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Overview

Nexis Appchain provides two primary API interfaces for developers:
  1. Smart Contract APIs - Direct interaction with on-chain contracts (Agents, Tasks, Treasury)
  2. JSON-RPC APIs - Standard Ethereum JSON-RPC methods plus Optimism-specific extensions
This reference covers all available methods, parameters, return values, events, and error codes to help you build powerful decentralized AI applications on Nexis.

Smart Contract API vs RPC API

Smart Contract API

Direct contract calls using web3 libraries. Used for agent registration, task management, staking, and treasury operations.

JSON-RPC API

Standard Ethereum RPC methods for blockchain queries, transaction submission, and network status. Compatible with all Ethereum tooling.

When to Use Each API

Use CaseAPI TypeExample
Register an AI agentSmart ContractAgents.register()
Stake tokens for an agentSmart ContractAgents.stakeERC20()
Post a new taskSmart ContractTasks.postTask()
Query account balanceJSON-RPCeth_getBalance
Send signed transactionJSON-RPCeth_sendRawTransaction
Get block informationJSON-RPCeth_getBlockByNumber

Network Endpoints

Mainnet

RPC URL: https://rpc.nex-t1.ai
Chain ID: 2370
Currency: NZT
Block Explorer: https://explorer.nex-t1.ai

Testnet

RPC URL: https://testnet-rpc.nex-t1.ai
Chain ID: 2371
Currency: NZT
Block Explorer: https://testnet.nex-t1.ai

Local Development

RPC URL: http://localhost:8545
Chain ID: 1337

Contract Addresses

  • Mainnet
  • Testnet
Agents Registry: 0x... (TBD)
Tasks Contract:  0x... (TBD)
Treasury:        0x... (TBD)

Authentication and Access

Smart Contract Authentication

Smart contracts use on-chain authentication through:
  1. Owner Verification - Only the registered owner can perform certain actions
  2. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) - Admin roles for privileged operations
  3. Delegation Permissions - Owners can delegate specific permissions to operators
// Example: Only agent owner or delegate can update metadata
modifier onlyOwnerOrDelegate(uint256 agentId, bytes32 permission) {
    require(_isAuthorized(agentId, permission, msg.sender));
    _;
}

RPC API Authentication

The JSON-RPC API is publicly accessible and does not require authentication for read operations. Write operations require:
  • Signed transactions with valid private keys
  • Sufficient gas for transaction execution
  • Proper nonce management for transaction ordering
Never expose private keys in client-side code. Use secure key management solutions and sign transactions server-side or in secure wallets.

Rate Limits

Endpoint TypeRate LimitBurst Limit
JSON-RPC (Free Tier)100 requests/second200 requests
JSON-RPC (Pro Tier)1,000 requests/second2,000 requests
WebSocket Connections10 connections/IP20 connections
Smart Contract CallsUnlimited (gas-limited)N/A
Rate limits apply to RPC endpoints only. Smart contract interactions are limited by network gas limits and block space, not API rate limits.

Rate Limit Headers

RPC responses include rate limit information:
X-RateLimit-Limit: 100
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 95
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1638360000

Error Handling

Smart Contract Errors

Nexis contracts use custom errors for gas efficiency:
error AgentNotRegistered(uint256 agentId);
error NotAgentOwner(uint256 agentId, address expectedOwner, address actualCaller);
error ZeroAmount();
error AmountTooLarge(uint256 requested, uint256 available);
error InsufficientStake();

Error Response Format

{
  "error": {
    "code": "AGENT_NOT_REGISTERED",
    "message": "Agent ID 12345 is not registered",
    "details": {
      "agentId": 12345
    }
  }
}

Common Error Codes

Error CodeDescriptionResolution
AGENT_NOT_REGISTEREDAgent ID does not existRegister the agent first
NOT_AGENT_OWNERCaller is not the ownerUse the correct account
ZERO_AMOUNTAmount parameter is zeroProvide a non-zero amount
INSUFFICIENT_STAKENot enough staked tokensStake more tokens
INVALID_STATUSTask is in wrong stateCheck task status
DEADLINE_EXPIREDTime deadline passedSubmit before deadline

