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Getting Started

This guide walks you through basic CLI usage for Privacy Boost operations.
For a minimal copy-paste example, see the CLI Quickstart. This guide explains each step in detail.

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Prerequisites

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Overview

The Privacy Boost CLI provides command-line access to all SDK functionality:
  • Wallet connection and key derivation
  • Authentication with the backend
  • Deposits, withdrawals, and transfers
  • Balance queries and transaction history

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Quick Start

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1. Configure Network

Set up your environment: 
# Set environment variables
export SERVER_URL="https://optimism.sepolia.privacyboost.io"
export RPC_URL="https://sepolia.optimism.io"
export WETH_CONTRACT_ADDRESS="0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000006"
# Your private key (keep secure!)
export PRIVATE_KEY="0x..."

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2. Login

Connect your wallet and authenticate with the Privacy Boost backend: 
privacy-boost login --private-key $PRIVATE_KEY
Output: 
Logged in!
  Wallet Address:  0x1234...5678
  Privacy Address: 0x9abc...def0
  MPK:             0xfedc...ba98

Session saved! Future commands won't require --private-key.

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3. Check Balance

Query your shielded balance: 
# Check specific token
privacy-boost balance --token 0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000006

# Check all balances
privacy-boost balances
Output: 
Token: 0xC02a...Cc2 (WETH)
Shielded Balance: 1.5 ETH
Wallet Balance: 0.5 ETH

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4. Deposit

Deposit tokens into the shielded pool: 
privacy-boost shield \
  --token 0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000006 \
  --amount 1.0 \
  --human
Output: 
Deposit submitted!
Transaction: 0x1234...5678
Commitment: 0xabcd...ef01
Waiting for confirmation...
Deposit confirmed in block 12345678

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5. Withdraw

Withdraw tokens from the shielded pool: 
privacy-boost unshield \
  --token 0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000006 \
  --amount 0.5 \
  --recipient 0x1234567890123456789012345678901234567890 \
  --human
Output: 
Building proof... (this may take a moment)
Proof generated successfully
Withdraw submitted!
Transaction: 0x5678...9abc
Amount: 0.5 ETH
Recipient: 0x1234...7890

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6. Send Private Transfer

Send tokens privately to another privacy address: 
privacy-boost send \
  --token 0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000006 \
  --amount 0.1 \
  --recipient 0x[194-character-privacy-address] \
  --human
Output: 
Building proof... (this may take a moment)
Proof generated successfully
Transfer submitted!
Transaction: 0x9abc...def0
Amount: 0.1 ETH
Recipient: 0x9abc...ef01 (privacy address)

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Common Workflows

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Check Status

View current connection and authentication status: 
privacy-boost status
Output: 
Status
------
Connected: Yes
Authenticated: Yes
Wallet Address: 0x1234...5678
Privacy Address: 0x9abc...def0
MPK: 0xfedc...ba98
Chain ID: 1
Session Expires: 2024-01-15 10:30:00 UTC
FieldMeaning
ConnectedA wallet has been connected to the SDK (private-key, mnemonic, or external).
AuthenticatedA valid server session is active.
Wallet AddressEOA controlling the funds.
Privacy AddressThe 194-character private receiving address that others use to send to you.
MPKMaster Public Key — a hex-encoded compressed public key derived from your wallet identity.
Chain IDEVM chain the SDK is currently scoped to.
Session ExpiresWhen the current JWT becomes invalid. After expiry, run privacy-boost login again.
Pass --output json to receive the same fields as a structured object suitable for scripting.

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View Transaction History

# All transactions
privacy-boost history

# Filter by type
privacy-boost history --tx-type shield
privacy-boost history --tx-type unshield
privacy-boost history --tx-type transact

# Filter by token
privacy-boost history --token 0x4200000000000000000000000000000000000006

# Limit results
privacy-boost history --limit 10

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List Sessions

privacy-boost sessions

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Logout

privacy-boost logout

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Working with Amounts

Amounts default to wei. Use --human for human-readable format: 
# 1 ETH (human-readable)
privacy-boost shield --token $TOKEN --amount 1.0 --human

# 0.5 ETH
privacy-boost shield --token $TOKEN --amount 0.5 --human

# Small amounts
privacy-boost shield --token $TOKEN --amount 0.001 --human
Or specify directly in wei (default): 
privacy-boost shield --token $TOKEN --amount 1000000000000000000

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Error Handling

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Common Errors

Not Authenticated 
Error: Not authenticated. Run 'privacy-boost login' first.
Insufficient Balance 
Error: Insufficient shielded balance. Have: 0.5 ETH, Need: 1.0 ETH
Network Error 
Error: Failed to connect to server at https://optimism.sepolia.privacyboost.io
Check your network connection and SERVER_URL configuration.

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Next Steps

Deposits

Deposit tokens into the shielded pool

Withdrawals

Withdraw tokens from the shielded pool

Private Transfers

Send tokens privately between users

Balances

Query token balances

Transaction History

View and filter transaction history

Wallet Integration

Authentication and key management

Session Storage

Session persistence

Error Handling

Error codes and recovery patterns