Date: 2026-09-10

Nova 101

Use this 12-lesson course to learn how Nova works, how it protects your project, and how to run reliable engineering sessions.
Start with lesson 1 if you are new to Nova. Follow the lessons in order to build a complete workflow, or return here to revisit a specific topic.

Course lessons

1. What is Nova?

Understand Nova’s role, capabilities, and safeguards.

2. How Nova works

Learn how Nova uses context, tools, approvals, and agents.

3. Install and set up Nova

Prepare your local environment and start a project session.

4. Your first Nova session

Scope a request, inspect evidence, and review the result.

5. Explore, plan, code, verify, commit

Use an evidence-based engineering workflow.

6. Context and session management

Keep long-running work focused and recoverable.

7. Code review and safe recovery

Review changes and recover safely when needed.

8. NOVA.md and project rules

Set durable project instructions without adding noise.

9. Specialised agents

Choose the right task for an isolated agent.

10. Skills

Package repeatable workflows for Nova.

11. Model Context Protocol

Connect Nova to controlled external tools and data.

12. Hooks and automation

Apply local checks at defined lifecycle events.

What you will learn

You will learn how to orient yourself in a project, make safe changes, verify outcomes, and use Nova’s context, agents, skills, MCP connections, and hooks responsibly.

Safe practice exercise

Before continuing, open Nova in a non-production project and ask it to explain the repository structure without making changes.