JSON-RPC Error Codes

Standard Ethereum JSON-RPC error codes:
CodeMessageDescription
-32700Parse errorInvalid JSON
-32600Invalid requestMissing required fields
-32601Method not foundRPC method does not exist
-32602Invalid paramsInvalid method parameters
-32603Internal errorServer internal error
-32000Server errorGeneric server error

Quick Start Examples

Connect to Nexis Network

import { ethers } from 'ethers';

// Connect to Nexis testnet
const provider = new ethers.JsonRpcProvider(
  'https://testnet-rpc.nex-t1.ai'
);

// Get chain ID
const network = await provider.getNetwork();
console.log('Chain ID:', network.chainId); // 2371

// Get latest block
const blockNumber = await provider.getBlockNumber();
console.log('Latest block:', blockNumber);

Register an AI Agent

import { ethers } from 'ethers';

// Contract ABI (simplified)
const agentsABI = [
  "function register(uint256 agentId, string metadata, string serviceURI)",
  "event AgentRegistered(address indexed owner, uint256 indexed agentId, string metadata, string serviceURI)"
];

// Connect wallet
const provider = new ethers.JsonRpcProvider('https://testnet-rpc.nex-t1.ai');
const wallet = new ethers.Wallet(privateKey, provider);

// Contract instance
const agentsAddress = '0x5FbDB2315678afecb367f032d93F642f64180aa3';
const agents = new ethers.Contract(agentsAddress, agentsABI, wallet);

// Register agent
const agentId = 12345;
const metadata = JSON.stringify({
  name: 'GPT-4 Agent',
  model: 'gpt-4',
  capabilities: ['text-generation', 'code-generation']
});
const serviceURI = 'https://api.myagent.com/inference';

const tx = await agents.register(agentId, metadata, serviceURI);
console.log('Transaction hash:', tx.hash);

// Wait for confirmation
const receipt = await tx.wait();
console.log('Agent registered in block:', receipt.blockNumber);

Query Agent Information

// Get agent owner
const owner = await agents.agentOwner(agentId);
console.log('Agent owner:', owner);

// Get agent metadata
const metadata = await agents.agentMetadata(agentId);
console.log('Metadata:', JSON.parse(metadata));

// Get agent service URI
const serviceURI = await agents.agentServiceURI(agentId);
console.log('Service URI:', serviceURI);

// Get stake balances
const stakeInfo = await agents.stakeBalances(agentId, ethers.ZeroAddress); // ETH
console.log('Total stake:', ethers.formatEther(stakeInfo.total));
console.log('Locked stake:', ethers.formatEther(stakeInfo.locked));
console.log('Available stake:', ethers.formatEther(stakeInfo.available));

Post a Task

const tasksAddress = '0xe7f1725E7734CE288F8367e1Bb143E90bb3F0512';
const tasks = new ethers.Contract(tasksAddress, tasksABI, wallet);

// Task parameters
const taskParams = {
  asset: ethers.ZeroAddress, // ETH
  reward: ethers.parseEther('0.1'), // 0.1 ETH reward
  bond: ethers.parseEther('0.05'), // 0.05 ETH bond required
  claimWindow: 3600, // 1 hour to claim
  completionWindow: 86400, // 24 hours to complete
  metadataURI: 'ipfs://Qm...',
  inputURI: 'ipfs://Qm...'
};

// Post task with ETH reward
const tx = await tasks.postTask(
  taskParams.asset,
  taskParams.reward,
  taskParams.bond,
  taskParams.claimWindow,
  taskParams.completionWindow,
  taskParams.metadataURI,
  taskParams.inputURI,
  { value: taskParams.reward } // Send ETH with transaction
);

const receipt = await tx.wait();

// Get task ID from event
const event = receipt.logs.find(log =>
  log.topics[0] === ethers.id('TaskCreated(uint256,address,address,uint256,uint256,uint64,uint64,string)')
);
const taskId = ethers.toNumber(event.topics[1]);
console.log('Task created with ID:', taskId);

