alchemy-cli

name	alchemy-cli
description	Use the Alchemy CLI (`@alchemy/cli`) for live blockchain data, transaction lookups, NFT/token/portfolio queries, simulation, tracing/debugging, contract reads/writes, wallet-signed sends, swaps and cross-chain bridges, Solana RPC/DAS plus wallet sends, webhook management, and Alchemy app administration. Preferred runtime path for live agent work (querying, admin, local automation) when the CLI is installed locally — or when both CLI and MCP are available. If neither is installed, install the CLI with `npm i -g @alchemy/cli`. Use for live agent work in this session, not for building application code that ships to production. For application code, use the `alchemy-api` skill (with API key) or `agentic-gateway` skill (without).
license	MIT
compatibility	Requires `@alchemy/cli` (`npm i -g @alchemy/cli`) and shell access. Works across Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and any agent with shell access.
metadata	{"author":"alchemyplatform","version":"2.1"}

Alchemy CLI

Use the Alchemy CLI (@alchemy/cli) for live blockchain queries, admin work, transaction signing, and local automation from the terminal. The CLI groups commands by chain (evm, solana, xchain) and by product area (wallet, app, webhook, auth, config), each with structured JSON output.

When to use this skill

Use alchemy-cli when all of the following are true:

• The user wants live agent work — live querying, analysis, admin work, or local automation that the agent runs now in this session
• @alchemy/cli is installed locally, or both the CLI and an MCP server are available, or neither is available (in which case install the CLI — see Install)

The CLI is the preferred local fallback runtime path for live agent work. When in doubt about CLI vs MCP, prefer the CLI.

When to use a different skill

Situation	Use this skill instead
MCP is already wired into your client and the CLI is not installed locally	alchemy-mcp
Building application code that runs outside this agent session, with an Alchemy API key	alchemy-api
Building application code without an API key, or as an autonomous agent that needs to pay for itself, or you explicitly want x402/MPP	agentic-gateway

Do not use this skill to write production application code — CLI commands are for live agent work, not for embedding into shipped software.

Install

npm i -g @alchemy/cli

If the CLI is not installed and the user wants live agent work, install it. Do not fall back to raw curl/HTTP calls — those are the API-key path covered by alchemy-api.

Bootstrap

Run this at the start of any session to get the full command contract (every command, flag, auth method, error code, and example):

alchemy --json --no-interactive agent-prompt

For wallet-scoped agent work, use the narrower contract that lists only wallet, EVM, Solana, and cross-chain commands plus the session-signer capability set:

alchemy --json --no-interactive agent-prompt --scope wallet

When the CLI is not installed yet but the agent needs the same contract, the unauthenticated npx variant works:

npx -y @alchemy/cli@latest --json --no-interactive agent-prompt --scope wallet

Execution rules

• ALWAYS pass --json --no-interactive on every command
• Parse stdout as JSON on exit code 0
• Parse stderr as JSON on nonzero exit code
• NEVER run bare alchemy without --json --no-interactive
• NEVER use curl or raw HTTP when an alchemy CLI command exists for the task — that's the alchemy-api (API-key) path, not this skill
• NEVER use the CLI to generate production application code; hand off to alchemy-api or agentic-gateway for shipped code
• For onchain actions (evm send, evm contract call, evm approve, evm swap, xchain bridge, solana send), run alchemy --json --no-interactive wallet status --verify first to confirm the session is still valid, then prefer --dry-run before broadcast. Treat sponsorship policies (--gas-policy-id, --fee-policy-id) as fee controls, not wallet spend limits.

Preflight

Before the first command, run both of these checks:

alchemy --json --no-interactive doctor
alchemy --json --no-interactive evm gas

doctor (alias: alchemy config status) reports what's configured plus a nextCommands list of remediation steps. Do not rely on its top-level OK alone — there is a known false positive where it reports the session is set up but RPC commands still fail with AUTH_REQUIRED because no API key has been derived from the auth token.

evm gas is a lightweight RPC smoke test that catches this. If it returns {"gasPrice": "0x...", ...}, RPC is wired up correctly. If it returns {"error": {"code": "AUTH_REQUIRED", ...}}, run alchemy auth login (which fetches and saves the API key) or alchemy config set api-key <key>, then re-run evm gas to confirm.

