wallet-cli-usage

Official Ledger wallet-cli - USB-based CLI for Ledger hardware wallet flows (account discover, receive, balances, operations, send, swap quote/execute/status, genuine-check, assets token / token-by-id). Use for any wallet-cli command execution and for mapping informal requests to the right command.

2.02x

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2.02x

Average score across 2 eval scenarios

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wallet-cli

Name: wallet-cli-usage
Rating: 86.61 (1 reviews)
Author: LedgerHQ

USB-based CLI for Ledger wallet flows. Networks: bitcoin, ethereum, solana (mainnet + testnets).

Install globally with a user-preferred package manager — npm i -g @ledgerhq/wallet-cli, pnpm add -g @ledgerhq/wallet-cli, yarn global add @ledgerhq/wallet-cli, or bun add -g @ledgerhq/wallet-cli. Run: wallet-cli [flags].

Concepts & rationale: for why a command behaves the way it does, or to surface a safety rule that this skill states tersely (genuine check, receive-address verification, sessions, sandbox, device contention), read references/business-logic.md.

Session first: When invoked without a specific task, immediately run session view — do not ask the user what to do first. Show the result, then ask what to do next. If labels exist, skip account discover.

Sandbox: account discover, receive, send, genuine-check, swap execute must use dangerouslyDisableSandbox: true — sandbox blocks USB (causes a USB timeout error). Other commands are fine in sandbox.

Device contention: Never run two device commands in parallel — they fail with [object Object] or garbled APDU. Run sequentially.

Device readiness: Before running a device command, briefly describe what you're about to do. The CLI prompts for device interaction itself — don't time out or kill the command. Exception: genuine-check exits immediately ([✖] Wrong app. Open Ledger dashboard., exit code 4) if any currency app is open — unlike the other device commands, it targets the dashboard and has no auto-launch path. Ensure the device is on the dashboard before running; if it exits, ask the user to back out to the dashboard and re-run.

Ambiguous requests — ask, don't guess. If a required parameter is missing or unclear (no recipient for send, no network for account discover, an amount with no ticker), stop and ask. A wrong guess on a hardware wallet flow can mean irreversible fund loss.

Intent map

Map informal phrasings to commands. Account references use a session label (e.g. ethereum-1).

User says	Command
"show me my wallet", "what do I have", "let's get started", no specific task	`session view` (run immediately, before asking anything)
"find my accounts", "scan my wallet", "import my wallet", "set up Ethereum/Bitcoin"	`account discover <network>`
"where do I send funds to", "give me my address", "deposit address"	`receive <account>`
"how much do I have", "balance", "what's my ETH balance"	`balances <account>`
"what did I send", "transaction history", "recent activity"	`operations <account>`
"send X to Y", "transfer", "pay", "withdraw to an exchange"	`send <account> --to <address> --amount '<amount> <ticker>'`
"swap A to B", "convert", "trade ETH for BTC", "exchange"	`swap quote` -> `swap execute` -> `swap status`
"is this Ledger real", "verify authenticity", "I bought this off eBay"	`genuine-check`
"start over", "clear my session", "I switched devices"	`session reset`

Out of scope — say no, don't improvise

If the user asks for any of the following, surface that wallet-cli does not support it yet rather than constructing a command:

NFTs (mint, transfer, view).
Encryption / OpenPGP / key-share operations.
send, receive, operations, or swap execute on testnets and layer 2s (e.g. Base).
Custom chains not listed in the Networks line above.

Session & labels

account discover persists accounts. Each gets a label: <network>[-derivation][-env]-<n> (e.g. ethereum-1, bitcoin-native-1, ethereum-sepolia-1).

All --account flags accept a session label (e.g. ethereum-1). Run account discover first to populate the session.

Commands

Command	Device	Sandbox
`session view`	No	No
`session reset`	No	No
`account discover`	Yes	Required
`receive`	Yes	Required
`send`	Yes*	Required
`genuine-check`	Yes	Required
`balances`	No	No
`operations`	No	No
`swap quote`	No	No
`swap execute`	Yes	Required
`swap status`	No	No
`assets token`	No	No
`assets token-by-id`	No	No

*send --dry-run needs no device and no sandbox bypass.

session view / reset

wallet-cli session view
wallet-cli session reset

account discover

wallet-cli account discover ethereum
wallet-cli account discover bitcoin
wallet-cli account discover ethereum:sepolia

Networks: bitcoin (mainnet), ethereum, solana, ethereum:sepolia, bitcoin:testnet, solana:devnet.

receive

wallet-cli receive ethereum-1
wallet-cli receive ethereum-1 --no-verify  # skip device confirmation

If the on-screen address differs from the terminal address: do not share or use the address. Have the user disconnect the device and run genuine-check before retrying. See references/business-logic.md § Receive-address verification for context.

genuine-check

wallet-cli genuine-check
wallet-cli genuine-check --output json  # only if a downstream caller needs to parse the result

Preconditions: device unlocked and on the dashboard (exit any open app); host has internet access (the secure channel reaches Ledger's backend — offline runs fail).

balances

wallet-cli balances ethereum-1
wallet-cli balances ethereum-1 --output json

operations

wallet-cli operations ethereum-1
wallet-cli operations ethereum-1 --limit 20 --cursor <cursor>

Pagination: next cursor on stderr (human) or nextCursor in JSON.

send

wallet-cli send ethereum-1 --to 0xDEF... --amount '0.5 ETH'
wallet-cli send ethereum-1 --to 0xDEF... --amount '100 USDT'  # ERC-20
wallet-cli send bitcoin-native-1 --to bc1q... --amount '0.001 BTC' --fee-per-byte 15 --rbf
wallet-cli send ethereum-1 --to 0xDEF... --amount '0.5 ETH' --dry-run

Ticker is mandatory in --amount. No --token flag — ticker drives asset resolution.

