Contract interaction with zksync-cli

The zksync-cli tool, now enhanced with contract read, contract write and contract encode commands, offers efficient ways for developers to interact with smart contracts on zkSync. These commands automate tasks such as method verification, ABI handling, output decoding, and proxy contract processing.

Contract Read - Running read-only methods
Contract Write - Executing write operations
Examples
Troubleshooting

Contract Read

The npx zksync-cli contract read command executes read-only methods on contracts, like checking ERC-20 balances or contract states. See basic example

Read Options

You do not need to specify options bellow, you will be prompted to enter them if they are not specified.

--chain <chain-name>: Select the chain to use (e.g., zksync-mainnet, zksync-sepolia).
--rpc <url>: Provide RPC URL instead of selecting a chain
--contract <address>: Specify contract's address
--method <method-signature>: Defines the contract method to interact with
--arguments <method-arguments...>: Pass arguments to the contract method
--data <0x-transaction-data>: Instead of specifying the method and arguments, you can pass the raw transaction data
--outputTypes <output-types...>: Specifies output types for decoding
--from <address>: Call method on behalf of specified address
--abi <path>: Path to local ABI file or contract artifact
--decode-skip: Skips prompting for output types and decoding the response
--show-info: Displays transaction request information (e.g. encoded transaction data)

Contract Write

The npx zksync-cli contract write command performs write operations on smart contracts. It enables sending transactions that alter the state of a contract, such as transferring tokens or changing ownership. See basic example

Write Options

You do not need to specify options bellow, you will be prompted to enter them if they are not specified.

--chain <chain-name>: Select the chain to use
--rpc <url>: Provide RPC URL instead of selecting a chain
--contract <address>: Specify contract's address
--method <method-signature>: Defines the contract method to interact with
--arguments <method-arguments...>: Pass arguments to the contract method
--value <ether-amount>: Ether amount to send with the transaction (e.g. 0.01)
--private-key <wallet-private-key>: Private key of the wallet to use to sign the transaction
--data <0x-transaction-data>: Instead of specifying the method and arguments, you can pass the raw transaction data
--abi <path>: Path to local ABI file or contract artifact
--show-info: Displays transaction request information (e.g. encoded transaction data)

Examples

Basic read example

npx zksync-cli contract read

You will be prompted to select a chain, contract address, and method.

? Chain to use: zkSync Sepolia Testnet
? Contract address: 0x45E6dC995113fd3d1A3b1964493105B9AA9a9A42

Next you need to select a method (function) to call.

In case your contract is verified it will automatically identify the ABI:

? Contract method to call
  ────────── Provided contract ──────────
❯ balanceOf(address account) view returns (uint256)
  decimals() pure returns (uint8)
  name() pure returns (string)
  symbol() pure returns (string)
  totalSupply() view returns (uint256)
  ───────────────────────────────────────
  Type method manually

Otherwise you'll have to enter method signature manually, for example balanceOf(address).
```
? Enter method to call: balanceOf(address)
```
Alternatively, you can specify the ABI file manually using the --abi option. See example

After that, you will be prompted to enter arguments for the method, one by one.

? Provide method arguments:
? [1/1] account (address): 0xa1cf087DB965Ab02Fb3CFaCe1f5c63935815f044

When submitted a contract call will be made and you'll see the response in it's original encoded form.

✔ Method response (raw): 0x000000000000000000000000000000000000000000010508e606548a9e5d2000

Finally, you will be asked the method output type to decode the response. You can skip this step by submitting empty response or completely skip it by passing --decode-skip option.

? Output types: uint256
✔ Decoded method response: 1232701801010000000000000

Tip: after running command with prompts you will see a full command with all the options that you can copy and use later to quickly run the same command again. For example:

npx zksync-cli contract read \
  --chain "zksync-sepolia" \
  --contract "0x45E6dC995113fd3d1A3b1964493105B9AA9a9A42" \
  --method "balanceOf(address)" \
  --args "0xa1cf087DB965Ab02Fb3CFaCe1f5c63935815f044" \
  --output "uint256"

Basic write example

npx zksync-cli contract write

You will be prompted to select a chain, contract address, and method.

