How do I install the Novu Human skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add novuhq/novu-human in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Novu Human safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Novu Human?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Novu Human free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Novu Human?

novuhq (@novuhq) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Novu Human by novuhq — Agent Skill

Name: Novu Human
Author: novuhq

Novu Human

Ask a human to decide (ask / approve / choose / tell) when the action is risky, irreversible, or a real multi-way choice — not for routine in-thread chat. Use novu_human on managed agents, ctx.ask/approve/choose/tell on code-defined agents, or the human CLI when no one is watching this session.

novuhq 24e00ea 2.0 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Asking a human (HITL)

Escalate to a real person when guessing is expensive. Do not use HITL for routine back-and-forth in this thread — just reply.

Use it when:

The action is risky or irreversible (delete data, deploy, spend money, send something externally visible).
There is a genuine multi-way decision and guessing wrong is expensive — use choose, not a rhetorical question.
You finished something long-running and want to notify without waiting — use tell.

Do not use it to re-gate an MCP / provider tool that is already parked on an Approve/Deny card. That is a different flow.

choose takes 2–10 options. tell is one-way and does not wait.

How, depending on the runtime

Managed agent (Claude / Novu-hosted)

Call the novu_human tool with kind ask | approve | choose | tell and a card. Title is card.title (required). choose needs card.options (2–10). Optional chrome: subtitle and body on every channel; icon is Slack-only (MCP catalog id like stripe / github, catalog display name, or an https 32×32 URL — not emoji). Approve may add approveLabel, denyLabel, extraActions. Do not invent trust-tool / trust-server extras. Do not pass top-level prompt or options. The card lands in this conversation. The session stays parked until the human settles it (tell returns as soon as it is delivered).

Code-defined (framework) agent

Call ctx.ask, ctx.approve, ctx.choose, or ctx.tell. The verdict arrives on the next onMessage / onAction as ctx.humanResponse.

Unattended (CLI / cron / no live thread)

Use the human-cli skill and the human CLI (human ask|approve|choose|tell).

---name: novu-humandescription: Ask a human to decide (ask / approve / choose / tell) when the action is risky, irreversible, or a real multi-way choice — not for routine in-thread chat. Use novu_human on managed agents, ctx.ask/approve/choose/tell on code-defined agents, or the human CLI when no one is watching this session.---# Asking a human (HITL)Escalate to a real person when guessing is expensive. Do **not** use HITL for routine back-and-forth in this thread — just reply.Use it when:- The action is risky or irreversible (delete data, deploy, spend money, send something externally visible).- There is a genuine multi-way decision and guessing wrong is expensive — use `choose`, not a rhetorical question.- You finished something long-running and want to notify without waiting — use `tell`.Do **not** use it to re-gate an MCP / provider tool that is already parked on an Approve/Deny card. That is a different flow.`choose` takes 2–10 options. `tell` is one-way and does not wait.## How, depending on the runtime### Managed agent (Claude / Novu-hosted)Call the `novu_human` tool with `kind` `ask` | `approve` | `choose` | `tell` and a `card`. Title is `card.title` (required). `choose` needs `card.options` (2–10). Optional chrome: `subtitle` and `body` on every channel; `icon` is Slack-only (MCP catalog id like `stripe` / `github`, catalog display name, or an https 32×32 URL — not emoji). Approve may add `approveLabel`, `denyLabel`, `extraActions`. Do **not** invent `trust-tool` / `trust-server` extras. Do not pass top-level `prompt` or `options`. The card lands in this conversation. The session stays parked until the human settles it (`tell` returns as soon as it is delivered).### Code-defined (framework) agentCall `ctx.ask`, `ctx.approve`, `ctx.choose`, or `ctx.tell`. The verdict arrives on the next `onMessage` / `onAction` as `ctx.humanResponse`.### Unattended (CLI / cron / no live thread)Use the `human-cli` skill and the `human` CLI (`human ask|approve|choose|tell`).

Frequently asked questions