Novu by Novu

# Fix list: Novu

From Anchor Terminal's listing at https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/novu, the October 2026 research run, assessed 1 October 2026. Grade BB, 77.4 out of 100.

This is everything the published grade says the listing lacks, the biggest possible gain to the total first. It comes from the reason given for each score, the checklist each category was scored against (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist), the provenance checks, the deductions, what we couldn't check and what the review panel asked for. A fix counts at the next check, once it's public.

For a coding agent working on Novu: work through the items below in the product, its docs and its public pages. Each category gives the reason for its score, with the points each checklist item earned, and the checklist itself, so the gap is the items that earned less than their points. Change the product, not the wording, and keep a note of what you changed and where it's published.

## 1. Payments & pricing, 40 out of 100, up to 7.5 more on the total

Why it scored 40: No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Plans and the overage rate, $1.20 per 1,000 workflow runs on Pro and Team, are on the public pricing page (20). Free plan with 10,000 runs a month and "No credit card required" (20). A person signs up in the dashboard to get a secret key (0). The MIT core can be self-hosted for free, but we score the hosted option, as the method says.

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-payments):

The published rubric, also on the [x402 page](https://www.anchorterminal.com/x402/).

- 40, a machine payment protocol (x402, MPP or L402) on the tool's own endpoints. 10 to 30 when it covers only some endpoints or only goes through a third party, and the note says which.
- 20, per-call or per-unit pricing published without a login. 10 for public plan-only pricing, 0 for "contact sales" or prices behind a login.
- 20, a free tier or trial that doesn't need a card.
- 20, autonomous onboarding, meaning an agent can get access without a person signing up in a browser (keyless use, x402, a programmatic key API).

Payment platforms and agent wallets rarely charge for their own API over a machine protocol, so the first line has steps for them, and the highest one that applies counts. 40 when x402, MPP or L402 runs on all their own endpoints, 30 when it runs on part of their own API, 25 when their merchants can accept one, 20 for running a facilitator, 15 for paying as a buyer, and 0 when the only protocol is their own. Merchant acceptance sits above a facilitator because the platform's own customers can charge agents through it, while a facilitator settles for sellers who wire up the protocol themselves. The counter-argument (a facilitator does more for the protocol as a whole) has a point. Each note says which step applied.

Open-source software you run yourself is scored on its hosted or paid option if it has one. A free, self-hosted package with nothing to buy gets 20, 20 and 20 for the last three lines, and 0 to 40 for the first only if it ships a payment protocol.

## 2. Security & auth, 63 out of 100, up to 6.5 more on the total

Why it scored 63: The MCP server signs in with OAuth (short-lived, revocable) or takes the secret key as a Bearer token. The REST secret key "grants full administrative access" to its environment, with no scopes, and regenerating it kills the old one at once with no overlap (22). Keys are confined to one environment and OAuth sessions default to Development, but there's no read-only key, and the MCP server ships `delete_subscriber`, `delete_workflow` and `delete_integration` (7). The MCP docs warn against mixing the server with untrusted data and ask you to review tool calls that change data, and conversation tools return end-user replies (8). An activity feed with execution logs per notification, retained 1 day on Free, 7 on Pro and 90 on Team (10). SECURITY.md promises a reply in three business days, and the trust centre lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and HIPAA. No bug bounty found, and no security.txt per the 30 September check (16).

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-security):

- 0 to 30, the credential model. 30 for OAuth 2.1 with scopes, or scoped and revocable keys with rotation. 20 for plain revocable API keys. 10 for one all-powerful key. 10 off when a secret can travel in a URL query string as a documented option.
- 0 to 20, read-only or least-privilege modes, and confirmation or approval for destructive actions.
- 0 to 15, prompt-injection posture where the tool returns untrusted content (documented mitigations or guidance). A tool that returns no untrusted content gets 10.
- 0 to 15, audit logs or per-call visibility for the operator.
- 0 to 20, a security programme. security.txt or a disclosure policy, a bug bounty, SOC 2 or ISO 27001, advisories handled in public.

Models are read for retention, whether API data trains models (and whether that's off by default), zero-retention options and certifications. Frameworks for telemetry defaults, approval hooks, guardrails and sandboxing.

## 3. Agent ergonomics, 84 out of 100, up to 2.6 more on the total

Why it scored 84: 30 MCP tools by the docs' own table, with every tool taking an optional `environmentId`, and no toolsets or read-only subset (15). List endpoints take a `limit` capped at 100 (3). Cursor pagination with `after`, `before`, `orderBy` and `orderDirection`, and activity filters (20). Errors share one JSON shape with `statusCode`, `path`, `message`, field-level `errors` on validation and `currentCount` and `limit` on a 402 plan-limit error (19). `Idempotency-Key` returns the cached response for 24 hours and a 409 while the first call is in flight, but it has to be enabled for the organisation, and we couldn't check MCP annotations (12). A trigger needs only the workflow name and a subscriber, with server SDK docs for TypeScript, Python, Go, PHP, .NET, Java, Kotlin and Ruby (15).

