join-devnet

name	join-devnet
description	Help a user join this Ethereum devnet: hand them enodes/bootnodes, genesis + chain config, and a ready-to-run client command.
version	0.1.0
platforms	["linux"]
metadata	{"hermes":{"tags":["ethereum","devnet","join","enode","bootnode","enr","genesis","chainspec","config","node","peering"]}}

join-devnet — connect a node to this devnet

Use this skill when the user wants to run a node on / join / sync / peer with this devnet, e.g. "how do I join", "give me the bootnodes", "what's the genesis", "how do I run geth/lighthouse here", "chain id?".

Everything is published by the devnet's config service at the URL in the DEVNET_CONFIG_URL environment variable (e.g. https://config.bal-devnet-7.ethpandaops.io). Network is DEVNET_NETWORK; chain id is DEVNET_CHAIN_ID; public RPC is DEVNET_RPC_URL; explorer is DEVNET_EXPLORER_URL.

Fetch the artifacts the user needs

CFG="${DEVNET_CONFIG_URL%/}"

# Execution layer
curl -fsS "$CFG/el/enodes.txt"        # EL enodes (static peers)
curl -fsS "$CFG/el/genesis.json"      # EL genesis (geth/reth/nethermind init)
curl -fsS "$CFG/el/chainspec.json"    # besu/nethermind chainspec

# Consensus layer
curl -fsS "$CFG/cl/bootstrap_nodes.txt"  # CL bootnodes (ENRs)
curl -fsS "$CFG/cl/config.yaml"          # CL chain config
curl -fsS "$CFG/cl/genesis.ssz"          # CL genesis state (binary)
curl -fsS "$CFG/cl/deposit_contract.txt" # deposit contract address

Use the bash tool to fetch these, then present the concrete values (don't just restate the URLs). For binary artifacts (genesis.ssz) give the URL, not the bytes.

Produce a ready-to-run recipe

Give a copy-pasteable command for the client the user names. Example (geth + a CL client), substituting the fetched values and DEVNET_CHAIN_ID:

# Execution (geth)
curl -fsSL "$CFG/el/genesis.json" -o genesis.json
geth init --datadir ./data genesis.json
geth --datadir ./data --networkid <DEVNET_CHAIN_ID> \
  --bootnodes "$(curl -fsS "$CFG/el/enodes.txt" | paste -sd, -)" \
  --http --http.api eth,net,web3,engine --authrpc.jwtsecret ./jwt.hex

For the consensus client, point --genesis-state at cl/genesis.ssz, the config at cl/config.yaml, and --bootnodes at the ENRs in cl/bootstrap_nodes.txt. Adapt flags to the client the user asked for (lighthouse / prysm / teku / nimbus / lodestar / grandine).

Mention the public RPC (DEVNET_RPC_URL) and explorer (DEVNET_EXPLORER_URL) as a quick alternative if they just want to interact, not run a node.

What NOT to do

• Never hard-code enodes/genesis from memory — always fetch live from DEVNET_CONFIG_URL.
• Don't dump binary genesis.ssz contents into chat; link it.
• If a config endpoint 404s, say so and list what you could fetch.