Novu
The Novu Cursor plugin bundles two MCP servers and eight implementation skills. Pick the right tool for each task — MCP for live account operations, skills for code in the user's repo, Docs MCP for how-to questions.
MCP vs Skills vs Docs
| Task type |
Tool |
Examples |
| Live account operations |
Novu Account MCP (novu) |
List workflows, trigger a workflow, find subscribers, debug failed notifications, manage integrations |
| Documentation / how-to |
Novu Docs MCP (novu-docs) |
"How do digest steps work?", "What is payloadSchema?", provider setup guides |
| Code in the user's repo |
Novu skill (see routing table) |
Add inbox to Next.js, write trigger code with @novu/api, define workflows with @novu/framework |
Before account operations: call whoami on the Novu Account MCP to verify OAuth and region.
Production data: OAuth sessions default to Development. Call get_environments and pass the Production _id as environmentId on tool calls when the user asks about Production.
EU region: If the user is on eu.dashboard.novu.co, they must use https://eu.mcp.novu.co/ instead of the US endpoint. Document this in README; the plugin ships US by default.
Skill Routing
Read the matching skill's SKILL.md when the task is about implementing Novu in code:
| User intent |
Skill |
| Send/trigger notifications (single, bulk, broadcast, topic) |
novu-trigger-notification |
| Create, update, delete subscribers or topics |
novu-manage-subscribers |
| Add bell icon, Inbox, notification feed to a web app |
novu-inbox-integration |
| Subscriber opt-out, workflow preferences, Preferences UI |
novu-manage-preferences |
| Design a new workflow (channels, severity, digest, templates) |
novu-design-workflow |
| Author step content in Dashboard (subject, body, conditions) |
novu-dashboard-workflows (+ MCP get_workflow for live definition) |
Code-first workflows with @novu/framework |
novu-framework-integration |
| Create a Novu managed agent and connect Slack/email/Telegram |
novu-connect-agent |
Common Combinations
- Full notification system:
novu-trigger-notification + novu-manage-subscribers
- In-app notifications:
novu-trigger-notification + novu-inbox-integration
- Dashboard authoring:
novu-design-workflow + novu-dashboard-workflows
- Code-first workflows:
novu-framework-integration + novu-trigger-notification
- Complete stack: all eight skills
SDK Quick Reference
| Package |
Side |
Purpose |
@novu/api |
Server |
Trigger notifications, manage subscribers/topics/workflows via REST |
@novu/framework |
Server |
Define workflows in code; Bridge Endpoint for Novu Cloud execution |
@novu/react |
Client |
React Inbox, Notifications, Preferences, Bell |
@novu/nextjs |
Client |
Next.js-optimized Inbox integration |
@novu/js |
Client |
Vanilla JavaScript client for non-React apps |
Top Traps
@novu/api is server-only. Never put NOVU_SECRET_KEY in client code or NEXT_PUBLIC_* env vars.- Inbox uses
NOVU_APPLICATION_IDENTIFIER (or NEXT_PUBLIC_NOVU_APP_ID), not the secret key.
- HMAC
subscriberHash is required in production for inbox — generate server-side with createHmac("sha256", NOVU_SECRET_KEY).update(subscriberId).digest("hex").
workflowId is the identifier, not the display name shown in the Dashboard.- MCP OAuth defaults to Development. Pass
environmentId for Production operations.
- Implement in the existing codebase — do not create standalone documentation files unless the user asks.
- Do not mix MCP and skills for the same action. Use MCP to operate the account; use skills to write integration code.
Environment Variables
| Variable |
Used by |
Purpose |
NOVU_SECRET_KEY |
Server skills (trigger, subscribers, preferences, framework, dashboard-workflows) |
API key from dashboard.novu.co/api-keys |
NOVU_APPLICATION_IDENTIFIER / NEXT_PUBLIC_NOVU_APP_ID |
novu-inbox-integration |
Client-side application identifier from Dashboard integration settings |
novu-design-workflow requires no env vars. novu-connect-agent uses keyless mode by default or dashboard OAuth.
Account MCP Tools (quick reference)
| Category |
Tools |
| Auth |
whoami |
| Environments |
get_environments |
| Subscribers |
create_subscriber, get_subscriber, update_subscriber, delete_subscriber, find_subscribers |
| Preferences |
get_subscriber_preferences, update_subscriber_preferences |
| Workflows |
create_workflow, get_workflow, get_workflows, update_workflow, delete_workflow, trigger_workflow, bulk_trigger_workflow, cancel_triggered_event |
| Notifications |
get_notification, get_notifications |
| Integrations |
get_integrations, get_active_integrations, delete_integration, set_primary_integration |
Every tool accepts an optional environmentId parameter.
Voice
Get to the right tool quickly. Do not restate the user's goal. When both MCP and a skill could apply, prefer MCP for read/debug/trigger on the live account and skills for writing code in the repo.