API Security Best Practices

  • Never hardcode private keys in source code
  • Use environment variables or secure key management services
  • Implement key rotation policies
  • Use hardware wallets for production deployments
  • Consider multi-signature wallets for high-value operations
  • Always validate transaction parameters before signing
  • Implement nonce management to prevent replay attacks
  • Set appropriate gas limits to prevent excessive costs
  • Use EIP-1559 transactions for predictable gas fees
  • Verify contract addresses before interaction
  • Validate all input parameters
  • Check contract return values and events
  • Handle errors gracefully with try-catch blocks
  • Implement transaction retry logic with exponential backoff
  • Monitor transaction status and confirmations
  • Use HTTPS endpoints only
  • Implement rate limiting on client side
  • Cache responses where appropriate
  • Use WebSocket connections for real-time updates
  • Implement connection retry logic

SDK and Libraries

JavaScript/TypeScript

  • ethers.js v6 (recommended)
  • web3.js
  • viem

Python

  • web3.py
  • brownie
  • ape

Go

  • go-ethereum (geth)
  • abigen

Rust

  • ethers-rs
  • web3
  • alloy

Next Steps


AI Blockchain API Overview

Nexis Network provides specialized APIs for AI agent monetization and blockchain-based AI services. Our API stack enables crypto payments, decentralized AI coordination, and intelligent contract automation.

API Categories

Agent APIs

Registration, staking, reputation, and AI agent lifecycle management APIs

Economic APIs

Subscriptions, payment streams, tasks, and treasury for AI monetization

Infrastructure APIs

RPC methods, blockchain queries, and real-time event streams

Authentication for AI Agents

AI agents interact with Nexis using cryptographic authentication and role-based access control.

Agent Authentication Methods

  • Private Key Signing
  • Delegation Permissions
  • Multi-Sig Integration
Most common for AI agent operations. Agent operators sign transactions with private keys.
import { ethers } from 'ethers';

// AI agent with private key authentication
const agentWallet = new ethers.Wallet(privateKey, provider);

// Sign and send agent operation
const agents = new ethers.Contract(agentsAddress, agentsABI, agentWallet);
const tx = await agents.recordInference(
  agentId,
  inputHash,
  outputHash,
  modelHash,
  taskId,
  proofURI
);

API Key Management for AI Services

Store private keys securely:
  • Use environment variables, never hardcode
  • Implement key rotation policies
  • Use hardware security modules (HSM) for production
  • Separate keys for different environments (dev/staging/prod)
  • Monitor key usage with alerts for suspicious activity
// Secure key management example
import { config } from 'dotenv';
import { SecretsManager } from '@aws-sdk/client-secrets-manager';

// Load from environment (development)
config();
const devKey = process.env.AI_AGENT_PRIVATE_KEY;

// Load from secrets manager (production)
const secretsManager = new SecretsManager({ region: 'us-east-1' });
const secret = await secretsManager.getSecretValue({
  SecretId: 'nexis/ai-agent/prod-key'
});
const prodKey = JSON.parse(secret.SecretString).privateKey;

// Use appropriate key based on environment
const agentKey = process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production' ? prodKey : devKey;
const wallet = new ethers.Wallet(agentKey, provider);

Rate Limiting for AI Operations

Optimize API usage for high-frequency AI agent operations with intelligent rate limiting and batch processing.

RPC Rate Limits

Standard rate limits apply to JSON-RPC endpoints:
TierRequests/SecondBurstWebSocket ConnectionsMonthly Requests
Free100200102.5M
Pro1,0002,0005030M
Enterprise10,00020,000UnlimitedUnlimited

Smart Contract Call Optimization

Smart contract calls are limited by gas, not API rate limits. Optimize for cost and performance:
// ❌ Bad: Multiple sequential calls (high latency)
const agent1 = await agents.getAgent(1);
const agent2 = await agents.getAgent(2);
const agent3 = await agents.getAgent(3);

// ✅ Good: Batch read calls with multicall
import { Contract } from 'ethers';

const multicall = new Contract(multicallAddress, multicallABI, provider);

const calls = [
  { target: agentsAddress, callData: agents.interface.encodeFunctionData('getAgent', [1]) },
  { target: agentsAddress, callData: agents.interface.encodeFunctionData('getAgent', [2]) },
  { target: agentsAddress, callData: agents.interface.encodeFunctionData('getAgent', [3]) }
];

const results = await multicall.aggregate(calls);

// ✅ Better: Use list queries when available
const agentList = await agents.listAgents(0, 100); // Get 100 agents in one call

