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Teku command line options

This reference describes the syntax of the Teku command line interface (CLI) options.

Specify options​

You can specify Teku options:

  • On the command line.

    teku [OPTIONS] [COMMAND]

  • As an environment variable. For each command line option, the equivalent environment variable is:

    • Uppercase.
    • - is replaced by _.
    • Has a TEKU_ prefix.

  • In a YAML configuration file.

If you specify an option in multiple places, the order of priority is command line, environment variable, configuration file.

Using autocomplete​

If using Bash or Z shell, you can enable autocomplete support by navigating to the build folder and running:

source teku.autocomplete.sh

Autocomplete allows you to view option suggestions by entering -- and pressing the Tab key twice.

teku --Tab+Tab

Options​

beacon-liveness-tracking-enabled​

--beacon-liveness-tracking-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables validator liveness tracking. Used by doppelganger detection. The default is false.

builder-bid-compare-factor​

--builder-bid-compare-factor=<STRING>

The builder bid compare factor. The default is 90 (90%).

Execution layer clients in Capella-enabled networks provide the execution payload and the payload value. The beacon node compares this value against the builder bid to maximize the validator's profit or decrease network censorship at a low or no cost.

Use this option to set the comparison factor applied to the builder bid value when comparing it to the locally produced payload. The factor is expressed as a percentage. For example, a builder bid comparison factor of 90 means the builder's payload is chosen when its value is at least 10% greater than what can be built locally.

Set this option to BUILDER_ALWAYS to always use the builder bid, unless the bid is invalid.

builder-endpoint​

--builder-endpoint=<URL>

The address for an external builder endpoint.

builder-set-user-agent-header​

--builder-set-user-agent-header[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables setting the User-Agent header to teku/v<version> (for example, teku/v23.4.0) when making a builder bid request, to help builders identify clients and versions. The default is true.

checkpoint-sync-url​

--checkpoint-sync-url=<URL>

The URL of a Checkpointz endpoint used to start Teku from a recent state.

By default, Teku tries to download the finalized state from the endpoint. If it can't download the finalized state, it tries to download the genesis state.

tip

See this community-maintained list of checkpoint state endpoints.

When this option is set, and --deposit-snapshot-enabled is also not set or disabled, the --checkpoint-sync-url value will be used to determine the deposit snapshot.

config-file​

--config-file=<FILE>

The path to the YAML configuration file. The default is none.

data-base-path, data-path​

--data-base-path=<PATH>

The path to the Teku data directory. The default directory is OS-dependent:

  • macOS: ~/Library/teku
  • Unix/Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/teku if $XDG_DATA_HOME is set; otherwise ~/.local/share/teku
  • Windows: %localappdata%\teku.

The default Docker image location is /root/.local/share/teku.

data-beacon-path​

--data-beacon-path=<PATH>

The path to the beacon node data. The default is <data-base-path>/beacon where <data-base-path> is specified using --data-base-path.

data-storage-archive-frequency​

--data-storage-archive-frequency=<NUMBER>

The frequency (in slots) at which to store finalized states to disk. The default is 2048.

This option is ignored if --data-storage-mode is not set to archive.

note

Specifying a higher number of slots has a potentially higher overhead for retrieving finalized states, since Teku might need to regenerate more states to get to the requested state. Specifying a lower number of slots increases the disk space usage.

For example, with --data-storage-archive-frequency=1, Teku uses maximum disk space but has the lowest response time for retrieving a finalized state since it saves every slot state. With --data-storage-archive-frequency=2048, Teku uses less disk space but might need to regenerate the state since it only saves every 2048th slot state.

data-storage-mode​

--data-storage-mode=<STORAGE_MODE>

The strategy for handling historical chain data. Valid options are:

  • archive - Stores all blocks and states.

  • minimal - Stores the minimal required data to follow the chain and run validators. Finalized states and historic blocks are pruned.

  • prune - Stores all blocks, but finalized states are pruned.

