Artifacts and Files
Artifacts & Files is your library of everything you have made or uploaded in Nexus. Use it to find, open, organize, share and export documents, presentations, designs and diagrams, and to manage files from your chats.
Artifacts and files: what is the difference?
- An artifact is something you can open and edit, such as a document or a deck. Every save creates a new version, and earlier versions are never overwritten.
- A file is an upload you added to a chat, or a file Nexus made for you ("Made in chat"). Files cannot be edited or versioned. You can convert some of them into artifacts.
| Kind | What it is | In the editor |
|---|---|---|
| Document | Written pages | Tabs of pages, tables, images and checklists |
| Presentation | A slide deck | Slides with text, images, tables, shapes and speaker notes |
| Design | A web page design | A live preview and the editable source |
| Diagram | A flow or structure chart | The diagram source text |
| Code | A code file | A language field and the code |
Open the page
Click Artifacts & Files in the left sidebar (you need Nexus chat access), or use the link at the top of the Chat left rail. The address is /nexus/artifacts.
The filters you choose are kept in the page address, so you can bookmark or share a filtered view.
The Artifacts tab
Find what you need
- Search artifacts… matches the title, description and the text inside the current version.
- Tabs: All, Mine, Shared with me, Starred and Trash.
- Filters:
| Filter | Options |
|---|---|
| Type | Any type, Document, Presentation, Design, Diagram, Code |
| Project | Any project, or one project with its count. Personal appears if you have personal items |
| Owner | Only on Shared with me: Anyone, or a specific person |
| Modified | Any time, Today, Last 7 days, Last 30 days |
| Sort | Last viewed (default), Modified, Created, Name |
- Grid view or List view switches the layout. The page shows how many items match, with Clear filters when a filter is on.
- Items are grouped under Today, This week, This month and Earlier, or Not opened yet when sorted by last viewed. There are no groups when sorted by name.
Save a view
After you set a filter, click + Save view, give it a Name (up to 80 characters), and save. Your saved views appear as buttons under the controls. Click one to apply it, or ✕ to remove it. A saved view stores only the filters, not any extra access. You can keep up to 50, shared between the Artifacts and Files tabs.
What a card shows
A thumbnail, the name, a Private (lock) or Shared (people) icon, the version and last activity such as v3 · Edited 2h ago, and for items shared with you, the owner's name. A star button marks it as a favorite, and a ⋯ menu holds the actions. In list view you also see Owner, Project, Shared, Version, Last viewed and Modified columns.
Select and open
- Click an item to select it and open its details pane. Double-click to open it.
- Tick the checkbox to select several. Shift+click selects a range,
Ctrl+A(⌘A) selects all loaded items, and Esc clears the selection. - With the keyboard: arrow keys move, Home and End jump, Space ticks the box, and Delete moves the item to Trash.
- The list loads 40 at a time. Scroll for more, or click Load more.
Create an artifact
Click New
Click New at the top right, or use the Make something new tiles.
Choose a kind
Pick Document, Presentation, Design, Diagram or Code. A new artifact named, for example, "Untitled document" is created and opens in its editor.
Screenshot placeholderScreenshot to add: The New menu listing the five artifact kinds.
You can also ask Nexus in a chat to make one. It then appears here.
The details pane
Opening the pane shows a preview and the buttons Open and Download. Below that:
- Facts: Kind, Version, Owner, Project, From chat (a link), Shared ("With the project", "With N people" or "Private"), Created and Modified.
- Versions: the latest 12, with Restore on older ones if you can edit.
- Activity: the last 10 events, such as "Saved v3", "Commented", "Shared with (name) (viewer)", "Moved to Trash" and "Exported as DOCX". Empty: "No activity recorded."
The ⋯ menu
| Action | Who can use it |
|---|---|
| Open, Ask Nexus about this, Duplicate, Copy to project…, Star / Unstar, Copy link, Export, Version history | Anyone who can see the artifact |
| Rename | Owner or editor |
| Share, Delete | Owner only |
Typical messages: "Renamed", "Duplicated as (name)", "Link copied", "Moved to Trash", "Restored".
Work on several at once
Tick two or more items and a bar shows N selected with Share, Copy to project, Export, Star, Delete and ✕ to clear. Each item is processed on its own, and a mixed result is summarised, for example "Deleted 2. 1 couldn't be deleted".
Empty states
| Tab | You see |
|---|---|
| Any, with filters on | "Nothing matches these filters" and Clear filters |
| All | "No artifacts yet — Make one here, or ask chat for a document, deck or diagram." |
| Mine | "You haven't made anything yet" |
| Shared with me | "Nothing shared with you yet" |
| Starred | "No starred artifacts — Star an artifact to keep it one click away." |
| Trash | "Trash is empty" |
If the list cannot load you see "Couldn't load artifacts." with Try again.
Open and edit an artifact
Double-click an artifact, or click Open. It opens on its own page, /nexus/artifacts/(id).
The top bar
- Back returns to where you came from.
- The title is a menu. Click it for Export, Copy as Markdown and Comments (documents), Version history, Rename, Duplicate, Copy to project, Share, Pin, Refresh and Move to Trash. Which items appear depends on your role.
- Ask Nexus starts a new chat with this artifact attached.
- A comment count button (documents only) and Share (owner only).
- Viewers see View only and no editing tools.
To rename, click the title and edit it (up to 200 characters). Enter saves and Esc cancels.
