Scaffold HBAR: CLI for bootstrapping Hedera dApps

What is Scaffold HBAR?

Scaffold HBAR is an interactive CLI tool (similar to create-next-app or create-react-app) for the Hedera ecosystem. It generates monorepo projects with:

Smart contracts (Hardhat or Foundry)
Frontend (Next.js App Router with RainbowKit, wagmi, and viem)
Hedera network configuration (Testnet or Mainnet with Hashio RPC)
Pre-built UI components for wallet connection, address display, and HBAR input

Quick Start

Create your first Hedera dApp in under a minute

Templates

Browse pre-built templates for common use cases

Scaffold UI

Shared components, hooks, and MCP server for AI agents

GitHub

Source code and contributing guide

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Before using Scaffold HBAR, ensure you have:

Node.js ≥ 20.18.3 — nodejs.org
Git with user.name and user.email configured — git-scm.com

Yarn (scaffolded projects use Yarn workspaces):

corepack enable && corepack prepare yarn@stable --activate

If you choose Foundry as the Solidity framework:

curl -L https://foundry.paradigm.xyz | bash
foundryup

Create a New Project

Run the CLI with npx:

npx create-scaffold-hbar@latest

You’ll be prompted to select:

Project name — Directory name for your new project
Template — Starting point for your dApp (blank, HTS token, NFT, etc.)
Frontend — nextjs-app or none (contracts only)
Solidity framework — foundry, hardhat, or none
Network — testnet or mainnet

Non-Interactive Mode

For CI pipelines or scripting, use flags to skip prompts:

# Accept all defaults (blank template, Foundry, testnet)
npx create-scaffold-hbar@latest --yes

# Full customization
npx create-scaffold-hbar@latest my-scheduler-app \
  --template payments-scheduler \
  --frontend nextjs-app \
  --solidity-framework foundry \
  --network testnet

Flag	Description
`-y, --yes`	Use defaults for all prompts
`-t, --template <key>`	Template key (see Available Templates)
`-f, --frontend <fw>`	`nextjs-app` or `none`
`-s, --solidity-framework <fw>`	`foundry`, `hardhat`, or `none`
`--network <network>`	`testnet` or `mainnet`
`--skip-install`	Don’t run `yarn install` after scaffolding

Start Development

After scaffolding, start the development servers:

Foundry
Hardhat

cd my-hedera-dapp

# Terminal 1: Start local chain
yarn foundry:chain

# Terminal 2: Deploy contracts
yarn foundry:deploy

# Terminal 3: Start frontend
yarn next:start

cd my-hedera-dapp

# Terminal 1: Start local chain
yarn hardhat:chain

# Terminal 2: Deploy contracts
yarn hardhat:deploy

# Terminal 3: Start frontend
yarn next:start

Open http://localhost:3000 to see your dApp.

Available Templates

Scaffold HBAR includes starter templates for common Hedera use cases. The CLI fetches templates dynamically from templates/* branches:

Template	CLI Value	Description	Framework
Blank Starter	`blank`	Minimal baseline scaffold with no opinionated features—ideal starting point for custom dApps	Foundry or Hardhat
Hedera Native	`hedera-demo`	Demo focused on Hedera-native services (HTS, HCS, Mirror Node) with end-to-end UI—no Solidity contracts	Next.js only
Onchain Cron Job	`payments-scheduler`	Scheduled payments using Hedera Schedule Service (HSS) with a ScheduledVault pattern and pluggable strategies (e.g., DCA)	Foundry
Cross-chain DCA	`cross-chain-dca`	Hedera-orchestrated recurring DCA: `DcaOrchestrator` uses Schedule Service to trigger cross-chain swaps on Sepolia via Axelar GMP and Uniswap v3	Hardhat
Bridge	`bridge`	Cross-chain bridge connecting Ethereum Sepolia and Hedera Testnet with Axelar, CCIP, or LayerZero providers	Foundry
Oracles	`oracles`	Provider-agnostic oracle pattern with adapters for Chainlink, Supra, and Pyth price feeds	Foundry
Tokenize Subscriptions	`tokenise-subscriptions`	SubRent NFT marketplace—tokenize subscriptions (gym, WiFi, streaming) as HTS NFTs with rental and sales	Hardhat
x402 Pay-Per-Use	`x402-pay-per-use`	Pay-per-download file marketplace using the x402 protocol with HashPack payments and MinIO storage	Hardhat