Handling Rate Limit Errors

class RateLimitedAPI {
  constructor(provider, retryConfig = {}) {
    this.provider = provider;
    this.maxRetries = retryConfig.maxRetries || 3;
    this.baseDelay = retryConfig.baseDelay || 1000;
  }

  async callWithRetry(fn, ...args) {
    for (let attempt = 0; attempt < this.maxRetries; attempt++) {
      try {
        return await fn(...args);
      } catch (error) {
        // Check if rate limit error
        if (error.code === -32005 || error.message?.includes('rate limit')) {
          const delay = this.baseDelay * Math.pow(2, attempt);
          console.warn(`Rate limited, retrying in ${delay}ms...`);
          await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, delay));
        } else {
          throw error; // Re-throw non-rate-limit errors
        }
      }
    }

    throw new Error('Max retries exceeded for rate limited request');
  }
}

// Usage
const api = new RateLimitedAPI(provider);

const balance = await api.callWithRetry(
  () => provider.getBalance(address)
);

Batch Operations for Efficiency

Reduce gas costs and latency for AI operations with batching strategies.

Batch Transaction Submission

// AI agent processing multiple inferences
class BatchInferenceProcessor {
  constructor(agents, wallet) {
    this.agents = agents;
    this.wallet = wallet;
    this.pendingInferences = [];
    this.batchSize = 10;
    this.batchTimeout = 30000; // 30 seconds
  }

  async recordInference(agentId, inputHash, outputHash, modelHash, taskId, proofURI) {
    this.pendingInferences.push({
      agentId, inputHash, outputHash, modelHash, taskId, proofURI
    });

    if (this.pendingInferences.length >= this.batchSize) {
      await this.processBatch();
    }
  }

  async processBatch() {
    if (this.pendingInferences.length === 0) return;

    const batch = this.pendingInferences.splice(0, this.batchSize);

    console.log(`Processing batch of ${batch.length} inferences...`);

    // Submit all inferences in parallel
    const txPromises = batch.map(inference =>
      this.agents.recordInference(
        inference.agentId,
        inference.inputHash,
        inference.outputHash,
        inference.modelHash,
        inference.taskId,
        inference.proofURI
      )
    );

    const txs = await Promise.all(txPromises);

    // Wait for all confirmations in parallel
    await Promise.all(txs.map(tx => tx.wait()));

    console.log(`Batch processed: ${batch.length} inferences recorded`);
  }

  // Start periodic batch processing
  startAutoProcessing() {
    setInterval(() => this.processBatch(), this.batchTimeout);
  }
}

// Usage
const processor = new BatchInferenceProcessor(agents, wallet);
processor.startAutoProcessing();

// Record inferences as they happen
await processor.recordInference(...inference1);
await processor.recordInference(...inference2);
// Automatically batched and submitted

Event Batching and Filtering

// Efficiently monitor multiple agents for events
class AgentEventMonitor {
  constructor(agents, agentIds) {
    this.agents = agents;
    this.agentIds = agentIds;
    this.listeners = new Map();
  }

  async monitorInferences() {
    // Single filter for all agents
    const filter = this.agents.filters.InferenceRecorded(this.agentIds);

    // Batch event processing
    let eventBuffer = [];
    const flushInterval = 5000; // 5 seconds

    this.agents.on(filter, (...args) => {
      eventBuffer.push(args);
    });

    // Process events in batches
    setInterval(() => {
      if (eventBuffer.length > 0) {
        console.log(`Processing ${eventBuffer.length} inference events...`);
        this.processEventBatch(eventBuffer);
        eventBuffer = [];
      }
    }, flushInterval);
  }

  async processEventBatch(events) {
    // Bulk process events
    const inferences = events.map(event => ({
      agentId: event[0],
      inferenceId: event[1],
      timestamp: Date.now()
    }));

    // Bulk insert to database, update analytics, etc.
    await this.bulkUpdateDatabase(inferences);
  }
}

Real-time Subscriptions via WebSocket

Monitor AI agent activity, blockchain events, and payment streams in real-time with WebSocket connections.