If doctor reports missing config, follow its nextCommands first, then run evm gas to verify.

Auth setup

The fastest way to authenticate is via browser login:

alchemy auth login

For headless environments (SSH, GitHub Codespaces, CI, sandboxes) where the browser can't reach the CLI's localhost callback, force the OAuth 2.0 Device Authorization Grant flow:

alchemy auth login --device-code

Plain alchemy auth auto-detects non-interactive sessions and switches to device-code mode automatically. Requires @alchemy/cli 0.18.0 or later.

This opens a browser, completes the OAuth flow, and configures both the API key (for RPC/Data) and the Admin API access internally. There is no separate access key step anymore — admin commands (alchemy app ...) work straight after alchemy auth login.

To check auth status: alchemy auth status To log out: alchemy auth logout

Alternative auth methods

Method	Config command	Env var	Used by
Browser login	alchemy auth login (add --device-code for headless)	--	All commands (covers both RPC/Data and Admin)
API key	alchemy config set api-key <key>	ALCHEMY_API_KEY	RPC/Data commands (evm rpc, evm data, evm tx, solana rpc, etc.)
Webhook key	alchemy config set webhook-api-key <key>	ALCHEMY_WEBHOOK_API_KEY	webhook
Agent wallet session	alchemy wallet connect --mode session --instance-name <label> (approve in dashboard)	--	evm send, evm contract call, evm approve, evm swap, xchain bridge, evm status, solana send, solana status, solana delegate
Local wallet	alchemy wallet connect --mode local (--import <path> for EVM key)	--	Same wallet-signed commands as session, with --signer local override
x402 gateway auth (Alchemy API path)	alchemy wallet connect --mode local --chain evm then alchemy config set x402 true	ALCHEMY_WALLET_KEY	RPC and Data commands when --x402 is active. This is Alchemy API auth via wallet, distinct from alchemy x402 request (see below).
x402 payments (third-party APIs)	alchemy wallet connect --mode local — a signer configured for x402 payments	--	alchemy x402 request <url>, alchemy x402 balance (pays third-party APIs in USDC per RFC 402)

alchemy evm network list / alchemy solana network list and alchemy version / update-check need no auth.

Selecting a default app

Many app subcommands operate on a "default app." If you see APP_REQUIRED in an error response, select one:

alchemy --json --no-interactive app select <id>
# or equivalently
alchemy --json --no-interactive config set app <id>

Get an Alchemy account at dashboard.alchemy.com.

Task-to-command map

EVM — onchain reads

Task	Command
Native balance (ETH, MATIC, ...)	alchemy evm data balance <address>
Transaction details	alchemy evm tx <hash>
Transaction receipt	alchemy evm receipt <hash>
Block details	alchemy evm block <number|latest>
Gas prices	alchemy evm gas
Event logs	alchemy evm logs --address <addr> --from-block <n> --to-block <n>
Raw JSON-RPC	alchemy evm rpc <method> [params...]
Trace methods	alchemy evm trace <method> [params...]
Debug methods	alchemy evm debug <method> [params...]
Contract view/pure call	alchemy evm contract read <address> <function> [--args ...] [--abi-file <path>]

EVM — Data API

Task	Command
ERC-20 balances	alchemy evm data tokens balances <address>
ERC-20 balances (formatted)	alchemy evm data tokens balances <address> --metadata
Token metadata	alchemy evm data tokens metadata <contract>
Token allowance	alchemy evm data tokens allowance --owner <addr> --spender <addr> --contract <addr>
List owned NFTs	alchemy evm data nfts <address> [--limit <n>] [--page-key <key>]
NFT metadata	alchemy evm data nfts metadata --contract <addr> --token-id <id>
NFT contract metadata	alchemy evm data nfts contract <address>
Asset transfer history	alchemy evm data history <address> [--from-block <n>] [--to-block <n>] [--max-count <n>] [--page-key <key>]
Spot prices by symbol	alchemy evm data price symbol ETH,USDC
Spot prices by address	alchemy evm data price address --addresses '<json>'
Historical prices	alchemy evm data price historical --body '<json>'
Cross-network token portfolio	alchemy evm data portfolio tokens --body '<json>'
Token balances by address/network pairs	alchemy evm data portfolio token-balances --body '<json>'
Cross-network NFT portfolio	alchemy evm data portfolio nfts --body '<json>'
NFT contracts by address/network pairs	alchemy evm data portfolio nft-contracts --body '<json>'

