UpKeep Nova Apps bring a next-generation, responsive application experience directly into your workspace. Built as custom utilities, these apps allow you to automate complex tasks, build custom checklists, track work order histories, and trigger real-time actions using natural language—all with a simplified navigation menu.
This guide outlines the core capabilities, how to navigate your workspace, how to favorite your most important apps, and answers to common questions.
Key Capabilities
Nova Apps provide the following powerful features:
Find your apps faster: Access Chat, Scheduled Tasks, and your custom apps from the new Nova sidebar with a single click.
Pin your favorite apps: Mark any app as a Favorite to pin it to the top of your library and main navigation bar for instant access from anywhere in UpKeep.
Share apps with your team: Make custom apps available to specific teammates or everyone in your UpKeep account.
Open apps directly: Save a bookmark to your custom app and open it instantly—no need to navigate through the full UpKeep menu.
See how apps look on any device: Preview your app on desktop, tablet, and mobile before you publish it.
Upload files directly in your apps: Let users attach photos and files to work orders, assets, parts, and more without leaving the app.
Build smarter AI-powered apps: Create apps that can analyze images, summarize work orders, generate checklists, and help users complete tasks faster.
Connect apps to your maintenance workflows: Build apps that can start and stop timers, view equipment downtime, and work with data already in UpKeep.
Jump straight to the right record: Open specific work orders and other UpKeep records directly from Nova with reliable links.
Share feedback as you build: Rate your experience and send feedback directly from the app builder.
Step-by-Step Guide
Access the Nova Sidebar: Log in to your UpKeep account and click Nova in the left-hand navigation sidebar to open the dedicated workspace containing Chat, Scheduled Tasks, and your Custom Apps.
Open and Manage Your Apps Library: Browse your available applications. From the Custom Apps section, you can mark any app as a Favorite by selecting the star or favorite icon. Favorited apps are pinned to the top of your App library and to the main navigation bar so you can access them instantly. You can also reorder your favorited apps by dragging and dropping them.
Launch a Custom App: Click on any app card in your library. You can choose to use the default view or open it as a Standalone App via its unique direct link.
Build and Preview Your Experience: Use the device preview toggles to view how the app renders on desktop, tablet, and mobile interfaces.
Iterate Conversations with Nova: Type requested modifications or operational edits directly into the Nova interaction panel (such as adding file upload fields, LLM-powered checklist generation, or CMMS links). Nova will automatically rebuild and update the app's logic in real time.
Track Credit Usage: Building and executing custom apps consume workspace credits. You can check your available limits and usage directly within your subscription settings.
Best Practices
Favorite Your Primary Apps: Use the Favorite feature to keep your most-used custom utilities pinned directly in your main navigation bar so you can access them with one click from anywhere in UpKeep.
Give Direct Prompts: When asking Nova to customize or refine an app, specify exactly what you need (e.g., "add a dropdown for asset category" or "filter parts by minimum stock").
Share Crucial Apps: Instead of building duplicate apps, share helpful tools with your team or entire organization to create a single source of truth.
Bookmark Standalone Links: Copy and bookmark standalone links for your most critical daily apps to bypass the CMMS shell and save time.
Test on Mobile Previews: Always check the mobile preview during building to ensure technicians in the field have an optimized, easy-to-use interface.
Rebuild for New Features: Rebuild older custom apps from scratch to unlock newly introduced deep CMMS capabilities like timers and downtime tracking.
Common Use Cases
Quick-Access Dashboards: Favorite a custom parts reordering app or a workload overview sheet so it sits permanently on your sidebar for immediate access.
Asset Check-In/Check-Out: Create standalone apps for toolcribs or equipment storage, logging when assets are checked in/out and monitoring active timers.
Custom Status Filtering: Filter and organize work orders based on custom statuses that match your organization's unique workflows.
AI-Powered Image Scanning & Summary: Build apps that use LLMs to scan images of equipment tags or analyze work order histories to write instant summaries.
File & Photo Attaching: Build custom utilities that let technicians snap a photo or upload stored files directly to parts, assets, and work orders in the field.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I share apps with my team?
You can share apps directly with individual team members or with the entire account.
Are "Favorites" shared across all users?
No. Favorited apps are saved per user. Pinned navigation bar additions and reordered structures only apply to the individual user who marked the app as a Favorite.
How do I create a new custom app?
You can build custom applications directly in your account using the Nova App Builder, or our technical support team can securely build and deploy custom apps on your behalf.
