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The parser_cli tool parses raw transaction data and shows the resulting visualization, making it essential for developing and testing VisualSign parsers.

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Installation

# Clone the visualsign-parser repository (https://github.com/anchorageoss/visualsign-parser) with your preferred method
cd visualsign-parser/src

# Build the parser CLI
cargo build --release

# The binary will be available at target/release/parser_cli

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Basic usage

parser_cli --chain <chain> -t <transaction_hex> --output <format>

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Parameters

ParameterDescription
--chainBlockchain type (ethereum, solana, sui, tron)
-t, --transactionRaw transaction data (hex encoded)
--outputOutput format: text (default), json, or human
--condensed-onlyShow only condensed view (what users see on hardware wallets)
-n, --networkNetwork identifier—chain ID (e.g., 1, 137) or canonical name (e.g., ETHEREUM_MAINNET, POLYGON_MAINNET)
--abi-json-mappingsMap custom ABI JSON to contract. Format: Name:/path/to/abi.json:0xAddress. Can be used multiple times
--idl-json-mappingsMap custom IDL JSON to Solana program. Format: Name:/path/to/idl.json:ProgramId. Can be used multiple times

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Real-world examples

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Ethereum: Complex Uniswap transaction

The following command parses a real Uniswap Universal Router transaction that includes multiple DeFi operations: 
parser_cli --chain ethereum -t 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 --output human

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Output breakdown

┌─ Transaction: Ethereum Transaction
│  Version: 0
│  Type: EthereumTx
│
└─ Fields:
   ├─ Network: Ethereum Mainnet
   ├─ To: 0x3fC91A3afd70395Cd496C647d5a6CC9D4B2b7FAD
   ├─ Value: 0 ETH
   ├─ Gas Limit: 283399
   ├─ Gas Price: 2.081928163 gwei
   ├─ Max Priority Fee Per Gas: 2 gwei
   ├─ Nonce: 183
   └─ Universal Router
         Title: Uniswap Universal Router Execute
         Detail: 4 commands
         📖 Expanded View:
         ├─ Permit2 Permit
         │     Title: Permit2 Permit
         │     Detail: Permit 0x3fC91A3afd70395Cd496C647d5a6CC9D4B2b7FAD to spend Unlimited Amount of 0x72b658bd674f9c2b4954682f517c17d14476e417
         │     📖 Expanded View:
         │     ├─ Token: 0x72b658bd674f9c2b4954682f517c17d14476e417
         │     ├─ Amount: 1461501637330902918203684832716283019655932542975
         │     ├─ Spender: 0x3fc91a3afd70395cd496c647d5a6cc9d4b2b7fad
         │     ├─ Expires: 2025-12-15 18:44 UTC
         │     └─ Sig Deadline: 2025-11-15 19:14 UTC
         ├─ V2 Swap Exact In
         │     Title: V2 Swap Exact In
         │     Detail: Swap 46525180921656252477 0x72b658bd674f9c2b4954682f517c17d14476e417 for >=0.002761011377502728 WETH via V2 (1 hops)
         │     📖 Expanded View:
         │     ├─ Input Token: 0x72b658bd674f9c2b4954682f517c17d14476e417
         │     ├─ Input Amount: 46525180921656252477
         │     ├─ Output Token: WETH
         │     ├─ Minimum Output: >=0.002761011377502728
         │     └─ Hops: 1
         ├─ Pay Portion
         │     Title: Pay Portion
         │     Detail: Pay 0.2500% of WETH to 0x000000fee13a103A10D593b9AE06b3e05F2E7E1c
         │     📖 Expanded View:
         │     ├─ Token: WETH
         │     ├─ Percentage: 0.2500%
         │     └─ Recipient: 0x000000fee13a103a10d593b9ae06b3e05f2e7e1c
         └─ Unwrap WETH
               Title: Unwrap WETH
               Detail: Unwrap >=0.002754108849058971 WETH to ETH for 0x8419e7Eda8577Dfc49591a49CAd965a0Fc6716cF
               📖 Expanded View:
               ├─ Minimum Amount: >=0.002754108849058971 WETH
               └─ Recipient: 0x8419e7eda8577dfc49591a49cad965a0fc6716cf
This visualization shows how VisualSign transforms a complex 2470-character hex string into a clear, hierarchical representation that anyone can understand.

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Hardware wallet view

Use --condensed-only to see what users see on hardware wallets with limited screen space: 
parser_cli --chain ethereum -t <transaction_hex> --output human --condensed-only
This shows only the most essential information that fits on small screens.