The default is minimal.

data-storage-non-canonical-blocks-enabled​

--data-storage-non-canonical-blocks-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables storing non-canonical blocks and blob sidecars. The default is false.

data-validator-path​

--data-validator-path=<PATH>

The path to the validator client data. The default is <data-base-path>/validator where <data-base-path> is specified using --data-base-path.

deposit-snapshot-enabled​

--deposit-snapshot-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables using a deposit tree snapshot from checkpoint sync or distributed as part of Teku's binary and persisting the tree after finalization. The default is true.

Normally, at sync, Teku requests all deposit logs from the execution layer up to the head. At each startup, Teku loads all deposits from the disk and replays them to recreate the Merkle tree. Both operations consume peer resources and delay node availability on restart. The feature enabled by this option dramatically decreases the time of both operations by bundling deposit tree snapshots in the Teku distribution for all major networks (Mainnet, Gnosis, Holesky, and Sepolia) and persisting the current tree after finalization. Instead of replaying thousands of deposits on startup, Teku loads the bundled tree or a saved one.

Security considerations

If a malicious peer changes the bundled tree, Teku throws InvalidDepositEventsException on the next deposit received from the execution layer. The malicious peer can't follow up the chain, and so can't propose with an incorrect deposit tree snapshot.

When this option is not set or is disabled, the --checkpoint-sync-url value will be used if provided to find the deposit snapshot URL.

doppelganger-detection-enabled​

--doppelganger-detection-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables doppelganger detection. The default is false.

ee-endpoint​

--ee-endpoint=<URL>

The URL of the execution client's Engine JSON-RPC APIs. This replaces eth1-endpoint after The Merge.

ee-jwt-claim-id​

--ee-jwt-claim-id=<STRING>

A unique identifier for the consensus layer client. When using the JSON-RPC API engine, this identifier is added to JWT claims as an id claim.

ee-jwt-secret-file​

--ee-jwt-secret-file=<FILE>

The shared secret used to authenticate execution clients when using the Engine JSON-RPC API. Contents of file must be 32 hex-encoded bytes. This can be a relative or absolute path. See an example of how to generate this.

eth1-deposit-contract-address​

--eth1-deposit-contract-address=<ADDRESS>

The address of the deposit contract. Only required when creating a custom network.

The deposit contract address can also be defined in:

eth1-deposit-contract-max-request-size​

--eth1-deposit-contract-max-request-size=<INTEGER>

The maximum number of blocks to request deposit contract event logs for in a single request. The default is 10000.

Setting a smaller max size may help if your execution layer client is slow at loading deposit event logs, or when receiving warnings that the execution layer client is unavailable.

eth1-endpoint, eth1-endpoints​

--eth1-endpoint=<URL>[,<URL>...]...

A comma-separated list of JSON-RPC URLs of execution layer clients. Each time Teku makes a call, it finds the first provider in the list that is available, on the right chain, and in sync. This option must be specified if running a validator.

If not specified (that is, you're running a beacon node only), then provide an initial state using the --initial-state option, or start Teku from an existing database using --data-path, which provides the initial state to work from. You do not need to provide an initial state if running a public network which has already started (for example, Mainnet or Holesky).

caution

After The Merge, you can't use eth1-endpoint to specify an external execution layer provider. This option is replaced by ee-endpoint for each beacon node.

exchange-capabilities-monitoring-enabled​

--exchange-capabilities-monitoring-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables querying the execution client periodically for the Engine API methods it supports. If enabled and incompatibility is detected, a warning is raised in the logs. The default is true.

exit-when-no-validator-keys-enabled​

--exit-when-no-validator-keys-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables automatically exiting when no validator keys are loaded.

If set to false, Teku continues running even when no validator keys are loaded. If set to true, Teku automatically exits if no validator keys are loaded, or there are no active validators.

The default is false.

important

If running the validator client and beacon node separately, set this option only on the validator client side. This setting is meant for the client that loads and handles the validator keys.

genesis-state​

--genesis-state=<FILE>

The path or URL to an SSZ-encoded state file. The state file can be used to specify the genesis state, or a recent finalized checkpoint state from which to sync.

