Managing Novu

---
name: managing-novu
description: |
  Use when working with Novu — novu open-source notification infrastructure
  management covering workflows, subscribers, messages, integrations, and
  delivery analytics. Use when monitoring notification delivery, analyzing
  workflow performance, reviewing integration health, managing subscriber
  preferences, or troubleshooting Novu notification issues.
connection_type: novu
preload: false
---

# Novu Management Skill

Manage and analyze Novu notification infrastructure including workflows, subscribers, and delivery.

## API Conventions

### Authentication
All API calls use API key in header, injected automatically.

### Base URL
`https://api.novu.co/v1`

### Core Helper Function

```bash
#!/bin/bash

novu_api() {
    local method="$1"
    local endpoint="$2"
    local data="${3:-}"

    if [ -n "$data" ]; then
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -H "Authorization: ApiKey $NOVU_API_KEY" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            "https://api.novu.co/v1${endpoint}" \
            -d "$data"
    else
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -H "Authorization: ApiKey $NOVU_API_KEY" \
            "https://api.novu.co/v1${endpoint}"
    fi
}
```

## Output Rules
- Target ≤50 lines per script output
- Use `jq` to extract only needed fields
- Never dump full API responses

## Phase 1: Discovery

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Workflows ==="
novu_api GET "/workflows?limit=20" \
    | jq -r '.data[] | "\(.id[0:16])\t\(.name[0:30])\t\(.active)\t\(.triggers[0].identifier)"' \
    | column -t | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Integrations ==="
novu_api GET "/integrations" \
    | jq -r '.data[] | "\(.id[0:16])\t\(.providerId)\t\(.channel)\t\(.active)"' \
    | column -t | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Recent Notifications ==="
novu_api GET "/notifications?limit=20" \
    | jq -r '.data[] | "\(.id[0:16])\t\(.template.name[0:25] // "unknown")\t\(.channels[0] // "?")\t\(.createdAt[0:16])"' \
    | column -t | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Subscriber Count ==="
novu_api GET "/subscribers?limit=1" | jq '{total: .totalCount}'
```

## Phase 2: Analysis

### Delivery Analytics

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Notification Status Summary ==="
novu_api GET "/notifications?limit=100" \
    | jq -r '.data[].jobs[].status' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn

echo ""
echo "=== Notifications by Workflow ==="
novu_api GET "/notifications?limit=100" \
    | jq -r '.data[] | .template.name // "unknown"' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Notifications by Channel ==="
novu_api GET "/notifications?limit=100" \
    | jq -r '.data[].channels[]' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn

echo ""
echo "=== Failed Notifications ==="
novu_api GET "/notifications?limit=100" \
    | jq -r '.data[] | select(.jobs[] | .status == "failed") | "\(.id[0:16])\t\(.template.name[0:25])\t\(.createdAt[0:16])"' \
    | head -10
```

### Integration Health

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Active Integrations ==="
novu_api GET "/integrations/active" \
    | jq -r '.data[] | "\(.providerId)\t\(.channel)\t\(.active)\t\(.primary)"' \
    | column -t | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Integration by Channel ==="
novu_api GET "/integrations" \
    | jq -r '[.data[] | .channel] | group_by(.) | map({(.[0]): length}) | add'

echo ""
echo "=== Environment Info ==="
novu_api GET "/environments/me" \
    | jq '{name: .data.name, id: .data._id, identifier: .data.identifier}'
```

## Output Format

```
=== Novu Environment: <name> ===
Workflows: <n>  Subscribers: <n>  Integrations: <n>

--- Notification Delivery ---
completed: <n>  sent: <n>  failed: <n>

--- By Workflow ---
<workflow>: <n> notifications

--- By Channel ---
email: <n>  push: <n>  in_app: <n>  sms: <n>
```

## Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. **NEVER assume resource names** — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. **NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions** — verify against the service documentation or `--help` output.
3. **NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions** — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. **ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain** — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. **ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully** — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

## Counter-Rationalizations

| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|----------|---------|-----|
| "I'll skip discovery and check known resources" | Always run Phase 1 discovery first | Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors |
| "The user only asked for a quick check" | Follow the full discovery → analysis flow | Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures |
| "Default configuration is probably fine" | Audit configuration explicitly | Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled |
| "Metrics aren't needed for this" | Always check relevant metrics when available | API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues |
| "I don't have access to that" | Try the command and report the actual error | Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative |

## Common Pitfalls
- **Self-hosted vs cloud**: API URL may differ for self-hosted instances
- **Pagination**: Use `limit` and `page` parameters; check `totalCount` in response
- **Job statuses**: Each notification has jobs per channel with individual statuses
- **Rate limits**: 100 requests/10 seconds for cloud; varies for self-hosted
- **Trigger identifier**: Use workflow trigger identifier, not workflow ID, when triggering