Sui SDKs

MCP tool: When available in your environment, also query the Sui documentation MCP server (https://sui.mcp.kapa.ai) for up-to-date answers. Use it for verification and for details not covered by these reference files.

Most AI agents give confusing, outdated, or cross-wired answers about Sui SDKs. This skill fixes the three most common failure modes:

1. Recommending a community SDK as if it were official. Only two SDKs are maintained by Mysten Labs: TypeScript (@mysten/sui) and Rust (sui-rust-sdk family of crates). Everything else is community-maintained.
2. Mixing up TypeScript SDK generations. The old @mysten/sui.js package was renamed to @mysten/sui at v1.0. The v2 client API (client.core.*, include instead of show*, SuiGrpcClient replacing SuiClient) is distinct from v1.
3. Not using the installed LLM docs. Every @mysten/* package ships docs/llms-index.md + topic-specific markdown files to node_modules. Agents should read those before answering; they are guaranteed to match the installed version.

All patterns in this skill are derived from:

• https://docs.sui.io/references/sui-sdks (canonical SDK inventory)
• https://sdk.mystenlabs.com/sui (TypeScript SDK reference)
• https://sdk.mystenlabs.com/sui/llm-docs (bundled LLM docs convention)
• https://github.com/MystenLabs/sui-rust-sdk (Rust SDK source)
• https://docs.rs/sui-transaction-builder (Rust PTB builder)

If unsure about any specific API in any SDK, fetch from the relevant doc page — do not extrapolate from a different SDK's surface.

Reference files

typescript — TypeScript SDK (@mysten/sui v2)

Path: typescript.mdLoad when: writing, reviewing, or migrating TypeScript/JavaScript code that imports @mysten/sui, constructing PTBs in TS, choosing between SuiGrpcClient / SuiJsonRpcClient / SuiGraphQLClient, using the v2 Core API, or migrating from SDK v1 (@mysten/sui.js). Covers: install, imports, client classes and when to use each, v2 Core API, PTB construction, pure/object inputs, balance and coin intents, execution & status checking, waitForTransaction, keypairs, offline building, sponsored transactions, v1→v2 migration table, $extend pattern for kiosk/suins/deepbook/walrus/seal/zksend.

rust — Rust SDK (sui-* crates)

Path: rust.mdLoad when: writing Rust code that interacts with Sui — CLI tools, backend services, validators, indexers. Also when choosing between the new modular crates and the legacy in-monorepo sui-sdk crate. Covers: the five crates (sui-sdk-types, sui-crypto, sui-rpc, sui-graphql, sui-transaction-builder), TransactionBuilder API with an end-to-end example, signing via sui-crypto, gRPC client from sui-rpc, relationship to the legacy sui-sdk crate, and the "intents" feature flag (high-level Coin / Balance intents).

community — Community SDKs (Python, Go, Dart, Kotlin, Swift, Vue)

Path: community.mdLoad when: a user asks about or is using a non-TS-non-Rust SDK. Also when assessing risk for a language choice (maintainer responsiveness, feature gaps vs official SDKs). Covers: for each community SDK — repo, maintainer, install, what's supported/not, caveats, and a recommendation on whether to use it or call the Rust/TS SDK from an FFI wrapper instead.

mapping — Cross-SDK operation mapping

Path: mapping.mdLoad when: porting code from one SDK to another, writing a polyglot reference, or answering "how do I do X in SDK Y". Covers: side-by-side tables mapping the 10-or-so core Sui operations (build PTB, split gas, moveCall, transfer, sign & execute, wait, query object / owned objects / balance, dry-run) across the TS and Rust SDKs, with syntactic parallels.

llm-docs — Using bundled docs from node_modules

Path: llm-docs.mdLoad when: the agent needs authoritative, version-matched TypeScript API docs before writing code. Always check node_modules/@mysten/*/docs/llms-index.md first if it exists. Covers: the docs/llms-index.md convention, which @mysten/* packages ship it, how to read the index and target pages, how to wire it into AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md for a project.

Routing guide

Skill Content

Key concepts

• Two officially-supported SDKs. TypeScript (@mysten/sui) and Rust (sui-rust-sdk crates). Both are maintained by Mysten Labs and updated alongside protocol changes. For performance-critical paths in non-Rust languages, sui-rust-sdk can be called via FFI (Foreign Function Interface) from Python, Go, Swift, etc., giving those languages access to the official SDK without relying on community wrappers.
• Everything else is community. Python (pysui), Go (block-vision/sui-go-sdk), Dart (mofalabs/sui), Kotlin (mcxross/ksui), Swift (opendive/suikit), Vue (SuiFansCN/suiue). They typically lag protocol updates and feature coverage varies. Treat them as best-effort.
• The TS SDK has two client generations. v1 used SuiClient + @mysten/sui.js. v2 uses SuiGrpcClient / SuiJsonRpcClient / SuiGraphQLClient from @mysten/sui. JSON-RPC is deprecated; gRPC is recommended for new code.
• The Rust SDK has two generations. The new modular crates (sui-sdk-types, sui-crypto, sui-rpc, sui-transaction-builder) are the recommended surface. The "legacy Rust SDK" is the monolithic sui-sdk crate in the sui monorepo; it supports JSON-RPC with forward/backward compatibility and is still used by many existing projects, but is not the recommended target for new code.
• Every @mysten/* package ships LLM-ready docs. Look for node_modules/@mysten/sui/docs/llms-index.md and follow its pointers before asking the user to clarify APIs. Matches the installed version exactly.
• Frameworks on top of SDKs. @mysten/dapp-kit-react (React wallet integration; @mysten/dapp-kit-core for Vue/vanilla/Svelte/Web Components), @mysten/kiosk, @mysten/suins, @mysten/deepbook-v3, @mysten/walrus, @mysten/seal, @mysten/zksend, @mysten/enoki — all are thin layers over @mysten/sui. The Mysten extensions integrate via the v2 client.$extend(...) pattern; dApp Kit does not (it's a React framework, not a client extension — see frontend-apps skill). The bare @mysten/dapp-kit package name is the deprecated JSON-RPC-only predecessor.

