NEAR Tools - NEAR CLI Installation & Setup

---

name: near-tools

description: NEAR Protocol CLI installation and setup guide. Use when: (1) User asks how to install NEAR CLI, (2) User needs help setting up near-cli-rs, (3) User wants to verify NEAR CLI installation, (4) User needs to install near-cli-rs, (5) user wants to use near cli to perform any action on the blockchain. AGENTS MUST ALWAYS get the absolute path of the 'near' binary before execution.

---

# NEAR Tools - NEAR CLI Installation & Setup

> **CRITICAL FOR AGENTS:** Before calling any `near` command, you **MUST** find the absolute path of the `near` binary (e.g., using `which near` or `whereis near`) and use that absolute path in your commands. This ensures consistency across different shell environments.

This skill provides comprehensive guidance for installing and setting up the NEAR Protocol CLI (near-cli-rs) on any platform.

Installation Methods

Choose the installation method that works best for your system:

Option 1: Shell Script (Linux, macOS, WSL)

**Best for:** Most Linux and macOS users

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/near/near-cli-rs/releases/latest/download/near-cli-rs-installer.sh | sh

**if not add near to PATH:**

find the near binary by `whereis near`

**Add to PATH:**

# Temporary (current session only)
export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"

# Permanent (add to your shell config)
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc  # For bash
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc   # For zsh

Reload your shell or run:

source ~/.bashrc   # or ~/.zshrc

Option 2: npm/npx (Any Platform with Node.js)

**Best for:** JavaScript/TypeScript developers, Windows users

**Run directly without installation:**

npx near-cli-rs

**Install globally:**

npm install -g near-cli-rs

**Or add to package.json:**

npm install --save-dev near-cli-rs

Then use:

npx near-cli-rs

Option 3: Windows Installer

**Best for:** Windows users without Node.js or Cargo

1. Visit: https://github.com/near/near-cli-rs/releases/latest

2. Download the Windows MSI installer (e.g., `near-cli-rs-installer-x64.msi`)

3. Double-click the installer and follow the wizard

4. The installer automatically adds NEAR CLI to your PATH

Option 4: Cargo (Rust)

**Best for:** Rust developers, custom builds

**Prerequisites:** Install Rust first from https://rustup.rs/

**Install:**

cargo install near-cli-rs

**Or install latest from git:**

cargo install --git https://github.com/near/near-cli-rs

**Linux users may need:**

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install libudev-dev

# Fedora/Red Hat
sudo dnf install libudev-devel

Verification

After installation, verify it's working:

near --version

Expected output:

near-cli-rs 0.23.6  # or newer version

**If the command is not found:**

1. Make sure the installation directory is in your PATH:

```bash

echo $PATH | grep cargo # Check if cargo/bin is in PATH

```

2. If not found, add it manually:

```bash

export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"

```

3. Test again:

```bash

near --version

```

Configuration

View Configuration Location

near --help
# Output will show where config is stored, typically:
# "near CLI configuration is stored in ~/.config/near-cli/config.toml"

View Available Commands

near --help

Main command groups:

First Steps

View Your Account Summary

If you already have a NEAR account:

near account view-account-summary <your-account.near> network-config mainnet now

Example:

near account view-account-summary near network-config mainnet now

Import an Existing Account

If you have a seed phrase or key:

near account import-account

Follow the interactive prompts to sign in.

Create a New Account

If you don't have an account yet:

near account create-account

Follow the prompts to create a new account (requires existing account to fund it).

Troubleshooting

"near: command not found"

**Cause:** NEAR CLI is not in your PATH

**Solution:**

# For shell script installation
export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"

# For npm global installation
export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"

# Make it permanent by adding to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc

"Permission denied" when running installer

**Cause:** Lack of execute permissions

**Solution:**

chmod +x near-cli-rs-installer.sh
./near-cli-rs-installer.sh

"near-cli-rs-installer.sh: No such file"

**Cause:** Download didn't work or file name changed

**Solution:**

# Check the releases page manually
curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/near/near-cli-rs/releases/latest | grep "browser_download_url" | grep "installer.sh"

Installation hangs or is slow

**Cause:** Network issues or slow connection

**Solution:**

# Use a longer timeout with curl
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf --connect-timeout 30 --max-time 300 https://github.com/near/near-cli-rs/releases/latest/download/near-cli-rs-installer.sh | sh

Version Information

Additional Resources

Quick Reference

# Install (Shell script)
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/near/near-cli-rs/releases/latest/download/near-cli-rs-installer.sh | sh

# Install (npx)
npx near-cli-rs

# Verify installation
near --version

# View account
near account view-account-summary <account-id> network-config mainnet now

# Import account
near account import-account

# Help
near --help
near account --help
near tokens --help