Use Aptos CLI Skill

Overview

Comprehensive reference for Aptos CLI commands used in Move development workflow.

Installation: https://aptos.dev/build/cli

Core Commands

Project Initialization

Create new Move project

aptos move init --name <project_name>

Example

aptos move init --name my_marketplace

Compilation

Compile Move modules

aptos move compile

Compile with specific named addresses

aptos move compile --named-addresses my_addr=0xCAFE

Compile without fetching latest deps (faster)

aptos move compile --skip-fetch-latest-git-deps

Generate ABI

aptos move compile --save-metadata

Testing

Run all tests

aptos move test

Run specific test

aptos move test --filter test_name

Run tests with coverage

aptos move test --coverage

Generate coverage summary

aptos move coverage summary

Generate detailed coverage report for module

aptos move coverage source --module <module_name>

Example: View coverage for marketplace module

aptos move coverage source --module marketplace

Publishing/Deployment

IMPORTANT: Use deploy-object to deploy as objects (modern pattern), NOT publish (creates resource account).

✅ CORRECT: Deploy as object (recommended)

aptos move deploy-object --address-name <named_address>

Example: Deploy marketplace contract as object

aptos move deploy-object --address-name marketplace_addr

Deploy with auto-confirm (skips yes/no prompts)

aptos move deploy-object --address-name marketplace_addr --assume-yes

Deploy to specific network

aptos move deploy-object --address-name marketplace_addr --network testnet aptos move deploy-object --address-name marketplace_addr --network mainnet

Deploy with specific profile

aptos move deploy-object --address-name marketplace_addr --profile my_profile

Upgrade existing object deployment

aptos move upgrade-object
--address-name marketplace_addr
--object-address 0x123abc...

Upgrade with auto-confirm

aptos move upgrade-object
--address-name marketplace_addr
--object-address 0x123abc...
--assume-yes

Deployment Prompts:

When deploying, the CLI will ask two questions:

• Gas confirmation: "Do you want to submit a transaction for a range of [X - Y] Octas at a gas unit price of Z Octas? [yes/no]"

• Object address confirmation: "Do you want to publish this package at object address 0x... [yes/no]"

To skip prompts, use --assume-yes flag (automatically answers "yes").

Note on Move.toml:

For object deployment, set named addresses to _ (placeholder) in Move.toml:

[addresses] marketplace_addr = "_"

The CLI will override this with the actual deployment address.

Legacy: Publishing to Resource Account (❌ Not recommended for new projects)

❌ OLD: Publish to resource account (legacy pattern)

aptos move publish --named-addresses my_addr=default

This creates a resource account, which is deprecated.

Use deploy-object instead for modern object-based deployment.

Account Management

Initialize new account

aptos init

Initialize with specific network

aptos init --network testnet

Create new account with profile

aptos init --profile my_profile

List account resources

aptos account list --account <address>

Get account balance

aptos account balance --account <address>

Funding Accounts (Devnet/Testnet)

Use the web faucet (requires login):

• Get your account address: aptos account list --profile testnet

• Go to: https://aptos.dev/network/faucet?address=&#x3C;your_address>

• Login and request testnet/devnet APT

• Verify balance: aptos account balance --profile testnet

Note: The CLI command aptos account fund-with-faucet is deprecated. Use the web faucet instead.

Running Functions

Run entry function

aptos move run
--function-id <address>::<module>::<function>
--args <arg1> <arg2> ...

Example: Create NFT

aptos move run
--function-id 0xCAFE::nft::mint_nft
--args string:"My NFT" string:"Description" string:"https://uri.com"

Run with type arguments

aptos move run
--function-id <address>::<module>::<function>
--type-args <type1> <type2>
--args <arg1> <arg2>

View Functions

Call view function (read-only)

aptos move view
--function-id <address>::<module>::<function>
--args <arg1> <arg2>

Example: Get NFT name

aptos move view
--function-id 0xCAFE::nft::get_nft_name
--args address:0x123

Documentation

Generate documentation

aptos move document

Generate and open in browser

aptos move document --open

Cleanup

Clean build artifacts

aptos move clean

Advanced Commands

Scripting

Run Move script

aptos move run-script
--compiled-script-path <path_to_compiled_script>

Prove (Formal Verification)

Run Move prover

aptos move prove

Prove specific module

aptos move prove --module <module_name>

Transaction Simulation

Simulate transaction without submitting

aptos move run
--function-id <address>::<module>::<function>
--args <args>
--simulate

Configuration

Security: NEVER read this file from the user's filesystem. The structure below is for reference only. Always use "0x..." placeholders for private key values.

