FLOP SDK and CLI: a developer guide to the official packages

Flop published its first public developer packages on October 29, 2026. The docs' SDK and package references page, last updated October 30, lists six packages "anyone can install today without a token or a private registry." Arthur Hayes linked that page on X on October 30. This guide explains what each package does, which one you need and how to tell the real ones from fakes. We checked every version against npm and PyPI on October 31.

Everything here targets the FLOP devnet. The SDK page says "No FLOP token exists yet, and no package here sells or claims one." For the wider picture, start with what is FLOP and the FLOP devnet guide.

Which FLOP packages are official?

Package	Registry	Version (Oct 31)	What it's for
@flop-labs/client	npm	0.2.1	Call models through the public gateway with an OpenAI-style API
@flop-labs/contracts	npm	0.1.1	Types, JSON Schema and validators for the gateway's HTTP API
@flop-labs/sdk	npm	0.4.0	Chain work from TypeScript: agent wallets, sessions, HTLCs, PoUI and x402
@flop-labs/pi	npm	0.3.1	Use FLOP inference as a provider inside the Pi coding agent
@flop-labs/cli	npm	0.4.0	The flop command for keys, networks, miners, validators and models
flop-sdk	PyPI	0.2.0	Chain work from Python, with an async client and signed transactions

All six are dual licensed MIT or Apache-2.0 on their registry pages. The five npm packages were all first published on October 29, 2026 from the same maintainer account. The PyPI listing names "FLOP Network" with a dev@flop.network contact and points at the flop-core repository, which is still private (see our FLOP GitHub guide).

The registry is the authority if versions change. The docs say so directly.

Which FLOP package do I need?

The SDK page gives a short decision list. In plain terms:

• You want an app or agent to call a model. Install @flop-labs/client. It needs only an API key.
• You write your own client and want to check responses. Use @flop-labs/contracts.
• You need on-chain accounts, spend limits or settlement. Use @flop-labs/sdk for TypeScript or flop-sdk for Python.
• You use the Pi coding agent. Install @flop-labs/pi.
• You run a miner or validator, or script against a network. Use @flop-labs/cli, together with the role manuals in the operator hub.

For project ideas that use these packages, see FLOP compute use cases.

How do I call a model with the FLOP client?

@flop-labs/client is a small fetch-based client for browsers and Node.js 22 or later. Install it with npm install @flop-labs/client. Its default base URL is https://api.flop.network/v1. The docs say listing models needs no key, while chat completions do. Methods include listModels, getModel and createChatCompletion, plus streaming.

When we queried the public models endpoint on October 31 it listed one model, Qwen2.5 0.5B Instruct, labelled as a devnet model. Expect that list to grow as miners join.

Flop also runs a hosted, read-only MCP server at https://mcp.flop.network/mcp, listed on the same SDK page.

What does @flop-labs/sdk do?

It's the TypeScript SDK for chain-level work. Install it with npm install @flop-labs/sdk. According to the docs it covers:

• A FlopClient for node health, balances, account info, HTLC creation and status, settlement waits, PoUI submission, compute tasks and TEE quotes.
• Agent wallet functions such as createAgentWallet, fundAgentWallet, agentTransfer, ownerWithdraw, createSession and executeViaSession.
• x402Fetch and parsePaymentHeaders for HTTP 402 payments.
• runDirectSession, which opens a session with a named miner and checks its identity and receipts.
• Helpers to estimate a compute-channel session before opening it.

Flop's direct session guide says runDirectSession "verifies every receipt before accepting output or signing payment." Its example sets the spend ceiling in raw units, where 10,000,000,000,000,000 equals 0.01 FLOP. The upgrade guide adds a breaking change for 0.4.0: fee estimates and budget checks now need measured pricing plus explicit input and output token counts. If those checks fail, the guide says not to catch the error and "submit using the old token-rate estimate."

For how agents use sessions, spend limits and challenges, read our FLOP AI agents guide and the proof of useful inference explainer.

What is the flop CLI?

