What is Nova in Glueprint?
Nova is a terminal-first AI coding assistant from the Compass Agentic Platform, distributed via npm as '@compass-ai/nova' and built on Node.js 18 or newer. It is MIT-licensed open source and works in the terminal as well as through Zed and JetBrains IDEs via the Agent Client Protocol, with companion desktop and web apps. Nova offers a 200K-token context window, a three-tier approval system (manual, auto, strict), automatic file backups with an /undo rollback, session save and load, and real-time cost and token tracking. It supports Anthropic Claude models, local Ollama, and providers including GLM, Minimax, Kimi, and Gemini, switchable mid-session.
Nova by Compass AI - a fully-fledged software engineer at your command.
Nova connects over the open Agent Client Protocol. One generic adapter implements the protocol's client side, so Nova gets the same surfaces as every other harness.
Everything below works with the Nova CLI you have today — no migration, no new account for the model, no lock-in. Uninstall Glueprint and your terminal workflow is exactly as it was.
Set up Nova on a host.
Installation is host-specific: repeat these steps anywhere this agent should execute. Portal and mobile can control the session afterward, but the process remains on that host.
Open the ACP catalog
On each execution host, open Settings -> Agents -> Browse ACP catalog and choose Nova.
Install and initialize
Glueprint installs the registry distribution for Nova, starts it, and completes the ACP initialize handshake.
Start a project session
Choose Nova from a project or worktree and use the capabilities reported by that installed build.
How the connection works.
Glueprint adds orchestration and shared surfaces without taking ownership of the coding agent or its provider account.
Glueprint finds the Nova binary you installed and spawns it, then speaks the Agent Client Protocol — JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdio — to drive it. Same CLI, same authentication; Glueprint just wraps the session.
Message chunks, tool calls, and tool-call updates from Nova arrive as protocol notifications and render as the same live, typed timeline every Glueprint session gets — watchable from desktop, browser, or phone.
When Nova asks to write a file or run a command, the protocol's permission request surfaces as an inline approval card on whatever device you're holding. Approve, deny, or auto-allow per tool.
Because Nova speaks ACP, adding it is a catalog entry, not an engineering project — the same adapter runs every other agent in the registry, so you can tile them side by side.
Capabilities and discovery.
The status labels separate guaranteed integration behavior from features owned or announced by the installed agent.
| Capability | Status | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| MIT licensed, Node.js 18+, via npm | Runtime | Confirmed when the installed agent connects. |
| Three-tier approval: manual, auto, strict | Runtime | Confirmed when the installed agent connects. |
| File backups with /undo rollback | Runtime | Confirmed when the installed agent connects. |
| Multiple providers: Claude, Ollama, GLM, Gemini, more | Runtime | Confirmed when the installed agent connects. |
| Mid-session model switching and 200K context | Runtime | Confirmed when the installed agent connects. |
Authentication, ownership, and limits.
Glueprint is the environment around the agent. Credentials, model access, and vendor-specific behavior stay where their owner designed them.
Watch every Nova prompt, tool call, and diff stream in real time — desktop, web portal, iOS and Android. The session runs on your machine; the view follows you.
Permission prompts arrive as approval cards wherever you are. Kick off a refactor at your desk, approve the file writes from the couch.
Run several Nova sessions side by side, each in its own git worktree, with diffs, history, and a three-pane conflict resolver alongside.
Tile Nova next to Claude Code, Codex, and the rest of the ACP fleet in the Command Center. The protocol differs; the surface doesn't.
Promote it to an assistant: persona, constitution, long-term memory, and a daily journal on disk, loaded into every wake.
Wake it on cron: triage the inbox every 30 minutes, sweep PRs at 9am, run the nightly cleanup. Quiet hours and watermarks prevent re-fires.
Messages, sessions, and output tokens computed from session logs — compare Nova against Claude Code, Codex, and your other ACP agents.
Remote viewing rides AES-256-GCM envelope encryption. The relay routes; it cannot read.
Common questions
Can I run Nova with Glueprint?
Yes. Nova is registered in the official Agent Client Protocol registry, and Glueprint implements the protocol's client side. It spawns the Nova CLI you already installed and drives it over JSON-RPC 2.0 — adding live sessions, inline approvals, worktrees, and remote control.
Do I need a separate Nova subscription or API key?
No. Glueprint doesn't resell model access. Nova authenticates exactly the way its vendor designed — its own login, subscription, or API key. Glueprint spawns the binary and speaks the protocol; it doesn't sit between you and the model provider.
Can I run Nova from my phone?
Sessions always run on your machines — a laptop, a desktop, or a server with the headless daemon. The iOS and Android app streams Nova sessions live, lets you send follow-ups, and handles permission approvals from anywhere.
Can I run Nova next to Claude Code and Codex?
Yes — that's the point. Each harness is an adapter; sessions from all of them tile into the same Command Center, share the same task boards, and roll up in the same per-harness analytics.
Is my session content private?
Yes. Remote viewing routes AES-256-GCM-encrypted envelopes through the relay, which stores a wrapped key it cannot open — decryption happens on your devices. On the free local tier, session content never leaves your machine at all. See security.