Config File (~/.aptos/config.yaml)

profiles: default: private_key: "0x..." public_key: "0x..." account: "0x..." rest_url: "https://fullnode.devnet.aptoslabs.com/v1" faucet_url: "https://faucet.devnet.aptoslabs.com"

testnet: private_key: "0x..." public_key: "0x..." account: "0x..." rest_url: "https://fullnode.testnet.aptoslabs.com/v1" faucet_url: "https://faucet.testnet.aptoslabs.com"

mainnet: private_key: "0x..." public_key: "0x..." account: "0x..." rest_url: "https://fullnode.mainnet.aptoslabs.com/v1"

Switching Profiles

Use specific profile

aptos --profile testnet move publish --named-addresses my_addr=0x123

Set default profile

export APTOS_PROFILE=testnet

Argument Types

Primitive Types

u8, u16, u32, u64, u128, u256

--args u64:1000

bool

--args bool:true

address

--args address:0x1

Complex Types

string (UTF-8)

--args string:"Hello World"

hex (raw bytes)

--args hex:0x48656c6c6f

vector

--args "u64:[1,2,3,4,5]"

vector of strings

--args "string:["one","two","three"]"

Object Types

Object address (for Object<T> parameters)

--args address:0x123abc...

Network URLs

Devnet

REST: https://fullnode.devnet.aptoslabs.com/v1 Faucet: https://faucet.devnet.aptoslabs.com Explorer: https://explorer.aptoslabs.com/?network=devnet

Testnet

REST: https://fullnode.testnet.aptoslabs.com/v1 Faucet: https://faucet.testnet.aptoslabs.com Explorer: https://explorer.aptoslabs.com/?network=testnet

Mainnet

REST: https://fullnode.mainnet.aptoslabs.com/v1 Explorer: https://explorer.aptoslabs.com/?network=mainnet

Troubleshooting Commands

Check CLI Version

aptos --version

Update CLI

Using cargo

cargo install --git https://github.com/aptos-labs/aptos-core.git aptos

Using prebuilt binaries

Download from: https://github.com/aptos-labs/aptos-core/releases

Clear Cache

Remove build directory

rm -rf build/

Recompile

aptos move compile

Verbose Output

Add --verbose flag to any command

aptos move compile --verbose aptos move test --verbose

Common Error Solutions

"Package dependencies not resolved"

Solution: Fetch dependencies

aptos move compile

"Address not found in named addresses"

Solution: Specify named addresses

aptos move compile --named-addresses my_addr=0xCAFE

"Insufficient funds"

Solution: Fund via web faucet (testnet/devnet):

• Get address: aptos account list --profile testnet

• Go to: https://aptos.dev/network/faucet?address=&#x3C;your_address>

• Login and request APT

"Module already published"

Solution: Use upgrade-object with original object address

aptos move upgrade-object
--address-name my_addr
--object-address <object_address_from_initial_deploy>

Quick Reference

Command Purpose

aptos move init

Create new project

aptos move compile

Compile Move code

aptos move test

Run tests

aptos move test --coverage

Test with coverage

aptos move deploy-object

Deploy module (modern)

aptos move upgrade-object

Upgrade deployed module

aptos move run

Execute entry function

aptos move view

Call view function

aptos account list

View account resources

aptos account balance

Check account balance

aptos init

Initialize CLI config

ALWAYS Rules

• ✅ ALWAYS run aptos move test --coverage before deployment

• ✅ ALWAYS verify 100% coverage

• ✅ ALWAYS test on testnet before mainnet

• ✅ ALWAYS use named addresses (not hardcoded)

• ✅ ALWAYS specify network for deployment

• ✅ ALWAYS check CLI version is up-to-date

NEVER Rules

• ❌ NEVER deploy without testing

• ❌ NEVER skip coverage verification

• ❌ NEVER deploy directly to mainnet without testnet testing

• ❌ NEVER hardcode addresses in code

• ❌ NEVER commit private keys to git

• ❌ NEVER read or display contents of ~/.aptos/config.yaml (contains private keys for all profiles)

• ❌ NEVER run commands that expose keys: cat ~/.aptos/config.yaml , env | grep KEY , printenv

• ❌ NEVER display or repeat private key values — always use "0x..." as placeholder

References

Official Documentation:

• CLI Guide: https://aptos.dev/build/cli

• Working with Move Contracts: https://aptos.dev/build/cli/working-with-move-contracts

• CLI Reference: https://aptos.dev/build/cli/cli-reference

Related Skills:

• scaffold-project

• Initialize projects

• write-contracts

• Write modules to compile

• generate-tests

• Create tests to run

• deploy-contracts

• Deploy modules

• troubleshoot-errors

• Fix CLI errors

Remember: Test locally, deploy to testnet, verify, then mainnet. Always use --coverage.