wallet-cli import mnemonic

July 15, 2026 · View on GitHub

Import a BIP39 mnemonic phrase. Interactive-only.

Note: there are no --mnemonic-stdin / --password-stdin flags. The mnemonic and master password are entered only via hidden TTY prompts — a mnemonic can recover all funds, and stdin paths leak too easily into pipes, shell history, and process lists. Importing is rare enough that forcing human input costs little.

Synopsis

wallet-cli import mnemonic [--label <name>]

Description

Restores an HD wallet from an existing BIP39 mnemonic: derives account #0 and stores the seed encrypted under your master password. The imported wallet becomes active.

The interactive flow (all secrets hidden, never echoed, never in argv):

Master password — set on first use (with confirmation), or entered to unlock.
Label — optional display name; empty auto-generates one (e.g. wallet_ad8f21).
Recovery phrase — pasted hidden; an AI or script driving the CLI never sees it.
Validate + store — bad word count / checksum → invalid_mnemonic, re-prompt; on success the addresses are derived and the seed is written encrypted, never in plaintext.

Without a TTY the command fails with tty_required — there is no non-interactive path.

Options

Option	Description
`--label <string>`	Human-friendly unique account label, 1–64 chars; omit to auto-generate

Plus the global options.

Examples

wallet-cli import mnemonic --label restored

? Set master password (hidden):
? Confirm master password:
? Paste recovery phrase (hidden):
✅ Imported wallet "restored"
  Account ID    wlt_d66fvems.0
  Type          HD
  TRON address  TUEZSdKsoDHQMeZwihtdoBiN46zxhGWYdH
  Active        yes

⚠️ Recovery phrase was read from hidden input and was not printed.

wallet-cli import mnemonic --label restored -o json

? Set master password (hidden):
? Confirm master password:
? Paste recovery phrase (hidden):
{"schema":"wallet-cli.result.v1","success":true,"command":"import.mnemonic","data":{"status":"created","accountId":"wlt_d66fvems.0","label":"restored","type":"seed","index":0,"active":true,"addresses":{"tron":"TUEZSdKsoDHQMeZwihtdoBiN46zxhGWYdH"},"seedId":"wlt_d66fvems"},"meta":{"durationMs":38,"warnings":[]}}

Output

data carries the imported account — addresses only, never any secret. Local command — no chain block.

Field	Type	Meaning
`status`	string	`"created"`
`accountId`	string	Stable id `<seedId>.<index>`
`label`	string	Account label
`type`	string	`"seed"` (HD-derived)
`index`	number	HD derivation index (0 for the first account)
`active`	boolean	Became the active account
`addresses.tron`	string	Base58 TRON address
`seedId`	string	Owning seed wallet id

Exit status

0 imported · 1 execution failure (tty_required — no TTY for interactive input; auth_failed; password_mismatch; io_error) · 2 usage error (invalid mnemonic, duplicate label).