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Create a New Account (CLI)

Security Notice

⚠️ ALWAYS back up your key and/or mnemonic after creating a new account ⚠️

Store it in a secure location accessible only to you, such as a password manager, or written down in a safe place.

Quickstart tl;dr ​

Add a new wallet:

pocketd keys add $USER

Retrieve the address:

pocketd keys show $USER -a

Table of Contents ​

This guide will walk you through creating a new wallet on the Pocket Network.

Prerequisites: Install pocketd​

Ensure you have pocketd installed on your system.

Follow the installation guide specific to your operating system.

Exporting & Importing Hex Private Keys​

You can import a hex private key into your keyring like so:

pocketd keys import-hex <wallet_name> <hex_private_key>

And export a hex private key from your keyring like so:

pocketd keys export <wallet_name> --unsafe --unarmored-hex --yes

For more details, see:

pocketd keys --help

Creating a new wallet Wallet​

To create a new wallet, use the pocketd keys add command followed by your desired wallet name. This will generate a new address and mnemonic phrase for your wallet.

pocketd keys add <insert-your-desired-wallet-name-here>

After running the command, you'll receive an output similar to the following:

- address: pokt1beef420
  name: myNewWallet
  pubkey: '{"@type":"/cosmos.crypto.secp256k1.PubKey","key":"A31T7iUyr6SwT5Wyy3BNgRqlObq3FqYpW4cTAkfE+6c2"}'
  type: local


**Important** write this mnemonic phrase in a safe place.
It is the only way to recover your account if you ever forget your password.

your seed mnemonic phase here

Backing Up Your Wallet​

After creating your wallet, YOU MUST back up your mnemonic phrase. This phrase is the key to your wallet, and losing it means losing access to your funds.

Here are some tips for securely backing up your mnemonic phrase:

  • Write it down on paper and store it in multiple secure locations.
  • Consider using a password manager to store it digitally, ensuring the service is reputable and secure.
  • Avoid storing it in plaintext on your computer or online services prone to hacking.

🔑 HD Derivation Path​

pocketd supports BIP-0044-compatible HD wallets, with POKT registered under coin_type = 635 (path_component = 0x8000027b). This assignment is defined in SLIP-0044.

The default derivation path used is:

m/44'/635'/0'/0/0

To use this path, run:

pocketd keys add --coin-type=635

You can view additional options with:

pocketd keys add --help

References:

Keyring Backends​

Before proceeding, it's critical to understand the implications of keyring backends for securing your wallet.

By default, --keyring-backend=test is used for demonstration purposes in this documentation, suitable for initial testing.

In production, operators should consider using a more secure keyring backend such as os, file, or kwallet. For more information on keyring backends, refer to the Cosmos SDK Keyring documentation.

Keyring Directory Behavior: --home, --keyring-backend, and --keyring-dir​

In the Cosmos SDK (and thus in pocketd):

  • --home sets the root directory for app state (default: ~/.pocket)
  • --keyring-backend sets how keys are stored (os, file, test, memory)
  • --keyring-dir overrides where keys are stored, but still nests by backend

Example:

pocketd keys list --home=. --keyring-backend=test --keyring-dir=./foo

This creates:

./foo/keyring-test/

So --keyring-dir works, but the backend (e.g. test) decides the final subfolder. That’s why you see foo/keyring-test.

This creates the keyring directory inside of the path you provide to --keyring-dir, with a subfolder corresponding to the backend you choose.