Shelby CLI setup guide for WSL

What is Shelby

Shelby is building the first decentralised hot storage network, running on a dedicated fibre network.

Features of Shelby

• simple uploads
• fast retrieval
• global network
• developer ready

Use cases of Shelby

• ai-ready data access
• dynamic content monetised on read
• real-world data served at scale
• creator-owned platform

Complete step-by-step guide to set up Shelby CLI on Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and upload your first file.

This guide will show you how to install the Shelby CLI and upload a storage file to Shelby directly from your terminal

Requirements

• Node.js
• Npm
• Shelby CLI
• Ubuntu

Step 1: Install Node.js and npm in WSL

Update package list

sudo apt update

Enter sudo password

2. Install Node.js and npm

sudo apt install nodejs npm -y

3. Verify installation

node --version

npm --version

Step 2: Install Shelby CLI

1. Install Shelby CLI

npm i -g @shelby-protocol/cli

2. Verify Version

shelby --version

Step 3. Initialise Shelby CLI

1 . Initialise CLI

shelby init

During initialisation:

You'll be prompted for an API key

Go to GEOMI

• Create an account
• Head to Overview
• Click on Create API KEYS
• Complete the configuration form with the following settings:
• Network: Select Shelbynet from the available network options.
• Resource Name: Provide a descriptive name for your API resource.
• Usage Description: Briefly describe your intended use case.
• Create API key

• Enter the API key on your terminal
• Create or Update an Account: Choose Yes and Enter
• Enter default Name
• Enter Signature Scheme: Enter
• Enter Private Key: Leave Blank
• Configuration saved to ~/.shelby/config.yaml

2. Verify Initialization

View your config file

cat ~/.shelby/config.yaml

List available contexts (networks)

shelby context list

List your accounts

shelby account list

Take note of your account address - you'll need it for funding.

3. Account Funding

You need two types of tokens:

• APT tokens - for gas fees
• ShelbyUSD tokens - for Shelby operations (uploads/downloads)

Get the faucet URL

shelby faucet --no-open

Copy and paste the link into your browser

Click on Fund: Get both Aptos token and Shelby tokens

Check faucet balance

shelby account balance

You should see both APT and ShelbyUSD tokens in your balance.

Step 4 . Upload File

1. Let's create a test file (or you can use your own)

echo Hello > test.txt

2. Upload the File

shelby upload ~/test.txt files/test.txt -e tomorrow --assume-yes

Uploads filename.txt to Shelby under a custom path or name (files/filename.txt), expiring tomorrow (auto-confirms payment) Expiration date/time (required). Examples: tomorrow, in 2 days, next Friday, 2026-01-24, UNIX timestamp

Expiration examples you can use:

• tomorrow
• in 2 days
• next Friday
• 2025-12-31

3. Verify Upload

shelby account blobs

This lists all blobs stored in your account. You should see your uploaded file.

4. Download the file

shelby download files/test.txt ./test-downloaded.txt

Troubleshooting

Error: Insufficient Shelby tokens

• You need ShelbyUSD tokens, not just APT
• Run shelby faucet --no-open and fund via the browser
• Check balance: shelby account balance

Error: Command not found

• Make sure npm's global bin directory is in your PATH
• Try: export PATH="$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"
• Add to ~/.bashrc to make permanent

File path issues in WSL

WSL paths: /home/username/file.txt Windows paths from WSL: /mnt/c/Users/YourName/Desktop/file.txt

Quick Reference

List contexts

shelby context list

List accounts

shelby account list

Check balance

shelby account balance

Upload file

shelby upload <local-path> <blob-name> -e <expiration> --assume-yes

List your blobs

shelby account blobs

Download file

shelby download <blob-name> <local-path>

Get faucet URL

shelby faucet --no-open

That is all for now ,if you have any questions , message me on X

MADE WITH ❤️❤️❤️ BY MYSTIQUEMIDE