Skip to main content

Projects & workspace

Nebula Writer organizes work around a project: a folder containing the sources, drafts, data, and deliverables for one body of work.

Local and shared projects#

A local project points to a folder on your computer. Its files keep their original names and formats, so you can open them in other applications and use your existing backup or version-control workflow.

A shared folder is different. Files placed there synchronize so invited collaborators can open them in Nebula Writer. Do not treat shared work as local-only: it requires sign-in and network access, and it follows the shared folder's role permissions.

Use local projects for private drafts or offline work. Use shared folders when the team needs the same current files, presence, or invitations.

The workspace at a glance#

The workspace has three primary regions:

RegionWhat it is for
Project sidebarBrowse, search, create, move, rename, delete, or reveal files
Document areaWork in tabs with the editor selected for each file type
Agent panelAsk questions, attach context, follow activity, and review results

Drag files into the project tree to add them. A deleted file offers a delayed Undo action, but this is not a substitute for backups.

Press Cmd/Ctrl + B to hide the project sidebar or Cmd/Ctrl + L to toggle the agent. Focus Mode hides both sidebars so the document can use the full window.

Files, tabs, and external changes#

Opening a file creates a tab. Use tabs when you need to move between a source and its output, such as a workbook and the report built from it. The app restores open tabs for the project.

If another application changes a project file, Nebula Writer watches the folder and refreshes the project state. When a file has unsaved work, resolve the app's reload or conflict prompt instead of assuming one copy won.

PDFs open in a read-only viewer. You can inspect them and attach them to the agent, but the PDF viewer is not a PDF editor or conversion tool.

How agent context works#

The agent can use:

  • The active document and its file type
  • Selected text, when a selection is visible as context
  • Files and folders you add with @
  • Attachments added to the message
  • Supported Office files, PDFs, and project sources it reads during a task

Context is task-scoped. Opening a project does not mean every file is sent with every request. The prompt and the relevant context needed for an agent request are processed by Nebula Writer's managed AI service.

For predictable results, name the source of truth:

Prompt
Use the Summary sheet in @metrics.xlsx as the authoritative source. Compare it with @brief.docx and list mismatches before editing.

A durable project structure#

Keep source material separate from generated output:

Example
Launch review/
  sources/
    interviews.pdf
    adoption.xlsx
  drafts/
    decision-brief.docx
  presentations/
    launch-review.pptx
  exports/

This makes agent instructions easier to review and reduces accidental overwrites. Ask the agent to create a new output path unless replacing a file is intentional.

Choose the next guide#