novu-manage-preferences

Files (4)

• SKILL.md
• preferences-ui-examples.md · references/
• subscriber-preferences-examples.md · references/
• workflow-preferences-examples.md · references/

SKILL.md (first lines)

# Manage Preferences

Novu has a two-level preference system:
1. **Workflow defaults** — configured in the dashboard for UI based workflows or via code in framework based workflows, apply to all subscribers.
2. **Subscriber overrides** — set by end users, override workflow defaults

## Workflow-Level Preferences

Set default preferences when defining a workflow with `@novu/framework`:

```typescript
import { workflow } from "@novu/framework";

const alertWorkflow = workflow("system-alert", execute, {
  preferences: {
    all: { enabled: true, readOnly: false },
    channels: {
      email: { enabled: true },
      sms: { enabled: false },
      push: { enabled: true },
      chat: { enabled: false },
      inApp: { enabled: true },
    },
  },
});
```

> Authoring workflows in code? See [`framework-integration`](../framework-integration) for the full Framework setup, Bridge Endpoint, step controls, and deployment.

### Channel Types

| Channel | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `email` | Email notifications |
| `sms` | SMS text messages |
| `push` | Mobile/web push notifications |
| `chat` | Slack, Discord, Teams, etc. |
| `inApp` | In-app Inbox notifications |

### Read-Only Preferences

Set `readOnly: true` to **hide a workflow's channels from the Preferences UI** — subscribers can't toggle them on or off:

```typescript
const criticalAlertWorkflow = workflow("critical-alert", execute, {
  preferences: {
    all: { enabled: true, readOnly: true },  // subscriber CANNOT disable
  },
});
```

### `readOnly` vs `critical` — pick the right one

These are different mechanisms with different guarantees. See [`design-workflow/references/severity-and-critical.md`](../design-workflow/references/severity-and-critical.md) for the full matrix.

| Flag                                 | What it does                                                                                |
| ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `preferences.all.readOnly: true`     | **UI only.** Hides the workflow from the Preferences UI so subscribers can't toggle it.     |
| `critical: true` (workflow-level)    | **Runtime.** Bypasses subscriber preferences, skips digest, runs without delays.            |

If you need the notification to **always be delivered** (account suspended, security alert, password reset), set `critical: true` — `readOnly: true` alone won't override existing subscriber overrides at runtime.

### Optional (Subscriber-Editable) Preferences

```typescript
const marketingWorkflow = workflow("weekly-newsletter", execute, {
  preferences: {
    all: { enabled: true, readOnly: false },  // subscriber CAN disable
    channels: {
      email: { enabled: true },
      sms: { enabled: false },  // off by default, subscriber can enable
    },
  },
});
```

## Subscriber-Level Preferences

Subscribers can override workflow defaults (unless `readOnly: true`).

### Get Subscriber Preferences

```typescript
import { Novu } from "@novu/api";

const novu = new Novu({
  secretKey: process.env.NOVU_SECRET_KEY,
});

const preferences = await novu.subscribers.preferences.list({
  subscriberId: "subscriber-123",
});
```

### Update Subscriber Preferences

```typescript
await novu.subscribers.preferences.update(
  {
    workflowId: "weekly-newsletter",
    channels: {
      email: false,   // opt out of email
      inApp: true,    // keep in-app
    },
  },
  "subscriber-123"
);
```

### Global Preferences

Update preferences across all workflows by omitting `workflowId`:

```typescript
await novu.subscribers.preferences.update(
  {
    channels: {
      sms: false,  // disable SMS for all workflows
    },

From novuhq/skills, MIT.

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