WebSocket Connection Management

import { ethers } from 'ethers';

class RealtimeAIMonitor {
  constructor(wsUrl, contracts) {
    this.wsProvider = new ethers.WebSocketProvider(wsUrl);
    this.contracts = {
      agents: new ethers.Contract(
        contracts.agents,
        agentsABI,
        this.wsProvider
      ),
      tasks: new ethers.Contract(
        contracts.tasks,
        tasksABI,
        this.wsProvider
      ),
      subscriptions: new ethers.Contract(
        contracts.subscriptions,
        subscriptionsABI,
        this.wsProvider
      )
    };

    this.setupReconnection();
  }

  setupReconnection() {
    this.wsProvider.on('error', (error) => {
      console.error('WebSocket error:', error);
      this.reconnect();
    });

    this.wsProvider.on('close', () => {
      console.warn('WebSocket closed, reconnecting...');
      this.reconnect();
    });
  }

  async reconnect() {
    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 5000));
    this.wsProvider = new ethers.WebSocketProvider(this.wsUrl);
    this.setupSubscriptions();
  }

  setupSubscriptions() {
    // Monitor new agent registrations
    this.contracts.agents.on('AgentRegistered', (owner, agentId, metadata) => {
      console.log('New agent registered:', { owner, agentId });
      this.onNewAgent({ owner, agentId, metadata });
    });

    // Monitor AI inferences
    this.contracts.agents.on('InferenceRecorded', (
      agentId, inferenceId, inputHash, outputHash, modelHash, taskId
    ) => {
      console.log('New inference:', { agentId, inferenceId });
      this.onNewInference({ agentId, inferenceId, taskId });
    });

    // Monitor task lifecycle
    this.contracts.tasks.on('TaskCreated', (taskId, creator, asset, reward) => {
      console.log('New task:', { taskId, creator, reward });
      this.onNewTask({ taskId, creator, reward });
    });

    this.contracts.tasks.on('TaskCompleted', (taskId, agentId, recipient, reward) => {
      console.log('Task completed:', { taskId, agentId, reward });
      this.onTaskCompleted({ taskId, agentId, reward });
    });

    // Monitor subscriptions
    this.contracts.subscriptions.on('SubscriptionCreated', (
      subId, subscriber, agentId, asset, amountPerEpoch
    ) => {
      console.log('New subscription:', { subId, subscriber, agentId });
      this.onNewSubscription({ subId, subscriber, agentId, amountPerEpoch });
    });

    // Monitor payment streams
    this.contracts.subscriptions.on('StreamCreated', (
      streamId, payer, agentId, asset, totalAmount
    ) => {
      console.log('New stream:', { streamId, payer, agentId });
      this.onNewStream({ streamId, payer, agentId, totalAmount });
    });
  }

  // Implement handlers
  onNewAgent(data) { /* Handle new agent */ }
  onNewInference(data) { /* Handle new inference */ }
  onNewTask(data) { /* Handle new task */ }
  onTaskCompleted(data) { /* Handle completed task */ }
  onNewSubscription(data) { /* Handle new subscription */ }
  onNewStream(data) { /* Handle new stream */ }
}

// Usage
const monitor = new RealtimeAIMonitor('wss://testnet-ws.nex-t1.ai', {
  agents: '0x5FbDB2315678afecb367f032d93F642f64180aa3',
  tasks: '0xe7f1725E7734CE288F8367e1Bb143E90bb3F0512',
  subscriptions: '0xCf7Ed3AccA5a467e9e704C703E8D87F634fB0Fc9'
});

monitor.setupSubscriptions();

Stream-Based Data Processing

// Process blockchain events as streams
import { pipeline } from 'stream/promises';
import { Transform } from 'stream';

class EventStream extends Transform {
  constructor(contract, eventName) {
    super({ objectMode: true });
    this.contract = contract;
    this.eventName = eventName;

    this.contract.on(eventName, (...args) => {
      this.push({ eventName, args, timestamp: Date.now() });
    });
  }

  _transform(chunk, encoding, callback) {
    callback(null, chunk);
  }
}

class EventProcessor extends Transform {
  constructor() {
    super({ objectMode: true });
  }

  _transform(event, encoding, callback) {
    // Process event
    const processed = this.processEvent(event);
    callback(null, processed);
  }

  processEvent(event) {
    // Add custom processing logic
    return {
      ...event,
      processed: true,
      processedAt: Date.now()
    };
  }
}

// Usage
const eventStream = new EventStream(agents, 'InferenceRecorded');
const processor = new EventProcessor();

await pipeline(
  eventStream,
  processor,
  async function* (source) {
    for await (const event of source) {
      console.log('Processed event:', event);
      // Store in database, trigger webhooks, etc.
    }
  }
);

API Versioning Strategy

Nexis follows semantic versioning for smart contracts and maintains backwards compatibility for AI agent integrations.