This option does not need to be specified if the genesis state is provided by the network specified using the --network option. It also is not required if the --reconstruct-historic-states is not used.

note

If overriding the genesis state in a custom network, you must supply the genesis state file at each restart.

tip

You can use Infura as the source of initial states using --genesis-state https://{projectid}:{secret}@eth2-beacon-mainnet.infura.io/eth/v2/debug/beacon/states/genesis.

help​

Syntax
-h, --help

Show the help message and exit.

ignore-weak-subjectivity-period-enabled​

--ignore-weak-subjectivity-period-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables ignoring the weak subjectivity period verification that Teku performs at startup. The default is false.

caution

Syncing from outside the weak subjectivity period is considered unsafe.

initial-state​

--initial-state=<FILE>

The path or URL to an SSZ-encoded state file. The state file can be used to specify the genesis state, or a recent finalized checkpoint state from which to sync.

This option does not need to be specified if the genesis state is provided by the network specified using the --network option.

note

If overriding the initial state in a custom network, you must supply the initial state file at each restart.

tip

See this community-maintained list of checkpoint state endpoints.

log-color-enabled​

--log-color-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables including a console color display code in status and event log messages. The default is true.

log-destination​

--log-destination=<LOG_DESTINATION>

The location to output log information. Valid options are:

  • BOTH
  • CONSOLE
  • DEFAULT_BOTH
  • FILE

The default is DEFAULT_BOTH. When using BOTH or DEFAULT_BOTH, system updates such as blockchain events are displayed on the console, and errors and other information are logged to a file. Specify the log file with the --log-file command-line option.

In production environments, we recommend using the CONSOLE or FILE options to ensure all log information is available in one place.

note

Use DEFAULT_BOTH when using a custom Log4J2 configuration file. Any other option applies the custom logging changes on top of its default settings.

log-file​

--log-file=<FILENAME>

The relative or absolute location and filename of the log file.

The default directory is OS-dependent:

  • macOS: ~/Library/teku/logs
  • Unix/Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/teku/logs if $XDG_DATA_HOME is set; otherwise ~/.local/share/teku/logs
  • Windows: %localappdata%\teku\logs

The default Docker image location is /root/.local/share/teku/logs.

log-file-name-pattern​

--log-file-name-pattern=<REGEX>

The filename pattern to apply when creating log files. The default pattern is teku_%d{yyyy-MM-dd}.log.

log-include-events-enabled​

--log-include-events-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables logging frequent update events. For example, every slot event with validators and attestations. The default is true.

log-include-validator-duties-enabled​

--log-include-validator-duties-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables logging details of validator event duties. The default is true.

note

Logs could become noisy when running many validators.

logging​

-l, --logging=<LEVEL>

The logging verbosity. Log levels are OFF, FATAL, ERROR, WARN, INFO, DEBUG, TRACE, and ALL. The default is INFO.

metrics-block-timing-tracking-enabled​

--metrics-block-timing-tracking-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables block timing metrics. The default is true.

metrics-categories​

--metrics-categories=<CATEGORY>[,<CATEGORY>...]...

A comma-separated list of categories for which to track metrics. Options are JVM, PROCESS, BEACON, DISCOVERY, EVENTBUS, EXECUTOR, LIBP2P, NETWORK, STORAGE, STORAGE_HOT_DB, STORAGE_FINALIZED_DB, VALIDATOR, VALIDATOR_PERFORMANCE, and VALIDATOR_DUTY.