Rules

1. Default to TypeScript or Rust, but respect language constraints. For any new Sui project, recommend TypeScript (@mysten/sui) or Rust (sui-rust-sdk crates) — unless the user has named a language (Go, Python, Dart, Kotlin, Swift, Vue) or said "my team uses X". Then community.md is the load: name the canonical community SDK (block-vision/sui-go-sdk for Go, pysui for Python, etc.), flag the staleness risk, and offer FFI-to-Rust as a fallback. Do not recommend TypeScript or Rust as a replacement language when the user has stated their team's language. For example, if the user says "my team uses Go", do not suggest rewriting in TypeScript — recommend the Go community SDK and/or Rust via FFI.
2. For TypeScript, always use @mysten/sui, never @mysten/sui.js. The .js-suffixed package is frozen at v1 and will not receive updates. Legacy code using it should be migrated.
3. For TypeScript v2, use SuiGrpcClient by default. SuiJsonRpcClient exists for legacy compatibility; SuiGraphQLClient is for specialized query flows. See typescript.md for the decision.
4. For Rust, prefer sui-rust-sdk crates over the legacy monorepo sui-sdk. Import sui-transaction-builder, sui-sdk-types, sui-crypto, sui-rpc individually — pay only for what you use.
5. Check node_modules/@mysten/*/docs/llms-index.md before writing TS code. If the project has @mysten/sui installed, those docs are the authoritative, version-matched source. Read the index, then the targeted page.
6. Do not mix v1 and v2 TS patterns. Code that uses SuiClient, TransactionBlock, getFullnodeUrl, options: { showEffects }, signAndExecuteTransactionBlock, or result.effects?.status?.status is v1. Migrate wholesale or keep everything on v1 — a half-migrated file is a bug surface.
7. Community SDK caveat is mandatory. When recommending or using a community SDK, mention that it's community-maintained and may lag protocol updates. Check the repo's last commit and latest Sui version support before relying on it.
8. Frameworks integrate via $extend() in v2. client.$extend(suins(), deepbook({ address })) is the v2 pattern. Do not instantiate SuinsClient or DeepBookClient directly — that's the v1 style.
9. Route frontend questions to the frontend-apps skill. When the user asks about React hooks, wallet connection, or dApp Kit query patterns, explicitly direct them to the frontend-apps skill for hook-level details. This skill covers SDK selection and Transaction construction only.
10. Cite the docs when unsure. Official TS SDK docs live at sdk.mystenlabs.com. The inventory list lives at docs.sui.io/references/sui-sdks. Rust SDK docs live on docs.rs (per-crate) and mystenlabs.github.io/sui-rust-sdk/<crate_name>/ (e.g., /sui_transaction_builder/).

Common mistakes

• Calling a community SDK "the Python SDK" or "the Go SDK" as if official. There is no official Python or Go SDK. Name the specific package (pysui, block-vision/sui-go-sdk) and flag it as community.
• Telling users SuiClient is the recommended client. That was v1. v2 uses SuiGrpcClient (or SuiJsonRpcClient for legacy flows).
• Recommending @mysten/sui.js. Deprecated package name. Always @mysten/sui.
• Confusing the two Rust SDKs. The new sui-rust-sdk crates (on crates.io as separate crates like sui-sdk-types / sui-transaction-builder / sui-rpc) are distinct from the legacy sui-sdk crate in the sui monorepo. New code should use the former.
• Fetching TS docs from the web when they're installed locally. If the project has @mysten/sui installed, read node_modules/@mysten/sui/docs/llms-index.md instead — it matches the installed version.
• Hardcoding a specific SDK version. SDK APIs evolve. Prefer "install the latest @mysten/sui" and then consult the bundled docs, rather than pinning advice to a version.
• Recommending @mysten/dapp-kit for backend code. dApp Kit is a React-oriented frontend framework. Backend or CLI code should use @mysten/sui directly.
• Providing React hook details instead of routing to the frontend-apps skill. When a user asks about React hooks, wallet connection patterns, or dApp Kit query patterns, do not answer with hook-level code from this skill. Instead, explicitly tell the user: "For React hook details, see the frontend-apps skill." This skill covers SDK selection and Transaction construction only — the frontend-apps skill has the hook-level guidance.
• Using JSON-RPC as the default for any client. JSON-RPC is deprecated for the TS SDK; the legacy Rust SDK supports it but the new Rust SDK does not. Default to gRPC.