Contract Versioning

  • Proxy Pattern
  • Version Detection
  • Migration Handling
All contracts use UUPS proxy pattern for upgrades without changing addresses.
// Contracts are upgradeable
contract Agents is UUPSUpgradeable, AccessControlUpgradeable {
    function _authorizeUpgrade(address newImplementation)
        internal
        override
        onlyRole(DEFAULT_ADMIN_ROLE)
    {}
}
Agent integrations reference the proxy address, which never changes:
// Same address across upgrades
const AGENTS_ADDRESS = '0x5FbDB2315678afecb367f032d93F642f64180aa3';

Error Handling Best Practices

Robust error handling for AI agent operations on blockchain.

Error Categories

class AgentAPIError extends Error {
  constructor(message, code, details) {
    super(message);
    this.name = 'AgentAPIError';
    this.code = code;
    this.details = details;
  }
}

class AgentErrorHandler {
  static async handleTransaction(txFunction) {
    try {
      const tx = await txFunction();
      const receipt = await tx.wait();

      if (receipt.status === 0) {
        throw new AgentAPIError(
          'Transaction failed',
          'TX_FAILED',
          { txHash: receipt.hash }
        );
      }

      return receipt;
    } catch (error) {
      return this.categorizeError(error);
    }
  }

  static categorizeError(error) {
    // Network errors
    if (error.code === 'NETWORK_ERROR') {
      throw new AgentAPIError(
        'Network connection failed',
        'NETWORK_ERROR',
        { originalError: error.message }
      );
    }

    // Insufficient funds
    if (error.code === 'INSUFFICIENT_FUNDS') {
      throw new AgentAPIError(
        'Insufficient balance for transaction',
        'INSUFFICIENT_FUNDS',
        { required: error.info?.required, balance: error.info?.balance }
      );
    }

    // Contract revert
    if (error.code === 'CALL_EXCEPTION') {
      const reason = this.parseRevertReason(error);
      throw new AgentAPIError(
        `Contract reverted: ${reason}`,
        'CONTRACT_REVERT',
        { reason, data: error.data }
      );
    }

    // Rate limit
    if (error.code === -32005) {
      throw new AgentAPIError(
        'Rate limit exceeded',
        'RATE_LIMIT',
        { retryAfter: error.data?.reset }
      );
    }

    // Unknown error
    throw new AgentAPIError(
      'Unknown error occurred',
      'UNKNOWN_ERROR',
      { originalError: error }
    );
  }

  static parseRevertReason(error) {
    // Extract custom error or revert string
    if (error.data) {
      try {
        // Parse custom error selector
        const selector = error.data.slice(0, 10);
        // Map to human-readable message
        return this.errorMessages[selector] || 'Unknown revert reason';
      } catch {
        return error.reason || 'Transaction reverted';
      }
    }
    return error.reason || 'Transaction reverted';
  }

  static errorMessages = {
    '0x1234abcd': 'Agent not registered',
    '0x5678efgh': 'Insufficient stake',
    // Add more custom error mappings
  };
}

// Usage
try {
  const receipt = await AgentErrorHandler.handleTransaction(
    () => agents.recordInference(...)
  );
  console.log('Inference recorded successfully');
} catch (error) {
  if (error.code === 'INSUFFICIENT_FUNDS') {
    console.error('Need more funds:', error.details);
  } else if (error.code === 'CONTRACT_REVERT') {
    console.error('Contract error:', error.details.reason);
  } else {
    console.error('Unexpected error:', error);
  }
}

SDK Feature Comparison

Featureethers.jsweb3.pygo-ethereumethers-rs
Contract ABI Parsing
Event Filtering
WebSocket Support
Hardware Wallets
ENS Resolution
TypeScript Support
Bundle Size88KBN/AN/AN/A

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