When metrics-categories is used, only the categories specified in this option are enabled (all other categories are disabled).

metrics-enabled​

--metrics-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables the metrics exporter. The default is false.

metrics-host-allowlist​

--metrics-host-allowlist=<hostname>[,<hostname>...]... or "*"

A comma-separated list of hostnames to allow access to the Teku metrics. By default, Teku accepts access from localhost and 127.0.0.1.

tip

To allow all hostnames, use "*". We don't recommend allowing all hostnames for production environments.

metrics-interface​

--metrics-interface=<HOST>

The host on which Prometheus accesses Teku metrics. The default is 127.0.0.1.

metrics-port​

--metrics-port=<PORT>

The port (TCP) on which Prometheus accesses Teku metrics. The default is 8008.

metrics-publish-endpoint​

--metrics-publish-endpoint=<URL>

The endpoint URL of an external service such as beaconcha.in to which Teku publishes metrics for node monitoring.

metrics-publish-interval​

--metrics-publish-interval=<INTEGER>

The interval between metric publications to the external service defined in metrics-publish-endpoint, measured in seconds. The default is 60.

network​

--network=<NETWORK>

The predefined network configuration. Accepts a predefined network name, or file path or URL to a YAML configuration file. See the consensus specification for examples.

The default is mainnet.

Possible values are:

NetworkChainTypeDescription
mainnetConsensus layerProductionMain network
holeskyConsensus layerTestMulti-client testnet
hoodiConsensus layerTestMulti-client testnet
ephemeryConsensus layerTestMulti-client testnet
sepoliaConsensus layerTestMulti-client testnet
minimalConsensus layerTestUsed for local testing and development networks
gnosisConsensus layerProductionNetwork for the Gnosis chain
chiadoConsensus layerTestGnosis testnet
luksoConsensus layerProductionNetwork for the Lukso chain

Predefined networks can provide defaults such as the initial state of the network, bootnodes, and the address of the deposit contract.

p2p-advertised-ip, p2p-advertised-ips​

--p2p-advertised-ip=<IP_ADDRESS>

The peer-to-peer IP address(es) to advertise. You can define up to two addresses: one IPv4 and one IPv6. The default address is 127.0.0.1.

p2p-advertised-port​

--p2p-advertised-port=<PORT>

The P2P port to advertise. The default is the port specified in --p2p-port.

The advertised port can differ from the --p2p-port. For example, you can set the advertised port to 9010, and the --p2p-port value to 9009, then manually configure the firewall to forward external incoming requests on port 9010 to port 9009 on the Teku node.

p2p-advertised-port-ipv6​

--p2p-advertised-port-ipv6=<PORT>

The P2P IPv6 port to advertise. Use this port only when advertising both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. The default is the port specified in --p2p-port-ipv6.

p2p-advertised-udp-port​

--p2p-advertised-udp-port=<PORT>

The UDP port to advertise to external peers. The default is the port specified in --p2p-advertised-port if it is set. Otherwise, the default is the port specified in --p2p-port.

p2p-advertised-udp-port-ipv6​

--p2p-advertised-udp-port-ipv6=<PORT>

The IPv6 UDP port to advertise external peers. This port is only used when advertising both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. The default is the port specified in --p2p-advertised-port-ipv6 if it is set. Otherwise, the default is the port specified in --p2p-port-ipv6.

p2p-direct-peers​

--p2p-direct-peers=<ADDRESS>[,<ADDRESS>...]...

A comma-separated list of multiaddresses of direct peers with which to establish and maintain connections. Direct peers are static peers with which this node will always exchange full messages, regardless of peer scoring mechanisms. Your direct peers also need to enable your node as direct peer in order to work.

p2p-discovery-bootnodes​

--p2p-discovery-bootnodes=<ENR_ADDRESS>[,<ENR_ADDRESS>...]...

A comma-separated list of Ethereum Node Records (ENRs) for P2P discovery bootstrap.

p2p-discovery-bootnodes-url​

--p2p-discovery-bootnodes-url=<URL>

A URL or file that contains a list of Ethereum Node Records (ENRs) for P2P discovery bootstrap. The file should have one ENR per line.

note

If the URL or file is unable to load, Teku will fail to start up.

p2p-discovery-enabled​

--p2p-discovery-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables P2P peer discovery. If disabled, p2p-static-peers or p2p-static-peers-url defines the peer connections. The default is true.

p2p-discovery-site-local-addresses-enabled​

--p2p-discovery-site-local-addresses-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables discovery of the following local network (RFC1918) addresses. The default is false.

