axelard Node Commands: Init, Start, and Operations

This page covers every command involved in the lifecycle of an Axelar node — from first-time initialization through day-to-day operation, maintenance, and the validator daemon. All commands inherit the global flags (--home, --log_level, --log_format, --trace, --output).

`axelard init`

Generates the initial configuration files for a new node: the private validator key (priv_validator_key.json), node key (node_key.json), genesis file (genesis.json), and application configuration (app.toml, config.toml).

axelard init <moniker> [flags]

Example:

axelard init my-validator \
  --chain-id axelar-dojo-1 \
  --home ~/.axelar

moniker

string

required

A human-readable name for this node, displayed in the P2P network.

--chain-id

string

Genesis file chain ID. Defaults to axelar. Must match the network you intend to join.

--home

string

Node’s home directory. Defaults to $HOME/.axelar.

--overwrite

boolean

Overwrite an existing genesis.json if present. Short form: -o.

--recover

boolean

Provide a seed phrase to recover an existing key rather than generating a new one.

--initial-height

integer

Specify the initial block height at genesis. Defaults to 1.

--default-denom

string

Default coin denomination in the genesis file. Defaults to stake.

After init, replace the generated genesis.json with the official network genesis file before starting the node for the first time.

`axelard start`

Runs the full Axelar node application with CometBFT embedded in-process. This is the primary command for operating a live node.

axelard start [flags]

Example (mainnet validator):

axelard start \
  --home ~/.axelar \
  --p2p.laddr tcp://0.0.0.0:26656 \
  --rpc.laddr tcp://127.0.0.1:26657 \
  --grpc.address localhost:9090 \
  --minimum-gas-prices 0.007uaxl \
  --log_level info

Networking Flags

--p2p.laddr

string

P2P listen address. Defaults to tcp://0.0.0.0:26656.

--p2p.seeds

string

Comma-delimited ID@host:port seed nodes for peer discovery.

--p2p.persistent_peers

string

Comma-delimited ID@host:port peers to maintain persistent connections with.

--p2p.external-address

string

Public ip:port address advertised to peers for inbound connections.

--rpc.laddr

string

CometBFT RPC listen address. Defaults to tcp://127.0.0.1:26657.

--grpc.address

string

gRPC server listen address. Defaults to localhost:9090.

--grpc.enable

boolean

Enable the gRPC server. Defaults to true.

--api.address

string

REST API server listen address. Defaults to tcp://localhost:1317.

--api.enable

boolean

Enable the REST API server. Disabled by default.

Pruning Flags

--pruning

string

Pruning strategy. Options: default (last 362,880 states), nothing (archive), everything (2 latest states), or custom. Defaults to default.

--pruning-keep-recent

uint

Number of recent heights to keep when using custom pruning.

--pruning-interval

uint

Block interval at which pruned heights are removed from disk (custom only).

Operational Flags

--home

string

Application home directory. Defaults to $HOME/.axelar.

--minimum-gas-prices

string

Minimum gas prices for accepting transactions (e.g., 0.007uaxl). Transactions with lower fees are rejected.

--halt-height

uint

Block height at which to gracefully halt the node. The block at this height will not be committed.

--halt-time

uint

Unix timestamp (seconds) at which to gracefully halt the node.

--cpu-profile

string

File path for CPU profiling output (pprof format).

--inv-check-period

uint

Assert registered module invariants every N blocks. 0 disables checks.

--unsafe-skip-upgrades

ints

Comma-separated block heights to skip upgrade handlers (allows running old binary past upgrade height).

--x-crisis-skip-assert-invariants

boolean

Skip invariant assertions at startup (speeds up node start on large state).

--grpc-only

boolean

Start in query-only mode (gRPC and REST only, no CometBFT process). Useful for running a legacy query endpoint post-upgrade.

--state-sync.snapshot-interval

uint

Produce state-sync snapshots every N blocks. 0 disables snapshots.

--state-sync.snapshot-keep-recent

uint32

Number of recent snapshots to retain. Defaults to 2.

