Install
openclaw skills install nova-app-builderBuild and deploy Nova Platform apps (TEE apps on Sparsity Nova / sparsity.cloud). Use when a user wants to create a Nova app, write enclave application code,...
openclaw skills install nova-app-builderEnd-to-end workflow: scaffold → code → push to Git → create app → build → deploy → (on-chain: create app on-chain → enroll version → generate ZK proof → register instance).
Nova apps run inside AWS Nitro Enclaves, managed by Enclaver (Sparsity edition) and supervised by Odyn (PID 1 inside the enclave). Key concepts:
/v1/kms/derive.enclave/nova_python_sdk/ — import as from nova_python_sdk.odyn import Odyn. Ships in nova-app-template and all examples.| Minimal Scaffold | Full Template Fork | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | scripts/scaffold.py | Fork nova-app-template |
| Config | advanced field in Platform API handles all config | Same — advanced field at app creation; platform generates enclaver.yaml |
enclaver.yaml needed? | No — platform generates it | No — platform generates it from advanced |
enclave/config.py | N/A | App-level business logic config (contract address, chain IDs, etc.) |
| Features | Minimal: signing, attestation, HTTP | Full: KMS, App Wallet, E2E encryption, S3, Helios, React UI, oracle |
| Best for | Simple or custom apps | Apps needing KMS/wallet/storage/frontend |
⚠️
enclaver.yamlandnova-build.yamlare generated by Nova Platform — developers never need to write or provide these files. The control plane generates both from app settings before triggering the build workflow. S3 storage and AWS credentials are fully managed by the platform; developers never touch them.
Ensure skill is up to date before starting:
clawhub update nova-app-builderOlder versions are missing
Dockerfile.txtin the template, causing scaffold to fail.
App idea: What does the app do?
Nova account + API key: Sign up at sparsity.cloud → Account → API Keys.
GitHub repo + GitHub PAT: Used only to push your app code to GitHub. Nova Platform then builds from the repo URL. The PAT is not passed to Nova Platform.
GitHub PAT setup:
git remote set-url origin https://oauth2:${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/<user>/<repo>.git
git push origin main
⚠️ Do NOT ask for Docker registry credentials, AWS S3 credentials, or
enclaver.yaml. Nova Platform handles the Docker build, image registry, and S3/storage provisioning internally. Developers never touch AWS credentials or writeenclaver.yaml— the platform generates it from theadvancedfield. The app only calls Internal API endpoints (/v1/s3/*) for storage; Odyn handles the rest.
python3 scripts/scaffold.py \
--name <app-name> \
--desc "<one-line description>" \
--port <port> \
--out <output-dir>
Port choice: Any port works. Set it via
advanced.app_listening_portwhen creating the app. Must also matchEXPOSEin your Dockerfile. No requirement to use 8080.
This generates <output-dir>/<app-name>/ with the following structure:
<app-name>/
├── Dockerfile
└── enclave/
├── main.py
├── odyn.py
└── requirements.txt
Note: The template ships as
Dockerfile.txt(clawhub cannot distribute extensionless files).scaffold.pyautomatically renames it toDockerfileand substitutes the port. No manual action needed.
Alternatively, fork nova-app-template for the full production-ready structure:
nova-app-template/
├── Makefile
├── Dockerfile
├── enclaver.yaml ← reference template only; portal parses listening port from it;
│ platform generates the real enclaver.yaml from app settings
├── enclave/
│ ├── app.py ← entry point (not main.py)
│ ├── routes.py ← FastAPI route handlers
│ ├── config.py ← app business logic config (chain RPCs, contract address, etc.)
│ ├── chain.py ← chain interaction helpers (app-specific ABI, contract reads)
│ ├── tasks.py ← background scheduler (oracle, periodic jobs)
│ ├── nova_python_sdk/ ← canonical Nova SDK (do not modify)
│ │ ├── odyn.py ← identity, attestation, encryption, S3, KMS/app-wallet wrappers
│ │ ├── kms_client.py ← thin client for KMS and app-wallet request handlers
│ │ ├── rpc.py ← shared RPC transport + environment switching
│ │ └── env.py ← IN_ENCLAVE + endpoint resolution helpers
│ └── requirements.txt
├── frontend/ ← React/Next.js UI (served at /frontend)
└── contracts/ ← example on-chain contracts
Features: KMS, App Wallet, E2E encryption, S3 (KMS-encrypted), Helios dual-chain RPC, React dashboard, example contracts, oracle.