10.0.0.0      -   10.255.255.255  (10/8 prefix)
172.16.0.0    -   172.31.255.255  (172.16/12 prefix)
192.168.0.0   -   192.168.255.255 (192.168/16 prefix)

Normal Teku operation shouldn't send traffic to these local network addresses.

In test or private networks, operators might need to enable discovery of local addresses. For example, when you run multiple consensus layer nodes in one local network, these nodes are not discovered on the public internet and are advertised with local (RFC1918) addresses.

p2p-enabled​

--p2p-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables all P2P communication. The default is true.

p2p-interface, p2p-interfaces​

--p2p-interface=<HOST>

The network interfaces on which the node listens for P2P communication. The default is 0.0.0.0 (all interfaces). You can define up to two interfaces, with one being IPv4 and the other IPv6.

p2p-nat-method​

--p2p-nat-method=<STRING>

The method for handling NAT environments. Valid options are NONE and UPNP.

The default is NONE, which disables NAT functionality.

tip

UPnP support is often disabled by default in networking firmware. If disabled by default, explicitly enable UPnP support.

p2p-peer-lower-bound​

--p2p-peer-lower-bound=<INTEGER>

The lower bound on the target number of peers. Teku actively seeks new peers if the number of peers falls below this value. The default is 64.

p2p-peer-upper-bound​

--p2p-peer-upper-bound=<INTEGER>

The upper bound on the target number of peers. Teku refuses new peer requests that would cause the number of peers to exceed this value. The default is 100.

p2p-port​

--p2p-port=<PORT>

The P2P listening ports (UDP and TCP). The default is 9000.

p2p-port-ipv6​

--p2p-port-ipv6=<PORT>

The P2P listening ports (UDP and TCP) for IPv6 when listening over both IPv4 and IPv6. The default is 9090.

p2p-private-key-file​

--p2p-private-key-file=<PATH_TO_FILE>

The file containing the node's private key.

If a file doesn't exist at the specified path, Teku creates a new file and P2P private key to store inside.

important

Ensure you specify the complete file path, including the file name, and not only the directory location.

p2p-static-peers​

--p2p-static-peers=<ADDRESS>[,<ADDRESS>...]...

A comma-separated list of multiaddresses of static peers with which to establish and maintain connections.

p2p-static-peers-url​

--p2p-static-peers-url=<URL>

A URL or file that contains a list of multiaddresses of static peers with which to establish and maintain connections. The file should have one peer per line.

note

If the URL or file is unable to load, Teku will fail to start up.

p2p-subscribe-all-subnets-enabled​

--p2p-subscribe-all-subnets-enabled=<BOOLEAN>

Enables or disables forcing the beacon node to stay subscribed to all subnets regardless of the number of validators. The default is false.

When set to false, Teku subscribes to two persistent subnets regardless of the number of validators. Teku also subscribes and unsubscribes from subnets as needed for the running validators.

This option is primarily for users running an external validator client and load balancing it across multiple beacon nodes. Without this flag, depending on how requests are load balanced, the beacon nodes may not have subscribed to the required subnets and be unable to produce aggregates.

caution

When set to true, Teku uses more CPU and bandwidth, and for most users there's no need to use this option.

p2p-udp-port​

--p2p-udp-port=<PORT>

The UDP port used for discovery. The default is the port specified in --p2p-port.

p2p-udp-port-ipv6​

--p2p-udp-port-ipv6=<PORT>

The IPv6 UDP port used for discovery. Use this port only when listening over both IPv4 and IPv6. The default is the port specified in --p2p-port-ipv6.

reconstruct-historic-states​

--reconstruct-historic-states=<BOOLEAN>

Enables or disables reconstructing historical states.

When set to true, an archive node can reconstruct historical states from genesis up to the current checkpoint, running during start up. When set to false, this function is disabled.

rest-api-cors-origins​

--rest-api-cors-origins[=<url>[,<url>...]...] or "*"

A list of domain URLs for CORS validation. You must enclose the URLs in double quotes and separate them with commas.

