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Install the Lace Midnight Preview wallet

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1. Download and install the Lace wallet extension

Lace Midnight Preview wallet is a browser extension wallet for the Midnight network. It is currently only compatible with Google Chrome.
  1. Open the Google Chrome browser - Launch Chrome on your computer.
  2. Install the Lace wallet extension - Visit the Chrome Web Store: Lace Beta Extension
  3. Add to Chrome - Click Add to Chrome and confirm by clicking Add extension.
  4. Pin the extension - Pin the extension to your toolbar for easy access (recommended).
Verification: The Lace wallet icon appears in your Chrome toolbar.

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2. Create your wallet

  1. Open Lace wallet and select Create a new wallet.
  2. Set a password.
  3. Save your seed phrase securely (never store digitally).
  4. Confirm seed phrase.

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3. Get test tokens (tDUST)

  1. Copy your wallet address from Lace.
  2. Visit https://midnight.network/test-faucet/
  3. Paste address and click Request tDUST.
  4. Wait for tokens to arrive.

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Install Compact

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4. Install the Compact developer CLI

The Compact developer CLI (compact) manages compiler versions, formatting, and project tooling. Install the latest release: 
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/midnightntwrk/compact/releases/latest/download/compact-installer.sh | sh
The installer adds compact to $HOME/.compact/bin and updates your shell rc file (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc).

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5. Activate the new PATH

Open a new terminal, or source your shell rc file: 
# Bash
source ~/.bashrc

# Zsh
source ~/.zshrc

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6. Install a compiler and verify

The CLI is a manager; you still need to install a Compact compiler: 
compact self update        # ensure CLI is on the latest version
compact update             # download the latest compiler
compact --version          # prints the CLI version
compact compile --version  # prints the compiler version (e.g. 0.31.0)
Verification: both commands print a version. If compact compile --version errors with “No default compiler set,” re-run compact update.

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Set up the proof server

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7. Install Docker Desktop

Download Docker for your operating system:

macOS

Download Docker Desktop for Mac (Intel or Apple Silicon)

Windows

Download Docker Desktop for Windows (requires WSL2)

Linux

Download Docker Desktop for Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora)
Verify Docker: 
docker --version

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8. Run the proof server

Pin a specific image tag so behavior is reproducible. Check the proof-server releases for the current tag, then run: 
docker run -p 6300:6300 midnightnetwork/proof-server:latest -- 'midnight-proof-server --network testnet'
Keep this terminal open when developing. The proof server listens on localhost:6300.

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Install Compact VS Code extension

Download the VSIX from releases page. Install in VS Code: Extensions → ... → Install from VSIX

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Next steps

Hello World

Build your first Compact smart contract

First App

Create a simple counter application with validation

Primitive Types

Learn about Compact’s type system

Midnight Docs

Explore the official Midnight documentation