Edit enclave/main.py (scaffold) or enclave/routes.py (full template). Key patterns:
Minimal FastAPI app:
import os, httpx
from fastapi import FastAPI
app = FastAPI()
IN_ENCLAVE = os.getenv("IN_ENCLAVE", "false").lower() == "true"
ODYN_BASE = "http://localhost:18000" if IN_ENCLAVE else "http://odyn.sparsity.cloud:18000"
@app.get("/api/hello")
def hello():
r = httpx.get(f"{ODYN_BASE}/v1/eth/address", timeout=10)
return {"message": "Hello from TEE!", "enclave": r.json()["address"]}
⚠️
IN_ENCLAVEis NOT injected automatically by Enclaver — it's an app-level convention. Set it in your Dockerfile asENV IN_ENCLAVE=falsefor local dev; the platform sets ittruein production.
Using the Nova Python SDK (recommended for full template; copy from nova-app-template):
from nova_python_sdk.odyn import Odyn
from nova_python_sdk.kms_client import NovaKmsClient
odyn = Odyn() # auto-detects IN_ENCLAVE env var
kms = NovaKmsClient(endpoint=odyn.endpoint)
@app.get("/api/hello")
def hello():
return {"address": odyn.eth_address(), "random": odyn.get_random_bytes().hex()}
@app.post("/api/sign")
def sign(body: dict):
return odyn.sign_message(body["message"])
@app.post("/api/store")
def store(body: dict):
odyn.s3_put(body["key"], body["value"].encode())
return {"stored": True}
With App Wallet + KMS:
from nova_python_sdk.kms_client import NovaKmsClient
kms = NovaKmsClient(endpoint=odyn.endpoint)
@app.get("/api/wallet")
def wallet():
return kms.app_wallet_address() # {"address": "0x...", "app_id": 0}
@app.post("/api/sign")
def sign(body: dict):
return kms.app_wallet_sign(body["message"]) # {"signature": "0x..."}
@app.post("/api/sign-tx")
def sign_tx(body: dict):
return kms.app_wallet_sign_tx(body) # EIP-1559 transaction signing
SDK module responsibilities:
nova_python_sdk/odyn.py — identity, attestation, encryption, S3, convenience wrappers around /v1/kms/* and /v1/app-wallet/*nova_python_sdk/kms_client.py — preferred thin client for KMS and app-wallet flows in request/response handlersnova_python_sdk/rpc.py — shared RPC transport + environment switching; keep app-specific contract logic in enclave/chain.pynova_python_sdk/env.py — shared IN_ENCLAVE and endpoint resolution helpersRuntime endpoint precedence (from env.py):
ODYN_API_BASE_URL → ODYN_ENDPOINT → http://127.0.0.1:18000 (when IN_ENCLAVE=true) → http://odyn.sparsity.cloud:18000 (otherwise)ETHEREUM_MAINNET_RPC_URL → BUSINESS_CHAIN_RPC_URL → http://127.0.0.1:18546 (enclave) → http://odyn.sparsity.cloud:18546 (otherwise)NOVA_AUTH_CHAIN_RPC_URL → AUTH_CHAIN_RPC_URL → http://127.0.0.1:18545 (enclave) → http://odyn.sparsity.cloud:18545 (otherwise)Dual-chain topology (as in the template):
Helios light-client RPC runs locally at http://127.0.0.1:18545 (Base Sepolia) and http://127.0.0.1:18546 (Mainnet).
⚠️ Helios RPC ports must be decided before creating the app — they are set in
advanced.helios_chains[].local_rpc_portand locked at creation time. Choose values carefully up front.
Rules for enclave code:
requests or httpx both work — Odyn is local.httpx (proxy-aware). Never use requests or urllib for external calls — they may bypass the egress proxy./v1/s3/* endpoints (or odyn.s3_put()); the enclave filesystem is ephemeral./v1/kms/derive); never from env vars or hardcoded.IN_ENCLAVE=false python3 app.py (scaffold: uvicorn main:app --port <port>). Odyn calls hit the public mock./.well-known/attestation routing note: In production Nova deployments, this endpoint is handled by Caddy routing to the Aux API (port 18001) — not your app code. Some examples implement it in app code as a local dev shim. Don't ship that in production.
Your repo only needs Dockerfile + app code. No local Docker build needed — Nova Platform builds from your Git repo directly.