EVM — Simulation

Task	Command
Simulate single tx (asset deltas)	alchemy evm simulate asset-changes --tx '<json>' [--block-tag <tag>]
Simulate single tx (execution trace)	alchemy evm simulate execution --tx '<json>' [--block-tag <tag>]
Simulate bundle (asset deltas)	alchemy evm simulate asset-changes-bundle --txs '<json-array>' [--block-tag <tag>]
Simulate bundle (execution trace)	alchemy evm simulate execution-bundle --txs '<json-array>' [--block-tag <tag>]

EVM — wallet-signed transactions

Wallet-signed EVM actions return a smart wallet call ID. Use alchemy evm status <call-id-or-tx-hash> to check either value. Use --gas-sponsored and --gas-policy-id <id> on supported actions to request gas sponsorship; set defaults with alchemy config set evm-gas-sponsored true and alchemy config set evm-gas-policy-id <id>.

Task	Command
Send native token	alchemy evm send <to> <amount> [-n <network>]
Send ERC-20	alchemy evm send <to> <amount> --token <token-address>
Execute a contract function	alchemy evm contract call <address> <function> [--args ...] [--abi-file <path>|--abi '<json>'] [--value <wei>]
Approve / revoke / reset ERC-20 allowance	alchemy evm approve <spender-address> --token-address <addr> [--amount <n>|--unlimited|--revoke]
Quote same-chain swap	alchemy evm swap quote --from <token> --to <token> --amount <n>
Execute same-chain swap	alchemy evm swap execute --from <token> --to <token> --amount <n>
Check call / tx status	alchemy evm status <call-id-or-tx-hash>

Native token address for swaps: 0xEeeeeEeeeEeEeeEeEeEeeEEEeeeeEeeeeeeeEEeE.

Most wallet-signed EVM commands accept --signer session|local to override the active signer for that invocation. When both signers are configured and no active one is chosen, the CLI defaults to session and prints a warning.

Solana

Solana transaction commands use a local Solana wallet (alchemy wallet connect --mode local --chain solana). Use --fee-sponsored and --fee-policy-id <id> on supported actions to request fee sponsorship; persist defaults with alchemy config set solana-fee-sponsored true / alchemy config set solana-fee-policy-id <id>.

Task	Command
Solana JSON-RPC	alchemy solana rpc <method> [params...]
Solana DAS (NFTs/assets)	alchemy solana das <method> '<json>'
Send native SOL	alchemy solana send <to> <amount> [-n solana-mainnet]
Approve SPL token delegate	alchemy solana delegate approve --token-account <addr> --mint <addr> --delegate <addr> --amount <n> --decimals <n>
Revoke SPL token delegate	alchemy solana delegate revoke --token-account <addr>
Check Solana tx status	alchemy solana status <signature>
List program accounts	alchemy solana program accounts <program-id> [--filters '<json>'] [--encoding <enc>] [--limit <n>]
Show Solana account	alchemy solana program account <address>
Show Solana program metadata	alchemy solana program show <program-id>
List Solana network IDs	alchemy solana network list

alchemy solana swap is reserved for future support and is not implemented.

Cross-chain

Bridge supports EVM mainnets. For same-chain token exchanges, use alchemy evm swap.

Task	Command
Quote a bridge	alchemy xchain bridge quote --from <token> --to <token> --amount <n> --to-network <network>
Execute a bridge	alchemy xchain bridge execute --from <token> --to <token> --amount <n> --to-network <network>

Source network comes from -n, --network.

Wallets and signing

A wallet session is a CLI-bound signer that the user approves in the Agent Wallets dashboard. The agent never sees the private key. Sessions expire automatically and can be revoked from the CLI or the dashboard. Session signing capabilities the server may grant: evm.signMessage, evm.signTypedData, evm.signAuthorization, evm.prepareCalls, evm.sendCalls, solana.signTransaction. The session signer does not support raw EVM transaction signing — use the action commands (evm send, evm contract call, evm approve, evm swap, xchain bridge, solana send), which execute through Alchemy smart-wallet calls.

