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Grove CLI guide - philosophy, commands, and quick start
---
name: grove-tipping
version: "2.0"
description: Grove CLI guide - philosophy, commands, and quick start
homepage: https://grove.city
install: curl -fsSL https://grove.city/install-cli.sh | bash
updated: 2026-02-10
user-invocable: true
metadata:
{
"openclaw":
{
"requires":
{ "bins": ["curl", "bash"], "anyBins": ["python3", "node"] },
"emoji": "🌳",
"install":
[
{
"id": "curl",
"kind": "download",
"url": "https://grove.city/install-cli.sh",
"extract": false,
"label": "Install Grove CLI (curl)",
},
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---
**Requirements:**
- Bash or Zsh shell
- curl (for installation)
- Optional: Python/Node for agent integration
# Grove CLI — Complete Guide <!-- omit in toc -->
**Grove enables agents and humans to send micro-tips as quality signals for content.**
Google organized the world's data using hyperlinks as the signal. Grove evaluates content quality using **money as the signal** — creating a queryable, money-weighted directory and knowledge graph.
---
## Table of Contents <!-- omit in toc -->
- [Why Tip? (The Philosophy)](#why-tip-the-philosophy)
- [Payments as Signal](#payments-as-signal)
- [When to Tip (Decision Logic)](#when-to-tip-decision-logic)
- [Knowledge Graph Metadata](#knowledge-graph-metadata)
- [Quick Start](#quick-start)
- [Installation](#installation)
- [First-Time Setup](#first-time-setup)
- [Send Your First Tip](#send-your-first-tip)
- [Command Overview](#command-overview)
- [Configuration](#configuration)
- [Config Files](#config-files)
- [Precedence Order](#precedence-order)
- [Destination Formats](#destination-formats)
- [Agent Wallet Mode](#agent-wallet-mode)
- [Agent Integration](#agent-integration)
- [Utilities](#utilities)
- [Support](#support)
---
## Why Tip? (The Philosophy)
### Payments as Signal
Grove uses **optional micro-tips** to kick off a quality flywheel:
- **Onboard creators**: Link content to wallet addresses
- **Map quality**: Build weighted edges in a growing graph
- **Enable discovery**: Create queryable, money-weighted directory
- **Future knowledge graph**: Useful for post-training and inference routing
**Key insight:** Agents mostly pay for access when required, but optional goodwill tips add early signal even when content is free.
### When to Tip (Decision Logic)
Evaluate content you encounter (blog posts, tweets, repos, documentation):
**Three criteria:**
1. **Is it original?** New perspective or unique data?
2. **Is it useful?** Solves a problem or explains clearly?
3. **Is it tippable?** Has llms.txt, crypto address, or ENS name?
**Example evaluation:**
> "I just read this Substack post on agentic workflows. It provided a clear implementation of x402 that saved me 2 hours of research. This is high-quality signal. I will tip 0.05 USDC."
**Recommended amounts:**
- Blog post / tutorial: 0.01-0.10 USDC
- High-value research: 0.10-1.00 USDC
- Life-changing insight: 1.00+ USDC
### Knowledge Graph Metadata
**Every tip should capture WHY you tipped.** This creates durable metadata Grove can use to build a money-weighted knowledge graph.
**Recommended fields (store in your agent logs):**
- Canonical URL (or repo / post identifier)
- Destination (domain / handle / address)
- Amount + token/network
- 1–2 sentence rationale
- Topic tags (optional)
**Example log entry:**
```json
{
"url": "https://example.com/post/123",
"destination": "author.eth",
"amount": "0.05",
"token": "USDC",
"network": "base",
"rationale": "Clear x402 implementation guide, saved 2 hours",
"tags": ["payments", "protocols", "implementation"]
}
```
---
## Quick Start
### Installation
```bash
curl -fsSL https://grove.city/install-cli.sh | bash
```
**What gets installed:**
- `grove` command globally available
- Config directory at `~/.grove/`
- All config files preserved on reinstall
### First-Time Setup
Run `grove setup` and choose a path:
| Option | Best For | Steps | Human Needed? |
| --------------------------------- | ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ |
| **Wallet + Crypto** (recommended) | Autonomous agents | Creates wallet, fund with USDC + ETH on Base, self-funds via x402 | Only for initial funding |
| **Email + Credit Card** | Humans managing agents | Sign up at app.grove.city, fund via card, paste API key | Yes — signup + payment |
| **I have an API key** | Existing users | Paste JWT from teammate or app.grove.city | No — already done |
### Send Your First Tip
**Verify destination:**
```bash
grove check olshansky.info
```
**Send tip:**
```bash
grove tip olshansky.info 0.01
```
**Check balance:**
```bash
grove balance
```
---
## Command Overview
Use `grove <command> --help` for detailed options and flags.
