Cosmos Hub Node CLI Command Reference

(Gaia / gaiad — cosmoshub-4)

This document is a practical operator command reference for running a Cosmos Hub node and validator. It is intentionally concise, structured, and focused on day-to-day operations.

All commands assume:

Chain ID: cosmoshub-4
Binary: gaiad
Default home: $HOME/.gaia

⚙️ systemd — Service Operations

Reload systemd units

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Start service

sudo systemctl start gaiad

Stop service

sudo systemctl stop gaiad

Restart service

sudo systemctl restart gaiad

Enable service at boot

sudo systemctl enable gaiad

Disable service

sudo systemctl disable gaiad

Check service status

sudo systemctl status gaiad

📜 Logs

Follow logs (raw output)

sudo journalctl -u gaiad -f -o cat

Show last 200 lines

sudo journalctl -u gaiad -n 200 --no-hostname -o cat

📡 Node Status & Sync

Latest block height

curl -s localhost:26657/status | jq .result.sync_info.latest_block_height

Syncing status

curl -s localhost:26657/status | jq .result.sync_info.catching_up

Full node status (JSON)

gaiad status 2>&1 | jq

🌐 Peers

Number of connected peers

curl -s localhost:26657/net_info | jq '.result.n_peers'

List connected peers

curl -s localhost:26657/net_info | jq -r '.result.peers[] | "\(.node_info.id)@\(.remote_ip):26656"'

Your node peer string

NODE_ID=$(gaiad tendermint show-node-id)
PUBLIC_IP=$(curl -s ifconfig.me)
echo "${NODE_ID}@${PUBLIC_IP}:26656"

🔑 Keys & Wallet Management

Add new wallet

gaiad keys add $WALLET

Restore wallet from mnemonic

gaiad keys add $WALLET --recover

List wallets

gaiad keys list

Delete wallet

gaiad keys delete $WALLET

Export wallet key (encrypted)

gaiad keys export $WALLET

Import wallet key

gaiad keys import $WALLET wallet.backup

Export EVM private key (⚠️ unsafe)

gaiad keys unsafe-export-eth-key $WALLET

💰 Balances & Transfers

Check wallet balance

gaiad query bank balances $WALLET_ADDRESS

Transfer funds

gaiad tx bank send $WALLET_ADDRESS <TO_WALLET_ADDRESS> 1000000uatom   --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --fees 3000uatom -y

🪙 Staking & Rewards

Withdraw all rewards

gaiad tx distribution withdraw-all-rewards   --from $WALLET   --chain-id cosmoshub-4   --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --fees 3000uatom

Withdraw validator rewards + commission

gaiad tx distribution withdraw-rewards $VALOPER_ADDRESS   --from $WALLET   --commission   --chain-id cosmoshub-4   --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --fees 3000uatom -y

Delegate to self

gaiad tx staking delegate $(gaiad keys show $WALLET --bech val -a) 1000000uatom   --from $WALLET   --chain-id cosmoshub-4   --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --fees 3000uatom -y

Delegate to another validator

gaiad tx staking delegate <TO_VALOPER_ADDRESS> 1000000uatom   --from $WALLET   --chain-id cosmoshub-4   --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --fees 3000uatom -y

Redelegate stake

gaiad tx staking redelegate $VALOPER_ADDRESS <TO_VALOPER_ADDRESS> 1000000uatom   --from $WALLET   --chain-id cosmoshub-4   --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --fees 3000uatom -y

Unbond stake

gaiad tx staking unbond $(gaiad keys show $WALLET --bech val -a) 1000000uatom   --from $WALLET   --chain-id cosmoshub-4   --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --fees 3000uatom -y

🧑‍⚖️ Validator Operations

Create validator

gaiad tx staking create-validator   --amount 1000000uatom   --from $WALLET   --commission-rate 0.1   --commission-max-rate 0.2   --commission-max-change-rate 0.01   --min-self-delegation 1   --pubkey $(gaiad tendermint show-validator)   --moniker "$MONIKER"   --identity ""   --details "I love blockchain ❤️"   --chain-id cosmoshub-4   --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --fees 3000uatom -y

Edit validator metadata / commission

gaiad tx staking edit-validator   --commission-rate 0.1   --new-moniker "$MONIKER"   --identity ""   --details "I love blockchain ❤️"   --from $WALLET   --chain-id cosmoshub-4   --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --fees 3000uatom -y

Validator details

gaiad query staking validator $(gaiad keys show $WALLET --bech val -a)

Signing info (jailing / missed blocks)

gaiad query slashing signing-info $(gaiad tendermint show-validator)

Slashing parameters

gaiad query slashing params

Unjail validator

gaiad tx slashing unjail   --from $WALLET   --chain-id cosmoshub-4   --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --fees 3000uatom -y

🏛 Governance

List proposals

gaiad query gov proposals

View proposal

gaiad query gov proposal <PROPOSAL_ID>

Submit text proposal

gaiad tx gov submit-proposal   --title ""   --description ""   --deposit 1000000uatom   --type Text   --from $WALLET   --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --fees 3000uatom -y

Vote on proposal

gaiad tx gov vote <PROPOSAL_ID> yes   --from $WALLET   --chain-id cosmoshub-4   --gas auto --gas-adjustment 1.5 --fees 3000uatom -y

🧹 Cleanup (Destructive)

Stop service

sudo systemctl stop gaiad

Remove systemd service

sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/gaiad.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Remove node data

rm -rf $HOME/.gaia
rm -rf $HOME/cosmos

End of Cosmos Hub CLI Command Reference