Transaction Commands

The tx command (or transactions) provides a complete workflow for managing Cardano transactions in Cshell. You can execute transactions using tx3 files, or work with individual steps of the transaction lifecycle.

Tip

Cshell uses TRP (Transaction Resolution Protocol) to resolve and submit transactions.

Transaction Workflow

Understanding the transaction lifecycle:

1. Write: Create a tx3 file describing your transaction
2. Resolve: Convert tx3 to CBOR format (handled by TRP)
3. Sign: Add cryptographic signatures using your wallet
4. Submit: Send the transaction to the blockchain

The tx invoke command handles all these steps automatically, while individual commands let you control each step separately for advanced use cases.

Available Commands

• tx invoke: Resolve, sign, and submit a tx3 transaction in one step
• tx construct: Build transactions interactively or programmatically
• tx resolve: Resolve a tx3 transaction to CBOR
• tx sign: Sign a CBOR transaction
• tx submit: Submit a CBOR transaction to the blockchain

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tx invoke

The tx invoke command executes a complete transaction workflow: resolving a tx3 file, signing it with your wallet, and submitting it to the blockchain.

Usage

cshell tx invoke --tx3-file <path-to-tx3-file>

Options

Run cshell tx invoke --help to see all available options.

Using with Different Provider

You can specify a different provider using flags:

cshell tx invoke --tx3-file ./transfer.tx3 --provider testnet

How it Works

When you run tx invoke, Cshell:

1. Reads your tx3 file
2. Resolves the transaction via your configured TRP server
3. Signs the transaction using the appropriate wallet(s)
4. Submits the signed transaction to the blockchain
5. Returns the transaction hash

Tip

Check out the examples directory for more tx3 transaction samples.

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tx construct

The tx construct command provides tools for building transactions programmatically or interactively, offering more control than tx3 files for advanced use cases.

Available Subcommands

The construct command includes several subcommands:

cshell tx construct --help

Wizard

Generate a tx3 transaction using an interactive wizard:

cshell tx construct wizard

The wizard guides you through the transaction creation process step by step, asking for inputs, outputs, and other transaction details.

Add Input

Add a UTxO input to a transaction:

cshell tx construct add-input --tx3-file <path-to-tx3-file>

Options:

• --tx3-file: Path to the final tx3 file used to identify current transaction (tx3 file will be created on build command)
• Additional options available with --help

Add Output

Add an output to a transaction:

cshell tx construct add-output --tx3-file <path-to-tx3-file>

Options:

• --tx3-file: Path to the final tx3 file used to identify current transaction (tx3 file will be created on build command)
• Additional options for assets and datum with --help

Build

Generate the tx3 file from accumulated inputs and outputs:

cshell tx construct build --tx3-file <path-to-tx3-file>

This will take all the inputs/outputs you’ve added by add-input / add-output commands and create a complete tx3 file.

Workflow Example

Here’s a typical workflow for constructing a transaction manually:

# Start with the wizard to set up basic structure
cshell tx construct wizard

# Or build step by step:

# 1. Add input UTxO
cshell tx construct add-input --tx3-file my-transaction.tx3

# 2. Add output
cshell tx construct add-output --tx3-file my-transaction.tx3

# 3. Add change output
cshell tx construct add-output --tx3-file my-transaction.tx3

# 4. Build the transaction
cshell tx construct build --tx3-file my-transaction.tx3

Additional Help

Each subcommand has its own help documentation:

cshell tx construct wizard --help
cshell tx construct add-input --help
cshell tx construct add-output --help
cshell tx construct build --help

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tx resolve

The tx resolve command converts a tx3 file into CBOR format without signing or submitting it. This is useful for inspecting transaction details or preparing transactions for external signing.

Usage

cshell tx resolve --tx3-file <path-to-tx3-file>

Options

Run cshell tx resolve --help to see all available options.

Examples

Basic Resolution

cshell tx resolve --tx3-file ./transfer.tx3

This outputs the resolved CBOR transaction to stdout.

Note

The resolved transaction is in CBOR format, which is a binary format.

With Different Provider

cshell tx resolve --tx3-file ./transfer.tx3 --provider testnet

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tx sign

The tx sign command signs a CBOR transaction with your wallet’s private keys, preparing it for submission to the blockchain.

Usage

cshell tx sign <unsigned-cbor>

Options

Run cshell tx sign --help to see all available options.

Examples

Basic Signing

# Sign a resolved transaction
cshell tx sign <unsigned-cbor>

The signed transaction will be output to stdout.

Specify Output File

cshell tx sign <unsigned-cbor> > signed.cbor

Sign with Specific Wallet

If you have multiple wallets, specify which one to use:

cshell tx sign <unsigned-cbor> --signer my-wallet

Workflow

Typically used as part of a manual transaction workflow:

# 1. Resolve the transaction
cshell tx resolve --tx3-file transfer.tx3

# 2. Sign the transaction
cshell tx sign <unsigned-cbor>

# 3. Submit to blockchain
cshell tx submit <signed-cbor>

Note

If you’re using tx invoke, signing happens automatically. Use tx sign separately only for advanced workflows.

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tx submit

The tx submit command broadcasts a signed CBOR transaction to the Cardano blockchain via your configured TRP provider.

Usage

cshell tx submit <signed-cbor>

Options

Run cshell tx submit --help to see all available options.

Examples

Basic Submission

cshell tx submit <signed-cbor>

Successful submission returns a transaction hash:

Submitted TX: <signed-cbor>
TX Hash: 8f3a2b1c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2

With Different Provider

Submit to a specific provider:

cshell tx submit <signed-cbor> --provider mainnet

Save Transaction Hash

Capture the transaction hash for later reference:

cshell tx submit <signed-cbor> > tx-submit-result.txt

Complete Workflow

Here’s the full manual transaction workflow:

# 1. Resolve transaction
cshell tx resolve --tx3-file transfer.tx3

# 2. Sign transaction
cshell tx sign <unsigned-cbor>

# 3. Submit to blockchain
cshell tx submit <signed-cbor>

# 4. Monitor transaction (using the returned hash)
cshell search transaction <tx-hash>

Tip

For most use cases, tx invoke handles all these steps automatically. Use the individual commands for advanced workflows or debugging.

Verifying Submission

After submitting, verify your transaction:

Using Cshell Explorer

Note

Cshell explorer should be open before submitting transactions to see real-time updates.

# Open explorer and check recent transactions
cshell explorer

Navigate to the Transactions tab to see your submitted transaction.

Using Search Command

# Search by transaction hash
cshell search transaction <tx-hash>

Check Wallet Balance

# Verify balance changes
cshell wallet balance

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Quick Reference

Note

Use --help with any command to view all available options:

cshell tx --help
cshell tx invoke --help
cshell tx construct --help
cshell tx resolve --help
cshell tx sign --help
cshell tx submit --help