Getting Started with NORA

NORA — Node Orchestration & Runtime Automation

NORA is a visual workflow automation tool that lets you design, connect, and run multi-step processes on a drag-and-drop canvas. Each step in your workflow is a node — it can execute a shell command, call an AI model, route data based on conditions, or display media. You connect nodes together to build automated pipelines, then run them with a single click.

NORA works as a desktop application built on Electron.

A browser-based development mode is also available for debugging and advanced development workflows. See Browser / Dev Mode below.

What Can NORA Do?

• Automate shell commands — run scripts, CLI tools, and system commands in sequence or parallel
• Build decision trees — route workflows based on success/failure, time of day, or day of week
• Integrate AI — classify text, call AI agents that select tools, or run autonomous multi-step AI tasks
• Schedule workflows — set cron-based schedules to run workflows automatically
• Run in the background — execute workflows headlessly while you continue working
• Get notified — receive email notifications when workflows complete or fail
• Organize with a visual canvas — see your entire process at a glance, annotate with sticky notes, and view media inline

Installation

Desktop App (Recommended)

NORA is available two ways — both install the same full application:

Option A — Microsoft Store
Search for NORA in the Microsoft Store and click Install. Windows handles updates automatically.

Option B — Direct download
Download the .exe installer from software.hunterfisherllc.com and double-click to install.

After installation, launch NORA from the Start menu. The app opens as a standalone desktop window with full access to native features: file pickers, system tray, Windows startup integration, and background job management.

That’s it — no additional setup required.

Building from Source

If you want to build the installer yourself:

Prerequisites

• Node.js v18 or higher (download)
• npm (included with Node.js)
• Git (optional, for cloning)

Steps

1. Get the project files — clone the repository or download and extract the archive.

2. Install dependencies:
   bash
npm install

3. Build the Windows installer:
   bash
npm run electron-build-win
   The installer will be placed in the dist/ folder.

4. Or run in development mode:
   bash
npm run electron-dev
   This launches the Electron app pointing at the live React dev server.

Browser / Dev Mode

For debugging or development, you can run NORA in a browser without Electron:

npm run dev

This starts the Express backend (port 3501) and React frontend (port 3000). Your browser opens to http://localhost:3000.

Note: Browser mode does not have access to the Settings modal, native file dialogs, Quick Add, system tray, or Windows startup. These features require the desktop app.

License Activation

NORA requires a license key to run. On first launch, you’ll see an Activation Required modal.

Getting a License

Purchase a license from the NORA website. After payment:
– You’ll receive an email with your license key
– The key is tied to your email address

Activating NORA

1. Enter your license key in the activation modal
2. Click Activate
3. NORA validates your key online and registers your machine

Your license is hardware-bound — it’s linked to your specific computer using a unique machine ID. This means:
– You can reinstall NORA on the same machine without issues
– Moving to a new machine requires contacting support for a license transfer

Offline Use

Once activated, NORA works offline with a 30-day grace period:
– The license re-validates every 7 days when online
– If you’re offline for more than 30 days, you’ll need to reconnect to validate

Viewing License Status

Go to Settings → License tab to see:
– Your license key (masked)
– Machine ID
– Current app version
– Activation status

First-Run Setup

On first launch after installation, NORA automatically sets up your workspace:

Auto-Copied Resources

NORA copies essential files to your Documents folder:

These folders are automatically registered as workflow sources, so you can browse and load example workflows immediately.

Note: Files are only copied on first install. If you delete Documents\\NORA\\, it won’t be recreated automatically on reinstall. See Restoring Default Resources to re-copy these files.

Your Workflow Storage

By default, NORA stores your data in ~/.nora/:

~/.nora/
├── config/
│   ├── settings.json      # Your settings and API keys
│   └── schedules.json     # Scheduled workflow definitions
├── tools/                  # Tool Library packages
├── agent_logs/            # AI agent session logs
└── logs/                  # Execution history logs

First Launch

When NORA starts, you’ll see a canvas with the app title NORA in the top-left corner and a set of controls along the top and left edges.

