> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://whitepaper.litho.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://whitepaper.litho.ai/docs/quickstart/cli-tools.md).

# CLI Tools Reference

This page documents the command-line tools available in the Lithosphere ecosystem: the `lithod` node binary and the `create-litho-app` project scaffolding tool.

***

## lithod

`lithod` is the core binary for running a Lithosphere blockchain node. It is built on top of the following frameworks:

| Framework      | Role                                                                                      |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Cosmos SDK** | Application framework providing modules for staking, governance, bank, auth, and more.    |
| **CometBFT**   | Byzantine Fault Tolerant consensus engine (formerly Tendermint Core).                     |
| **LithoVM**    | EVM-compatible virtual machine enabling Solidity smart contract execution on Lithosphere. |

**Source repository:** [github.com/KaJLabs/lithosphere/litho-chain](https://github.com/KaJLabs/lithosphere/tree/main/litho-chain)

A **pre-built binary** is available for **Linux x86\_64**. For other platforms, build from source using the instructions below.

***

### Building from Source

#### Requirements

| Tool     | Minimum Version | Notes                          |
| -------- | --------------: | ------------------------------ |
| **Go**   |         >= 1.22 | Required for compilation.      |
| **git**  |             any | To clone the repository.       |
| **make** |             any | GNU Make for the build system. |

#### Build Steps

```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/KaJLabs/lithosphere.git
cd lithosphere/litho-chain

# Build the binary
./build.sh

# Generate checksums for verification
./checksums.sh
```

After a successful build, the following outputs are produced:

| Output          | Description                                       |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| `lithod`        | The compiled node binary, ready to run.           |
| `checksums.txt` | SHA-256 checksums for verifying binary integrity. |

You can also use `make install` to place the binary directly in `$GOPATH/bin`:

```bash
make install
```

Verify the installation:

```bash
lithod version
```

***

### Key Commands

Below are the essential `lithod` commands for node operation.

#### `lithod init`

Initialize a new node with a moniker and chain ID:

```bash
lithod init <moniker> --chain-id <chain-id>
```

| Parameter    | Description                                                        |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `<moniker>`  | A human-readable name for your node (e.g., `my-node-01`).          |
| `--chain-id` | The identifier of the target chain (e.g., `lithosphere_700777-2`). |

This command creates the default directory structure at `~/.lithod/`, including configuration files (`app.toml`, `config.toml`, `genesis.json`), the data directory, and the keyring.

#### `lithod start`

Start the node and begin syncing with the network:

```bash
lithod start
```

The node connects to peers, replays blocks from genesis (or a snapshot), and begins participating in consensus once fully synced.

Common flags:

| Flag                  | Description                                            |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| `--home <path>`       | Override the default home directory (`~/.lithod/`).    |
| `--log_level <level>` | Set log verbosity (`info`, `debug`, `warn`, `error`).  |
| `--p2p.seeds <seeds>` | Comma-separated list of seed node addresses.           |
| `--rpc.laddr <addr>`  | RPC listen address (default: `tcp://127.0.0.1:26657`). |

#### `lithod version`

Print the current version and build information:

```bash
lithod version
```

Example output:

```
v1.0.0
```

Use `lithod version --long` for detailed build metadata including Go version, commit hash, and build tags.

***

## create-litho-app

`create-litho-app` is a CLI scaffolding tool for bootstrapping new Lithosphere projects. It provides an interactive setup experience that lets you choose a project template, configures dependencies automatically, and gets you to a working project in seconds.

**Built with:** [tsup](https://github.com/egoist/tsup) (a TypeScript bundler powered by esbuild).

***

### Features

* **Project template selection** -- Choose from available Lithosphere project templates (e.g., full-stack dApp, smart contract workspace, API integration).
* **Automatic dependency setup** -- Installs all required dependencies after scaffolding.
* **Sensible defaults** -- Pre-configured TypeScript, linting, formatting, and testing out of the box.
* **Monorepo-aware** -- Generated projects integrate seamlessly with the Lithosphere monorepo structure.

***

### Usage

Run the tool directly with `npx` -- no global installation required:

```bash
npx create-litho-app
```

The interactive CLI will guide you through the following steps:

1. **Project name** -- Enter a name for your new project.
2. **Template selection** -- Choose a project template from the available options.
3. **Configuration** -- Answer any template-specific prompts (e.g., chain ID, RPC endpoint).
4. **Dependency installation** -- Dependencies are installed automatically via `pnpm`.

Once complete, navigate into the new project directory and start developing:

```bash
cd <project-name>
pnpm dev
```

***

### Example

```bash
$ npx create-litho-app

  Welcome to create-litho-app!

  ? Project name: my-litho-dapp
  ? Select a template: Full-Stack dApp
  ? Chain ID: 61

  Scaffolding project in ./my-litho-dapp ...
  Installing dependencies ...

  Done! Next steps:

    cd my-litho-dapp
    pnpm dev
```

***

## Next Steps

* [Developer Setup](https://github.com/KaJLabs/lithosphere/blob/main/docs/quickstart/quickstart/dev-setup.md) -- Set up the full monorepo development environment.
* [Validator Setup](https://github.com/KaJLabs/lithosphere/blob/main/docs/quickstart/quickstart/validator-setup.md) -- Configure and run a validator node.