GenLayer CLI

The genlayer CLI manages contract deployment, interaction, transaction inspection, and network configuration. Works with GenLayer Studio (local), studio.genlayer.com, and Testnet Bradbury.

Setup

bash
npm install -g genlayer

Network Configuration

bash
genlayer network set                    # Interactive selector
genlayer network set testnet-bradbury   # Direct
genlayer network info                   # Show current network config
genlayer network list                   # List all networks

Networks: localnet, studionet, testnet-asimov, testnet-bradbury

Note: studionet is gasless — no tokens are required to deploy or interact with contracts. A 0 GEN balance is expected and does not prevent any operations.

Note: studionet is rate-limited per IP — 60 req/min, 1000 req/hr, 10000 req/day. Limits aren't permanent — batching many deploy/write calls trips -32429 / HTTP 429 and further requests are rejected until the window resets (next minute / hour / day cycle). -32028 signals the pending-queue cap — up to 32 in-flight txs per sender; a separate cap also applies per contract. Throttle batch scripts, wait for receipts between submissions, or use localnet for heavy batches.

Always use genlayer network set instead of --rpc for built-in networks. The --rpc flag bypasses the chain configuration (consensus contract ABI, isStudio flag, etc.) and will cause transaction polling failures. Only use --rpc for custom/private networks not in the built-in list.

Account Management

bash
genlayer account                        # Show active account (address, balance, network)
genlayer account list                   # List all accounts
genlayer account create --name dev1     # Create new account
genlayer account use dev1               # Set active account
genlayer account unlock                 # Cache key in OS keychain (no password prompts)
genlayer account lock                   # Remove from keychain

# Import from private key or keystore
genlayer account import --name imported --private-key 0x...
genlayer account import --name imported --keystore ./keystore.json

# Send tokens
genlayer account send 0x123...abc 10gen

Amount formats: "10gen", "0.5gen", or raw wei "1000000000000000000"

Non-interactive usage (CI/CD, containers, agents)

account create, account import, and account send accept --password <password> to skip interactive prompts:

bash
genlayer account create --name dev1 --password "mypassword"
genlayer account import --name imported --private-key 0x... --password "mypassword"

account unlock requires an OS keychain (macOS Keychain, GNOME Keyring, etc.) and will fail in headless containers. When the account is locked, commands that sign transactions (deploy, write, appeal, account send) will prompt for the keystore password. To automate these, pipe the password via stdin:

bash
echo "mypassword" | genlayer deploy --contract contracts/my_contract.py --args "arg1"

Funding Accounts

New accounts start with 0 GEN. Funding requirements depend on the network:

StudioNet is gasless — accounts with 0 GEN can deploy and interact with contracts without any funding. A zero balance on StudioNet is expected and normal. Skip funding entirely when using StudioNet.

For testnets (Bradbury, Asimov), fund the account before deploying or writing.

Faucet: https://testnet-faucet.genlayer.foundation/

1. Get your address: genlayer account -> copy the address field
2. Go to the faucet URL, paste the address, and claim 100 GEN (once per 24 hours)
3. Verify: genlayer account should show the updated balance

The faucet uses Cloudflare Turnstile and cannot be automated from CLI -- the user must claim manually in a browser. Works for both Testnet Bradbury and Testnet Asimov.

Contract Deployment

bash
# Deploy a specific contract
genlayer deploy --contract contracts/my_contract.py
genlayer deploy --contract contracts/my_contract.py --args "arg1" 42

# Run all deploy scripts in deploy/ folder
genlayer deploy

Contract Interaction

Read (no transaction)

bash
genlayer call <address> <method>
genlayer call 0x123...abc get_data --args "key1"

Write (sends transaction)

bash
genlayer write <address> <method>
genlayer write 0x123...abc set_data --args "hello"

Inspect contract

bash
genlayer schema <address>   # Method signatures and types
genlayer code <address>     # Source code

Transaction Debugging

The most useful debugging command — inspect what happened in a transaction:

bash
# Get full receipt (waits for FINALIZED by default)
genlayer receipt <txHash>

# Get just stdout or stderr from execution
genlayer receipt <txHash> --stdout
genlayer receipt <txHash> --stderr

# Wait for a lifecycle status
genlayer receipt <txHash> --status PENDING
genlayer receipt <txHash> --status ACCEPTED
genlayer receipt <txHash> --status FINALIZED

# Custom retry behavior
genlayer receipt <txHash> --retries 50 --interval 3000

Transaction lifecycle statuses: SUBMITTED -> PENDING -> ACCEPTED -> FINALIZED

Lifecycle status is not execution success

ACCEPTED and FINALIZED mean the network accepted or finalized the transaction outcome. They do not mean the contract code executed successfully.

If contract execution fails, the transaction can still become ACCEPTED and later FINALIZED, but state changes are not applied. For deploy transactions, that means no contract is created. In that case, genlayer code, genlayer schema, eth_getCode, or gen_getContractSchema returning no contract is expected.

Always inspect the receipt execution result before diagnosing infrastructure:

1. Run genlayer receipt <txHash> --stdout --stderr.
2. Check whether execution succeeded or failed.
3. If execution failed, fix the contract/runtime error first.
4. Treat missing code/schema as a possible RPC, indexer, or state-read issue only

when the receipt shows execution success.

| Observation | Likely meaning | |-------------|----------------| | ACCEPTED/FINALIZED + execution error + no code/schema | Expected failed deploy; fix the contract or runtime error | | ACCEPTED/FINALIZED + execution success + no code/schema | Possible RPC, indexer, or state-read issue | | PENDING, missing receipt, or transaction not found | Polling, network, or transaction propagation issue |

Appeal a Transaction

Challenge a transaction result to trigger re-evaluation by validators:

bash
genlayer appeal <txHash>

Local Studio Management

bash
genlayer init                               # Initialize environment
genlayer init --numValidators 10 --headless  # Customize
genlayer up                                 # Start Studio
genlayer up --reset-db                      # Fresh start
genlayer stop                               # Stop all services

Local Validator Management

bash
genlayer localnet validators get                          # List all
genlayer localnet validators count                        # Count
genlayer localnet validators create --stake 50            # Add one
genlayer localnet validators create-random --count 3      # Add multiple
genlayer localnet validators update 0x... --model gpt-4   # Change model
genlayer localnet validators delete --address 0x...       # Remove

Debugging Workflow

When a transaction fails or produces unexpected results:

1. Get the receipt: genlayer receipt <txHash> --stdout --stderr
2. Check execution result: lifecycle status alone is not enough; ACCEPTED/FINALIZED can contain execution errors
3. Check contract schema: genlayer schema <address> (verify method exists, correct args)
4. Read contract source: genlayer code <address> (verify deployed code matches local)
5. Try a read call: genlayer call <address> <view_method> (check current state)
6. Appeal if needed: genlayer appeal <txHash> (re-run consensus)

Project Scaffolding

bash
genlayer new myproject          # Create from template
genlayer new myproject --path ./projects/

Configuration

bash
genlayer config get                         # Show all config
genlayer config get network                 # Specific key
genlayer config set network=testnet-bradbury
genlayer config reset network               # Restore default