Skill

env-setup

Name: env-setup
Author: Novu

configure Novu environment variables

Published by Novu Updated Jul 13

Covers Configuration Environment Variables Notifications

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.

SKILL.md

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

Never prefix NOVU_SECRET_KEY with NEXT_PUBLIC_*, VITE_*, or REACT_APP_*. Doing so leaks it into the client bundle.
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.
Update .gitignore to ensure .env.local is ignored.
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.

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