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Available test fixtures

The parser includes real-world transaction examples from production networks:

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Ethereum fixtures

Located in src/chain_parsers/visualsign-ethereum/tests/fixtures/:
  • legacy.input: Simple ETH transfer
  • 1559.input: EIP-1559 transaction example
  • uniswap-v2swap.input: Uniswap V2 swap transaction
  • uniswap-v3swap.input: Uniswap V3 swap transaction

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Solana fixtures

Located in src/chain_parsers/visualsign-solana/tests/fixtures/:
  • jupiter_swap/: Real mainnet Jupiter aggregator swap
    • WSOL → USELESS token swap
    • 25 accounts including Whirlpool DEX integration
    • Transaction signature: 441ttot8CzpgsiRHvAHnNTCBwbSnPuhuy43pCjzZU9BKwBuJeW8f4TMU7FYLeqBst6WJeMEHprdQxr4thxqZSxRs
  • token_2022/: Token-2022 program transactions
    • SPL Token-2022 (Token Extensions) operations

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Sui fixtures

Located in src/chain_parsers/visualsign-sui/src/presets/:
  • cetus/: Concentrated liquidity DEX operations
    • Swaps (A→B, B→A, with/without partner fees)
    • Liquidity provision at specific price ranges
  • coin_transfer/: Native SUI transfer operations
  • momentum/: Liquidity protocol operations
    • Position management (open, close, add, remove)
    • Fee and reward collection
  • sui_native_staking/: Native staking operations
    • Stake and unstake SUI with validators
  • suilend/: Lending protocol operations
    • Borrow, deposit, repay operations
    • Collateral token management
    • Staking and unstaking

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Development workflow

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1. Testing new parsers

When developing a new parser or modifying existing ones: 
# Test with a raw transaction
parser_cli --chain ethereum -t <your_tx_hex> --output json > result.json

# Compare with expected output
diff result.json expected.json

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2. Debugging complex transactions

For complex DeFi transactions with nested operations: 
# Get full JSON output for analysis
parser_cli --chain ethereum -t <tx_hex> --output json | jq '.'

# Focus on specific fields
parser_cli --chain ethereum -t <tx_hex> --output json | jq '.Fields[-1]'

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3. Validating hardware wallet display

Ensure your parser output works well on constrained devices: 
# Check condensed view fits requirements
parser_cli --chain ethereum -t <tx_hex> --output human --condensed-only

# Verify character limits and formatting
parser_cli --chain ethereum -t <tx_hex> --output json | jq '.PreviewLayout.Condensed'

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Output formats

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Human format

Best for development and debugging. Shows hierarchical structure with indentation and Unicode box drawing characters.

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JSON format

Machine-readable format following the VisualSign JSON schema. Use with jq for analysis: 
# Extract all field titles
parser_cli --chain ethereum -t <tx> --output json | jq -r '.. | .Title? // empty'

# Find all addresses
parser_cli --chain ethereum -t <tx> --output json | jq -r '.. | .Address? // empty'

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Developer options

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Signed transaction support

The CLI enables allow_signed_transactions by default, which allows parsing already-signed transactions by extracting the unsigned portion. This is useful for development and debugging — you can paste transactions directly from block explorers. Important: The production gRPC API does not enable this option. Production wallets should only parse unsigned transactions to ensure users are signing exactly what they see. 
# This works in the CLI (signed transaction from Etherscan)
parser_cli --chain ethereum -t 0x02f8b00181...signature_bytes...

# The parser extracts the unsigned portion for visualization
When allow_signed_transactions is enabled:
  • Signed transactions are accepted and the unsigned portion is extracted
  • The visualization shows what the user originally approved
  • Useful for debugging and verifying production transactions

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Best practices

  1. Always test with real transactions: Use mainnet transactions from block explorers
  2. Verify both views: Check both expanded and condensed layouts
  3. Test edge cases: Large numbers, special characters, long addresses
  4. Validate against hardware: Ensure condensed view fits actual device constraints
  5. Document complex logic: Add comments for protocol-specific parsing

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Common issues and solutions

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Issue: Transaction parsing fails

Solution: Verify the hex encoding and chain type match

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Issue: Output too verbose for hardware wallet

Solution: Adjust the condensed view to show only critical fields

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Issue: Missing protocol details

Solution: Add protocol-specific presets to decode contract calls

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Next steps