| name | novu |
| description | 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. |
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.
