zcli

zcash wallet CLI. uses your ssh ed25519 key as wallet seed — no new mnemonics to back up. if you already protect your ssh key, your zcash wallet is already backed up.

also supports standard bip39 mnemonics via --mnemonic.

syncs against zidecar for trustless compact block scanning with ligerito header proofs.

install

cargo install --git https://github.com/rotkonetworks/zcli

usage

# show addresses (uses ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 by default)
zcli address

# receive — prints QR code in terminal
zcli receive

# sync chain (resumes from last position)
zcli sync

# check balance
zcli balance

# shield transparent funds to orchard
zcli shield

# send (z→t or z→z, auto-detected from address)
zcli send -a 0.01 -t u1address...

# send with memo
zcli send -a 0.01 -t u1address... -m "gm"

# use a different ssh key
zcli -i ~/.ssh/id_work balance

# use bip39 mnemonic instead
zcli --mnemonic "abandon abandon ... art" balance

# custom endpoint
zcli --endpoint https://your-zidecar.example.com sync

# json output for scripting
zcli --script balance

key derivation

ssh key mode (default): reads your ed25519 private key, derives a zcash-specific seed via BLAKE2b-512("ZcliWalletSeed" || ed25519_seed). your ssh key passphrase is prompted if the key is encrypted. set ZCLI_PASSPHRASE for non-interactive use.

mnemonic mode: standard bip39 seed derivation, compatible with other zcash wallets.

both modes derive:

• orchard spending key via ZIP-32 (m/32'/133'/0')
• transparent key via BIP-44 (m/44'/133'/0'/0/0)

wallet storage

notes and sync state stored in sled at ~/.zcli/wallet. delete to resync from scratch.

privacy

• trial decryption: downloads all compact blocks, decrypts locally. the server never learns which notes are yours.
• orchard shielded pool only (no sapling legacy).
• ZIP-317 fee calculation.

environment variables

variable	description
ZCLI_IDENTITY	path to ed25519 ssh key (default: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519)
ZCLI_MNEMONIC	bip39 mnemonic (overrides ssh key)
ZCLI_ENDPOINT	zidecar gRPC endpoint (default: https://zcash.rotko.net)
ZCLI_PASSPHRASE	ssh key passphrase (non-interactive)
ZCLI_SCRIPT	enable json output

license

MIT