Templates

Templates are reusable instruction sets for AI coding agents. They define what an agent should do when working on a task, and can include dynamic content that adapts to each task’s context.

Understanding Templates

A template contains:

• Name - A short, descriptive title
• Description - What the template does (max 120 characters)
• Template Content - The actual instructions with optional replacement fields

Templates can be used directly or assigned to stages as activities. When assigned to a stage, the template provides context-aware instructions for tasks in that stage.

Template Types

Neova supports two types of templates:

Type	Scope	Storage	Use Case
Project Templates	Single project	.neova/activities/	Project-specific workflows
Global Templates	All projects	User data folder	Reusable across projects

Project Templates

Project templates are stored within your project and are only available in that project. They’re ideal for:

• Project-specific coding standards
• Custom workflows unique to your codebase
• Templates that reference project-specific files or patterns

Global Templates

Global templates are stored in your user data folder and available across all projects. They’re ideal for:

• General-purpose instructions (debugging, code review, testing)
• Personal productivity templates
• Templates you want to reuse across multiple projects

Accessing Templates

To manage templates:

1. Navigate to Settings in the sidebar
2. Click the Templates tab
3. Select either Project Templates or Global Templates

Creating a Template

1. Click the Add Template button
2. Fill in the template details:
   • Title - A descriptive name (e.g., “Code Review”, “Write Unit Tests”)
   • Description - Brief explanation of what it does
   • Template Content - The instructions for the AI agent
3. Click Create Template

Writing Template Content

Template content is plain text with optional replacement fields. Write clear, specific instructions:

Review the following task and provide implementation guidance.

Task: {task.title}
Description: {task.description}

Please analyze the requirements and suggest:
1. Implementation approach
2. Potential challenges
3. Testing strategy

See Replacement Fields for all available variables.

Using the Editor

The template editor provides:

• Syntax highlighting - Variables are color-coded by type
• Autocomplete - Type { to see available variables
• File references - Type @ to reference project files

Editing a Template

1. Click on a template row in the list
2. The edit modal opens with current values
3. Make your changes
4. Click Save Changes

Note

Changes to a template do not affect activities that already use it. Activities store a snapshot of the template at the time they were created.

Duplicating a Template

To create a copy of an existing template:

1. Click the copy icon on the template row
2. A new template opens with the content pre-filled
3. The name is automatically numbered (e.g., “Code Review 2”)
4. Modify as needed and save

Deleting a Template

1. Click the trash icon on the template row
2. Confirm the deletion

Caution

Deleting a template cannot be undone. However, activities that use the template are not affected since they store their own copy.

Searching and Filtering

Search

Use the search box to filter templates by name or description. The list updates in real-time as you type.

Filter by Stage

Use the stage dropdown to show only templates that are used as activities in a specific stage. This helps you find templates associated with particular workflow phases.

Importing Templates

You can import templates from another Neova project:

1. Click Import Templates
2. Select the source project’s .neova/activities folder
3. Choose which templates to import
4. Resolve any naming conflicts
5. Complete the import

This is useful for:

• Sharing templates between projects
• Migrating to a new project
• Backing up and restoring templates

Storage

Project Templates

Stored as individual JSON files in:

.neova/activities/{name}-{timestamp}.json

Each file contains the template definition:

{
  "id": "custom-1234567890-abc",
  "name": "Code Review",
  "description": "Review code for quality and best practices",
  "template": "Review the following code...",
  "isEnabled": true
}

Global Templates

Stored in your user application data folder:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/neova/activities/
• Windows: %APPDATA%/neova/activities/
• Linux: ~/.config/neova/activities/

Best Practices

Writing Effective Templates

• Be specific - Clear instructions produce better results
• Use variables - Dynamic content makes templates more reusable
• Structure your output - Tell the agent what format you expect
• Include context - Reference relevant task information

Organizing Templates

• Use descriptive names - “Debug React Component” vs “Debug”
• Write clear descriptions - Help future you understand the purpose
• Separate concerns - Create focused templates rather than all-in-one

Project vs Global

• Start with global templates for general tasks
• Create project templates when you need project-specific context
• Consider moving useful project templates to global for reuse