Listed domains can access the node using HTTP REST API calls. If your client interacts with Teku using a browser app (such as a block explorer), add the client domain to the list.

The default is none. If you don't list any domains, browser apps can't interact with your Teku node.

tip

For testing and development purposes, use * to accept requests from any domain. We don't recommend accepting requests from any domain for production environments.

rest-api-docs-enabled​

--rest-api-docs-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables the REST API documentation. The default is false.

The documentation can be accessed at http://<interface>:<port>/swagger-ui where:

rest-api-enabled​

--rest-api-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables the REST API service. The default is false.

If set to true, use --rest-api-host-allowlist to limit access to trusted parties.

rest-api-host-allowlist​

--rest-api-host-allowlist=<hostname>[,<hostname>...]... or "*"

A comma-separated list of hostnames or IP addresses from which the REST API server will respond. This flag restricts the server's responding addresses, but not the client access.

By default, Teku's REST API server responds only to requests where the Host header matches localhost or 127.0.0.1. If you specify values, the server will only respond to requests where the Host header matches one of the specified hosts or IP addresses.

You can configure the API to listen on all network interfaces using rest-api-interface="0.0.0.0" and allow connections from specific addresses by setting rest-api-host-allowlist. See configure the API for network interfaces and host allowlist for more information.

tip

To allow all hostnames, use "*". We don't recommend allowing all hostnames for production environments.

warning

Only trusted parties should access the REST API. Do not directly expose these APIs publicly on production nodes.

rest-api-interface​

--rest-api-interface=<HOST>

The interface on which the REST API listens. The default is 127.0.0.1.

rest-api-port​

--rest-api-port=<PORT>

The REST API listening port (HTTP). The default is 5051.

sentry-config-file​

--sentry-config-file=<FILE>

The path to the sentry node configuration file. The default is none.

caution

You can't use this option with --beacon-node-api-endpoint.

shut-down-when-validator-slashed-enabled​

--shut-down-when-validator-slashed-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables validators slashing detection. The default is false.

validator-api-cors-origins​

--validator-api-cors-origins="<URL>"[,"<URL>",...] or "*"

A comma-separated list of domain URLs for CORS validation.

Listed domains can access the node using validator API calls. If your client interacts with Teku using a browser app (such as a block explorer), add the client domain to the list.

The default is none. If you don't list any domains, browser apps can't interact with your Teku node.

tip

For testing and development purposes, use * to accept requests from any domain. We don't recommend accepting requests from any domain for production environments.

validator-api-docs-enabled​

--validator-api-docs-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables the validator REST API documentation. The default is false.

When enabling the API documentation endpoint, you must also specify:

validator-api-enabled​

--validator-api-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Set to true to enable the validator client API. The default is false.

If set to true, then use --validator-api-host-allowlist to limit access to trusted parties.

validator-api-host-allowlist​

--validator-api-host-allowlist=<hostname>[,<hostname>...]... or "*"

A comma-separated list of hostnames to allow access to the validator REST API. By default, Teku accepts access from localhost and 127.0.0.1.

warning

Only trusted parties should access the API. Do not directly expose these APIs publicly on production nodes.

We don't recommend allowing all hostnames ("*") for production environments.

validator-api-interface​

--validator-api-interface=<HOST>

The interface on which the validator REST API listens. The default is 127.0.0.1.

validator-api-keystore-file​

--validator-api-keystore-file=<keystoreFile>

The keystore file for the validator REST API. Teku can use PKCS12 or JKS keystore types. You must create a keystore to enable access.

validator-api-keystore-password-file​

--validator-api-keystore-password-file=<keystorePasswordFile>

The password used to decrypt the keystore for the validator REST API.

validator-api-port​

--validator-api-port=<PORT>

The validator REST API listening port (HTTP). The default is 5052.

validators-builder-registration-default-enabled​

--validators-builder-registration-default-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables registering all validators managed by the validator client to the builder endpoint when proposing a block.

validators-builder-registration-default-gas-limit​

--validators-builder-registration-default-gas-limit=<NUMBER>

The gas limit used for registering validators to the builder endpoint. The default is 60000000.

validators-early-attestations-enabled​

--validators-early-attestations-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables using Teku's built-in early attestation production, which creates an attestation as soon as a block is received. The default is true.

