> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://hedera-0c6e0218-docs-evm-account-model.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

## Scripting with Hiero CLI

Hiero CLI scripts let you run repeatable, end-to-end workflows for Hedera: creating accounts, transferring HBAR, creating tokens, submitting topic messages, and more. These scripts are designed to be non-interactive (safe for CI).

Example scripts live in the [Hiero CLI repository](https://github.com/hiero-ledger/hiero-cli/tree/main/examples/scripts):

* [`create-account-demo.sh`](https://github.com/hiero-ledger/hiero-cli/blob/main/examples/scripts/create-account-demo.sh) — operator setup, create account, view account
* [`transfer-hbar-demo.sh`](https://github.com/hiero-ledger/hiero-cli/blob/main/examples/scripts/transfer-hbar-demo.sh) — two accounts and an HBAR transfer
* [`token-topic-operations-demo.sh`](https://github.com/hiero-ledger/hiero-cli/blob/main/examples/scripts/token-topic-operations-demo.sh) — token and topic operations

Shared helpers: [`examples/scripts/common/`](https://github.com/hiero-ledger/hiero-cli/tree/main/examples/scripts/common) (`helpers.sh`, `setup.sh`). See the folder’s [README](https://github.com/hiero-ledger/hiero-cli/blob/main/examples/scripts/README.md) for how to run the demos.

## Prerequisites

* Node.js installation: 18.0.0 or higher
* Local mode (default): clone [hiero-cli](https://github.com/hiero-ledger/hiero-cli), then in the project root run `npm install` and `npm run build` so `dist/hiero-cli.js` exists
* Global mode (optional): install the CLI with `npm install -g @hiero-ledger/hiero-cli` and set `HIERO_SCRIPT_CLI_MODE=global` when running a script (see below)
* Operator credentials: `HEDERA_OPERATOR_ACCOUNT_ID` and `HEDERA_OPERATOR_KEY`. Copy [`examples/scripts/.env.sample`](https://github.com/hiero-ledger/hiero-cli/blob/main/examples/scripts/.env.sample) to `examples/scripts/.env` and fill in your values, or export both variables in your shell

<Tip>
  These are required for scripts that submit transactions to Hedera (e.g., create account, transfer, token operations).
</Tip>

## Script structure (recommended pattern)

All example scripts follow the same layout:

### Step 1: Strict bash mode

```bash theme={null}
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
```

* `-e` exit immediately on error
* `-u` error on undefined variables
* `-o` pipefail fail if any command in a pipe fails

### Step 2: Paths, helpers, and setup

Resolve the script directory and repository root, then source `common/helpers.sh` and `common/setup.sh`:

* **`helpers.sh`** — defines `run_hcli` (local vs global CLI), `print_step`, `print_info`, `print_warn`, `sleep_loop`, and `pick_random_name`
* **`setup.sh`** — loads optional `examples/scripts/.env`, runs dependency/build checks in local mode, and validates required operator env vars

### Step 3: `run_hcli` (where automation begins)

From `helpers.sh`, commands go through `run_hcli` instead of calling `hcli` or `node dist/hiero-cli.js` directly:

```sh theme={null}
export HIERO_SCRIPT_CLI_MODE="${HIERO_SCRIPT_CLI_MODE:-local}"

run_hcli() {
  if [[ "${HIERO_SCRIPT_CLI_MODE}" == "global" ]]; then
    hcli --format json "$@"
  else
    (cd "${PROJECT_DIR}" && node dist/hiero-cli.js --format json "$@")
  fi
}
```

Why this matters:

* Ensures every invocation uses `--format json` so scripts parse output reliably
* Local: runs the built CLI from `PROJECT_DIR`
* Global: runs the `hcli` on your `PATH` (after `npm install -g @hiero-ledger/hiero-cli`)

Set `HIERO_SCRIPT_CLI_MODE=global` when invoking a script if you do not want to build from source. The default is `local`.

## Quickstart: create an account and view it

The canonical example is `create-account-demo.sh`. From the `hiero-cli` repository root (with `HEDERA_OPERATOR_*` set or `.env` configured):

```sh theme={null}
./examples/scripts/create-account-demo.sh
```

With a globally installed CLI:

```sh theme={null}
HIERO_SCRIPT_CLI_MODE=global ./examples/scripts/create-account-demo.sh
```

The script configures testnet, sets the operator, creates one account with `1.0` HBAR, waits briefly for mirror indexing, then runs `account view`.

<Note>
  #### `network use` in the example scripts

  When `HIERO_SCRIPT_CLI_MODE=global`, the demos call `network use --network testnet`. When using the default local build, they call `network use --global testnet`. Keep the same branch as the script you are running. If a command fails or the help text differs, use `hcli network use --help` for the CLI you actually execute.
</Note>

Below is the same sequence as in `create-account-demo.sh` (paths, `run_hcli`, operator setup, create + view). For a maintained, executable copy, use that file in the repo; this block is for reading the pattern:

```sh theme={null}
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
PROJECT_DIR="$(cd "${SCRIPT_DIR}/../.." && pwd)"

source "$SCRIPT_DIR/common/helpers.sh"
source "$SCRIPT_DIR/common/setup.sh"

print_step "Selecting Hedera testnet as the active network"
if [[ "${HIERO_SCRIPT_CLI_MODE}" == "global" ]]; then
  run_hcli network use --network testnet
else
  run_hcli network use --global testnet
fi

print_step "Configuring CLI operator for testnet"
run_hcli network set-operator \
  --operator "${HEDERA_OPERATOR_ACCOUNT_ID}:${HEDERA_OPERATOR_KEY}" \
  --network testnet

ACCOUNT_NAME="$(pick_random_name)"
print_step "Creating demo account: ${ACCOUNT_NAME} (1 HBAR)"
run_hcli account create --name "${ACCOUNT_NAME}" --balance 1.0

print_info "Waiting for mirror node (sleep_loop 5)..."
sleep_loop 5

print_step "Viewing account ${ACCOUNT_NAME}"
run_hcli account view --account "${ACCOUNT_NAME}"

print_step "Done."
```

Explore the other demos and `examples/scripts/README.md` in the [Hiero CLI repository](https://github.com/hiero-ledger/hiero-cli/tree/main/examples/scripts).