---
key: count-stock
title: Count stock
audience: staff
section: inventory
routes: ["/inventory/counts"]
permissions: ["inventory.counts.create"]
features: ["inventory.counts"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Run a physical count of one location, enter what you actually found, and post it so Nova corrects the stock levels for you.
keywords: [stock take, stocktake, cycle count, physical count, inventory count, count the truck, reconcile stock, year end count]
related: [add-a-storage-location, record-a-stock-movement, move-stock-between-locations, add-a-product-or-part]
---

In the sidebar, open **Inventory**, then **Stock Counts**. The page address is `/inventory/counts`. The page heading reads **Inventory Counts**.

## Before you start

- A count is for one storage location at a time: one truck, one shelf, one warehouse. See [[add-a-storage-location]].
- Nothing changes until you post the count with **Post** from the row's menu. You can save a session and come back to it as often as you like.
- Only **Tracked** items can be counted into stock.
- Your role needs permission to create count sessions. Otherwise **Add count session** is missing.

## Steps

1. Press **Add count session**. A drawer opens.
2. Under **Location**, search and pick the place you are counting.
3. **Status** starts at **In progress**. Leave it, or choose **Draft** if you are only preparing the list. Do not choose **Posted** or **Cancelled** here: that only changes the label and never corrects stock.
4. Set **Started at** if you want to record when the count began. Leave **Completed at** and **Posted at** blank; Nova fills them in when you post.
5. Type **Notes**, for example "Cycle count before monthly close".
6. Under **Count lines**, fill in the first line: pick the **Inventory item** and type the **Counted quantity** you actually found (zero is allowed). If the number is off, add a **Reason code** such as `damage`, `missing` or `recount`, and **Line notes**. Press **Add line** for each further item, and **Remove** on a line added by mistake.
7. Press **Create session**. Nova shows "Inventory count session created."
8. When the count is finished and checked, open the row's menu and choose **Post**. There is no second prompt. For each line, Nova compares your count with what it holds for that item at that location and records the difference as an **Adjustment**. It shows "Inventory count session posted."

## What you see

- The cards at the top count **Total sessions**, **Open sessions** and **Posted sessions**.
- The list shows the **Session** number (such as CNT-000001), **Location**, **Status**, **Started**, **Lines** and **Updated**. Search with **Search count sessions**; **Filters** narrows by location and status.
- Each row's menu offers **Edit**, **Post** and **Cancel** while the session is open. Once it is **Posted** or **Cancelled**, only **Edit** remains, and Nova refuses to save changes to a posted session.
- The adjustments appear on [[record-a-stock-movement|Movement History]] with the note "Count session" and the session number. Lines that matched create nothing.

## If something looks different

- The list reads "No inventory count sessions yet. Create one to start reconciling stock."
- The drawer says "Add at least one count line." or that a line "requires an inventory item": every line you started needs an item and a quantity.
- **Post** is missing from the menu: the session is already **Posted** or **Cancelled**, or your role cannot update counts. A cancelled session cannot be posted; start a new one.
- Posting fails with "Stock transactions are only supported for tracked items": remove the non-tracked item's line and post again.
- **Cancel** acts straight away, with no prompt, and changes no stock.
- You only need to fix one item, not a whole location: see [[record-a-stock-movement]] and use **Adjustment**.

[[route:/inventory/counts|Open Stock counts]]