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-ergonomics):

- 0 to 25, context cost. For MCP, the number and size of the tool definitions (25 for ten or fewer compact tools, 15 for 11 to 30, 5 for more than 30, plus up to 10 back for toolsets, dynamic loading or read-only subsets). For APIs, whether responses can be sized (field selection, limits, summaries).
- 20, pagination, filtering and output-size controls.
- 20, actionable, documented error responses, codes and messages an agent can recover from.
- 20, idempotency or safe retries, and for MCP the `readOnlyHint` and `destructiveHint` annotations.
- 15, sensible defaults, few required parameters, and official SDKs in at least two languages.

Models are read for tool use, structured output, prompt caching, context length, batch and SDKs. Frameworks for how much code and how many defaults a tool-calling agent with MCP needs.

## 4. Transparency & trust, 70 out of 100, up to 2.6 more on the total

Made of editorial 64, provenance 75.

Why it scored 70: MIT core, but the enterprise directories sit under a proprietary licence that bars modification and needs written approval to use (25). The privacy policy names Noti-Fire Apps Ltd. in Ramat Gan, has no last-updated date and gives no retention periods. The docs do give per-plan retention, and a DPA with SCCs is at novu.co/dpa (18). No deprecation policy found, only inline deprecated fields in the webhook docs and a note that legacy page-based endpoints remain (8). Cloud data locations are named (Virginia and Frankfurt, enterprise regions elsewhere), but we found no subprocessor list. Self-hosted telemetry is documented with an opt-out for usage stats, while an hourly keep-alive beacon carrying hostname and IP address is sent whether telemetry is on or off (13).

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-transparency):

- 0 to 30, source availability and licence clarity. 30 for open source under an OSI licence, 15 for closed with clear terms, 0 for unclear terms.
- 0 to 30, data handling and retention statements that agree with each other (privacy policy, DPA, retention periods, subprocessors).
- 0 to 20, a deprecation policy or notices with dates.
- 0 to 20, telemetry disclosed with an opt-out (local software), or subprocessors and data locations disclosed (hosted).

The other half of Transparency and trust is the provenance score, computed from checked facts (below). The category score is the mean of the two.

Provenance checks not met in full (half of this category, computed from checked facts):

- Domain age: novu.co, no registry record we could read (0 of 15)
- security.txt: not found (0 of 10)

## 5. Reliability, 93 out of 100, up to 1.4 more on the total

Why it scored 93: Better Stack status page at novustatus.com with API, WebSocket, webhooks and dashboard components for both the US and EU regions (20). No incidents listed from June to October 2026 and 100% on every component over 90 days. We can't tell a clean record from a log nobody writes to, so a little under full marks (25). Rate limits published per plan and category, triggers at 60, 240, 600 and 6,000 requests a second, bulk calls costing 100 tokens (15). 429 carries Retry-After and RateLimit headers, the docs give a backoff example, and an `Idempotency-Key` header dedupes triggers for 24 hours, but idempotency is only switched on per organisation on request to support (13). The pricing page lists a 99.9% uptime SLA on Free, Pro and Team, custom on Enterprise (10). The trigger API is generally available (10).

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-reliability):

Hosted APIs, MCP servers, models and platforms.

- 20, a public status page with component history (Statuspage, Instatus, BetterStack or the vendor's own).
- 0 to 30, the incident record for the last 90 days on that page. 30 for a clean record or trivial incidents only, 20 for minor incidents only, 10 for one major outage (an hour or more of a core API down, or errors across the board), 0 for several. 5 when there's no history we could read, and the note says so.
- 15, rate limits documented with numbers.
- 15, documented 429 or overload handling (Retry-After, backoff guidance), and idempotency keys or safe-retry guidance where writes are involved.
- 10, an SLA published for any paid tier.
- 10, the surface agents use is generally available, not beta or preview.

Local packages, SDKs, frameworks and stdio MCP servers.

- 20, installs from an official package with supported runtimes stated.
- 25, a public CI and test suite, passing on the default branch.
- 0 to 25, open crash or regression issues relative to activity (25 for few and handled, 0 for many, old and unanswered).
- 15, semver discipline and breaking changes called out in a changelog.
- 15, version 1.0 or later, or declared stable.

Protocols are read from their reference implementations, the public facilitators or servers, spec stability and test vectors.

