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Contract Deployment

How to deploy smart contracts on Vector — from compiled Aiken validators to on-chain script addresses.

Prerequisites

  • A funded Vector wallet (testnet: use the Vector Testnet Faucet to get AP3X directly)
  • A compiled contract (script.cbor file from Aiken or Plutus)
  • The MCP server running, or the Python SDK installed

Aiken Version Compatibility

Vector runs the Conway era with Plutus V3 support. Use the latest stable Aiken release.

# Install latest Aiken
aikup install

# Verify
aiken --version

Compiling a Contract

From an Audited Template

The contract templates include pre-compiled script.cbor files — no compilation needed.

git clone https://github.com/Apex-Fusion/vector-ai-agents
cd vector-ai-agents/smart-contract-audit/compliant/simple-escrow
# script.cbor is ready to deploy

From Custom Aiken Source

# Create a new Aiken project
aiken new my-contract
cd my-contract

# Write your validator in validators/
# ...

# Build
aiken build

# The compiled CBOR is in build/
cat build/my-contract/validator.cbor

Vector-Specific Considerations

Consideration Detail
Era Conway
Script type Plutus V3
Network ID Mainnet (addr1 addresses, networkMagic: 764824073)
Fee calculation Use Vector protocol parameters, not Cardano mainnet

Deploying via MCP

Deploy with Initial Datum

Tool: vector_deploy_contract
Params: {
  "scriptCbor": "<hex contents of script.cbor>",
  "scriptType": "PlutusV3",
  "initialDatum": "<CBOR-encoded datum hex>",
  "lovelaceAmount": 10000000
}

Response: {
  "tx_hash": "abc123...",
  "script_address": "addr1wz...",
  "fee": 350000,
  "status": "submitted"
}

Lock AP3X at a Script Address

Tool: vector_interact_contract
Params: {
  "scriptCbor": "<hex>",
  "scriptType": "PlutusV3",
  "action": "lock",
  "datum": "<CBOR-encoded datum hex>",
  "lovelaceAmount": 50000000
}

Spend from a Script Address

Tool: vector_interact_contract
Params: {
  "scriptCbor": "<hex>",
  "scriptType": "PlutusV3",
  "action": "spend",
  "redeemer": "<CBOR-encoded redeemer hex>",
  "utxoRef": {"txHash": "abc123...", "outputIndex": 0}
}

Deploying via Python SDK

from vector_agent import VectorAgent

agent = VectorAgent()

# Read the compiled script
with open("simple-escrow/script.cbor") as f:
    script_cbor = f.read().strip()

# Deploy with initial state
result = await agent.deploy_contract(
    script_cbor=script_cbor,
    script_type="PlutusV3",
    datum_cbor=encode_datum(my_datum),
    lovelace=10_000_000,  # 10 AP3X locked at the script
)

print(f"Script address: {result.script_address}")
print(f"TX: {result.explorer_url}")

Interact with a Deployed Contract

# Query contract state
utxos = await agent.get_utxos(result.script_address)
for utxo in utxos:
    print(f"Value: {utxo.output.amount}, Datum: {utxo.output.datum}")

# Spend (claim) from the contract
claim_result = await agent.interact_contract(
    script_address=result.script_address,
    redeemer_cbor=encode_redeemer("Claim"),
    utxo_ref=(utxos[0].input.transaction_id.payload.hex(), utxos[0].input.index),
)

Dry-Run Before Deploying

Always simulate contract interactions before committing real funds:

Tool: vector_dry_run
Params: {
  "outputs": [
    {
      "address": "addr1wz...",
      "value": {"lovelace": 10000000}
    }
  ]
}

Response: {
  "valid": true,
  "fee": 350000,
  "errors": []
}

CBOR Encoding Tips

Datums

Datums must be CBOR-encoded and hex-encoded. Use cbor2 in Python:

import cbor2

# Simple datum: constructor 0 with fields
datum = cbor2.dumps(cbor2.CBORTag(121, [
    bytes.fromhex("abcdef..."),  # beneficiary pubkey hash
    bytes.fromhex("123456..."),  # depositor pubkey hash
    5000000,                      # deadline slot
]))
datum_hex = datum.hex()

Redeemers

# Redeemer: constructor 0 (Claim)
redeemer = cbor2.dumps(cbor2.CBORTag(121, []))
redeemer_hex = redeemer.hex()

# Redeemer: constructor 1 (Reclaim)
redeemer = cbor2.dumps(cbor2.CBORTag(122, []))
redeemer_hex = redeemer.hex()

Use aiken check to verify CBOR round-trips correctly with your validators.

Post-Deployment Verification

After deploying, verify on the block explorer:

  1. Open https://vector.testnet.apexscan.org/transaction/{tx_hash}
  2. Check the outputs — one should be at the script address
  3. Verify the datum is attached correctly
  4. Check the locked AP3X amount

Next Steps