KMS integration is fully handled by the platform — just set enable_decentralized_kms: true (and optionally enable_app_wallet: true) in advanced when creating the app. No contract addresses, app IDs, or manual KMS config needed in your code.
git add .
git commit -m "Initial Nova app"
git push origin main
The deployment is a 3-step process: Create App → Trigger Build → Create Deployment.
Portal flow (works for both scaffold and full template):
Go to sparsity.cloud → Apps → Create App
Fill in:
metadata_uri, app_contract_addrThe repo URL is stored on the app record and used for all subsequent builds — you don't provide it again at build time.
In the App page → Versions → + New Version:
main (or tag / commit SHA)1.0.0Wait for build status → success (platform builds Docker image → EIF → generates PCRs and build-attestation.json signed with Sigstore/cosign)
In Versions, find the successful version → Deploy this version:
standard or performancePoll until deployment state → running → copy the App URL (hostname from app detail)
The deploy modal has no environment-variable input — no env vars or credentials needed.
The script will ask interactively whether to run on-chain registration after the app is live. Use --onchain to always run it, --no-onchain to always skip.
# Preview config without deploying
python3 scripts/nova_deploy.py \
--repo https://github.com/you/my-app \
--name "my-app" \
--port 8080 \
--api-key <your-nova-api-key> \
--dry-run
# Deploy (will prompt for on-chain at the end)
python3 scripts/nova_deploy.py \
--repo https://github.com/you/my-app \
--name "my-app" \
--port 8080 \
--api-key <your-nova-api-key>
# Deploy + on-chain registration in one shot
python3 scripts/nova_deploy.py \
--repo https://github.com/you/my-app \
--name "my-app" \
--port 8080 \
--api-key <your-nova-api-key> \
--onchain
Or via raw API:
BASE="https://sparsity.cloud/api"
TOKEN="<your-api-key>"
REPO="https://github.com/you/my-app"
# 1. Create app — 'advanced' is the only config field needed
SQID=$(curl -sX POST "$BASE/apps" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"name":"my-app",
"repo_url":"'"$REPO"'",
"description":"optional description",
"metadata_uri":"",
"app_contract_addr":"",
"advanced":{
"directory":"/",
"app_listening_port":8080,
"egress_allow":["**"],
"enable_decentralized_kms":false,
"enable_persistent_storage":false,
"enable_s3_storage":false,
"enable_s3_kms_encryption":false,
"enable_ipfs_storage":false,
"enable_walrus_storage":false,
"enable_app_wallet":false,
"enable_helios_rpc":false
}
}' \
| python3 -c "import sys,json; print(json.load(sys.stdin)['sqid'])")
echo "App sqid: $SQID"
# 2. Create new version (build) — repo URL comes from app record, not repeated here
BUILD_ID=$(curl -sX POST "$BASE/apps/$SQID/builds" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"git_ref":"main","version":"1.0.0"}' \
| python3 -c "import sys,json; print(json.load(sys.stdin)['id'])")
echo "Build ID: $BUILD_ID"
# 3. Poll build
while true; do
STATUS=$(curl -s "$BASE/builds/$BUILD_ID/status" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
| python3 -c "import sys,json; print(json.load(sys.stdin).get('status',''))")
echo "Build: $STATUS"
[ "$STATUS" = "success" ] && break
[ "$STATUS" = "failed" ] && echo "Build failed!" && exit 1
sleep 15
done
# 4. Deploy this version — specify region and tier
# region options: ap-south-1 (default), us-east-1, us-west-1, eu-west-1
# tier options: standard (2vCPU/5GiB), performance (6vCPU/13GiB)
DEPLOY_ID=$(curl -sX POST "$BASE/apps/$SQID/deployments" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d "{\"build_id\":$BUILD_ID,\"region\":\"ap-south-1\",\"tier\":\"standard\"}" \
| python3 -c "import sys,json; print(json.load(sys.stdin)['id'])")
echo "Deployment ID: $DEPLOY_ID"
# 5. Poll deployment
while true; do
RESP=$(curl -s "$BASE/deployments/$DEPLOY_ID/status" -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN")
STATE=$(echo $RESP | python3 -c "import sys,json; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(d.get('deployment_state',''))")
echo "Deployment state: $STATE"
[ "$STATE" = "running" ] && break
[ "$STATE" = "failed" ] && echo "Deploy failed!" && exit 1
sleep 15
done
# 6. Get app URL (hostname from detail, or use unified status)
curl -s "$BASE/apps/$SQID/detail" -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
| python3 -c "import sys,json; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(d['app'].get('hostname',''))"