@flop-labs/cli installs the flop command. The full CLI needs Node.js 22 or later. The docs suggest running a pinned release without a global install:

npx --yes --package @flop-labs/cli@0.4.0 flop --version

Its commands cover role onboarding, networks and the faucet, health, balances, GPU detection, staking, session keys, named-miner inference, models, gateway configuration, keys with air-gapped signing, and wallets. Add --network to pick a network. The direct session guide shows flop --network devnet ... session run with a --max-flop flag, which it calls "the escrow ceiling in FLOP." It also notes that --new-wallet saves an unencrypted test wallet under ~/.flop/session-wallets/, so use an encrypted keystore for anything of value.

A container image of the CLI also exists. Flop's release manifest at flop.network/releases.json listed CLI image build v0.1.220 on October 31. The upgrade guide says image build numbers and npm package versions are "different version sequences", so don't compare one with the other.

Installing the CLI doesn't make you a miner or validator. The operator hub still says "Public operator enrollment is unavailable until the network identity and release are verified." Our guides on how to mine FLOP and the FLOP validator explain how access works today.

Is there a FLOP Python SDK?

Yes. flop-sdk 0.2.0 is on PyPI and needs Python 3.10 or later. Install it with pip install flop-sdk (the upgrade guide recommends pinning flop-sdk==0.2.0). The docs list an async FlopClient for health, HTLC status and settlement waits, a SubstrateClient for signed transactions, and wallet functions for agent wallets, funding, transfers, withdrawals and session keys.

Which FLOP packages are fake?

The SDK page is blunt: "FLOP has not published Rust crates, a Go module, or the agent SDK, gateway core, x402 types or Hermes plugin packages. A package with one of those names on a public registry is not FLOP's."

Simple checks before you install:

• Match the exact name and scope against the table above. @flop-labs/ is the only npm scope, and flop-sdk the only PyPI name.
• Follow the registry link from the official docs page, never from a DM or a search ad.
• No official package sells a token, runs a claim or asks for a seed phrase.

A fake package can steal keys from your machine. Our FLOP scams guide lists the tricks seen so far, including the fake FLOP token on Robinhood Chain.

Where do I report SDK bugs?

Flop opened github.com/flop-labs/network on October 30 for public bug reports and feedback. Its issue templates cover node bugs, protocol behaviour that contradicts the spec, gateway problems, docs errors and feature requests. Security problems go through the repo's private security policy, never a public issue. Background is in our story on the feedback repo and SDKs.

Does building with the SDK earn the FLOP airdrop?

Not on devnet. Flop's timeline FAQ, updated October 30, says devnet has "no rewards, no airdrop weight and nothing that carries forward." The testnet is the first network where agents and miners can earn; as of November 7, 2026 Hayes says Flop will announce the date next week. See the FLOP airdrop guide and our testnet checklist.

Protocol primitives the SDKs target are specified in the Yellow Paper.

FAQ

Is there an official FLOP SDK?

Yes. As of October 30, 2026, Flop's docs list six official packages: @flop-labs/client, @flop-labs/contracts, @flop-labs/sdk, @flop-labs/pi and @flop-labs/cli on npm, and flop-sdk on PyPI. They were published on October 29 and install without a token or private registry.

How do I install the FLOP CLI?

The docs suggest running a pinned release with npx: npx --yes --package @flop-labs/cli@0.4.0 flop --version. The full CLI needs Node.js 22 or later. It gives you the flop command for keys, networks, the faucet, miners, validators and models.

Does the FLOP gateway API need an API key?

Listing models at https://api.flop.network/v1 needs no key, according to Flop's SDK page. Chat completions need an API key. The gateway speaks an OpenAI-style API, and @flop-labs/client is the official client for it.

Is there a FLOP Python SDK?

Yes. flop-sdk 0.2.0 is on PyPI and needs Python 3.10 or later. It has an async client, a Substrate client for signed transactions and agent wallet functions.

Is there a FLOP Rust crate or Go module?

No. Flop's SDK page says it has not published Rust crates or a Go module, and that a package with one of those names on a public registry is not Flop's.

Can I mine FLOP with the CLI today?

Not publicly. The CLI includes miner and validator commands, but Flop's operator hub says public operator enrollment is unavailable until the network identity and release are verified. Devnet earns nothing. The incentivised testnet date has not been published yet; Hayes said Flop will announce it next week.