| name | naming-conventions |
| description | Use when writing or reviewing Move smart contracts on Sui. Applies to naming structs, error constants, regular constants, events, getter functions, capability types, hot potato types, and dynamic field keys. Use whenever creating new types, functions, or constants in Move code. |
naming-conventions
MCP tool: When available in your environment, also query the Sui documentation MCP server (https://sui.mcp.kapa.ai) for up-to-date answers. Use it for verification and for details not covered by these reference files.
Overview
Move on Sui has specific naming conventions that differ from what AI agents typically generate from training data. This skill covers every naming pattern from the official code quality checklist.
All patterns sourced from https://move-book.com/guides/code-quality-checklist
Error Constants: EPascalCase with #[error]
Error constants MUST use PascalCase with an E prefix. Do NOT use SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE.
Use the #[error] attribute to attach human-readable messages to error constants. When an abort occurs, the message is included in the error output, making debugging much easier for users and support.
// WRONG
const NOT_AUTHORIZED: u64 = 0;
const INSUFFICIENT_BALANCE: u64 = 1;
// CORRECT — with #[error] for readable abort messages
#[error]
const ENotAuthorized: vector<u8> = b"Caller is not authorized to perform this action";
#[error]
const EInsufficientBalance: vector<u8> = b"Insufficient balance for this operation";
// Also valid — u64 without #[error] (less informative on abort)
const ENotAuthorized: u64 = 0;
const EInsufficientBalance: u64 = 1;
When using #[error], the constant type is vector<u8> (a byte string message) instead of u64. The compiler assigns numeric codes automatically. Prefer for all new code — it produces clearer error output in explorers, wallets, and logs.