Do standalone apps require logging into UpKeep?
Yes, standalone links provide a distraction-free shell for your app, but users must still have a valid, logged-in UpKeep account with the appropriate permissions to access the data.
What should I do if I encounter a bug?
Please report any unexpected behavior to our Technical Support team, or simply tell Nova what isn't working and let it attempt an app-level fix. You can also easily rate your experience and provide direct feedback using the feedback button inside the builder.
Original Article
UpKeep Nova Apps bring a next-generation, responsive application experience directly into your workspace. Built as custom utilities, these apps allow you to automate complex tasks, build custom checklists, track work order histories, and trigger real-time actions using natural language—all with a simplified navigation menu.
This guide outlines the core capabilities, how to navigate your workspace, and answers to common questions.
Key Capabilities
Nova Apps provide the following powerful features:
Find your apps faster: Access Chat, Scheduled Tasks, and your custom apps from the new Nova sidebar with a single click.
Share apps with your team: Make custom apps available to specific teammates or everyone in your UpKeep account.
Open apps directly: Save a bookmark to your custom app and open it instantly—no need to navigate through the full UpKeep menu.
See how apps look on any device: Preview your app on desktop, tablet, and mobile before you publish it.
Upload files directly in your apps: Let users attach photos and files to work orders, assets, parts, and more without leaving the app.
Build smarter AI-powered apps: Create apps that can analyze images, summarize work orders, generate checklists, and help users complete tasks faster.
Connect apps to your maintenance workflows: Build apps that can start and stop timers, view equipment downtime, and work with data already in UpKeep.
Jump straight to the right record: Open specific work orders and other UpKeep records directly from Nova with reliable links.
Share feedback as you build: Rate your experience and send feedback directly from the app builder.
Step-by-Step Guide
Access the Nova Sidebar: Log in to your UpKeep account and click Nova in the left-hand navigation sidebar to open the dedicated workspace containing Chat, Scheduled Tasks, and your Custom Apps.
Open Your Apps Library: Browse your available applications.
Launch a Custom App: Click on any app card in your library. You can choose to use the default view or open it as a Standalone App via its unique direct link.
Build and Preview Your Experience: Use the device preview toggles to view how the app renders on desktop, tablet, and mobile interfaces.
Iterate Conversations with Nova: Type requested modifications or operational edits directly into the Nova interaction panel (such as adding file upload fields, LLM-powered checklist generation, or CMMS links). Nova will automatically rebuild and update the app's logic in real time.
Track Credit Usage: Building and executing custom apps consume workspace credits. You can check your available limits and usage directly within your subscription settings.
Best Practices
Give Direct Prompts: When asking Nova to customize or refine an app, specify exactly what you need (e.g., \"add a dropdown for asset category\" or \"filter parts by minimum stock\").
Share Crucial Apps: Instead of building duplicate apps, share helpful tools with your team or entire organization to create a single source of truth.
Bookmark Standalone Links: Copy and bookmark standalone links for your most critical daily apps to bypass the CMMS shell and save time.
Test on Mobile Previews: Always check the mobile preview during building to ensure technicians in the field have an optimized, easy-to-use interface.
Rebuild for New Features: Rebuild older custom apps from scratch to unlock newly introduced deep CMMS capabilities like timers and downtime tracking.
Common Use Cases
Asset Check-In/Check-Out: Create standalone apps for toolcribs or equipment storage, logging when assets are checked in/out and monitoring active timers.
Custom Status Filtering: Filter and organize work orders based on custom statuses that match your organization's unique workflows.
AI-Powered Image Scanning & Summary: Build apps that use LLMs to scan images of equipment tags or analyze work order histories to write instant summaries.
File & Photo Attaching: Build custom utilities that let technicians snap a photo or upload stored files directly to parts, assets, and work orders in the field.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I share apps with my team?
You can share apps directly with individual team members or with the entire account.
How do I create a new custom app?
You can build custom applications directly in your account using the Nova App Builder, or our technical support team can securely build and deploy custom apps on your behalf.
Do standalone apps require logging into UpKeep?
Yes, standalone links provide a distraction-free shell for your app, but users must still have a valid, logged-in UpKeep account with the appropriate permissions to access the data.
What should I do if I encounter a bug?
Please report any unexpected behavior to our Technical Support team, or simply tell Nova what isn't working and let it attempt an app-level fix. You can also easily rate your experience and provide direct feedback using the feedback button inside the builder.