Version history

Build keeps a version history of your study. Every time you publish, Build saves that version, and while you work, it takes periodic backups on its own. You can look back at any earlier version, preview it, and restore it if you want it back.

Open the history

In Build, the history control sits in the header above the guide, and hovering it shows when the guide was last edited. Open it and switch to the History tab. (The same control lists any Issues that need fixing before you can publish.)

The tab lists your versions newest first, grouped by month. Each entry shows:

• Published or Backup: whether you published this version or Build saved it in the background.
• When it was saved, and a short summary of its size (screener and interview length).
• Currently live on the version participants are taking right now.

A publish made through the API or a connected AI assistant appears here as a Published entry too, credited to whoever made it. You can recover a change an assistant published the same way as one you published in Build.

Backups happen automatically

Build saves a backup on its own about 30 seconds after your last edit, so history fills in as you work without you doing anything. To save one right away instead of waiting, use Create backup at the bottom of the History tab.

Editing from more than one place

You can edit only one copy of the guide at a time. A second browser tab, a teammate, or a connected assistant can save a newer version of the guide while your page is open. The open page detects this the next time you return to it or make a change, and it stops saving.

Build shows a message titled This guide changed since you opened it and pauses editing on that page until you choose Reload latest version. Reloading loads the newest guide so you can keep working from it.

Nothing on the older page overwrites the newer guide. Build saves anything you had changed on that page to the History tab as a Backup, so you can open it, compare, and restore it if it held work you want back.

The same message can appear after using the browser's Back button to return to Build, since the browser may show an earlier copy of the page. Reload and continue.

Preview a past version

Open an earlier version to preview it. While previewing, a banner across the top tells you which version you're viewing and gives you Restore and Exit preview. Previewing is read-only: it shows you the older content without changing your draft, so you can compare before deciding.

Restore a version

Restoring brings an earlier version back into the builder as your working draft. Two things keep it safe:

• Your current work is kept. If you have unpublished changes, Build saves them as a backup first, so restoring never discards your unpublished changes.
• Your live study doesn't change until you publish. Restoring updates your draft only. Participants keep taking the live version until you publish the restored one.

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