`axelard status`

Queries the CometBFT RPC endpoint and returns the node’s current status, including block height, sync state, and validator public key.

axelard status [flags]
axelard status --node tcp://my-node:26657 --output json

--node

string

RPC endpoint to query. Short form: -n. Defaults to tcp://localhost:26657.

--output

string

Output format: text or json. Short form: -o. Defaults to json.

Pipe output through jq to extract specific fields:

axelard status | jq '.SyncInfo | {height: .latest_block_height, catching_up}'

`axelard health-check`

Checks whether the node and its supporting services (broadcaster account and TSS daemon) are ready. Useful in readiness probe scripts for validator operations.

axelard health-check \
  --operator-addr axelarvaloper1... \
  --node tcp://localhost:26657 \
  --tofnd-host localhost \
  --tofnd-port 50051

--operator-addr

string

The operator’s validator address (axelarvaloper1…) to check registration status.

--node

string

CometBFT RPC address. Defaults to tcp://localhost:26657.

--tofnd-host

string

Hostname of the TSS daemon. Defaults to localhost.

--tofnd-port

string

Port of the TSS daemon. Defaults to 50051.

--grpc-addr

string

The gRPC endpoint to use for this chain.

--grpc-insecure

boolean

Allow gRPC over insecure channels. If not set, the server must use TLS.

--height

int

Query state at a specific block height. May error if the node has pruned that height.

--skip-broadcaster

boolean

Skip the broadcaster account balance check.

--skip-operator

boolean

Skip the operator registration check.

--skip-tofnd

boolean

Skip TSS daemon reachability check.

`axelard rollback`

Rolls back Cosmos SDK and CometBFT state by exactly one block height. Used to recover from an incorrect application state transition where CometBFT has persisted an incorrect app hash. After rollback, restarting the node will re-execute the transactions in the rolled-back block.

axelard rollback [flags]
axelard rollback --home ~/.axelar

--home

string

Application home directory. Defaults to $HOME/.axelar.

--hard

boolean

Remove the last block as well as the state (more aggressive rollback).

Rollback does not remove blocks from the block store — it only rewinds the application state. Upon restart, the rolled-back block’s transactions will be re-applied.

`axelard prune`

Prunes historical application state from disk, keeping only recent heights. Run this on a stopped node to reclaim disk space without starting a full archive resync.

axelard prune [pruning-method] [flags]

Pruning methods:

Method	Behaviour
`default`	Keep the last 362,880 states
`nothing`	Retain all historical state (archive node)
`everything`	Keep only the 2 most recent states
`custom`	Manually specify `--pruning-keep-recent`

Example:

axelard prune custom \
  --pruning-keep-recent 100 \
  --app-db-backend goleveldb \
  --home ~/.axelar

--pruning-keep-recent

uint

Number of recent heights to retain when using custom pruning.

--app-db-backend

string

Database backend type: goleveldb, rocksdb, or pebbledb. Defaults to goleveldb.

--home

string

Application home directory. Defaults to $HOME/.axelar.

`axelard comet`

CometBFT utility subcommands for inspecting and managing the consensus layer.

axelard comet <subcommand> [flags]

show-node-id — Print the node's P2P ID

Prints the node’s unique P2P identifier, derived from the node_key.json file. Share this ID with peers to allow them to connect directly.

axelard comet show-node-id

show-validator — Print validator consensus public key

Displays the CometBFT validator consensus public key in JSON format. This is the key used for block signing and is distinct from the operator key.

axelard comet show-validator

show-address — Print consensus address

Shows this node’s CometBFT validator consensus address (the axelarvalcons1… address).

axelard comet show-address

version — Print CometBFT version

Prints the version of the CometBFT library compiled into this binary.

axelard comet version

unsafe-reset-all — Wipe all CometBFT data

Removes all CometBFT data (block store, state, and WAL) and resets the validator state to genesis. The --keep-addr-book flag preserves the peer address book.

axelard comet unsafe-reset-all [--keep-addr-book]

This is a destructive operation. All CometBFT state is permanently deleted. Only use this if you intend to resync from genesis or a snapshot.

