Shelby CLI Helper

Purpose

This skill assists developers working with the Shelby Protocol CLI, a command-line tool for interacting with Shelby's decentralized blob storage network built on Aptos blockchain. It provides guidance on setup, file operations, account management, and troubleshooting.

When to Use

This skill should be invoked when:

• User mentions "Shelby CLI", "shelby upload", "shelby download", or "shelby init"
• User needs to configure Shelby network contexts or accounts
• User wants to upload files to decentralized storage
• User needs to fund Shelby accounts with ShelbyUSD or Aptos tokens
• User is troubleshooting Shelby CLI errors (insufficient tokens, upload failures)
• User asks about blob management, expiration dates, or account balances
• User wants to verify uploads or list stored blobs

Process

1. Initial Setup and Configuration

Check if CLI is installed:

shelby --version

If not installed, provide installation command:

npm i -g @shelby-protocol/cli

Initialize configuration:

shelby init

This creates ~/.shelby/config.yaml with network contexts and prompts for API key (optional but recommended to avoid rate limits).

2. Account Management

List available contexts and accounts:

shelby context list
shelby account list

Check account balances:

shelby account balance

Fund account with tokens:

For Aptos tokens (gas fees):

aptos account fund-with-faucet --profile shelby-alice --amount 1000000000000000000

For ShelbyUSD tokens (Shelby operations):

shelby faucet --no-open

3. File Upload Operations

Upload file with expiration:

shelby upload /path/to/file.txt files/file.txt -e tomorrow --assume-yes

Parameters:

• First argument: Local source file path
• Second argument: Destination blob name in Shelby storage
• -e, --expiration: Expiration date (e.g., "tomorrow", "7 days", "2025-12-31")
• --assume-yes: Skip confirmation prompts

Verify upload:

shelby account blobs

4. File Download Operations

Download blob to local file:

shelby download files/file.txt /local/path/file.txt

Parameters:

• First argument: Source blob name in Shelby storage
• Second argument: Local destination file path

5. Troubleshooting Common Issues

Insufficient ShelbyUSD Error:

Problem: Upload fails with "insufficient ShelbyUSD" message.

Solution:

1. Check current balance:

   shelby account balance
   

2. Fund account via faucet:

   shelby faucet --no-open
   

3. Retry upload after funding

Insufficient Aptos Tokens:

Problem: Transaction fails due to insufficient gas.

Solution:

1. Fund with Aptos faucet:

   aptos account fund-with-faucet --profile <profile-name> --amount 1000000000000000000
   

Configuration Issues:

Problem: CLI can't find configuration or account.

Solution:

1. Re-run initialization:

   shelby init
   

2. List and verify contexts:

   shelby context list
   shelby account list
   

Output Format

When helping users with Shelby CLI:

1. Assess current state - Check if CLI is installed and configured
2. Provide step-by-step commands - Give exact bash commands to run
3. Explain parameters - Clarify what each flag/argument does
4. Verify results - Show commands to verify operations succeeded
5. Handle errors - If errors occur, provide troubleshooting steps

Best Practices

• Always check balances before uploads to avoid insufficient token errors
• Use meaningful blob names with path-like structure (e.g., videos/2024/intro.mp4)
• Set appropriate expiration dates based on data retention needs
• Verify uploads using shelby account blobs after operations
• Use --assume-yes flag for automation/scripts to skip confirmations
• Keep API keys secure - Never commit config files to version control
• Use context switching for managing multiple networks (local, shelbynet)

Examples

Example 1: First-time Setup

User Request: "I want to start using Shelby CLI to upload videos"

Process:

1. Check if CLI is installed (shelby --version)
2. If not, install: npm i -g @shelby-protocol/cli
3. Initialize: shelby init
4. List contexts: shelby context list
5. Fund account with both token types
6. Verify balances: shelby account balance

Output: Step-by-step setup with verification at each stage.

Example 2: Upload Video File

User Request: "Upload my video.mp4 file to Shelby storage"

Process:

1. Check account balance first
2. Provide upload command:

   shelby upload ./video.mp4 videos/my-video.mp4 -e "30 days" --assume-yes
   

3. Verify upload:

   shelby account blobs
   

Output: Upload command with appropriate expiration and verification.

Example 3: Troubleshoot Upload Failure

User Request: "My upload failed with 'insufficient ShelbyUSD' error"

Process:

1. Explain the error (need ShelbyUSD tokens for uploads)
2. Check balance: shelby account balance
3. Fund account: shelby faucet --no-open
4. Verify funding: shelby account balance
5. Retry upload command

Output: Clear troubleshooting steps with verification.

Example 4: Download Multiple Blobs

User Request: "Download all my uploaded videos"

Process:

1. List all blobs: shelby account blobs
2. Read output to get blob names
3. Provide download commands for each blob
4. Suggest script for batch downloads if many files

Output: Commands to download each blob or a bash loop for automation.

Error Handling

• shelby: command not found: CLI not installed → Install via npm
• Insufficient ShelbyUSD tokens: Fund account via faucet
• Insufficient gas: Fund with Aptos tokens
• Blob not found: Check blob name/path → Use shelby account blobs to list
• Configuration not found: Run shelby init to create config
• Network error: Check internet connection and API endpoint availability
• Invalid expiration date: Use valid format (e.g., "tomorrow", "7 days", ISO date)

Additional Commands

Get help:

shelby --help
shelby upload --help
shelby download --help

List all blobs in account:

shelby account blobs

View commitment operations:

shelby commitment --help

Context management:

shelby context list
shelby context use <context-name>

Notes

• Two token types required: Aptos (gas fees) and ShelbyUSD (upload fees)
• Configuration location: ~/.shelby/config.yaml
• Network options: Local (development) and Shelbynet (production)
• API endpoint: https://api.shelbynet.shelby.xyz/shelby
• Aptos blockchain: High throughput, low finality times
• Erasure coding: Automatic chunking and redundancy
• Read-heavy workloads: Optimized for video streaming, AI training, data analytics
• Explorer available: https://explorer.shelby.xyz for web-based management

Related Resources

• TypeScript SDK: For programmatic integration (@shelby-protocol/sdk)
• Media Player: React component for video streaming (@shelby-protocol/player)
• Explorer: Web UI at https://explorer.shelby.xyz
• Documentation: https://docs.shelby.xyz
• Whitepaper: https://shelby.xyz/whitepaper.pdf