# Tip: GET /api/apps/{sqid}/status gives the full lifecycle in one call:
# build_status, deployment_state, proof_status, onchain_instance_id, etc.
# Health check
curl https://<hostname>/
# Hello endpoint (returns enclave address + signature)
curl https://<hostname>/api/hello
# Attestation (proves it's a real Nitro Enclave) — POST, returns binary CBOR
# In production, /.well-known/attestation is Caddy → Aux API; not app code
curl -sX POST https://<hostname>/.well-known/attestation --output attestation.bin
Note:
/api/app-walletis only available if you forked nova-app-template. The scaffold template includes/api/helloinstead.
After the app is running, register it on-chain to establish verifiable trust.
Using the script (recommended):
python3 scripts/nova_deploy.py ... --onchain
The script will automatically execute steps 6a–6d and poll until complete.
Manually via API — 4-step sequence:
# 6a. Create app on-chain
curl -sX POST "$BASE/apps/$SQID/create-onchain" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
# Poll: GET /api/apps/{sqid}/status → onchain_app_id is set when done
# 6b. Enroll build version on-chain (PCR measurements → trusted code fingerprint)
curl -sX POST "$BASE/apps/$SQID/builds/$BUILD_ID/enroll" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
# Poll enrollment via build status endpoint
while true; do
ENROLLED=$(curl -s "$BASE/builds/$BUILD_ID/status" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
| python3 -c "import sys,json; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(d.get('is_enrolled',''))")
echo "Enrolled: $ENROLLED"
[ "$ENROLLED" = "True" ] && break
sleep 10
done
# 6c. Generate ZK proof (SP1-based)
curl -sX POST "$BASE/zkproof/generate" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d "{\"deployment_id\": $DEPLOY_ID}"
# Poll proof via deployment status endpoint (or /zkproof/status/{deployment_id})
while true; do
PROOF=$(curl -s "$BASE/deployments/$DEPLOY_ID/status" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
| python3 -c "import sys,json; print(json.load(sys.stdin).get('proof_status',''))")
echo "Proof status: $PROOF"
[ "$PROOF" = "proved" ] && break
[ "$PROOF" = "failed" ] && echo "Proof failed!" && exit 1
sleep 30
done
# 6d. Register instance on-chain (manual — auto-registration has been removed)
curl -sX POST "$BASE/apps/$SQID/instance/register" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
# Poll: GET /api/deployments/{id}/status → onchain_instance_id is set when done
# Or use unified: GET /api/apps/{sqid}/status → latest_onchain_instance_id
What each step does:
After registration, anyone can verify on-chain that this running instance matches the audited build.
All endpoints are on http://127.0.0.1:18000 (Primary API — inside enclave only, NOT publicly exposed in production).
Always-available endpoints:
| Endpoint | Method | Description |
|---|---|---|
/v1/eth/address | GET | Enclave Ethereum address + public key |
/v1/eth/sign | POST | EIP-191 personal-sign (optionally with attestation) |
/v1/eth/sign-tx | POST | Sign EIP-1559 transactions |
/v1/random | GET | 32 bytes from NSM-backed randomness |
/v1/attestation | POST | Raw CBOR attestation bytes (not JSON) |
/v1/encryption/public_key | GET | Enclave P-384 public key |
/v1/encryption/encrypt | POST | Encrypt response to a client |
/v1/encryption/decrypt | POST | Decrypt client payloads |
Feature-gated endpoints (set in advanced at app creation):
| Endpoint Group | Gate | Description |
|---|---|---|
/v1/s3/* | enable_s3_storage: true | Base64 object storage backed by S3 |
/v1/kms/derive | enable_decentralized_kms: true | Deterministic key derivation |
/v1/kms/kv/put|get|delete | enable_decentralized_kms: true | KMS-backed KV store with optional TTL |
/v1/app-wallet/address | enable_app_wallet: true | App-specific wallet address |
/v1/app-wallet/sign | enable_app_wallet: true | EIP-191 message signing via app wallet |
/v1/app-wallet/sign-tx | enable_app_wallet: true | EIP-1559 transaction signing via app wallet |
Port exposure in production:
host app port → enclave app port and host attestation port → enclave Aux API port 18001/.well-known/attestation* is routed by Caddy to the host attestation port → Aux API (18001)Odyn mock service (local development):