Set this option to false if running a validator client connected to a load balanced beacon node (including most hosted beacon nodes such as Infura), and validator effectiveness is poor.

note

Delaying attestation production increases the chances of generating a correct attestation when using a load balanced beacon node, but it increases the risk of inclusion delays.

validators-external-signer-keystore​

--validators-external-signer-keystore=<FILE>

The keystore that Teku presents to the external signer for TLS authentication. Teku can use PKCS12 or JKS keystore types.

Use the PKCS12 keystore type if connecting to Web3Signer.

validators-external-signer-keystore-password-file​

--validators-external-signer-keystore-password-file=<FILE>

The password file used to decrypt the keystore.

validators-external-signer-public-keys​

--validators-external-signer-public-keys=<KEY>[,<KEY>...]

A list or URL of validator public keys used by an external signer (for example, Web3Signer).

Use the URL to load the public keys from a remote service. For example:

--validators-external-signer-public-keys=http://localhost:9900/api/v1/eth2/publicKeys

Use the value external-signer to load all public keys managed by the external signer. Teku automatically queries the external signer's public keys endpoint.

--validators-external-signer-public-keys=external-signer
tip

You can load new validators without restarting Teku if you specify a URL from which to load the public keys.

Ensure the external signer is running before starting Teku.

validators-external-signer-slashing-protection-enabled​

--validators-external-signer-slashing-protection-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables using Teku's built-in slashing protection when using an external signer such as Web3Signer. The default is true.

Set this option to false if using the slashing protection implemented by an external signer.

warning

Ensure the external signer has slashing protection enabled before disabling Teku slashing protection, otherwise a validator may get slashed.

Built-in slashing protection can only be disabled for validators using external signers. Validators using Teku to sign blocks and attestations always uses its built-in slashing protection.

validators-external-signer-timeout​

--validators-external-signer-timeout=<INTEGER>

The timeout in milliseconds for requests to the external signer. The default is 5000.

validators-external-signer-truststore​

--validators-external-signer-truststore=<FILE>

The PKCS12 or JKS keystore used to trust external signer's self-signed certificate or CA certificate which signs the external signer's certificate.

validators-external-signer-truststore-password-file​

--validators-external-signer-truststore-password-file=<FILE>

The password file used to decrypt the keystore.

validators-external-signer-url​

--validators-external-signer-url=<URL>

The URL on which the external signer (for example, Web3Signer) is running.

validators-graffiti​

--validators-graffiti=<STRING>

The graffiti to add when creating a block. This is converted to bytes and padded to Bytes32.

The same graffiti is used for all validators started with this beacon node.

--validators-graffiti-file takes precedence if both options are set.

validators-graffiti-file​

--validators-graffiti-file=<FILE>

The file containing the validator graffiti to add when creating a block. The file contents are converted to bytes and padded to Bytes32. The same graffiti is used for all validators started with this beacon node.

You can overwrite the file while Teku is running to update the graffiti.

This option takes precedence over --validators-graffiti.

validators-graffiti-client-append-format​

--validators-graffiti-client-append-format=<STRING>

Appends consensus layer (CL) and execution layer (EL) clients' information to the validator graffiti. When running a beacon node and validator client separately, set this option on the beacon node. This feature helps developers and community members analyze client diversity and block anomalies.

The default is AUTO.

Possible values are:

  • AUTO: If validator graffiti is empty, it automatically updates to include information about the CL/EL clients, including their codes and build commits. For example, TK508459f2BUbb9ba13c:

    • TK represents the Teku consensus layer client.
    • 508459f2 is the Teku build commit.
    • BU represents the Besu execution layer client.
    • bb9ba13c is the Besu build commit.

