Hive CLI 🐝

Use the hive CLI (hive-tx-cli) to query the Hive blockchain, upload images, and broadcast transactions with the correct key type.

Install

# npm/pnpm/bun
npm install -g @peakd/hive-tx-cli

# One-shot (no install)
bunx @peakd/hive-tx-cli account peakd

Requirements

• Node.js >= 22.0.0

Quick Start

hive config                    # Interactive configuration
hive status                    # Check configuration status
hive account peakd             # Query an account

Authentication & Keys

• Posting key: Required for voting, commenting, posting, uploading images
• Active key: Required for transfers and high-privilege operations
• Keys stored in ~/.hive-tx-cli/config.json with 600 permissions
• Environment variables override config file values

hive config                    # Interactive setup
hive config --show             # Show current configuration
hive config --clear            # Clear all configuration
hive config set account <name>
hive config set postingKey <private-key>
hive config set activeKey <private-key>
hive config set node <url>
hive config get account

Query Commands

hive account <username>        # Account information
hive props                     # Dynamic global properties
hive block <number>            # Block by number
hive content <author> <permlink> # Post/comment content
hive call database_api get_accounts '[["username"]]' # Raw API call

Broadcast Commands

Voting

hive vote --author <author> --permlink <permlink> --weight 100

Posts & Comments

Body format: Post body must be in Markdown format.

Image workflow: If the post contains images, upload them first using hive upload, then insert the returned URLs into the post body before publishing.

# Create a post
hive post --permlink my-post --title "My Post" --body "Content" --tags "hive,blockchain"

# Create a reply
hive comment --permlink my-reply --body "Comment" --parent-author <author> --parent-permlink <permlink>

Post Metadata

The --metadata option accepts a JSON string with post metadata. All fields are optional.

Schema:

• app: Application identifier (e.g., “hive-tx-cli/2026.1.1”)
• description: Short summary of the post content
• image: Array of image URLs for the post thumbnail
• tags: Array of post tags (should match –tags)
• users: Array of mentioned usernames
• ai_tools: Object indicating AI involvement in creating content
  • writing_edit: AI assisted with writing/editing
  • media_generation: AI generated images/media
  • research: AI assisted with research
  • translation: AI performed translation
  • post_draft: AI helped draft the post
  • other: Other AI assistance

Guidelines:

• Set app to the tool you’re using
• Include a description summarizing the post (1-2 sentences)
• Add image URLs when the post contains images
• If the post was created with AI assistance, set appropriate ai_tools flags to true

Example:

hive post --permlink my-post --title "My Post" --body "Content" --tags "hive,ai" \
  --metadata '{"app":"hive-tx-cli/2026.1.1","description":"A post about Hive and AI tools","image":["https://example.com/image.jpg"],"ai_tools":{"writing_edit":true}}'

Transfers

hive transfer --to <recipient> --amount "1.000 HIVE" --memo "Thanks!"
hive transfer --to <recipient> --amount "1.000 HBD" --memo "Payment" --token HBD

Custom JSON & Raw Operations

hive custom-json --id <app-id> --json '{"key":"value"}'
hive broadcast '["vote",{"voter":"me","author":"you","permlink":"post","weight":10000}]' --key-type posting

Image Uploads

If tools are available to resize or compress images, do so before uploading. Target ~300kb output size for images above 500kb by reducing dimensions and slightly lowering quality.

hive upload --file ./path/to/image.jpg
hive upload --file ./image.png --host https://images.ecency.com

Global Options

--node <url>                   # Override Hive node
hive --node https://api.hive.blog account peakd

Configuration File

~/.hive-tx-cli/config.json (permissions 600):

{
  "account": "your-username",
  "postingKey": "your-posting-private-key",
  "activeKey": "your-active-private-key",
  "node": "https://api.hive.blog"
}

Never commit private keys to version control.

Environment Variables

export HIVE_ACCOUNT="your-username"
export HIVE_POSTING_KEY="your-posting-private-key"
export HIVE_ACTIVE_KEY="your-active-private-key"

hive vote --author author --permlink permlink --weight 100

Troubleshooting

Authentication errors

• Verify keys are private keys (not public keys)
• Check account name matches exactly
• Ensure config file permissions: chmod 600 ~/.hive-tx-cli/config.json

Node connection issues

• Try different node: hive config set node https://api.hiveworks.com
• Check network connectivity

Transaction failures

• Ensure sufficient Resource Credits (stake HIVE for RC)
• Use correct key type (posting vs active) for the operation
• Start with hive status to diagnose

References

• Hive docs: https://developers.hive.io/
• hive-tx-cli: https://github.com/asgarth/hive-tx-cli

TL;DR: Query with hive account/block/content. Broadcast with hive vote/post/comment/transfer/custom-json. Upload with hive upload. Configure keys via hive config. 🐝