? Chain to use: zkSync Sepolia Testnet
? Contract address: 0x45E6dC995113fd3d1A3b1964493105B9AA9a9A42

Next you need to select a method (function) to call.

In case your contract is verified it will automatically identify the ABI:

? Contract method to call
  ────────── Provided contract ──────────
❯ approve(address spender, uint256 amount) returns (bool)
  transfer(address to, uint256 amount) returns (bool)
  ───────────────────────────────────────
  Type method manually

Otherwise you'll have to enter method signature manually, for example transfer(address,uint256).
```
? Enter method to call: transfer(address,uint256)
```
Alternatively, you can specify the ABI file manually using the --abi option. See example

After that, you will be prompted to enter arguments for the method, one by one.

? Provide method arguments:
? [1/2] to (address): 0xa1cf087DB965Ab02Fb3CFaCe1f5c63935815f044
? [2/2] amount (uint256): 1

Now you need to provide private key of the wallet to use to sign the transaction.

? Private key of the wallet to sign transaction: *****

When submitted a contract call will be made and you'll see the transaction hash

✔ Transaction submitted. Transaction hash: 0xa83ad7e8932e18cdc57d3892040505a50d560a56fa507cabcd4180e9e5898bec

Tip: after running command with prompts you will see a full command with all the options that you can copy and use later to quickly run the same command again. For example:

npx zksync-cli contract write \
  --chain "zksync-sepolia" \
  --contract "0x45E6dC995113fd3d1A3b1964493105B9AA9a9A42" \
  --method "transfer(address to, uint256 amount)" \
  --args "0x45E6dC995113fd3d1A3b1964493105B9AA9a9A42" "1"

Basic encode example

npx zksync-cli contract encode

This command allows you to encode contract method signature and arguments into raw calldata (e.g. 0x1234...).

You will need to select a method (function) to encode.

Enter method signature manually, for example transfer(address,uint256).
```
? Enter method to call: transfer(address,uint256)
```
Alternatively, you can specify the ABI file using the --abi option. See example

? Contract method to call
  ────────── Provided contract ──────────
❯ approve(address spender, uint256 amount) returns (bool)
  transfer(address to, uint256 amount) returns (bool)
  ───────────────────────────────────────
  Type method manually

After that, you will be prompted to enter arguments for the method, one by one.

? Provide method arguments:
? [1/2] to (address): 0xa1cf087DB965Ab02Fb3CFaCe1f5c63935815f044
? [2/2] amount (uint256): 1

When finished you will see the encoded data.

✔ Encoded data: 0xa41368620000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000020000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000c48656c6c6f20776f726c64210000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Using local ABI file

You can specify a local ABI file using the --abi option. It should be a JSON file with either ABI data (array) or contract artifact which you get after compiling your contracts.

npx zksync-cli contract read \
  --abi "./Greeter.json"

Now you will be able to select a method:

  ────────── Provided contract ──────────
❯ greet() view returns (string)
  ───────────────────────────────────────
  Type method manually

Response will be decoded automatically as well according to the ABI file.

Running read on behalf of another address

You can specify the --from option to run the method on behalf of another address. This is useful when you need to call a method that expects a specific address as msg.sender.

npx zksync-cli contract read \
  --from "0xa1cf087DB965Ab02Fb3CFaCe1f5c63935815f044"

Write operation with value transfer

Here, the command sends a transaction that includes Ether transfer along with the method call.

npx zksync-cli contract write \
  --value "0.1"

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, consult our troubleshooting guide or report them in our GitHub discussionsopen in new window.

Contract interaction with zksync-cli

# Contract interaction with zksync-cli

# Table of contents

# Contract Read

# Read Options

# Contract Write

# Write Options

# Examples

# Basic read example

# Basic write example

# Basic encode example

# Using local ABI file

# Running read on behalf of another address

# Write operation with value transfer

# Troubleshooting

Contract interaction with zksync-cli

Table of contents

Contract Read

Read Options

Contract Write

Write Options

Examples

Basic read example

Basic write example

Basic encode example

Using local ABI file

Running read on behalf of another address

Write operation with value transfer

Troubleshooting