For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt

Nightforge

Nightforge is a development environment for compiling, deploying, and operating Compact contracts on the Midnight Network. It bundles project scaffolding, wallet lifecycle tools, proof server orchestration, and deployment into a single CLI. cadalt0 maintains the project and publishes it on npm as nightforge.

Community-maintained - not audited

cadalt0 maintains this project, not the Midnight Foundation. It has not been audited. The npm package declares the MIT license, while the repository's LICENSE file contains the Apache 2.0 text. Evaluate the tool independently before using it in production workflows.

Prerequisites

Before using Nightforge, ensure that you have:

• Node.js and npm.
• The Compact developer tools installed and available on your PATH. The compile command invokes the compact CLI.
• Docker, for running a local proof server with nightforge proof-server.
• tNIGHT from the Preprod faucet to fund deployments.

Compatibility

Component	Version	Notes
Nightforge	1.0.0	Latest npm release; GitHub release v1.0.0.
Compact compiler	Not pinned	Nightforge calls the compact CLI installed on your system.
Proof server image	midnightntwrk/proof-server:7.0.0	Default tag; override with -v <version>. Check the compatibility matrix for current releases.
Networks	Preprod (default), custom endpoints	Set with --network or --remote.
License	MIT on npm	The repository LICENSE file contains the Apache 2.0 text.

Installation

Install the package locally:

npm install nightforge

Run commands through npx:

npx nightforge --help

Quickstart

# 1) Create a project
npx nightforge init my-midnight-app
cd my-midnight-app

# 2) Compile the contract
npx nightforge compile

# 3) Start the wallet sync service
npx nightforge sync

# 4) In another terminal, check the synced balance
npx nightforge wallet balance

# 5) Deploy using the synced state
npx nightforge deploy example --network preprod

The init command scaffolds midnight.config.js, contracts/example.compact, a scripts/ directory, and walletsync configuration files. Pass -t to choose a template: default, token, or nft.

Auto mode

deploy --auto orchestrates the full flow. It creates a wallet if one is missing, waits for tNIGHT funding, registers for DUST, waits for proof server readiness, and then deploys.

npx nightforge deploy --auto --network preprod

Point the deployment at a remote proof server instead of a local one:

npx nightforge deploy example --auto --remote http://YOUR-PROOF-HOST:6300

Commands

Command	Purpose
nightforge init <project-name>	Create a project scaffold.
nightforge compile	Compile Compact contracts into contracts/managed/.
nightforge sync --init	Create walletsync configuration files.
nightforge sync	Start the walletsync server (default port 8787).
nightforge wallet create	Create a wallet.
nightforge wallet restore	Restore a wallet from a seed.
nightforge wallet balance	Check the balance of the active wallet.
nightforge wallet dust	Register tNIGHT for DUST generation.
nightforge proof-server	Start a local proof server (shorthand: ps).
nightforge deploy <contract>	Deploy a compiled contract.
nightforge clean	Remove build artifacts.

The command guides in the repository cover every flag in detail.

Runtime state files

Nightforge writes local state files in your project root:

File	Purpose
wallet.json	Persisted wallet seed, address, and network.
proof-server-status.json	Proof server running and readiness state.
deployment.json	Deployment metadata output.

Nightforge stores wallets created with nightforge wallet outside the project in ~/.nightforge/wallets/, one JSON file per wallet with owner-only file permissions.

Wallet files contain seeds

wallet.json and the files under ~/.nightforge/wallets/ hold wallet seeds. Never commit them to version control, and use separate wallets for separate environments.

Additional resources

• Project repository: source, command guides, and troubleshooting.
• nightforge on npm: the published package.
• Project site: hosted landing page.
• Changelog: version history.

Report issues

For issues with Nightforge, file on cadalt0's tracker.

For issues with this documentation page, file on the Midnight docs repository.