A quick reference for the features that aren't immediately obvious. Everything here works without an account, install, or internet connection.
When you create a new script, you choose between two ways to write:
HELEN: Good morning for dialogue, [ENTER HELEN] for a cue, or anything else for a stage direction.You can switch between modes any time in Settings → Input.
In smart input mode, the app detects your line type as you type and shows it as a colored pill below the textbox. The patterns it recognizes:
NAME: text or NAME (action): text. You can also type a character name in ALL CAPS, press Enter, then type the dialogue text on the next line.[ENTER NAME] or [EXIT NAME]If you misspell a character name, the app suggests the closest match: "Did you mean HELEN?" You can accept or ignore the suggestion.
In manual pills mode, every line you write is one of three types — Cue, Dialogue, or Stage Direction — selected by clicking a pill above the input bar. You can also use keyboard shortcuts:
These keys are customizable — go to Settings → Keyboard shortcuts to remap them to any key you like. Hotkeys require a physical keyboard and are not available on touchscreen keyboards.
In manual pills mode, after you submit a line, the pill automatically advances to the next likely type. Cue advances to Dialogue, and Dialogue stays on Dialogue so you can write continuous exchanges.
Each scene has a setting field (e.g., "A dimly lit parlor. Evening.") that you fill in when creating or editing a scene. It appears in italic below the scene header. Click it to edit. The setting is exported in PDF, Fountain, and FDX formats.
By default, new lines are added to the end of the current scene. To insert a line in the middle, click any existing line — it'll be highlighted and new lines will be inserted after it. Click an empty area of the script to deselect and go back to appending at the end.
When writing a Cue line, the input bar shows two lists of character chips:
The app tracks who is "in the scene" based on all previous cues, so it always shows the correct state. Cues are validated when you drag-and-drop reorder lines.
When writing Dialogue, start typing a character name and the app shows matching characters with ghost text completion. Press Tab to accept the suggestion.
The ⊙ button next to the character input toggles the scene filter — when on, the dropdown only shows characters who are currently in the scene (based on cues).
When the same character has two consecutive dialogue lines with no other line type between them, the app automatically adds (cont.) after their name. You don't need to type it.
Double-click any line to edit it in place, or click the Edit button that appears on hover. For Stage Direction lines, you get a simple text area. For Dialogue, you get the character dropdown, parenthetical field, and text. For Cue lines, the full cue editor modal opens so you can adjust entrances and exits.
Press Enter to save or Esc to cancel. Clicking away auto-saves.
Press Ctrl+F to open the find bar. Type a query to highlight matches across the entire script. Use the filter chips (Cue, Dialogue, Stage Dir.) to limit which line types are searched.
Navigate matches with Prev/Next (or Enter/Shift+Enter). Replace individually or use Replace All. Dialogue search covers the spoken text and parentheticals, not the character name.
Acts, scenes, and individual lines can be reordered by dragging (long-press to drag on mobile/touch devices). The app validates line moves against character presence — if you try to move a cue line to a position where the character's presence state conflicts, you'll get a warning with the option to proceed or cancel.
Full 50-level undo/redo with Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z (or Ctrl+Y). Every structural change captures a complete state snapshot, so undo always brings you back to exactly how things were. The Undo/Redo buttons in the top bar show the current state.
Press Shift+Enter in the input bar to insert a newline without submitting. This lets you write longer stage directions or monologues that span multiple lines. Press Enter alone to submit the line.
Attach notes to any line, scene, or act using the 📝 note icon that appears next to each element. Click it to expand the note panel inline, where you can add, resolve, or delete notes. Notes have a resolved/unresolved workflow — resolved notes are dimmed but kept for reference.
The right-side panel has a Notes section listing all notes across the script, filterable by status (all, open, resolved). Click any note in the list to jump to its location in the editor. Toggle note visibility globally with the 📝 button in the top bar.
Unresolved notes are exported in Fountain format (as [[note:]] annotations) and displayed in the View tab and PDF.
Click the 🔖 button in the input bar to insert a bookmark at the current cursor position. Bookmarks are placeholders — they don't contain script content but they can carry notes and a label. Use them to mark points in the script you want to return to later.
The right-side panel has a collapsible Bookmarks section with a list of all bookmarks. Click any entry to jump to it. Bookmarks are excluded from all exports (PDF, Fountain, FDX) — they're for your editing workflow only.