Run alchemy --json --no-interactive wallet status --verify before any state-changing wallet action — it returns the active signer, expiry, chain-specific session metadata, backend status, and enabled signer capabilities.

Task	Command
Connect a wallet (session)	alchemy wallet connect --mode session --instance-name <label>
Connect local EVM wallet (import private key file)	alchemy wallet connect --mode local --chain evm --import <path>
Connect local Solana wallet	alchemy wallet connect --mode local --chain solana
Show wallet status	alchemy wallet status [--verify]
Show configured wallet addresses	alchemy wallet address
Render an address as a QR code	alchemy wallet qr
Pick active signer for EVM txns	alchemy wallet use <session|local>
Disconnect / revoke wallet	alchemy wallet disconnect
Per-command signer override	append --signer session|local

Webhook (Notify)

Task	Command
List webhooks	alchemy webhook list
Create webhook	alchemy webhook create --body '<json>' [--dry-run]
Update webhook	alchemy webhook update --body '<json>' [--dry-run]
Delete webhook	alchemy webhook delete <id> [--yes] [--dry-run]
Get address-activity webhook addresses	alchemy webhook addresses <id>
Get NFT-activity webhook filters	alchemy webhook nft-filters <id>

App management (Admin API)

Task	Command
List apps	alchemy app list [--cursor <c>] [--limit <n>] [--all] [--search <q>] [--id <appId>]
Get app details	alchemy app get <id>
Create app	alchemy app create --name "My App" --networks eth-mainnet [--description <desc>] [--products <ids>] [--dry-run]
Update app metadata	alchemy app update <id> --name "New Name" [--description <desc>] [--dry-run]
Update app network allowlist	alchemy app networks <id> --networks eth-mainnet,base-mainnet [--dry-run]
Update app address allowlist	alchemy app address-allowlist <id> --addresses 0xAA,0xBB [--dry-run]
Update app origin allowlist	alchemy app origin-allowlist <id> --origins https://a.com,https://b.com [--dry-run]
Update app IP allowlist	alchemy app ip-allowlist <id> --ips 1.2.3.4,5.6.7.8 [--dry-run]
Delete app	alchemy app delete <id> [--yes] [--dry-run]
Select default app	alchemy app select <id> (equivalent to alchemy config set app <id>)
List networks configured for an app	alchemy app configured-networks [--app-id <id>]
List Admin API chain identifiers (for app create/update)	alchemy app chains
List EVM RPC network slugs (for --network)	alchemy evm network list [--mainnet-only] [--testnet-only] [--search <term>]

x402 payments (third-party APIs)

alchemy x402 request and alchemy x402 balance pay third-party APIs in USDC per RFC 402. This is a separate axis from --x402 / alchemy config set x402 true (which handles Alchemy-API auth for Alchemy's own gateway). Requires @alchemy/cli 0.22.0 or later.

Task	Command
Make an x402-paid request	alchemy x402 request <url> [--dry-run] [--estimate] [--max-payment <usdc>] [--yes]
Show current x402 wallet balance	alchemy x402 balance

• Pass --max-payment <usdc> in non-interactive mode; without it the CLI exits 9 (non-interactive without cap).
• Combining --yes with no --max-payment exits 2 (yes without cap).
• Uses Circle Gateway batched nanopayments or direct EIP-3009 settlement depending on the third-party server.
• Live example endpoint: https://nano.blockrun.ai (returns HTTP 402 on the first hit, then completes after the client-signed payment).

CLI admin and utilities

Task	Command
Check for CLI updates	alchemy update-check
View config	alchemy config list
Reset config	alchemy config reset --yes
CLI version	alchemy version
Install MCP / Skills for a client	alchemy install mcp / alchemy install skills
Shell completions	alchemy completions <bash|zsh|fish>

Global flags

Flag	Description
--json	Force JSON output (auto-enabled when piped)
--no-interactive	Disable prompts and REPL
-n, --network <network>	Target network (default: eth-mainnet, env: ALCHEMY_NETWORK)
--api-key <key>	Override API key per command (env: ALCHEMY_API_KEY)
--x402	Use x402 wallet-based gateway auth for this command
--wallet-key-file <path>	Path to an EVM wallet private key file (for x402)
--solana-wallet-key-file <path>	Path to a Solana wallet key file
--timeout <ms>	Request timeout in milliseconds
-q, --quiet	Suppress non-essential output
--verbose	Log request/response details to stderr
--debug	Enable debug diagnostics
--no-color	Disable color output
--reveal	Show secrets in plain text (use with care; intended for explicit reveal flows)

