker label (new)	Underlying mode
AI Create → "Fill out a form"	Americano / Quick Book
AI Create → "Just describe it"	Barista (chats then drops you on a form)
Guided Creation → "Fill out a form"	Cold Brew
Guided Creation → "Just describe it"	Barista → Cold Brew
Empty Mug	Blank scribe (Workspace only)

Also new (May 2026, E64.3 + E67): Both forms are now a 6-card slideshow (Title & Length → Topic & Purpose → Audience & Reader Level → Structure → Description → Review). The Generate button is renamed Create Scribe. On Card 1, alongside the title, pick a Target length tile — 10 / 20 / 30 / 60 min for a Quick Read, or Full scribe for a full-length book. The chosen length calibrates everything AI Quick Fill picks for you. After clicking Create Scribe, AI Create and Full Scribe land you on a Structure Review page where you can edit the AI's proposed chapter and section layout before writing begins.

Variable section counts (E67): The AI now decides chapter count and variable sections-per-chapter from the full form context, instead of a rigid N × M (e.g. always 10 chapters × 4 sections). Some chapters might have 2 sections; others 5. Quick Reads have a duration-based total word budget (250 wpm × N min). Full Scribe has a 24-chapter ceiling.

Instant Coffee

Available to: All tiers

The fastest way to create a scribe. Enter a topic, configure your scribe using the tile-based controls, and the AI generates a complete scribe automatically.

Best for:

• Exploring new topics quickly
• Getting a first draft on any subject
• Users who want results with minimal setup

What you control:

• Topic and Scribe Description
• Scribe Type, Chapters, Sections, Reading Level, Style, Tone, Target Audience, Age Range, Purpose, and Content Focus — all set by clicking tiles (or typing a custom value via "Other…")
• AI Quick Fill to auto-suggest any fields you leave blank

What the AI decides:

• Scribe structure (chapters and sections)
• Content depth and focus
• Writing style

Americano (Full Scribe)

Available to: All tiers

A structured form that gives you more control over your scribe without the full step-by-step process of Cold Brew. Uses the same tile-based interface as Instant Coffee, with additional fields and model selection.

Best for:

• Users who want more input than Instant Coffee
• Specifying particular aspects of the scribe
• Getting better-targeted results

What you control:

• Topic and detailed Scribe Description
• All tile fields: Scribe Type, Chapters, Sections, Reader Level, Style, Tone, Age Range, Purpose, Content Focus
• Language selection
• AI model choice — every signed-in user gets the full picker (CoffeeScribe Model recommended + 350+ alternatives)
• Web search (default varies by Genre and Scribe Type — see below)
• Generation mode: Lightning, Lightning Medium, Pour Over, or Pour Over Slow Brew (default varies by Genre and Scribe Type — see below)

Cold Brew (Guided Creation)

Available to: All tiers

The most powerful creation option. Walk through each step of the scribe creation process with full control over structure, content direction, and AI model selection.

Best for:

• Professional-quality content
• Scribes requiring specific structure
• Users who want maximum creative control
• Custom chapter and section layouts

What you control:

• Every aspect of the scribe structure
• Individual chapter and section prompts
• AI model selection per generation — every signed-in user gets the full picker
• Web search integration for research-backed content (default varies by Genre and Scribe Type — see below)

Espresso (Quick Read)

Available to: All tiers

Espresso scribes are condensed summaries of existing scribes. Choose a reading time (10 min read, 20 min read, or 30 min read) and the AI creates a shortened version that captures the key points.

Best for:

• Getting the highlights of a longer scribe
• Time-limited reading
• Previewing a topic before diving deeper

Note: Creating an Espresso spends tokens like any other scribe — there's no separate creation limit.

Barista (Talk to AI)

Available to: All tiers

Instead of filling in a form, describe what you want to create in a natural conversation. The AI Barista asks the right questions, figures out whether your idea is best suited to an Espresso, Americano, or Cold Brew, and builds your brief for you.

Best for:

• Users who prefer talking over form-filling
• When you have a rough idea but aren't sure how to structure it
• Getting started quickly — the AI fills in the details you don't mention

How it works:

1. Click Barista in the creation modal
2. Describe your idea in plain language (type or use voice input)
3. The AI asks follow-up questions and fills in form fields behind the scenes
4. When you're happy, review the brief and continue to the form with everything pre-filled
5. AI Quick Fill completes any remaining fields automatically

Voice input: Available in Chrome and Edge. Click the microphone button to speak instead of type.

Custom Instructions: During the conversation, if you mention specific preferences (e.g., "include diagrams", "avoid jargon"), the AI creates custom instruction sections that feed directly into content generation.

Custom Instructions

Available to: All tiers (on any creation form)

Custom instructions let you give the AI extra context that doesn't fit into the standard form fields. Add as many as 10 label + description pairs.

Examples:

• Format: "Include comparison tables and bullet points for key data"
• Avoid: "No corporate jargon or motivational clichés"
• Voice: "Write like a friendly teacher explaining to a curious student"
• Include: "Real-world case studies from UK companies"

Custom instructions appear on your form, persist with your scribe, and are visible on the Scribe Hub after creation.

Web Search & Generation Mode Now Adapt to Your Book Type

Two settings on every creation form — Enable Web Search and Generation Mode — pre-select a sensible default based on the Genre and Scribe Type you pick (July 2026). You can always override either one manually; once you touch a control, your choice always sticks, even if you go back and change the genre or scribe type afterward.

Web search defaults

Story-shaped scribes never show citations, even if you turn web search back on. Research is woven into the prose silently — no [N] markers, no clickable source links, no "Sources"/"References" block. See Citations & References for details.

Generation mode defaults

Narrative and personal writing defaults to the slowest, most-coherent mode because every section needs to remember what came before — character names, plot points, prior arguments. Reference and structured non-fiction default to a faster mode because sections are more independent. The default is never fully-parallel Lightning — a context-free mode is never a good starting point. See Generation Modes for what each mode actually does and the cost trade-offs.

Comparison Table