build

Task

The user wants to build a CommCare app from this spec: $ARGUMENTS.

1. Operating instructions

If you have not already fetched the nova-architect operating instructions in this conversation, call Nova's get_agent_prompt tool with mode: "build". Treat the returned text as your operating instructions for this build.

If you already fetched it earlier in this conversation, reuse what you have — don't fetch again.

The Nova mutation tools are deferred — calling one before its schema is loaded fails with a Zod error. Pre-load the build-path set in a single ToolSearch call before continuing:

ToolSearch({query: "+nova create_app generate_schema generate_scaffold add_module add_fields validate_app", max_results: 6})

The +nova filter matches whichever Nova namespace is live (mcp__plugin_nova_nova__* when using the plugin's OAuth, mcp__nova__* when an API-key override is in user-scope).

Load any additional read or edit tools (get_app, edit_field, remove_field, etc.) on demand if a follow-up step needs them.

2. Resolve ambiguities first

Short or generic specs almost always hide design ambiguities. Don't assume you know what shape the user wants — they often have a specific vision that doesn't match the canonical pattern.

Scan the spec for genuine design ambiguities — places where reasonable defaults diverge enough to produce a meaningfully different app. Common ambiguity vectors:

• Case type structure — one entity, or several related ones (e.g. parent + child)?
• Workflow stages — what lifecycle does each entity go through (registration only, or also follow-up / close)?
• Connect type — is this a CommCare Connect learn or deliver app, or neither?
• Module surface — which entities need their own case-list view?

Ask 1-3 questions via AskUserQuestion covering the most material ambiguities and wait for the user's answers before continuing. The only time to skip is when every vector above is already explicitly addressed in the spec — for short, generic specs that's almost never the case.

Don't ask about field-level details (labels, hint text, validation specifics) — those belong to the build itself, not the framing.

3. Plan the work

Use TaskCreate to track the build phases:

1. Designing the data model
2. Scaffolding modules and forms
3. Configuring modules
4. Adding fields to forms
5. Validating

4. Build

Work through each phase per the fetched instructions, using the Nova mutation tools you pre-loaded — generate_schema, generate_scaffold, add_module, add_fields, validate_app — plus the read and edit tools the instructions reference. Mark each task in_progress when you start it and completed when it's done.

If a new ambiguity surfaces mid-build that materially changes the design, ask via AskUserQuestion before committing to it.

5. Report

When the build is done, return:

• "App Name" (app_id) on its own line
• A summary of modules and forms
• Any validation notes