1---2name: novu3description: Route Novu tasks to the right skill or MCP server. Use whenever the user mentions Novu, notifications, workflows, subscribers, inbox, @novu/api, @novu/framework, @novu/nextjs, @novu/react, triggering notifications, notification preferences, managed agents, or debugging delivery failures. Load this skill first for any Novu-related task in Cursor.4---56# Novu78The Novu Cursor plugin bundles **two MCP servers** and **eight implementation skills**. Pick the right tool for each task — MCP for live account operations, skills for code in the user's repo, Docs MCP for how-to questions.910## MCP vs Skills vs Docs1112| Task type | Tool | Examples |13| --- | --- | --- |14| Live account operations | **Novu Account MCP** (`novu`) | List workflows, trigger a workflow, find subscribers, debug failed notifications, manage integrations |15| Documentation / how-to | **Novu Docs MCP** (`novu-docs`) | "How do digest steps work?", "What is payloadSchema?", provider setup guides |16| Code in the user's repo | **Novu skill** (see routing table) | Add inbox to Next.js, write trigger code with `@novu/api`, define workflows with `@novu/framework` |1718**Before account operations:** call `whoami` on the Novu Account MCP to verify OAuth and region.1920**Production data:** OAuth sessions default to Development. Call `get_environments` and pass the Production `_id` as `environmentId` on tool calls when the user asks about Production.2122**EU region:** If the user is on `eu.dashboard.novu.co`, they must use `https://eu.mcp.novu.co/` instead of the US endpoint. Document this in README; the plugin ships US by default.2324## Skill Routing2526Read the matching skill's `SKILL.md` when the task is about implementing Novu in code:2728| User intent | Skill |29| --- | --- |30| Send/trigger notifications (single, bulk, broadcast, topic) | `novu-trigger-notification` |31| Create, update, delete subscribers or topics | `novu-manage-subscribers` |32| Add bell icon, Inbox, notification feed to a web app | `novu-inbox-integration` |33| Subscriber opt-out, workflow preferences, Preferences UI | `novu-manage-preferences` |34| Design a new workflow (channels, severity, digest, templates) | `novu-design-workflow` |35| Author step content in Dashboard (subject, body, conditions) | `novu-dashboard-workflows` (+ MCP `get_workflow` for live definition) |36| Code-first workflows with `@novu/framework` | `novu-framework-integration` |37| Create a Novu managed agent and connect Slack/email/Telegram | `novu-connect-agent` |3839## Common Combinations4041- **Full notification system:** `novu-trigger-notification` + `novu-manage-subscribers`42- **In-app notifications:** `novu-trigger-notification` + `novu-inbox-integration`43- **Dashboard authoring:** `novu-design-workflow` + `novu-dashboard-workflows`44- **Code-first workflows:** `novu-framework-integration` + `novu-trigger-notification`45- **Complete stack:** all eight skills4647## SDK Quick Reference4849| Package | Side | Purpose |50| --- | --- | --- |51| `@novu/api` | Server | Trigger notifications, manage subscribers/topics/workflows via REST |52| `@novu/framework` | Server | Define workflows in code; Bridge Endpoint for Novu Cloud execution |53| `@novu/react` | Client | React Inbox, Notifications, Preferences, Bell |54| `@novu/nextjs` | Client | Next.js-optimized Inbox integration |55| `@novu/js` | Client | Vanilla JavaScript client for non-React apps |5657## Top Traps58591. **`@novu/api` is server-only.** Never put `NOVU_SECRET_KEY` in client code or `NEXT_PUBLIC_*` env vars.602. **Inbox uses `NOVU_APPLICATION_IDENTIFIER`** (or `NEXT_PUBLIC_NOVU_APP_ID`), not the secret key.613. **HMAC `subscriberHash` is required in production** for inbox — generate server-side with `createHmac("sha256", NOVU_SECRET_KEY).update(subscriberId).digest("hex")`.624. **`workflowId` is the identifier**, not the display name shown in the Dashboard.635. **MCP OAuth defaults to Development.** Pass `environmentId` for Production operations.646. **Implement in the existing codebase** — do not create standalone documentation files unless the user asks.657. **Do not mix MCP and skills for the same action.** Use MCP to operate the account; use skills to write integration code.6667## Environment Variables6869| Variable | Used by | Purpose |70| --- | --- | --- |71| `NOVU_SECRET_KEY` | Server skills (`trigger`, `subscribers`, `preferences`, `framework`, `dashboard-workflows`) | API key from [dashboard.novu.co/api-keys](https://dashboard.novu.co/api-keys) |72| `NOVU_APPLICATION_IDENTIFIER` / `NEXT_PUBLIC_NOVU_APP_ID` | `novu-inbox-integration` | Client-side application identifier from Dashboard integration settings |7374`novu-design-workflow` requires no env vars. `novu-connect-agent` uses keyless mode by default or dashboard OAuth.7576## Account MCP Tools (quick reference)7778| Category | Tools |79| --- | --- |80| Auth | `whoami` |81| Environments | `get_environments` |82| Subscribers | `create_subscriber`, `get_subscriber`, `update_subscriber`, `delete_subscriber`, `find_subscribers` |83| Preferences | `get_subscriber_preferences`, `update_subscriber_preferences` |84| Workflows | `create_workflow`, `get_workflow`, `get_workflows`, `update_workflow`, `delete_workflow`, `trigger_workflow`, `bulk_trigger_workflow`, `cancel_triggered_event` |85| Notifications | `get_notification`, `get_notifications` |86| Integrations | `get_integrations`, `get_active_integrations`, `delete_integration`, `set_primary_integration` |8788Every tool accepts an optional `environmentId` parameter.8990## Voice9192Get to the right tool quickly. Do not restate the user's goal. When both MCP and a skill could apply, prefer MCP for read/debug/trigger on the live account and skills for writing code in the repo.
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