Editing tools by kind
| Kind | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Document | Add, rename, move and delete tabs. Insert a table, image or checklist, or use Insert for lists, code blocks, dates, dividers, dropdowns and headings. Type / for more |
| Presentation | Add text, Add image, Add table, Shapes (rectangle, ellipse, line), Present, Speaker notes, zoom, and add, duplicate or delete slides in Filmstrip or Grid view |
| Design | Switch between Preview and Source and edit the HTML |
| Diagram | Edit the Mermaid source text. The chart is not drawn in the editor |
| Code | Set the Language and edit the Code |
Saving
Changes autosave after about 30 seconds of inactivity, or click Save. The bar shows Saving…, Unsaved changes or Saved · v(N). Every save is a new version.
If someone else saved while you were editing, a banner says "A newer version (v(N)) was saved while you were editing. Your changes aren't saved." Choose Load the latest or Save mine as a new version.
Versions
Open Version history from the title menu. Each row shows "Version N · current", who saved it (you, a person, or Nexus), when, and "restored from version M" where it applies.
Pick an earlier version
Find the version you want in the list.
Click Restore
Owners and editors see Restore. A prompt says "This saves that version as a new one. The current version stays in the history."
Confirm
A toast confirms, for example "Restored version 2 as version 5". Nothing is overwritten.
Comments (documents)
Select text
Highlight the text you want to comment on.
Add a comment
Choose Comment, type in Write a comment (up to 2,000 characters) and click Comment, or press
Ctrl+Enter(⌘Enter). Any unsaved edits are saved first.Review
Open Comments from the title menu. Filter by Open, Resolved or All. Use Resolve or Reopen, or the delete icon on your own comments.
A comment whose text has since changed reads "On an earlier version (v(N)) — this text is no longer in the document." A document can have up to 500 comments. Only documents support comments for now.
Export
Open the title menu or a card's ⋯ → Export. The current version is exported, and viewers can export too.
| Kind | Export options |
|---|---|
| Document | Word document (.docx), PDF, Markdown |
| Presentation | PowerPoint (.pptx), PDF, Images (.zip) |
| Design | PDF, PNG |
| Diagram | PNG, Mermaid source |
| Code | Source file |
Documents also offer Copy as Markdown. A message "Preparing your download…" appears for slower exports, then "Downloaded". Some formats can be switched off by your administrator and appear greyed out with a reason.
Share an artifact
Only the owner can share.
Click Share
Use Share in the top bar, the title menu, a card's ⋯ menu, or the bulk bar. The dialog is titled
Share "(name)".Enter an email address
Type the person's exact work email under Email address.
Choose a role
Pick Viewer or Editor. People you add can open it, and editors can also change it.
Click Share
A toast confirms. The Shared with list shows each person and their role with a Remove button. With no one added it says "Not shared with anyone yet."
Screenshot placeholderScreenshot to add: The Share dialog with the email field, Role selector and Shared with list.
| Message | Meaning |
|---|---|
| "No user with that email" | No account matches that address |
| "You already own this artifact" | You tried to add yourself |
| "Project artifacts are shared through project membership." | An artifact in a project is shared by adding people to the project |
There is no public link. Copy link only copies the address, and the person still needs access.
Duplicate, copy and ask Nexus
- Duplicate makes a copy you own, named "Copy of (name)". You land in the copy.
- Copy to project… makes a copy you own in a project you belong to. The original stays where it is.
- Ask Nexus about this starts a chat with the artifact attached. If it can't be found you see "Artifact not found".
Trash
Move to Trash
Choose Delete or Move to Trash (owner only). A prompt reads "Move "(name)" to Trash?" and explains it is hidden from your library and from anyone it is shared with.
Find it later
Open the Trash tab. Items show "Deleted 3 days ago · N days left". They stay for 30 days.
Restore
Select the item and choose Restore. It returns to your library with all its versions: "(name) is back in your library."
The Files tab
Click Files next to Artifacts. It lists files you uploaded to chats and files Nexus made for you.
- Search files… matches the file name.
- Filters: Type (Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations, PDFs, Images, Code & web, Other), Origin (Uploaded or made, Uploaded, Made in chat), Chat, Project and Modified.
- Sort: Newest (default), Name or Size. Grid and list views are available, and the list loads 40 at a time.
- Cards show
Uploaded · 1.2 MB · 3 days ago, or Made in chat. The list also shows Origin, Chat, Size and Added columns. - Click a file to open its details pane (type, size, origin, source chat, project, date). Double-click to preview.
- There are no checkboxes or bulk actions on this tab.
- Empty: "No files yet. Files you upload to a chat, or that chat makes for you, show up here." If filters hide everything: "No files match these filters."
Preview and download
Preview opens images, PDFs, office files, web pages, Markdown and CSV or TSV tables. Download saves the file.
Convert a file to an artifact
Select the file
Click a file, or open its ⋯ menu.
Click Convert to artifact
The button shows Converting…. A toast says "Converted "(name)"" and "The file is unchanged", and you land on the new artifact.
| File type | Becomes |
|---|---|
| Markdown (.md) | Document |
| Word (.docx) | Document |
| Web page (.html) | Design |
| CSV or TSV | Document with a table |
Files up to 5 MB can be converted. If it fails you see "Couldn't convert that file" with the reason. The new artifact is yours, in the chat's project if you belong to it, otherwise personal.
Delete a file
Choose Delete. The prompt reads Delete "(name)"? and says "It's removed from the chat it came from too." This is permanent. Files have no Trash.
Who can do what
| Role | How you get it | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | You created it | Everything: edit, rename, share, move to Trash, restore |
| Editor | Shared as Editor, or a project member | Edit, rename, comment, restore versions, copy to project |
| Viewer | Shared as Viewer, or a project viewer | Read, export, duplicate, pin, Ask Nexus, view history |
If you have both a project role and a share, the higher one applies. Administrators do not get extra access to other people's artifacts. You also need the artifacts permission, which most roles have by default.