The Midnight Contracts Wizard runs directly via npx, so you do not need to install anything globally. This guide covers all the ways to run the wizard and verify your environment.

Quick start

Run the wizard immediately with npx:

npx @meshsdk/midnight-contracts-wizard

This command:

Downloads the latest version automatically
Launches the interactive wizard
Generates your project with selected contracts

Prerequisites

Before running the wizard, verify you have the required tools installed.

Check Node.js version

node --version

You need Node.js 18 or higher. If you need to install or update Node.js, visit nodejs.org.

Check npm version

npm --version

You need npm 8 or higher (includes npx). npm is included with Node.js, so updating Node.js will also update npm.

Running the wizard

Basic usage

npx @meshsdk/midnight-contracts-wizard

Check available version

npx @meshsdk/midnight-contracts-wizard --version

Display help

npx @meshsdk/midnight-contracts-wizard --help

What happens when you run npx

When you execute the npx command:

Downloads package - npx fetches the latest version from npm registry
Runs wizard - Launches the interactive CLI interface
Creates project - Generates files based on your selections
Cleans up - The package is not permanently installed

Troubleshooting

"npx: command not found"

Cause: npm is not installed or not in your PATH.

Solution: Install Node.js from nodejs.org, which includes npm and npx.

"Node.js version too old"

Cause: You have Node.js < 18 installed.

Solution: Update Node.js using your preferred method:

# Using nvm (recommended)
nvm install 18
nvm use 18

# Or download directly from nodejs.org

Slow download

Cause: First-time download or npm cache cleared.

Solution: Wait for the download to complete. Subsequent runs use the npm cache and are faster.

Permission errors

Cause: npm directory permissions issue.

Solution: Fix npm permissions:

# Create npm directory in home folder
mkdir -p ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'

# Add to your shell profile (.bashrc, .zshrc, etc.)
export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH

Verifying installation

After running the wizard, verify the generated project:

# Navigate to your project
cd my-project

# Check the files were created
ls -la

# Verify package.json exists
cat package.json

You should see:

package.json with project configuration
src/ directory with contract files
tsconfig.json for TypeScript configuration

Next steps

Now that you can run the wizard:

Usage - Create your first project
Contracts - Learn about available templates
Project Structure - Understand generated files

Installation