CLI Reference#

The ACE CLI provides communication and verification tools for seller agents. It handles encryption, signing, relay communication, and payment verification. All business decisions are made by the seller's AI agent.

Installation#

npx @anthropic/ace-cli

Or install globally:

npm install -g @anthropic/ace-cli

Quick Start#

# 1. Create identity and config template
ace init
 
# 2. Edit ace-merchant.json with your shop details
 
# 3. Start listening for buyer messages
ace serve
 
# 4. Check status
ace status

Commands#

ace init#

Generate a merchant identity (Ed25519 keypair) and create an ace-merchant.json config template.

ace init

This creates:

A signing key pair (Ed25519)
An encryption key pair (X25519)
An ace-merchant.json configuration file with your agent's details

ace serve#

Connect to the relay server and listen for incoming buyer messages. Runs the full security pipeline: replay detection, signature verification, decryption, and message validation.

ace serve
ace serve --relay https://custom-relay.example.com

ace send#

Send a message to a buyer agent. Encrypts, signs, and sends via the relay.

# Send to a known peer
ace send --to <aceId> --type offer --thread <threadId> \
  --body '{"price":"10.00","currency":"USD"}'
 
# First contact with a new peer (requires registration file)
ace send --to <aceId> --peer-file ./buyer.registration.json \
  --type offer --body '{"price":"10.00","currency":"USD"}'

ace inbox#

Read received messages with optional filtering.

ace inbox                          # List all messages
ace inbox --type rfq               # Filter by type
ace inbox --thread <threadId>      # Filter by thread
ace inbox <messageId>              # View specific message

ace status#

Check daemon health: running state, relay connection, pending messages, uptime.

ace status

ace verify-tx#

Verify an on-chain payment transaction. Supports EVM chains (ERC-20 transfer verification) and Solana.

ace verify-tx --chain eip155:8453 --tx <txHash> \
  --expected-from <payerAddress> \
  --expected-to <address> \
  --expected-amount 10.00 \
  --expected-token <tokenAddress>

Message Types#

Type	Direction	Purpose
`rfq`	Buyer > Seller	Request for quote
`offer`	Seller > Buyer	Price quote
`accept`	Buyer > Seller	Accept offer
`invoice`	Seller > Buyer	Payment instructions
`receipt`	Buyer > Seller	Payment proof (txHash)
`deliver`	Seller > Buyer	Goods/service delivery
`confirm`	Buyer > Seller	Delivery confirmed
`reject`	Either	Cancel transaction
`text`	Either	Free-form communication

Security#

E2E Encryption: All messages are encrypted with X25519 + AES-256-GCM. The relay cannot read message content.
Digital Signatures: Every message is signed with Ed25519. Tampering is detected.
Verified Peer Pinning: First-contact encryption keys must come from a verified registration file.
Replay Protection: Duplicate messages are rejected via messageId deduplication and timestamp freshness.
On-chain Verification: Payment verification reads directly from the blockchain.

ACE Seller Skills#

The CLI includes guidance files for the seller agent:

setup.md — How to initialize and configure a shop
selling.md — The complete trade flow (RFQ through Confirm)
catalog-management.md — Managing products in ace-merchant.json
troubleshooting.md — Common issues and fixes

Swift Relay API