> GET STARTED

One command. No config required. novastorm figures out the rest.

npm install -g novastorm

Then create a nova.toml in your project root (optional):

# nova.toml
mode = "ambient"
watch = "src/**/*.{ts,tsx,css}"
port = 3000
[lanes]
instant = true # CSS fixes auto-applied
fast = true # Layout patches auto-applied
moderate = "confirm" # Ask before component gen
deep = "confirm" # Ask before refactoring
[observer]
frustration = true
idle_timeout = 5000
voice = false # Experimental

Then run: nova — that's it.

> WHAT IS AMBIENT DEVELOPMENT?

A new paradigm. No prompts. No code. Just use your app.

NO CODE WRITING

novastorm never asks you to write code. It watches how you interact and generates patches from observed behavior.

NO TEXT PROMPTS

Forget chat windows and prompt engineering. Your actions are the prompt. Click, scroll, hesitate — novastorm reads intent.

JUST USE YOUR APP

Run novastorm alongside your dev server. Use your app normally. Problems get detected and fixed in real time.

[ novastorm turns your frustration into features ]

> SANDBOX ZONE

Complete all 4 experiments to unlock your training rank.

EXPERIMENT 01 FRUSTRATION PROTOCOL

try refreshing the weather data. [hint: the button is... somewhere]

hint: look for a tiny button in the top-right corner of the dashboard. click it rapidly!
novastorm@sandbox:~/demo-1$ PENDING
WeatherDeck v2.1
Current Conditions
72°F Partly Cloudy
Last updated: 2 hours ago
Data may be stale. Try refreshing.
novastorm observer
[novastorm] watching .dashboard for frustration signals...
EXPERIMENT 02 VOICE PROTOCOL

select an area. speak your command. [click and drag]

hint: click and drag to draw a selection rectangle over the weather cards below.
novastorm@sandbox:~/demo-2$ PENDING
WeatherDeck — 5-Day Forecast
☀️
Mon
68°F
Tue
65°F
🌧️
Wed
59°F
🌤️
Thu
71°F
☀️
Fri
74°F
select a command:
novastorm observer
[novastorm] voice protocol ready. awaiting selection...
EXPERIMENT 03 SWAP PROTOCOL

something feels wrong here. [click two elements to swap]

hint: the temperature is tiny in the sidebar, and the settings gear is huge in the main area. click one, then the other to swap them!
novastorm@sandbox:~/demo-3$ PENDING
WeatherDeck — Layout
Temperature
72°F
Feels like 70°F
⚙️
Settings
novastorm observer
[novastorm] layout analysis active. select elements to swap...
EXPERIMENT 04 OBSERVATION PROTOCOL

[no instructions. just use the dashboard. novastorm is watching.]

novastorm@sandbox:~/demo-4$ PENDING
Dashboard Analytics Settings Help
Quick Stats
Humidity: 65%
Wind: 12 mph
UV Index: 6
Pressure: 1013 hPa
7-Day Temperature Trend
novastorm observer — passive mode

> SPEED LANES

novastorm operates on 4 processing lanes. Faster lane = simpler fix.

LANE 1
INSTANT
<100ms — CSS fixes
contrast, sizing, spacing
LANE 2
FAST
<500ms — Layout patches
reorder, swap, resize
LANE 3
MODERATE
<2s — Component gen
new widgets, interactions
LANE 4
DEEP
<10s — Architecture
refactoring, data flow

> COMPARISON MATRIX

How novastorm compares to other development approaches.

VIBE CODING VISUAL-FIRST SPEC-DRIVEN AMBIENT
Input method Chat / prompt GUI builder Spec documents None (observation)
Context awareness ~ ~
Real user behavior
Zero-prompt fixes
Frustration detection
Continuous learning ~
Setup complexity Medium High High 1 command

> LICENSING & PRICING

Source-available. BSL 1.1. Free for small teams. Open MIT on March 20, 2029.

nova license --info
[nova] license: Business Source License 1.1 (BSL)
[nova] inspired by Remotion, MariaDB, HashiCorp
[nova] source code: fully open — read, fork, modify
[nova] commercial use: free for small teams (≤ 3 devs)
[nova] larger teams: paid license required
[nova] change date: 2029-03-20 → MIT (fully open, no restrictions)

> HOW TEAM SIZE IS COUNTED

Not headcount. Unique git commit authors in a sliding 90-day window.

nova team --count
$ git log --format=%ae --since="90 days ago"
[nova] normalizing emails (lowercase, strip +tags)
[nova] filtering bots (dependabot, renovate, github-actions)
[nova] unique_authors: 3
[nova] tier: FREE
[nova] dev left 90+ days ago? auto-removed from count.

> PRICING TIERS

FREE $0 forever
  • ≤ 3 developers
  • No credit card
  • Basic code generation
  • Community support
  • Team management
  • Custom templates
  • CI/CD integration
RECOMMENDED
PRO $15 / developer / month
  • Unlimited developers
  • Stripe Checkout
  • Advanced code generation
  • Priority support
  • Team management
  • Custom templates
  • CI/CD integration
ENTERPRISE Custom by agreement
  • Everything in Pro
  • Dedicated support + SLA
  • On-premise deploy
  • Security audit
  • Custom integrations
  • Invoice billing

> COST CALCULATOR

Team Devs (90d) Tier Cost/mo
Freelancer 1 Free $0
Startup 3 Free $0
Growing startup 5 Pro $75
Mid-size company 15 Pro $225
Enterprise 50+ Enterprise Custom

> ALWAYS FREE FOR

Solo developers (any project)
Teams ≤ 3 (any project)
All open-source projects (any OSI license, any team size)
Students, educators, researchers
Anyone evaluating the product

> ACTIVATION

nova license activate --help
# Option 1: Environment variable
export NOVA_LICENSE_KEY=NOVA-YOURKEY-abcd
# Option 2: Config (nova.toml)
[license]
key = "NOVA-YOURKEY-abcd"
# Option 3: CLI command
nova license activate NOVA-YOURKEY-abcd

THE AMBIENT
DEVELOPMENT BIBLE

The manifesto. 10 parts. Why code was never the real bottleneck.
What ambient means. Five principles. How it works in practice.

$
[ READ THE BIBLE ]
10 chapters ~20 min read infographics included
[NOVASTORM TRAINING]
0/4 | XP: 0 | RANK: OBSERVER
TRAINING COMPLETE.
All observation protocols mastered.
DEPLOY FOR REAL.
[INSTALL NOVASTORM]