## 6. Schema & documentation, 92 out of 100, up to 1.3 more on the total

Why it scored 92: OpenAPI at api.novu.co/openapi.json, per the 30 September check (25). llms.txt at novu.co/llms.txt and a separate docs MCP server at docs.novu.co/mcp (10). The docs say when to use what, for example `Idempotency-Key` rather than `transactionId` for safe retries, and the bulk endpoint's token cost. The MCP tool table has one line per tool, and we couldn't read the hosted server's tool definitions because its source isn't public (15). Typed bodies with required fields and a 1 to 100 `limit` constraint, but the trigger `payload` is free-form by design (12). Node and Python examples on every reference page and an errors page with every status code and the body shape (15). /v1 and /v2 paths and a dated changelog, six entries from 20 August to 15 September 2026 (15).

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-schema):

APIs and MCP servers.

- 25, a machine-readable contract (a public OpenAPI file or similar; for MCP, typed JSON Schema inputs on every tool).
- 10, llms.txt or Markdown docs served for agents.
- 0 to 20, descriptions that say what a tool is for, when to use it and when not to, read from the tool definitions in the source or the API reference.
- 0 to 15, typed inputs with enums, constraints and required fields, and no free-form JSON blobs.
- 0 to 15, examples and documented error responses.
- 15, versioning and a public changelog.

Models are read from the API reference, the OpenAPI file, llms.txt, the structured-output and tool-use docs and the model cards. Frameworks from docs a model can follow, typed interfaces, examples and the API reference.

## 7. Maintenance & community, 92 out of 100, up to 0.7 more on the total

Why it scored 92: @novu/framework v2.14.0 tagged on 28 September 2026 (30). More than ten tagged package releases since 1 July, including server v3.18.0 and v3.19.0 and @novu/js v3.19.2 (20). 53 open issues, more than 200 commits from 18 authors since 1 July, but recent bug reports (#12532, #12498, #12305) sit under a triage label with no visible reply (17). Current server SDKs, @novu/api 3.19.1 on npm (15). CI with end-to-end suites for the API, worker, WebSocket and webhooks, CodeQL and Renovate (10).

The checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/#checklist-maintenance):

- 0 to 30, time since the last release, or the last published model or API change for a closed service. 30 within 30 days, 20 within 90, 10 within 180, 0 older.
- 20, at least three releases or dated changelog entries in the last 90 days.
- 0 to 25, responsiveness. Issues and pull requests answered on GitHub (the open issues and how recent the replies are). For closed services, a public changelog and a support or community channel that answers, 0 to 15.
- 15, presence in the official MCP registry under a verified namespace (MCP servers), or current official SDKs (APIs and models).
- 10, package health, current dependencies and CI.

Models are read for deprecation notice periods and model churn rather than release counts.

## What we couldn't check

What we couldn't read counted as absent. Publishing it on a page a plain HTTP fetch can read (not only in a browser) lets the next check count it.

- Whether the hosted MCP tools carry readOnlyHint or destructiveHint annotations, since the server source isn't public
- Whether the status page has ever recorded an incident, since every component shows 100% over 90 days
- No subprocessor list found for Novu Cloud

## Weaknesses

- The REST secret key has full administrative access to its environment, with no scopes or read-only key
- The MCP server includes delete tools for subscribers, workflows and integrations, with no read-only mode
- Idempotency keys only work once support enables them for your organisation
- Activity feed kept 1 day on Free and 7 on Pro, and delays and digests capped to match
- Recent bug reports sit in triage with no visible reply

## What costs an agent a turn today

The notes we give agents before they call it. Each one is a workaround an agent shouldn't need.

- Send `Authorization: ApiKey <key>` to the REST API. Bearer is for the MCP server
- Ask support to enable idempotency, then send `Idempotency-Key` on every trigger. A 409 means the first call is still running
- Use eu.api.novu.co and eu.mcp.novu.co for an EU account. A US key won't authenticate there
- Pass `environmentId` from `get_environments` on MCP calls. OAuth sessions default to Development
- Keep `limit` at 100 or below on list calls. Higher values return 422

## What the review panel asked for

- Self-serve idempotency toggle
- Read-only MCP mode
- Hard spend cap setting
- Idempotency on by default
- Ship a read-only toolset
- Let developers enable idempotency themselves
- publish the MCP tool definitions
- Self-serve idempotency keys
- Publish incident history
- read-only API keys
- read-only MCP toolset
- Scoped or read-only keys
- dated deprecation notices

## When it's done

Send what changed and where it's published as a dispute (https://www.anchorterminal.com/builders/#disputes, or `POST https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/contact` with `"kind": "dispute"`). Disputes are answered in public, and the listing is checked again by the same checklist. Paying for an audit or a listing claim changes nothing here.