The canvas is your workspace. It uses a dotted grid background and supports panning (click and drag the background) and zooming (scroll wheel). A minimap in the bottom-right corner shows an overview of all nodes.

What You See

On first launch, a default workflow loads showing a few sample nodes. You can run these to test that everything works, or click 📄 New (in Edit Mode) to start fresh.

Settings Overview

Before building your first workflow, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Settings panel. Click the ⚙️ gear icon in the top-right corner to open it.

Settings is organized into tabs:

Key things to set up now:

• AI API keys — If you plan to use AI nodes, go to Defaults and enter your API key(s) for Gemini, OpenAI, and/or Anthropic.
• External editor — If you want to edit scripts from within NORA, add your preferred editor in the Editors tab.
• Workflow folders — If you have an existing folder of workflow configs, add it in Workflow Folders so Browse Configs can find them.

Full details: See the Settings & Configuration guide for every setting explained.

Your First Workflow

Let’s build a simple 3-node workflow: run a command, check the result, then run another command.

Step 1: Enter Edit Mode

Click the Edit Mode button in the top-right corner. The toolbar expands to show editing controls, and the header updates to say NORA (Edit Mode).

Step 2: Start Fresh

Click 📄 New to clear the canvas. You’ll see a notification: “✨ New workflow started” and the workflow name changes to “Untitled Workflow”.

Step 3: Add Your First Node

Click Add Block in the toolbar. A new node titled “New Block” appears on the canvas.

Click Edit Block (or double-click the node) to open the edit form. Set:
– Title: List Files
– Command: dir
– Working Directory: a folder path on your machine (e.g., C:\Users\YourName\Documents)

Click Save.

Step 4: Add a Second Node

Click somewhere on the canvas to deselect, then click Add Block again. Edit this node:
– Title: Show Date
– Command: echo %DATE%

Click Save.

Step 5: Connect the Nodes

You have two options:

Option A — Drag to connect: Hover over the right edge of the “List Files” node until you see a small circle (the source handle). Click and drag from that circle to the left edge of the “Show Date” node (the target handle). Release to create a connection.

Option B — Use the Connect button: Click the “List Files” node to select it, then click Connect in the toolbar. Type the ID of the second node and click Connect.

You should now see an arrow connecting the two nodes.

Step 6: Exit Edit Mode and Run

Click Exit Edit Mode (red button) to return to run mode.

Now click ▶ Run Full Workflow. You’ll see:
1. The first node highlights blue (running), then turns green (success)
2. The second node highlights blue, then green
3. Click any node to expand its output panel and see the command result

Congratulations! You’ve built and run your first NORA workflow.

Saving Your Work

Quick Save

If you loaded a workflow config file, press Ctrl+S or click 💾 Save to save changes back to that file. NORA automatically creates a backup of the previous version in a .backups/ folder.

Save As

Click 📄 Save As… to save your workflow to a new .js file. Choose a filename and location. The file uses a JavaScript module format that NORA can load later:

export const workflowBlocks = [
  // your nodes
];

export const workflowConnections = [
  // your edges
];

Loading Saved Workflows

In run mode, click 📂 Browse Configs to open the config file browser. You’ll see all available workflow configs organized by folder. Click one to load it, with an option to preview it before replacing your current canvas.

Running Modes

NORA supports three ways to run workflows:

You can also run individual nodes by clicking their ▶ button, or run a partial workflow by selecting a starting node and clicking ▶ Run from Selected.

Key Concepts

What’s Next?

• Interface Overview — Detailed tour of every control and panel
• Node Types — Learn about all 10 node types and when to use each
• Building Workflows — Advanced techniques for designing workflows
• Running Workflows — Foreground, background, scheduled, and partial runs
• AI Features — Set up AI providers and use AI-powered nodes
• Tool Library — Create reusable tool packages
• Settings & Configuration — All settings, API keys, email notifications, and more
• Reference — Keyboard shortcuts, API endpoints, troubleshooting, and glossary