Using the CLI

To build scenes for Decentraland you an either use

The Decentraland Editor
The Command Line Interface (CLI)

Both tools allow you to compile and preview your scene in an “off-chain” development environment. After testing your scene locally, you can upload your content to the content server, linking it with your LAND.

Although the Editor is easier to use, the CLI allows you more flexibility, and can be easily used in automated processes.

📔 Note: The Editor uses the CLI behind the scenes.

💡 Tip: See Instalation guide for instructions on how to install the Editor.

The Decentraland CLI is distributed via npm.

Before you Begin #

Please install the following dependencies before you install the CLI:

Node.js (version 8 or later)

Install the CLI #

Open the Terminal app and run the following command:

npm install -g decentraland

Once the installation is complete, the dcl command will be globally available.

Update the CLI on any platform #

To update the CLI to the latest supported version, we recommend first uninstalling the CLI and then reinstalling a fresh version. To do this, run the following commands:

// uninstall
npm rm decentraland -g

// install
npm install -g decentraland

Update the SDK version of a scene #

If your CLI is up to date, the new projects you create with it will use the latest version of the SDK.

The SDK version used by your existing projects doesn’t change by updating the CLI. You need to manually update the SDK version in the projects.

Run the following command on the scene folder:

npm i decentraland-ecs@latest

You can confirm that it worked by checking the package.json file for the scene, and looking for the decentraland-ecs version there.

Initiate a new project #

Run dcl init on an empty folder to populate it with the default files of a Decentraland project.

The CLI then prompts you to chose what kind of project, if you want to build a scene, a workspace or a smart wearable. If selecting a scene, the CLI prompts you about what base project to use as a starting point.

Run a preview #

Run dcl start on the root level of a scene, workspace, or smart wearable project to open a preview in a browser window.

See preview scenes for details and special options when running a preview.

Build #

Run dcl build to build your project. Decentraland scenes are written in TypeScript, but they are built to minified JavaScript when published. See coding scenes for more details.

The build command is optional, as it also runs in the background before deploying (although you can add a flag to skip it).

The build command runs more rigurous type checks than those that run with dcl start, running it can sometimes be helpful to debug a scene.

Deploy a scene #

Run dcl deploy to publish your scene to Decentraland. This command opens a browser window where you can sign with your wallet to authorize the deployment.

See publishing for details and special options when publishing a scene.

Troubleshooting #

If you run into issues, see the troubleshooting section.