    If the graffiti is set, this option calculates the space left (graffiti size is 32 bytes). If there are more than four characters left, it appends either the full CL/EL version information or one of its compact forms up to four characters (client codes only). For example, if the graffiti is It's my first block, it's updated to something similar to It's my first block TK50BUbb.

  • CLIENT_CODES: Appends only CL/EL client codes such as TKBU. This option is useful if you're not sure if version information can be used to exploit vulnerabilities, or if you just don't want to share any extra information.

  • DISABLED: Client information is not appended. If the graffiti is set, it goes as-is in a block, otherwise empty graffiti is used.

validator-is-local-slashing-protection-synchronized-enabled​

--validator-is-local-slashing-protection-synchronized-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables performing slashing protection checks in a sequential manner.

When set to true, Teku performs slashing protection checks sequentially. Sequential checks restrict the throughput of duties, and under some scenarios, can improve performance to allow more granular in-process locking of slashing protection data.

When set to false, Teku performs slashing protection checks concurrently. The local slashing protection process can check if signing is safe for multiple keys concurrently, reducing latencies experienced while performing these checks.

The default is true.

validator-keys​

--validator-keys=<KEY_DIR>:<PASS_DIR> | <KEY_FILE>:<PASS_FILE>[,<KEY_DIR>:<PASS_DIR> | <KEY_FILE>:<PASS_FILE>...]...

The directory or file to load the encrypted keystore files and associated password files from. Keystore files must use the .json file extension, and password files must use the .txt file extension.

When specifying directories, Teku expects to find identically named keystore and password files. For example validator_217179e.json and validator_217179e.txt.

tip

You can load new validators without restarting Teku if you specify a directory from which to load the keystore files.

When specifying file names, Teku expects that the files exist.

note

The path separator is operating system dependent, and should be ; in Windows rather than :.

validators-keystore-locking-enabled​

--validators-keystore-locking-enabled=<BOOLEAN>

Enables or disables locking the keystore files listed in --validator-keys. The default is true.

Attempts to lock all keystores in a directory if a directory is specified in --validator-keys.

validators-performance-tracking-mode​

--validators-performance-tracking-mode=<STRING>

The validator performance tracking strategy. Valid options are LOGGING, METRICS, ALL, and NONE. The default is ALL.

When set to LOGGING, attestation and block performance are reported as log messages. When set to METRICS, attestation and block performance are reported using metrics in the VALIDATOR_PERFORMANCE metrics category.

validators-proposer-config​

--validators-proposer-config=<STRING>

The remote URL or local file path to the proposer configuration file.

validators-proposer-config-refresh-enabled​

--validators-proposer-config-refresh-enabled[=<BOOLEAN>]

Enables or disables reloading the proposer configuration on every proposer preparation (once per epoch). The default is false.

validators-proposer-default-fee-recipient​

--validators-proposer-default-fee-recipient=<ADDRESS>

The default recipient of transaction fees for all validator keys. When running a validator, this is an alternative to the fee_recipient in the default proposer configuration.

tip

We recommend using this option when running a beacon node serving APIs to other validator clients.

The specified fee recipient is used in rare cases when a validator requests a block production but its fee recipient is still unknown for the beacon node.

version​

Syntax
-V, --version

Displays the version and exits.

ws-checkpoint​

--ws-checkpoint=<BLOCK_ROOT>:<EPOCH_NUMBER>

A recent checkpoint within the weak subjectivity period. Accepts the checkpoint using <blockRoot>:<epochNumber>, where <blockRoot> must start with 0x.

The weak subjectivity checkpoint is a recent, finalized checkpoint on the correct chain. By supplying a weak subjectivity checkpoint, you ensure that nodes that have been offline for a long period follow the correct chain. It protects the node from long-range attacks by malicious actors.

Use the admin weak-subjectivity subcommand to display or clear your weak subjectivity settings.