--- title: "An Early Look at the Hedera CLI: Simplify, Automate, and Accelerate Development on Hedera" id: "15573" type: "post" slug: "an-early-look-at-the-hedera-cli-simplify-automate-and-accelerate-development-on-hedera" published_at: "2025-06-25T15:12:00+00:00" modified_at: "2025-12-08T18:06:16+00:00" url: "https://hedera.com/blog/an-early-look-at-the-hedera-cli-simplify-automate-and-accelerate-development-on-hedera/" markdown_url: "https://hedera.com/blog/an-early-look-at-the-hedera-cli-simplify-automate-and-accelerate-development-on-hedera.md" excerpt: "The Hedera CLI is a command-line tool built for developers working with the Hedera network. It streamlines tasks such as creating accounts, managing tokens, deploying smart contracts, and interacting with the Hedera Consensus Service. The tool supports script automation, letting..." taxonomy_category: - "Uncategorized" --- [Skip to content](#content) blog # An Early Look at the Hedera CLI: Simplify, Automate, and Accelerate Development on Hedera June 25, 2025 ![Michiel Mulders](/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/small-profile-pic-michiel-dec-2022.jpeg) Michiel Mulders Developer Relations The [Hedera Command Line Interface (CLI)](https://github.com/hashgraph/hedera-cli) is a powerful tool designed specifically for developers building and scaling applications on the Hedera network. Whether you need to set up test environments, automate repetitive tasks, or manage your end-to-end Hedera development more efficiently, the Hedera CLI helps you streamline processes and reduce manual effort. #### **Who Should Try the Hedera CLI?** - **Automation Seekers**: Developers can automate tasks like account creation, token management, and transaction handling to reduce manual effort when building on Hedera. - **Hedera Projects**: Teams can automate end-to-end testing and continuous integration pipelines across the Hedera testnet, mainnet, previewnet, or localnet environments to bring their products and services to market faster. - **Explorers & Newcomers**: Great for new users on Hedera who want to experiment with the technology quickly without immediately diving into detailed code development. #### **Why Use Hedera CLI?** - **Simplify Environment Management**: Set up and manage test environments quickly and without complex configurations. - **Easy Integration into Pipelines:**Quickly add automation to your existing CI/CD pipelines or script repetitive tasks independently. - **Test More Scenarios in Less Time:**Run a wide array of test cases with built-in support for Hedera Token Service (HTS), Hedera Consensus Service (HCS), and Hedera Smart Contract Service (HSCS). #### **Key Features of Hedera CLI** #### **1. Accounts and Token Management** The Hedera CLI simplifies the management of essential Hedera functions such as creating accounts, tokens, associating tokens, and performing token transfers. Below is a sample command to create an ECDSA account with a balance of 1 Hbar (or 100000000 Tinybars) and set a name for the account so you can easily reference it internally in the CLI state or in other commands: ![code window background](https://hedera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CodeSnippetBackground-scaled.jpg) ``` hcli account create --name alice -b 100000000 ``` Create and [manage tokens](https://github.com/hashgraph/hedera-cli?tab=readme-ov-file#token-commands) (note how we reference Alice and Bob). ![code window background](https://hedera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CodeSnippetBackground-scaled.jpg) ``` // Token create hcli token create --name mytoken --symbol mtk --decimals 2 --initial-supply 1000 --supply-type infinite --admin-key alice --treasury-id 0.0.5401341 --treasury-key bob // Token associate hcli token associate -a,--account-id -t,--token-id // Token transfer hcli token transfer -t,--token-id --to --from -b,--balance ``` #### **2. Automate Hedera Consensus Service (HCS) Operations** The Hedera CLI provides comprehensive functionality for the [Hedera Consensus Service](https://github.com/hashgraph/hedera-cli?tab=readme-ov-file#topic-commands) . You can create topics, submit messages, and find messages right from the command line: ![code window background](https://hedera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CodeSnippetBackground-scaled.jpg) ``` hcli topic create [-s,--submit-key ] [-a,--admin-key ] [--memo ] hcli topic message submit -t,--topic-id -m,--message hcli topic message find -t,--topic-id -s,--sequence-number ``` #### **3. Smart Contracts via Hardhat Integration** The CLI integrates with [Hardhat](https://docs.hedera.com/hedera/tutorials/smart-contracts/how-to-mint-and-burn-an-erc-721-token-using-hardhat-and-ethers-part-1) , enabling robust smart contract deployment and interaction directly from your command line. Whether deploying a smart contract or interacting with it, the Hedera CLI makes these actions scriptable. The CLI uses the npx command to execute Hardhat scripts. #### **Feature Highlight: Script Blocks** **Script Blocks** allow you to build automated sequences by chaining multiple commands, significantly simplifying environment setup or complex operations. Additionally, you can store outputs like token or topic IDs, private keys, and other essential details as variables **(format: *output:varName*)**, which you can reference in subsequent commands. This enables a high degree of automation for simple tasks and complex flows. Here’s a practical example illustrating a complete automation scenario: - **Three accounts are created**, storing their name, account ID, and private key. - **A new token is created**, setting account 1 as the admin key and account 2 as the treasury account, referencing variables with the *{**{variable}}* notation. - **Account 3 is associated with the newly created token.** - **One unit of the token is transferred** from the treasury account (account 2) to account 3. **After a 3-second pause**, the balance of account 3 is checked, verifying if the token ID is correctly stored in the CLI tool’s state. ![code window background](https://hedera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CodeSnippetBackground-scaled.jpg) ``` { "name": "transfer", "commands": [ "network use testnet", "account create --name alice --args privateKey:privKeyAcc1 --args name:nameAcc1 --args accountId:idAcc1", "account create --name bob --args privateKey:privKeyAcc2 --args name:nameAcc2 --args accountId:idAcc2", "account create --name greg --args privateKey:privKeyAcc3 --args name:nameAcc3 --args accountId:idAcc3", "token create -n mytoken -s MTK -d 2 -i 1000 --supply-type infinite --admin-key {{privKeyAcc1}} --treasury-id {{idAcc2}} --treasury-key {{privKeyAcc2}} --args tokenId:tokenId", "token associate --account-id {{idAcc3}} --token-id {{tokenId}}", "token transfer -t {{tokenId}} -b 1 --from {{nameAcc2}} --to {{nameAcc3}}", "wait 3", "account balance --account-id-or-name {{nameAcc3}} --token-id {{tokenId}}", "state view --token-id {{tokenId}}" ], "args": {} } ``` This other example below shows how you can mix hardhat commands and other CLI commands to: - **Creates** a new account and stores the accountId as *aliceAccId*. - **Compile**all contracts. - **Deploy**a simple storage contract that accepts account IDs. - **Call the smart contract**to store the account ID created in command 1, stored in the variable *aliceAccId.* #### **Give Feedback** Developers are welcome to explore these Hedera CLI features, test their limits, and provide [feedback](https://github.com/hashgraph/hedera-cli/issues) to improve stability and completeness. Your input is essential as we move towards the official release of the Hedera CLI. #### **Get Started Now** Check out the [GitHub repository](https://github.com/hashgraph/hedera-cli?tab=readme-ov-file#prerequisites) and start experimenting with the Hedera CLI today. Share your input and help us build a tool that enhances your development experience on Hedera. [Back to Blog](/blog) discover See more articles [View All](/blog) ![Image](https://hedera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Regulation_Blog-1024x576.png) August 5, 2026 ### Details decide. What digital asset policy did in July 2026 Halfway through 2026, the regulatory picture is coming into focus. 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Hedera Chief Policy Officer Nilmini Rubin and VP Global Policy Isadora Arredondo break down what moved in June across the [Read More](https://hedera.com/blog/regulation-is-finding-its-form-in-summer-2026/) ## Ready to get started? Discover why Hedera is the trusted institutional-grade network powering the new digital economy. [Start Building](/start-building) [Contact](/contact) We use cookies to deliver the best experience on our website and to analyze traffic. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our cookie policy. Review our [Privacy Policy](/privacy) to understand how Hedera collects and uses information. Accept All CookiesAccept Necessary Cookies