CLI overview

Two equivalent ways to invoke the CLI:

# Installed binary
cargo install provekit-cli
provekit-cli <command> [options]

# From a source checkout
cargo run --release --bin provekit-cli -- <command> [options]

Most examples below assume the current directory contains a Noir package’s Nargo.toml. When in doubt, pass explicit artifact paths instead of relying on defaults.

Rust API references: provekit-common · provekit-prover · provekit-verifier · provekit-r1cs-compiler. Unfamiliar terms? See the glossary.

Artifact defaults

Artifact	Default path	Produced by	Consumed by
Prover key	`<circuit>.pkp`	`prepare`	`prove`, `analyze-pkp`, FFI/WASM provers
Verifier key	`<circuit>.pkv`	`prepare`	`verify`, `show-inputs`, `generate-gnark-inputs`, verifier server
Proof	`./proof.np`	`prove`	`verify`, `show-inputs`, `generate-gnark-inputs`
Noir inputs	`./Prover.toml`	User / Noir tooling	`prove`
Recursive params	`./params_for_recursive_verifier`	`generate-gnark-inputs`	Go/gnark recursive verifier
Recursive R1CS	`./r1cs.json`	`generate-gnark-inputs`	Go/gnark recursive verifier, verifier server

Default key names come from the enclosing Nargo package name. When a command can’t infer the package, pass --pkp, --pkv, --prover, or --verifier explicitly.

Primary workflow

cd noir-examples/basic
cargo run --release --bin provekit-cli -- prepare
cargo run --release --bin provekit-cli -- prove
cargo run --release --bin provekit-cli -- verify

The same workflow with explicit paths:

cargo run --release --bin provekit-cli -- prepare \
  . \
  --pkp artifacts/basic.pkp \
  --pkv artifacts/basic.pkv \
  --hash skyscraper

cargo run --release --bin provekit-cli -- prove \
  --prover artifacts/basic.pkp \
  --input Prover.toml \
  --out artifacts/proof.np

cargo run --release --bin provekit-cli -- verify \
  --verifier artifacts/basic.pkv \
  --proof artifacts/proof.np

Keep the .pkp, .pkv, proof, inputs, circuit source, and --hash choice aligned. Regenerate artifacts after any change to the circuit, inputs, branch, or hash.

`prepare`

Compile a Noir package and write the ProveKit key files.

provekit-cli prepare [program_path] [options]

Option	Purpose
`program_path`	Directory containing `Nargo.toml`. Defaults to `.`.
`--package <name>`	Compile a single Noir package from a workspace.
`--workspace`	Compile every binary package in a Noir workspace.
`--target-dir <path>`	Override the Noir target directory for compiled artifacts.
`--deny-warnings`	Treat Noir warnings as errors.
`--silence-warnings`	Suppress Noir warnings.
`--print-acir`	Print the compiled ACIR.
`--skip-underconstrained-check`	Skip Noir’s under-constrained-values check.
`--skip-brillig-constraints-check`	Skip the Brillig call-constraints check.
`--force`	Force recompilation, ignoring cached artifacts.
`--pkp`, `-p <path>`	Output prover key path. Defaults to `<circuit>.pkp`.
`--pkv`, `-v <path>`	Output verifier key path. Defaults to `<circuit>.pkv`.
`--hash <name>`	Merkle commitment hash: `skyscraper`, `sha256`, `keccak`, `blake3`, or `poseidon2`. Defaults to `skyscraper`.

--pkp and --pkv cannot be used when compiling multiple binary packages.

`prove`

Read a prover key plus input TOML and write a proof.

provekit-cli prove [options]

Option	Purpose
`--prover`, `-p <path>`	Prover key path. Defaults to `<circuit>.pkp`.
`--input`, `-i <path>`	Noir input file. Defaults to `./Prover.toml`.
`--out`, `-o <path>`	Proof output path. Defaults to `./proof.np`.

prove consumes the prepared key material and writes a serialized NoirProof. For browser, mobile, or service integrations, treat the proof as an artifact that must stay paired with its verifier key and public inputs.

`verify`

Read a verifier key plus proof and verify the proof.

provekit-cli verify [options]

Option	Purpose
`--verifier`, `-v <path>`	Verifier key path. Defaults to `<circuit>.pkv`.
`--proof <path>`	Proof path. Defaults to `./proof.np`.

A verification failure usually means the proof, verifier key, public inputs, circuit, branch, or hash configuration don’t match. Regenerate from prepare when any of those inputs change.

Inspection and export commands

`circuit-stats`

Analyze Noir ACIR circuit statistics and R1CS complexity. Noir only.

provekit-cli circuit-stats <target/*.json>

`analyze-pkp`

Print the size breakdown of a Noir prover key. Noir only.

provekit-cli analyze-pkp <file.pkp>

`show-inputs`

Display public inputs from a proof using their ABI variable names. Pass --hex for byte-exact comparison.

provekit-cli show-inputs [--hex] <verifier.pkv> <proof.np>

`generate-gnark-inputs`

Export recursive-verifier parameters and an R1CS JSON file for the Go/gnark wrapper.

provekit-cli generate-gnark-inputs <verifier.pkv> <proof.np> \
  [--params <path>] \
  [--r1cs <path>]

Example with full paths:

cargo run --release --bin provekit-cli -- generate-gnark-inputs \
  artifacts/basic.pkv \
  artifacts/proof.np \
  --params artifacts/params_for_recursive_verifier \
  --r1cs artifacts/r1cs.json

Profiling flags

The CLI prints span timing and memory statistics through its tracing layer. When built with the tracy feature, these global flags are also available:

Flag	Purpose
`--tracy`	Enable Tracy profiling.
`--tracy-allocations <depth>`	Track allocations at the given stack depth (`0` for no stack traces).
`--tracy-keepalive`	Keep the process alive after completion so Tracy can collect data.

Build with Tracy support before using those flags:

cargo run --release --features tracy --bin provekit-cli -- --tracy prepare

Troubleshooting quick links

Common errors, setup, artifact mismatch, WASM, and verifier-server failures.
Project status and versioning, read before mixing artifacts across branches.
Production checklist, pre-launch checks for ProveKit-backed workflows.