CLI Reference

The Basalt CLI provides command-line access to common operations including account management, transaction submission, and smart contract project scaffolding.

Usage:

dotnet run --project tools/Basalt.Cli -- <command>

Default node URL: http://localhost:5000

To target a different node, set the BASALT_NODE_URL environment variable:

export BASALT_NODE_URL=http://my-node:5000

Commands

init

Scaffold a new smart contract project.

basalt init <project-name>

Creates a new .NET project directory with:

• A reference to Basalt.Sdk.Contracts
• A starter contract template
• A standard project structure ready for development

account create

Generate a new Ed25519 keypair.

basalt account create [--output <file>]

Output:

• Address (0x...)
• Public key (hex)
• Private key (hex)

If --output is specified, the keypair is written to the given file path in addition to being printed to the console.

warning

Store your private key securely. It cannot be recovered if lost. Anyone with access to the private key has full control over the associated account.

account balance

Query the balance of an account.

basalt account balance <address>

Returns the current BSLT balance for the specified address.

tx send

Send a signed transaction to the network.

basalt tx send \
  --to <address> \
  --value <amount> \
  --key <private-key> \
  [--gas <limit>] \
  [--chain-id <id>]

Parameters:

Parameter	Required	Description
--to	Yes	Recipient address.
--value	Yes	Amount of BSLT to transfer.
--key	Yes	Sender's Ed25519 private key (hex).
--gas	No	Gas limit for the transaction. Uses a default if not specified.
--chain-id	No	Chain ID for replay protection. Defaults to the node's chain ID.

The CLI constructs the transaction, signs it with the provided key, and submits it to the node's REST API. The transaction hash is printed on success.