In the right-side panel, click any character's name to expand their card. You'll see:
Click any dialogue line in the list to jump straight to it in the editor — the view will scroll to center that line on screen.
The dropdowns at the top of the character list let you filter by act and scene, so you only see characters who appear in a specific part of the script.
The + New character button at the bottom of the character list lets you create a character with a name and description without needing to write a dialogue line first. Useful for planning your cast before writing.
The Outline tab in the top bar shows your script as a visual corkboard. Each scene appears as a card showing:
Cards are grouped by act. Drag to reorder scenes within the same act (long-press on mobile). Click any card to jump to that scene in the editor.
Scene numbers normally adjust automatically when you reorder scenes. For production drafts where scene numbers must stay fixed, use File → Lock scene numbers. This snapshots the current numbers so they persist even if you rearrange scenes. You can edit individual locked numbers in the scene edit modal. Use File → Unlock scene numbers to return to auto-numbering.
Use File → New Revision to create a named snapshot of your script. After creating a revision, any lines you change will be marked with a colored left border and a ✱ margin indicator. The app cycles through industry-standard revision colors: white, blue, pink, yellow, green, goldenrod.
Toggle revision marks on/off with the color chip in the top bar. View revision history and clear old revisions from File → Revision History.
Your script is automatically saved to your browser's local storage on every change. The colored dot next to the script title tells you the current state:
Hover over the dot to see a tooltip with more detail. The first time you use File → Save, you'll pick a location on disk. After that, every save overwrites that same file — no repeated downloads.
File → Download metadata (.zip) exports a ZIP containing the raw JSON script file and a manifest with export metadata. This is the file you'd keep if you want to come back and edit the script later — it has everything needed to restore your work.
File → Export PDF + metadata creates a single ZIP containing both the print-ready script (as an HTML file you can print or save as PDF) and the metadata folder with the raw JSON. One download, both the shareable output and the editable source.
When you return to The Scriptwriter and your last script is in local storage, a Resume card appears on the start screen so you can pick up right where you left off.
Fountain is an open plain-text format used by Highland, Beat, and other writing apps. Use File → Export to Fountain to save your script as a .fountain file, or File → Import from Fountain to open one. Round-trip fidelity is preserved — export and re-import produces the same script.
FDX is the industry-standard XML format used by Final Draft. Use File → Export to Final Draft or File → Import from Final Draft. Both stage play and screenplay FDX files are supported on import.
The first time you create a new script, a toast appears in the corner offering to save your script to a file on your computer. This is the recommended approach — your script will be a real file you can find in Finder or Explorer. If you dismiss the toast, you can always save later from File → Save.
The Scriptwriter is a Progressive Web App (PWA). In Chrome, click the install icon in the address bar (or Menu → Install The Scriptwriter). Once installed, it runs in its own standalone window — no tabs, no address bar, no browser distractions.
After your first visit, the entire app is cached locally. You can write, edit, save, and export scripts with no internet connection. Everything works the same — localStorage, disk file saving, PDF export, the works.
Under Settings → Keyboard shortcuts, you can remap the key for each line-type pill. Click the input field next to a pill type, then press any key to assign it. If two pills would end up with the same key, they automatically swap. Click Reset to defaults to go back to 1/2/3. Hotkeys require a physical keyboard and are not available on touchscreen keyboards.
Each line type (Cue, Dialogue, Stage Direction) has a configurable accent color that tints the left border and background in the editor. You can change the color with a color picker or disable the tint entirely with the toggle. These are purely visual — they don't affect the exported PDF.
Choose between two styles for highlighting the currently selected line: Barrier (a colored vertical line on the left edge) or Highlight (a colored background). Each style has its own color selector.
By default the app follows your system's light/dark preference. You can force light or dark mode in Settings → Theme. Your choice persists across sessions.
Under Settings → Formatting, you can set text alignment independently for each line type: character names, dialogue text, stage directions, and cues. Options are left, center, or right. Changes apply in both the editor and the View tab.
Choose between stacked (character name on its own line above dialogue) and inline (character name and dialogue on the same line, separated by a space) in Settings → Formatting. Affects the editor, View tab, and PDF export.
The View tab now has three format buttons at the top: Stage Play (formatted output), Fountain (plain-text Fountain markup), and FDX (Final Draft XML). Switch between them to preview how your script will look in each export format.
The View tab includes a Print button (also works with Ctrl+P). All editor chrome is hidden — you get a clean black-on-white formatted script ready for paper.