bootstrap-state — Bootstrap state via light client

Bootstraps CometBFT state at an arbitrary block height using a light client. Useful for state-sync setups.

axelard comet bootstrap-state

reset-state — Remove all data and WAL

Removes all CometBFT data and the write-ahead log without resetting the validator key.

axelard comet reset-state

`axelard snapshots`

Manages local application state snapshots. Snapshots enable state-sync, allowing other nodes to quickly bootstrap by downloading a verified state snapshot instead of replaying all blocks from genesis.

axelard snapshots <subcommand> [flags]

list — List available local snapshots

Displays all snapshots stored in the local snapshot store, showing height and format.

axelard snapshots list

export — Export current app state as a snapshot

Exports the application state at a given height (defaulting to the latest) into the local snapshot store.

axelard snapshots export
axelard snapshots export --height 12345678

--height

int

Block height to export. Defaults to the latest committed height.

dump — Dump snapshot to a portable archive

Writes a snapshot from the local store to a portable .tar.gz archive file for transfer or backup.

axelard snapshots dump <height> <format> --output snapshot.tar.gz

--output

string

Output file path. Short form: -o.

load — Load a snapshot archive into the store

Imports a .tar.gz snapshot archive into the local snapshot store.

axelard snapshots load snapshot.tar.gz

restore — Restore app state from a local snapshot

Restores the application state from a snapshot already present in the local store.

axelard snapshots restore <height> <format>

delete — Delete a local snapshot

Removes a specific snapshot (identified by height and format) from the local snapshot store.

axelard snapshots delete <height> <format>

`axelard vald-start`

Starts the Axelar validator daemon (vald). Vald watches external chains for cross-chain events and participates in threshold signing rounds via the tofnd TSS sidecar. It must be run alongside a fully synced axelard start process.

axelard vald-start [flags]

Example:

axelard vald-start \
  --validator-addr axelarvaloper1... \
  --from broadcaster \
  --tofnd-host localhost \
  --tofnd-port 50051 \
  --chain-id axelar-dojo-1 \
  --node tcp://localhost:26657 \
  --keyring-backend file

--validator-addr

string

The validator operator address (axelarvaloper1…) that vald will act on behalf of.

--from

string

Key name or address of the broadcaster account used to sign and submit transactions.

--tofnd-host

string

Hostname of the tofnd TSS daemon. Defaults to localhost.

--tofnd-port

string

Port of the tofnd TSS daemon. Defaults to 50051.

--tofnd-dial-timeout

string

Dial timeout when connecting to tofnd. Defaults to 15s.

--chain-id

string

The network chain ID. Defaults to axelar.

--node

string

CometBFT RPC endpoint. Defaults to tcp://localhost:26657.

--keyring-backend

string

Keyring backend for the broadcaster key. Defaults to file.

--gas-prices

string

Gas price for submitted transactions. Defaults to 0.007uaxl.

--gas-adjustment

float

Multiplier applied to estimated gas. Defaults to 4.

--broadcast-mode

string

Transaction broadcasting mode: sync or async. Defaults to sync.

Vald must be restarted whenever the underlying node restarts. Consider using a process supervisor (e.g., systemd or supervisord) that starts vald only after the node RPC endpoint becomes available.

Overview

Node Commands

Transaction Commands

Query Commands

axelard Node Commands: Init, Start, and Operations

`axelard init`

`axelard start`

Networking Flags

Pruning Flags

Operational Flags

`axelard status`

`axelard health-check`

`axelard rollback`

`axelard prune`

`axelard comet`

`axelard snapshots`

`axelard vald-start`

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Node Commands

Transaction Commands

Query Commands

Documentation Index

​axelard init

​axelard start

​Networking Flags

​Pruning Flags

​Operational Flags

​axelard status

​axelard health-check

​axelard rollback

​axelard prune

​axelard comet

​axelard snapshots

​axelard vald-start

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

`axelard init`

`axelard start`

Networking Flags

Pruning Flags

Operational Flags

`axelard status`

`axelard health-check`

`axelard rollback`

`axelard prune`

`axelard comet`

`axelard snapshots`

`axelard vald-start`