Commands

The plugin adds seven /nova:* commands. The two /plugin commands and /mcp are Claude Code's own — they appear here because you use them during setup.

The intended flow is: build an app with /nova:build (or /nova:autobuild), change it with /nova:edit until it's right, then push it to CommCare HQ with /nova:upload_to_hq. Apps live in your Nova account — uploading to HQ is a separate, optional step.

Setup

/plugin marketplace add voidcraft-labs/nova-marketplace registers the marketplace where the Nova plugin lives. Run once per machine.

/plugin install nova@nova-marketplace installs the plugin. The Nova MCP server connection comes with it.

/mcp opens Claude Code's MCP menu. Pick nova to sign in, see the connection status, reauthenticate, or clear the connection.

Building apps

/nova:build and /nova:autobuild are the same command in different modes. The mode determines whether Claude pauses to ask you questions or makes every call itself.

/nova:build <description>

Builds an app from your description. Claude pauses to ask you a question whenever something in the spec is unclear, then keeps going once you reply. Use this when you want to stay in the loop while the app comes together.

/nova:build household registration app with child nutrition follow-ups

When it finishes, it prints the new app as "App Name" (app_id), what it built, and any warnings.

/nova:autobuild <description>

The same build, except Claude doesn't ask anything. It picks an answer for every unclear point and keeps going. You can't course-correct mid-build, so use this when the description is already specific enough that you don't expect to need to.

/nova:autobuild simple vaccine tracking app for rural clinics

The output is the same as /nova:build, plus a note about the choices Claude made on its own.

Changing an app

/nova:edit <app_id> "<instruction>"

Modifies an existing app. Like /nova:build, edits run interactively, so Claude can ask you questions while it works.

Quote the instruction — Claude Code splits arguments on whitespace, so without quotes only the first word after the app ID would become the instruction. (/nova:upload_to_hq also takes an optional second argument, a project space, but that's a single slug — you only need quotes there if your app name has spaces and you're naming a space too; see below.)

/nova:edit <your-app-id> "add a phone number field to the registration form"

Prints the modified app and a summary of what changed.

Looking at your apps

These commands don't change anything in Nova. Use them when you need to see what you have.

/nova:list

Your ten most recently updated apps as a table: name, status, last updated, ID. If you have more than ten, ask for the next page.

/nova:list

/nova:find <search>

Searches your apps by name. Case-insensitive and tolerates typos.

/nova:find vaccine tracking

/nova:show <app_id>

Prints a summary of one app: its modules, forms, fields, and case types. Use this when you want to see what's inside an app without opening the web builder.

/nova:show <your-app-id>

Uploading to CommCare HQ

/nova:upload_to_hq <app_id or name> [project space]

Pushes an app from Nova to CommCare HQ. The first argument is the app's ID or a name to search for; if more than one app matches the name, Claude shows the matches and asks which one you mean.

Name a project space as the second argument to upload straight there — useful when your key reaches several spaces and you already know the target. Leave it off and Claude shows you the target before uploading — asking which one if your API key (saved in Nova settings) reaches more than one — then asks you to confirm; decline to back out. If you name a space the key can't reach, Claude lists the ones it can so you can pick.

/nova:upload_to_hq vaccine tracking
/nova:upload_to_hq "vaccine tracking" my-project-space

On success, the response includes the URL of the new HQ app and any warnings HQ returned. CommCare HQ has no API for updating an app, so every upload creates a new app on HQ; your Nova copy is unaffected. If you want to retire the previous HQ version, archive it in HQ.

Updating the plugin

/plugin update nova updates to the latest release in the marketplace. Restart Claude Code afterwards.

To remove the plugin or disconnect from your Nova account, see Manage access.