Nansen CLI

Built by agents, for agents. Command-line interface for the Nansen API, designed for AI agents.

Installation

npm install -g nansen-cli
npx skills add nansen-ai/nansen-cli  # load agent skill files

Auth

nansen login              # interactive — saves to ~/.nansen/config.json
export NANSEN_API_KEY=... # or env var (highest priority)

Get your API key at app.nansen.ai/api. AI agents can use the Agent Setup flow instead.

Commands

nansen research <category> <subcommand> [options]
nansen trade <subcommand> [options]
nansen wallet <subcommand> [options]
nansen schema [command] [--pretty]    # full command reference (no API key needed)

Research categories: smart-money (sm), token (tgm), profiler (prof), portfolio (port), prediction-market (pm), search, perp, points

Trade: quote, execute — DEX swaps on Solana and Base.

Wallet: create, list, show, export, default, delete, send — local keypairs (EVM + Solana).

Run nansen schema --pretty for the full subcommand and field reference.

Key Options

Option	Description
--chain <chain>	Blockchain to query
--limit <n>	Result count
--timeframe <tf>	Time window: 5m 1h 6h 24h 7d 30d
--fields <list>	Comma-separated fields (reduces response size)
--sort <field:dir>	Sort results, e.g. --sort value_usd:desc
--pretty	Human-readable JSON
--table	Table format
--stream	NDJSON output for large results
--labels <label>	Smart Money label filter
--smart-money	Filter for Smart Money addresses only

Supported Chains

ethereum solana base bnb arbitrum polygon optimism avalanche linea scroll mantle ronin sei plasma sonic monad hyperevm iotaevm

Run nansen schema to get the current chain list (source of truth).

Agent Tips

Reduce token burn with --fields:

nansen research smart-money netflow --chain solana --fields token_symbol,net_flow_usd --limit 10

Use --stream for large results — outputs NDJSON instead of buffering a giant array.

ENS names work anywhere --address is accepted: --address vitalik.eth

Output Format

{ "success": true,  "data": <api_response> }
{ "success": false, "error": "message", "code": "ERROR_CODE", "status": 401 }

Critical error codes:

Code	Action
CREDITS_EXHAUSTED	Stop all API calls immediately. Check app.nansen.ai.
UNAUTHORIZED	Wrong or missing key. Re-auth.
RATE_LIMITED	Auto-retried by CLI.
UNSUPPORTED_FILTER	Remove the filter and retry.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
command not found	npm install -g nansen-cli
UNAUTHORIZED after login	cat ~/.nansen/config.json or set NANSEN_API_KEY
Empty perp results	Use --symbol BTC, not --token. Perps are Hyperliquid-only.
UNSUPPORTED_FILTER on token holders	Remove --smart-money — not all tokens have that data.
Huge JSON response	Use --fields to select columns.

Development

npm test              # mocked tests, no API key needed
npm run test:live     # live API (needs NANSEN_API_KEY)

See AGENTS.md for architecture and contributor guidance.

License

MIT © Nansen