Bitcoin flags: --fee-per-byte <sats>, --rbf

Solana flags: --mode send|stake.createAccount|stake.delegate|stake.undelegate|stake.withdraw, --validator <addr>, --stake-account <addr>, --memo <text>

swap quote

Fetches quotes in parallel from the built-in provider list (no device required; addresses are resolved from session accounts).

Currencies: --from / -f and --to / -t are Ledger currency IDs — native assets (e.g. ethereum, bitcoin, solana) or token IDs when the token’s parent chain is a supported native swap currency (same IDs the CLI allows for swap). They are not session account labels — use --from-account / --to-account for accounts.

Default providers queried by swap quote and usable by swap execute: changelly, cic, exodus, nearintents, swapsxyz.

Accounts: --from-account and --to-account accept a session label only; the CLI resolves a fresh receive address from the account like receive.

wallet-cli swap quote --from ethereum --to bitcoin --amount 0.1 --from-account ethereum-1 --to-account bitcoin-native-1
wallet-cli swap quote -f ethereum -t bitcoin --amount 0.1 --from-account ethereum-1 --to-account bitcoin-native-1 --output json

Required: --from, --to, --from-account, --to-account, --amount.

swap execute

Currencies: --from / -f and --to / -t are Ledger currency IDs (same as swap quote): native assets or tokens on an allowed parent chain. They must match the asset of the source --account and of --to-account respectively.

Providers: Valid --provider values are changelly, changelly_v2, cic, cic_v2, exodus, nearintents, swapsxyz. Use the provider id shown on the quote line you pick from swap quote.

Fee strategy: --fee-strategy accepts slow, medium (default), or fast.

wallet-cli swap execute --from ethereum --to bitcoin --account ethereum-1 --to-account bitcoin-native-1 --provider changelly --amount 0.1
wallet-cli swap execute -f ethereum -t bitcoin --account ethereum-1 --to-account bitcoin-native-1 --provider changelly --amount 0.1 --fee-strategy fast
wallet-cli swap execute --from ethereum --to bitcoin --account ethereum-1 --to-account bitcoin-native-1 --provider changelly --amount 0.1 --output json

Required flags: --from, --to, --account, --to-account, --provider, --amount. Use a --provider value that matches the provider id on the quote line you pick from swap quote.

swap status

wallet-cli swap status --swap-id <swapId> --provider changelly
wallet-cli swap status --swap-id <swapId> --provider changelly --output json

Required flags: --swap-id, --provider

assets token / token-by-id

Resolve token metadata from the cryptoassets store. No device, no session.

wallet-cli assets token ethereum 0xdac17f958d2ee523a2206206994597c13d831ec7
wallet-cli assets token-by-id ethereum/erc20/usd_tether__erc20_

Use token when you have the contract address; use token-by-id when you have the id. Exits non-zero if not found.

For non-EVM chains pass --identifier.

The id printed here is the same id accepted by swap quote --from / --to and swap execute --from / --to.

Common errors

Error	Cause	Fix
`Amount must include a ticker`	`--amount` missing ticker	Ask the user which asset they mean — do not guess. Then pass the ticker inline, e.g. `--amount '0.5 ETH'`.
`Ticker UNKN not found in account`	ticker not in account balances	Run `balances <account>` and show the user the tickers held by this account. Ask the user which ticker to use, or whether they meant a different account — do not silently substitute another ticker.
`[✖] Wrong app. Open Ledger dashboard.` (exit code 4)	`genuine-check` invoked while a currency app is open. Unlike other device commands, `genuine-check` targets the dashboard and has no auto-launch path.	Ask the user to exit the foreground app on the device (short-press both buttons on the app's main screen until `Quit` shows, then confirm), then re-run `genuine-check`. Other device commands (`account discover`, `receive`, `send`, `swap execute`) don't hit this — they auto-prompt the correct app launch.
`[✖] Rejected on device. No action taken.`	user rejected a sign request on device	The rejection was deliberate. Ask the user whether to retry or abort — do not auto-retry. If they retry, have them review amount, recipient, and fees on the device screen before approving.
`[✖] Rejected on device. App was not opened.`	user rejected the app-open prompt on device	Ask the user to confirm the app-open prompt on the device and re-run the command.
`[✖] Timed out talking to the Ledger over USB. The device may be busy or locked. Retry the command.`	sandbox blocking USB, or device busy/locked	Surface to the user that the command needs `dangerouslyDisableSandbox: true` and ask for confirmation before re-running with the bypass. The bypass is expected for device commands (`account discover`, `receive`, `send`, `genuine-check`, `swap execute`); if this error fires on any other command, investigate before bypassing rather than disabling the sandbox by reflex.
`[object Object]` or garbled APDU output	two device commands running in parallel (contention)	Run device-touching commands sequentially — never in parallel tool calls.
`[✖] Ledger not detected. Plug in, unlock, retry.` (exit code 3)	device powered off or unplugged	Ask the user to power on the device, unlock it, and connect via USB, then re-run the command.
`device-state … awaiting_approval … reason: unlock` (JSON stream)	device locked	Keep the command running — the CLI resumes automatically once unlocked. Ask the user to unlock the device with their PIN.

Repository: LedgerHQ/agent-skills
Commit: c9739bb

Last updated: 6 days ago
Created: 6 days ago

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