Midnight Development Environment Setup

Guide developers through setting up a complete Midnight development environment for building zero-knowledge smart contracts and dApps.

Prerequisites Overview

Before installing Midnight-specific tools, verify these prerequisites:

Run the prerequisite check script to verify:

bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/midnight-setup/scripts/check-prerequisites.sh

For detailed prerequisite verification:

python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/midnight-setup/scripts/check-prerequisites.py

Installation Steps

1. Install Node.js via nvm (Recommended)

Using nvm provides easy version management:

# Install nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash

# Restart terminal or source profile
source ~/.zshrc  # or ~/.bashrc

# Install Node.js 18 LTS
nvm install 18 --lts
nvm alias default 18

Important: After installing or switching Node versions, open a new terminal window. Simply sourcing the profile may leave stale references.

2. Install Docker Desktop

Download from docker.com/products/docker-desktop for your platform. After installation:

1. Launch Docker Desktop
2. Wait for the Docker daemon to start
3. Verify with docker info

3. Install Compact Developer Tools

The Compact developer tools manage compiler versions and provide the compact CLI:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/midnightntwrk/compact/releases/latest/download/compact-installer.sh | sh

After installation, add the binary to your PATH. The installer will show the exact path, typically:

# Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
export PATH="$HOME/.compact/bin:$PATH"

Then restart your terminal or source the profile.

4. Install the Compact Compiler

With the developer tools installed, download the compiler:

# Download latest compiler
compact update

# Verify installation
compact --version          # Shows developer tools version
compact compile --version  # Shows compiler version

5. Pull the Proof Server Image

The proof server generates zero-knowledge proofs locally:

docker pull midnightnetwork/proof-server:latest

To start the proof server (when needed for development):

docker run -p 6300:6300 midnightnetwork/proof-server -- midnight-proof-server --network testnet

6. Install VS Code Extension (Optional)

The Midnight Compact VS Code extension provides syntax highlighting and IntelliSense:

1. Download the .vsix file from the Compact releases
2. In VS Code: Extensions → "..." menu → "Install from VSIX..."
3. Select the downloaded file

7. Install Lace Midnight Preview Wallet (Optional)

For testing dApps with a wallet:

1. Install from Chrome Web Store: search "Lace Midnight"
2. Create a new wallet and save seed phrase securely
3. Get test tokens from midnight.network/test-faucet/

Verification

After completing setup, verify everything works:

# Check all tools
node --version      # Should be 18+
docker info         # Should show Docker running
compact --version   # Should show developer tools version
compact compile --version  # Should show compiler version

# Check proof server image
docker images | grep proof-server

Or run the environment check command: /midnight:check

Compact Developer Tools Reference

Common Setup Issues

Additional Resources

• references/installation-steps.md - Detailed platform-specific instructions
• references/bun-setup.md - Alternative setup using Bun runtime

For troubleshooting, use the /midnight:doctor command or consult the midnight-debugging skill.