Template selection:

# Interactive mode shows all available templates
npx create-scaffold-hbar@latest

# Or specify directly
npx create-scaffold-hbar@latest --template payments-scheduler
npx create-scaffold-hbar@latest --template cross-chain-dca
npx create-scaffold-hbar@latest --template hedera-demo

Templates are maintained in the scaffold-hbar repository as separate branches (templates/*). The CLI fetches templates at runtime, so you always get the latest version.

External Templates

Beyond the built-in templates, Scaffold HBAR supports external templates from any GitHub repository. This allows the community to create and share specialized templates.

Using External Templates

Specify an external template using the owner/repo or owner/repo#branch format:

# Use the main branch
npx create-scaffold-hbar@latest --template hedera-dev/template-hedera-lz-app

# Use a specific branch
npx create-scaffold-hbar@latest --template hedera-dev/template-hedera-lz-app#main

The CLI fetches the template via giget, so any public GitHub repository can serve as a template.

Featured: LayerZero on Hedera Template

The template-hedera-lz-app is a comprehensive tutorial template for building cross-chain applications using LayerZero V2 on Hedera.

npx create-scaffold-hbar@latest my-lz-app --template hedera-dev/template-hedera-lz-app

What you’ll build:

Chapter	Topic	Description
1	Cross-Chain OFT	Send native ETH from Base Sepolia to Hedera as an HTS-wrapped token
2	Cross-Chain Vault	ERC4626 vault with omnichain deposits and share token redemptions
3	ETF Strategy	Auto-investing vault that swaps deposits into a 50/50 HBAR + HUSTLERS basket via SaucerSwap

Architecture:

BASE (Spoke)                           HEDERA (Hub)
┌─────────────────┐                   ┌─────────────────────────┐
│ MyNativeOFT     │◄──── LayerZero ──►│ MyHTSConnector          │
│ Adapter         │                   │ (wraps ETH as HTS)      │
└─────────────────┘                   └─────────────────────────┘

This template uses pnpm (not Yarn) and requires testnet funds on both Base Sepolia and Hedera Testnet. See the template README for complete setup instructions.

Creating Your Own Template

Any GitHub repository can be used as an external template. To make your template compatible:

Structure — Use a monorepo layout with packages/ for contracts and frontend
Manifest (optional) — Add a template.json to specify capabilities:

{
  "create-scaffold-hbar": {
    "capabilities": {
      "frontend": ["nextjs-app"],
      "solidityFramework": ["hardhat"],
      "packageManager": ["pnpm", "yarn"]
    },
    "defaults": {
      "frontend": "nextjs-app",
      "solidityFramework": "hardhat"
    }
  }
}

Share — Users can scaffold with npx create-scaffold-hbar@latest --template your-org/your-repo

Project Structure

A scaffolded project has this structure:

my-hedera-dapp/
├── packages/
│   ├── foundry/          # OR hardhat/ (Solidity contracts)
│   │   ├── contracts/    # Smart contract source files
│   │   ├── script/       # Deployment scripts (Foundry)
│   │   ├── deploy/       # Deployment scripts (Hardhat)
│   │   └── test/         # Contract tests
│   │
│   └── nextjs/           # Frontend application
│       ├── app/          # Next.js App Router pages
│       ├── components/   # React components
│       ├── contracts/    # Auto-generated contract ABIs
│       ├── hooks/        # Custom React hooks
│       └── services/     # Web3 service utilities
│
├── package.json          # Workspace configuration
└── yarn.lock

Key Features

Auto-generated Contract Types After deploying contracts, ABIs are automatically generated to packages/nextjs/contracts/deployedContracts.ts. This provides full TypeScript support when interacting with your contracts. Pre-built Hooks The frontend includes scaffold hooks for common operations:

import { useScaffoldReadContract, useScaffoldWriteContract } from "~~/hooks/scaffold-hbar";

// Read contract state
const { data: greeting } = useScaffoldReadContract({
  contractName: "YourContract",
  functionName: "greeting",
});

