CLI Overview

morse-cli is the command-line client for the Morse decentralized CMS. It signs with a locally encrypted key, stores content on Walrus, and encrypts private entries with Seal: the same protocol surface as the SDK, driven from your terminal. Runs on Node or Bun and targets testnet or Walrus Mainnet.

Published on npm · testnet and mainnet

Install @arcadiasystems/morse-cli from npm. It targets testnet unless you choose mainnet with --network, MORSE_NETWORK or a profile. Mainnet spends real SUI and WAL, so test on testnet first.

Installing

The published binary is a Node-targeted bundle. You need Node (≥ 18) or Bun (≥ 1.2) to run it.

bash

npm i -g @arcadiasystems/morse-cli
morse --help

Also available via bun add -g or pnpm add -g.

Or run without installing:

bash

npx @arcadiasystems/morse-cli --help

Getting started

Select an active publication and collection once. All subsequent commands will use them automatically, so you never have to paste a 64-character object ID. publication create and collection create auto-select the new object.

See CLI Cookbooks for step-by-step guides.

Active context

The active publication and collection live in the current profile. Override per command with -P, --publication <slug|id> and -C, --collection <name>. Slugs resolve against publications owned by the active account.

morse use <slug|id> [collection]: set the active publication and collection (optional)
morse use --clear: clear the active context
morse status: show the active profile, account, publication, and collection

Security model

Private keys are stored in an encrypted keystore (scrypt + AES-256-GCM) and unlocked by a password.

Keys are never accepted as command-line flags. They come only from an interactive hidden prompt, the MORSE_PRIVATE_KEY env var, or the encrypted keystore.
Keystore files are written chmod 600; group- or world-readable key files are refused on read.
Keys are never printed or logged, including under --debug. The sole exception is account export, which deliberately reveals a key: interactive-only, requires confirmation, unavailable in --json.
For CI, set MORSE_PRIVATE_KEY (raw key, never persisted) and MORSE_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD to skip prompts.

Configuration

Settings resolve with the precedence flags > MORSE_* env > config file > defaults. The config file lives under $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/morse (default ~/.config/morse); encrypted keystores live in keystores/ beside it.

Variable	Overrides	Notes
`MORSE_PROFILE`	`-p, --profile`	Profile to use.
`MORSE_NETWORK`	`--network`	`testnet`, `mainnet` or `localnet`.
`MORSE_RPC_URL`	`--rpc`	Sui RPC URL override.
`MORSE_ADDRESS`	(no flag)	Active account address.
`MORSE_PUBLICATION`	`-P, --publication`	Active publication ID.
`MORSE_COLLECTION`	`-C, --collection`	Active collection name.
`MORSE_PRIVATE_KEY`	(no flag)	Raw Bech32 secret key. Highest-priority key source; never persisted.
`MORSE_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD`	(no flag)	Keystore password for non-interactive unlock.

Output & scripting

Human-readable output goes to stdout; progress, warnings, and prompts go to stderr. Redirecting stdout yields only the result.
In --json mode, bigint values (e.g. gasUsedMist) are encoded as decimal strings and byte arrays (sealId, quilt patch IDs) as 0x-hex.
Color is emitted only to a TTY and honors NO_COLOR / FORCE_COLOR.

See CLI Command Reference → Global options for a full list of global flags (--json, --quiet, --yes, and more).

Exit codes

Code	Meaning
`0`	Success
`1`	Generic error (contract abort, uncategorized)
`2`	Usage error (bad flags/args, invalid ID/slug/address, declined confirmation)
`3`	Not found
`4`	Auth or permission failure (keystore unlock, unauthorized, no-access)
`5`	Network or transport failure

Next steps

CLI: Command Reference

Every command and flag: config, account, publication, collection, entry, revision, cap.

CLI: Cookbooks

Step-by-step recipes: publishing, encrypted entries, multi-writer setups, CI/CD scripting.

Quick Start: CLI

The protocol concepts the CLI drives: publications, collections, entries.