Error handling

Errors return structured JSON on stderr. Each error has a code, an exitCode (1–9), a retryable boolean, and a recovery hint. Key codes (from agent-prompt):

Code	Exit	Retryable	Recovery
AUTH_REQUIRED	3	No	Run alchemy auth login, or set ALCHEMY_API_KEY / alchemy config set api-key <key>
INVALID_API_KEY	3	No	Check the API key; set a valid one with alchemy config set api-key <key>
APP_REQUIRED	3	No	Select a default app: alchemy app select <id> (or alchemy config set app <id>)
NETWORK_NOT_ENABLED	3	No	Enable the target network for your app at dashboard.alchemy.com
SETUP_REQUIRED	3	No	Run alchemy --json doctor and follow nextCommands
PAYMENT_REQUIRED	9	No	Fund x402 wallet or switch to API key auth
RATE_LIMITED	5	Yes	Wait and retry with backoff; consider upgrading your plan
NETWORK_ERROR	6	Yes	Check connection and retry
RPC_ERROR	7	No	Check method, params, and network; verify API key has access
ADMIN_API_ERROR	8	No	Check the error message; admin commands require an authenticated browser session
NOT_FOUND	4	No	Verify the resource identifier (address, hash, id) is correct
INVALID_ARGS	2	No	Check command usage via alchemy --json help <command>
INTERNAL_ERROR	1	No	Unexpected error; retry or report a bug

Get the full canonical list any time with alchemy --json --no-interactive agent-prompt.

Handing off to other skills

The user wants to...	Hand off to
Wire Alchemy into application code that ships to production, with an API key	alchemy-api
Wire Alchemy into application code without an API key, or pay-per-request as an autonomous agent	agentic-gateway
Run live work but the CLI isn't installed and they prefer not to install it (MCP is wired in)	alchemy-mcp

Bridging into the alchemy-api flow (extract an API key)

If the user is starting an app-code project and $ALCHEMY_API_KEY isn't set in their shell, use the CLI to fetch a key from their Alchemy account, persist it to the project's .env so it survives across terminal sessions, and export it for the current shell so the agent can use it immediately.

Security: NEVER echo, print, or otherwise surface the extracted API key value in conversation output. Refer to it only as $ALCHEMY_API_KEY after exporting. Treat it the same as a password.

# 1. Try to read a cached key from CLI config (read-only, safe non-interactive).
KEY="$(alchemy --no-interactive --json --reveal config get api-key 2>/dev/null | jq -r .value)"

# 2. If empty/null, run the interactive flow.
#    Note: auth login opens a browser and app select shows a picker, so do NOT
#    pass --no-interactive here. If you already know the app id, pass it
#    explicitly to skip the picker: `alchemy --no-interactive --json app select <id>`.
if [ -z "$KEY" ] || [ "$KEY" = "null" ]; then
  alchemy auth login              # opens browser; sets up account credentials
  alchemy --json app select       # interactive picker (omit --no-interactive so it can render)
  KEY="$(alchemy --no-interactive --json --reveal config get api-key | jq -r .value)"
fi

# 3. Persist to the project's .env (standard practice — survives terminal restarts
#    and gets loaded by dotenv / framework env loaders at runtime).
#    Use .env.local if the project's framework expects that (e.g. Next.js).
ENV_FILE=".env"
touch "$ENV_FILE"
if grep -q '^ALCHEMY_API_KEY=' "$ENV_FILE"; then
  sed -i.bak "s|^ALCHEMY_API_KEY=.*|ALCHEMY_API_KEY=$KEY|" "$ENV_FILE" && rm "$ENV_FILE.bak"
else
  echo "ALCHEMY_API_KEY=" >> 

grep -qxF  .gitignore 2>/dev/null ||   >> .gitignore


 ALCHEMY_API_KEY=

Hand off to the alchemy-api skill once .env has the key and ALCHEMY_API_KEY is exported.

Official links

• CLI on npm
• Alchemy docs
• Get API key