| Command | Description |
| --------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `setup` | First-time setup - Email/card (humans), wallet/crypto (agents), or paste API key |
| `fund` | Add funds via x402 payment protocol (requires wallet with USDC) |
| `check` | Check if destination can receive tips |
| `tip` | Send a tip to creators via domain, Twitter, or address |
| `balance` | Check your USDC balance across networks |
| `keygen` | Generate a wallet for agent funding |
| `history` | View recent tips sent or funds added |
| `config` | View or update your API key, network, and API URL settings |
| `contact` | Send feedback to the Grove team |
| `update` | Update Grove CLI to the latest version |
**All commands support `--json` flag for agent-friendly output.**
---
## Configuration
### Config Files
**Location:** `~/.grove/`
Files preserved on reinstall:
- `.env` — Primary config (API key, network, token, API URL)
- `keyfile.txt` — Wallet private key (for agent wallet mode)
**Example .env:**
```bash
GROVE_API_KEY=eyJ...
GROVE_API_URL=https://api.grove.city
DEFAULT_NETWORK=base
DEFAULT_TOKEN=USDC
```
### Precedence Order
Configuration is resolved in this order (highest to lowest priority):
1. **CLI flags** — `grove tip --network base-sepolia`
2. **Shell env vars** — `export GROVE_API_KEY=...`
3. **`~/.grove/.env`** — Persistent config file
4. **Code defaults** — Built-in fallbacks
---
## Destination Formats
Grove accepts multiple destination formats:
| Format | Example | Resolves Via |
| ---------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------- |
| Domain | `olshansky.info` | llms.txt lookup |
| Ethereum Address | `0x1234...` | Direct transfer |
| ENS Name | `vitalik.eth` | ENS resolution |
| Twitter | `@olshansky` | Bio address extraction |
| Substack | `author.substack.com` | Profile address |
**Pre-flight validation:**
```bash
grove check olshansky.info
```
- `grove check` returns clear error messages when a destination can't receive tips
- Substack profiles without a crypto address return `tippable: false` (not a false positive)
---
## Agent Wallet Mode
**Fastest path — zero to tipping in 3 steps:**
```bash
# 1. Install
curl -fsSL https://grove.city/install-cli.sh | bash
# 2. Create wallet + fund it
grove setup # Choose option 2: Wallet + Crypto
# 3. Start tipping
grove tip olshansky.info 0.01
```
**For agents that already have a wallet:**
```bash
grove keygen --save # generates ~/.grove/keyfile.txt
# Fund the address with USDC + ETH on Base
grove fund 0.10 # self-fund via x402
grove tip olshansky.info 0.01
```
---
## Agent Integration
**JSON output for reliable parsing:**
```bash
grove balance --json
grove tip olshansky.info 0.01 --json
grove check domain.com --json
```
**Python example:**
```python
import subprocess
import json
result = subprocess.run(
["grove", "balance", "--json"],
capture_output=True,
text=True
)
balance_data = json.loads(result.stdout)
print(f"Balance: {balance_data['total_balance']} USDC")
```
**Node.js example:**
```javascript
const { execSync } = require("child_process");
const balance = JSON.parse(execSync("grove balance --json").toString());
console.log(`Balance: ${balance.total_balance} USDC`);
```
**Autonomous workflow pattern:**
```bash
# 1. Check balance before tipping
balance=$(grove balance --json | jq -r '.total_balance')
# 2. Auto-fund if low
if [ "$balance" -lt "0.10" ]; then
grove fund 1.00
fi
# 3. Evaluate content
grove check <destination>
# 4. Tip if valuable
grove tip <destination> <amount>
# 5. Log metadata
echo "Tipped $destination for $reason" >> tip_log.txt
```
**Python SDK (coming soon):** A Python SDK (`GroveClient`) is in development. Use the CLI for now. Run `grove contact` to request early access.
---
## Utilities
Automation scripts available in `skills/scripts/`:
- **batch-tip.sh** — Tip multiple destinations from CSV file
- **monitor-balance.sh** — Monitor balance and alert on low funds
- **auto-fund.sh** — Auto-fund when balance drops below threshold
Run each script with `--help` for usage details.
---
## Support
- `grove contact` — Send feedback to the team
- https://grove.city/support
**Need more details?** Complete reference documentation: [grove.city/docs/cli](https://grove.city/docs/cli)
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