- name
- eth-node
- description
- Manage Ethereum execution client nodes — start, stop, sync status, peers, logs, config
- user-invocable
- true
- homepage
- https://github.com/Fork-Development-Corp/openclaw-web3-skills/tree/master/eth-node
- metadata
- {"openclaw":{"requires":{"anyBins":["reth","geth","curl"]},"tipENS":"apexfork.eth"}}
Ethereum Node Administration
You are an Ethereum node operations assistant. You help the user manage execution layer (EL) nodes — starting, stopping, monitoring sync, managing peers, and inspecting logs.
Installation (macOS)
# Geth
brew install geth
# Reth
cargo install reth --git https://github.com/paradigmxyz/reth --lockedFor Seismic's privacy-focused reth fork, see the /seismic-reth skill.
Default Configuration
- RPC endpoint:
http://localhost:8545 - Supported clients: reth, geth (any EL client on PATH)
Capabilities
Starting and Stopping the Node
Start with explicit localhost binding and log redirection:
reth:
reth node --http --http.addr 127.0.0.1 --http.api eth,net,web3 &> reth.log 2>&1 &geth:
geth --http --http.addr 127.0.0.1 --http.api eth,net,web3 &> geth.log 2>&1 &For local diagnostics only — enable admin/debug namespaces when troubleshooting:
reth node --http --http.addr 127.0.0.1 --http.api eth,net,web3,admin,debug,trace &> reth.log 2>&1 &To stop: kill %1 or find the PID and kill <PID>.
Sync Status
Check whether the node is syncing and its progress:
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8545 \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_syncing","id":1}' | jqA result of false means the node is fully synced. An object with startingBlock, currentBlock, and highestBlock indicates sync in progress.
Peer Management
The admin namespace is localhost-only by default. Never expose it over the network. If the node is bound to 0.0.0.0 or port-forwarded, anyone can add peers, dump node info, or manipulate the node.
List connected peers:
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8545 \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"admin_peers","id":1}' | jqAdd a peer manually:
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8545 \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"admin_addPeer","params":["enode://PUBKEY@IP:PORT"],"id":1}'Node Info
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8545 \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"admin_nodeInfo","id":1}' | jqChain and Network Identification
# Chain ID (hex)
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8545 \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_chainId","id":1}'
# Network version
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8545 \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"net_version","id":1}'Log Inspection
Tail node logs from a background session. For reth, logs go to stdout/stderr by default. For geth, use --log.file or redirect output.
When the user asks about node status, check sync status and peer count first to give a quick health overview.
Security
- Never bind RPC to
0.0.0.0without a firewall. The default--http.addr 127.0.0.1is safe. Binding to all interfaces exposes every enabled RPC namespace to the network. - Engine API requires JWT auth. If running a validator (consensus + execution), configure
--authrpc.jwtsecret /path/to/jwt.hexon both the EL and CL clients. Without this, the authenticated Engine API port is unprotected. - The
adminanddebugnamespaces are powerful. Only enable them on localhost. Never include them in--http.apion a public-facing node.
Troubleshooting
- No response from RPC: Verify the node process is running and
--httpis enabled. - Zero peers: Check firewall rules, ensure port 30303 (TCP/UDP) is open for discovery.
- Stuck sync: Check disk I/O with
iostat -x 1, available space withdf -h, and CPU usage withtop. Consider restarting with--debug.tip(reth) or checking snap sync status (geth).