// Write to contract
const { writeContractAsync } = useScaffoldWriteContract({
  contractName: "YourContract",
});

await writeContractAsync({
  functionName: "setGreeting",
  args: ["Hello, Hedera!"],
});

Hedera-Optimized Configuration Projects come pre-configured with:

Hashio JSON-RPC endpoints for Testnet and Mainnet
Mirror Node API integration
Proper gas estimation for Hedera’s fee model
RainbowKit with Hedera wallet support

Common Commands

Command	Description
`yarn foundry:chain` / `yarn hardhat:chain`	Start local development chain
`yarn foundry:deploy` / `yarn hardhat:deploy`	Deploy contracts
`yarn next:start`	Start Next.js frontend
`yarn next:build`	Build frontend for production
`yarn lint`	Run linters on all packages
`yarn format`	Format code with Prettier
`yarn foundry:test` / `yarn hardhat:test`	Run contract tests

Deploying to Testnet

Get testnet HBAR from the Hedera Portal Faucet
Configure your account:

Foundry
Hardhat

# Generate a new account
yarn foundry:account:generate

# Or import an existing key
yarn foundry:account:import

Set your account alias in packages/foundry/.env:

ACCOUNT=your_keystore_alias

# Generate a new account
yarn hardhat:account:generate

# Or import an existing key
yarn hardhat:account:import

Set your private key in packages/hardhat/.env:

DEPLOYER_PRIVATE_KEY=your_private_key

Deploy to testnet:

yarn foundry:deploy --network hedera_testnet
# or
yarn hardhat:deploy --network hederaTestnet

Verify contracts (optional):

yarn foundry:verify:testnet 0xYourContractAddress contracts/YourContract.sol:YourContract
# or
yarn hardhat:verify:testnet

Hedera Skills (AI-Assisted Development)

All scaffolded projects include Hedera Skills by default—a collection of AI coding assistant skills that help you build on Hedera faster. What’s included:

Agent prompts — Pre-configured prompts for Cursor, Claude Code, and other AI assistants
Code generation skills — Hedera-specific patterns for HTS, HCS, smart contracts, and more
Documentation context — Embedded Hedera docs for accurate AI responses

Skills are installed automatically during scaffolding via:

npx skills add hedera-dev/hedera-skills --all

To skip Hedera Skills installation (e.g., for CI pipelines), use:

npx create-scaffold-hbar@latest --yes --skip-hedera-skills

Ecosystem

Scaffold UI

Shared React components and hooks for Hedera dApps, plus an MCP server for AI-assisted development

Hedera Skills

AI coding assistant skills for Hedera development

Resources

GitHub: create-scaffold-hbar — CLI source and issues
GitHub: scaffold-hbar — Templates repository
Hedera Portal — Account creation and testnet faucet
HashScan — Block explorer for Hedera

Overview

Tokenization

AI & Agents

Governance

Sustainability

Developer Tools

Examples

Scaffold HBAR: CLI for bootstrapping Hedera dApps

What is Scaffold HBAR?

Quick Start

Templates

Scaffold UI

GitHub

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Create a New Project

Start Development

Available Templates

External Templates

Using External Templates

Featured: LayerZero on Hedera Template

Creating Your Own Template

Project Structure

Key Features

Common Commands

Deploying to Testnet

Hedera Skills (AI-Assisted Development)

Ecosystem

Scaffold UI

Hedera Skills

Resources

​What is Scaffold HBAR?

Quick Start

Templates

Scaffold UI

GitHub

​Quick Start

​Prerequisites

​Create a New Project

​Start Development

​Available Templates

​External Templates

​Using External Templates

​Featured: LayerZero on Hedera Template

​Creating Your Own Template

​Project Structure

​Key Features

​Common Commands

​Deploying to Testnet

​Hedera Skills (AI-Assisted Development)

​Ecosystem

Scaffold UI

Hedera Skills

​Resources

What is Scaffold HBAR?

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Create a New Project

Start Development

Available Templates

External Templates

Using External Templates

Featured: LayerZero on Hedera Template

Creating Your Own Template

Project Structure

Key Features

Common Commands

Deploying to Testnet

Hedera Skills (AI-Assisted Development)

Ecosystem

Resources