env-setup

name	env-setup
description	Create or update Novu environment variables in the user's project safely (never expose the secret key to the client). Complements the official Novu skills by covering project-level env configuration.
triggers	["configure novu env vars","add novu keys to .env","secret key handling"]

Novu environment setup

Apply this skill exactly once per project, before installing client snippets.

Required variables

Variable	Where it lives	Purpose
NOVU_SECRET_KEY	Server only	Auth for @novu/api, @novu/framework, MCP, CLI.
NEXT_PUBLIC_NOVU_APPLICATION_IDENTIFIER (Next.js) / VITE_NOVU_APPLICATION_IDENTIFIER (Vite) / REACT_APP_NOVU_APPLICATION_IDENTIFIER (CRA)	Client	Identifies the Novu application for the Inbox component.

Optional:

• NOVU_API_URL=https://eu.api.novu.co for EU tenants.
• NEXT_PUBLIC_NOVU_SUBSCRIBER_ID (only for static / demo apps that don't have a real auth provider — never use this in production).

Rules

1. Never prefix NOVU_SECRET_KEY with NEXT_PUBLIC_*, VITE_*, or REACT_APP_*. Doing so leaks it into the client bundle.
2. Add new variables to all of the project's env files: .env.local, .env.example, and (if present) deployment manifests like vercel.json, netlify.toml, or fly.toml.
3. Update .gitignore to ensure .env.local is ignored.
4. If the project uses @t3-oss/env-nextjs or similar typed env loaders, register the new keys in their schema.

Verification checklist

• .env.example contains placeholder entries for every variable above.
• .env.local (or platform-specific equivalent) has real values.
• No console.log or telemetry call prints the secret key.
• Secret key does not appear in any file under public/, src/components/, or any client bundle entrypoint.