# Pass a Customer Prompt into cPanel MeridianTwo methods carry a hoster-supplied prompt to Nova in cPanel Meridian. WHM API 1's create_user_session takes user, service, and promptToken, and the prompt reaches whichever Nova or Nova for WordPress® card the customer opens first. UAPI's WPX::create_nova_for_wordpress_website takes domain and promptToken and returns a magic_link. Both require a base64-encoded value under 5000 decoded characters. A prompt on the launch call takes precedence.

You can collect a customer's website-building goals before sending them into the cPanel interface, then carry that prompt through to Nova in cPanel Meridian. Collect the prompt wherever it suits your signup process: on a signup form, in your online store, or through the [Nova Prompt widget](/en/partners/integration-guides/nova-prompt-widget-integration-guide/). The customer arrives at the builder with their prompt already in the input and never has to describe their site twice.

You can pass a prompt in two ways:

- **[During account sign-in](#pass-a-prompt-during-account-sign-in)** — Stage the prompt when you create the customer's cPanel session. The prompt applies to whichever Nova card the customer opens first.
- **[On the Nova for WordPress launch call](#pass-a-prompt-on-the-nova-for-wordpress-launch-call)** — Send the prompt with the API call that creates the site. Use this method for integrations that never load the cPanel interface.

{{< callout context="note" icon="outline/info-circle" >}}

This guide covers Nova in cPanel Meridian. Customers reach Nova from their own cPanel account. Nova Experience works differently, because those customers log in to Nova directly. To pass a prompt into Nova Experience, read our [Add Nova Experience to Your Customer Portal](/en/partners/integration-guides/add-nova-experience-to-your-customer-portal/) documentation. Neither method on this page changes how Nova Experience handles prompts.

{{< /callout >}}

## Before you begin

The customer's cPanel account must already be set up for Nova, on a package whose _cPanel Theme_ is set to _meridian_. For the full setup procedure, read our [Offer Nova in cPanel Meridian](/en/partners/cpanel/offer-nova-in-cpanel-meridian/) documentation.

## Prompt token format

Both methods take the prompt in a `promptToken` parameter and apply the same rules:

- The value **must** be base64-encoded. A value that is not valid base64 fails the call with an error that names the `promptToken` parameter, and no session or site is created.
- The maximum decoded length is 5000 characters.

Review the following encoding example:

User prompt:

```text
I want to create a restaurant website
```

Encoded prompt:

```text
SSB3YW50IHRvIGNyZWF0ZSBhIHJlc3RhdXJhbnQgd2Vic2l0ZQ==
```

## Pass a prompt during account sign-in

Include the `promptToken` parameter when you generate the customer's one-time login URL with WHM API 1's <a href="https://api.docs.cpanel.net/openapi/whm/operation/create_user_session/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">`create_user_session`</a> function. The calling user must possess `root`-level access.

cPanel & WHM stores the prompt for that customer. Nova receives the prompt when the customer opens the _Nova_ or _Nova for WordPress_ card. The customer can open either card from the _Website Builder_ section, or reach it through the new website onboarding flow. The builder opens with the prompt already in the input.

Include the following parameters in your request:

| Parameter | Description | Example |
| ---- | ---- | ---- |
| `user` | The customer's cPanel account user. | `example1` |
| `service` | The session's service. Set this to the cPanel daemon. | `cpaneld` |
| `promptToken` | The base64-encoded prompt to pre-populate in the builder. | `SSB3YW50IHRvIGNyZWF0ZSBhIHJlc3RhdXJhbnQgd2Vic2l0ZQ==` |

For example, you can run the following command to create a session that carries a prompt:

```shell
whmapi1 create_user_session user=example1 service=cpaneld \
  promptToken=SSB3YW50IHRvIGNyZWF0ZSBhIHJlc3RhdXJhbnQgd2Vic2l0ZQ==
```

Then, redirect the customer to the `url` value that the function returns.

{{< callout context="caution" icon="outline/alert-triangle" >}}

A prompt staged this way applies **once**. Nova consumes it the first time the customer opens a Nova card, and it does not reappear on a later visit. The stored prompt also expires, so stage it as part of the sign-in that sends the customer to Nova rather than ahead of time.

{{< /callout >}}

## Pass a prompt on the Nova for WordPress launch call

If your integration creates sites entirely through the API and never loads the cPanel interface, include the `promptToken` parameter in your call to UAPI's `WPX::create_nova_for_wordpress_website` function. The calling user must be the cPanel account user.

Include the following parameters in your request:

| Parameter | Description | Example |
| ---- | ---- | ---- |
| `domain` | The domain to build the WordPress site on. | `example.com` |
| `promptToken` | The base64-encoded prompt to pre-populate in the builder. | `QnVpbGQgbWUgYSBjb2ZmZWUgc2hvcCBzaXRlIHdpdGggb25saW5lIG9yZGVyaW5n` |

For example, you can run the following command to create a Nova for WordPress site from a prompt:

```shell
uapi --user=example1 WPX create_nova_for_wordpress_website \
  domain=example.com \
  promptToken=QnVpbGQgbWUgYSBjb2ZmZWUgc2hvcCBzaXRlIHdpdGggb25saW5lIG9yZGVyaW5n
```

The function returns a `magic_link` value. Redirect the customer to that URL to land them in Nova for WordPress with the prompt already in the input.

The `promptToken` parameter is optional. Existing calls that omit it behave exactly as before.

## How the two methods interact

If you stage a prompt at sign-in and also pass one on the launch call, the prompt on the launch call takes precedence. That is the prompt Nova for WordPress opens with. The staged prompt stays available for the next Nova card the customer opens.