http://odyn.sparsity.cloud:18000http://odyn.sparsity.cloud:18001http://odyn.sparsity.cloud:18545 through :18553advanced is REQUIRED at app creation. Omitting it will cause the build to fail. Only advanced exists — the old enclaver field has been removed from the API.Dockerfile + app code. The platform handles everything else at build time.sqid (string like abc123) — use in all URL paths, not the integer id.advanced.app_listening_port. Must also match EXPOSE in Dockerfile. The enclaver.yaml in the template repo is a reference; portal reads the listening port from it.git_ref + version.ap-south-1 (default), us-east-1, us-west-1, eu-west-1. tier is "standard" (2 vCPU/5 GiB) or "performance" (6 vCPU/13 GiB). No env var injection in deploy.references/nova-api.md — ports are fixed and locked at app creation.enable_app_wallet or enable_s3_kms_encryption implies KMS → implies Helios (with base-sepolia chain) → implies kms_app_id + nova_app_registry.enclaver.yaml authoring needed.POST /api/apps/{app_sqid}/instance/register after proof is proved.clone-repo, get-enclaver-config) are used by the portal UI to auto-fill the listening port from enclaver.yaml when you enter a repo URL. Not needed for direct API usage.build-attestation.json with PCR0/PCR1/PCR2, source repo, commit, GitHub run metadata — signed with Sigstore/cosign and stored off-chain.IN_ENCLAVE is not injected by Enclaver — set ENV IN_ENCLAVE=false in Dockerfile for local dev; production sets it true.| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
Dockerfile missing after scaffold | Run clawhub update nova-app-builder then re-scaffold. The template ships as Dockerfile.txt and scaffold renames it to Dockerfile automatically. |
App expects enclaver.yaml or old config | enclaver.yaml is always generated by Nova Platform — developers never provide it. The advanced field at app creation drives all platform-level config. Only enclave/config.py (app business logic) needs developer attention when using the full template. |
API endpoint console.sparsity.cloud not resolving | Old version of nova_deploy.py. Run clawhub update nova-app-builder. Correct endpoint is https://sparsity.cloud/api. |
from odyn import Odyn fails | Old import path. New SDK is at nova_python_sdk/. Use from nova_python_sdk.odyn import Odyn. |
Build stuck in pending | Check GitHub Actions in nova build repo; may be queued |
Build failed | Check error_message in build response; usually Dockerfile issue |
| Deploy API returns 401 | Regenerate API key at sparsity.cloud |
App stuck in provisioning >10 min | Check app logs via GET /api/apps/{sqid}/detail |
httpx request fails inside enclave | Add domain to advanced.egress_allow. Note: "**" matches domains only — add "0.0.0.0/0" for direct IP connections |
| Direct IP connection blocked | "**" does NOT cover IPs. Add "0.0.0.0/0" (IPv4) and/or "::/0" (IPv6) to egress_allow |
| S3 fails | Ensure 169.254.169.254 and S3 endpoint are in egress allow list |
/v1/kms/* returns 400 | Ensure enable_decentralized_kms: true and enable_helios_rpc: true in advanced at app creation |
| App Wallet unavailable | Ensure enable_app_wallet: true in advanced at app creation |
| Proxy not respected for external calls | Use httpx for external HTTP calls (proxy-aware). requests/urllib may bypass the egress proxy. Note: requests is fine for internal Odyn calls (localhost). |
| Health check returns 502 | App is starting; wait for enclave to fully boot |
| ZK proof stuck | Check GET /api/zkproof/status/{deployment_id} for details |
/.well-known/attestation returning wrong format in prod | In production, this is Caddy → Aux API routing — not app code. Remove app-side shim for production builds. |
references/odyn-api.md — Full Odyn Internal API (signing, encryption, S3, KMS, App Wallet, attestation)references/nova-api.md — Nova Platform REST API (full endpoint reference)| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| hello-world-tee | Simplest start — identity + attestation only; uses nova_python_sdk/ |
| echo-vault | Best backend reference — S3 persistence + Helios RPC; source of canonical SDK |
| secured-chat-bot | Best E2E encryption reference — browser-to-enclave P-384 ECDH |
| rng-oracle | On-chain randomness flow with enclave signing |
| price-oracle | External API verification and signing patterns |
Nova Python SDK: The canonical SDK lives in
enclave/nova_python_sdk/in both nova-app-template and all examples. Do not modify SDK files — copy the whole directory into your project.
enclave/nova_python_sdk/ in nova-app-template or echo-vault