Installation & Setup

Install the @hashgraphonline/standards-sdk, configure credentials, and verify your connection to the Registry Broker.

Requirements

• Node.js 20 or later
• pnpm 8+ (npm works, but instructions use pnpm)
• Access to https://hol.org/registry over HTTPS
• Registry Broker API key for paid features (search works without it)

Step 1 — Install Dependencies

pnpm add @hashgraphonline/standards-sdk
pnpm add -D dotenv typescript @types/node

The SDK ships with TypeScript definitions—no additional typings are required.

Step 2 — Create Environment Configuration

Create .env in your project root:

REGISTRY_BROKER_API_KEY=your-api-key                     # optional for search-only usage
HEDERA_NETWORK=testnet                                    # optional: mainnet | testnet
HEDERA_ACCOUNT_ID=0.0.1234                                # optional, needed for registrations
HEDERA_PRIVATE_KEY=302e...                                # optional, needed for credits or ledger auth
MAINNET_HEDERA_ACCOUNT_ID=0.0.1001                        # optional scoped creds
MAINNET_HEDERA_PRIVATE_KEY=302e...
TESTNET_HEDERA_ACCOUNT_ID=0.0.2002                        # optional scoped creds
TESTNET_HEDERA_PRIVATE_KEY=302e...
ETH_PK=0xabc123...                                        # optional, used for EVM ledger auth/credits
EVM_LEDGER_NETWORK=base-sepolia                           # or eip155:<chainId>

Variable	Purpose
REGISTRY_BROKER_API_KEY	Authorises paid endpoints such as registration, chat, and UAID utilities.
HEDERA_NETWORK	Optional network selector for scoped credentials (mainnet or testnet).
HEDERA_ACCOUNT_ID / HEDERA_PRIVATE_KEY	Default Hedera credentials for ledger auth and purchases.
MAINNET_HEDERA_* / TESTNET_HEDERA_*	Network-scoped overrides automatically selected from HEDERA_NETWORK.
ETH_PK	Required when performing EVM ledger auth or funding credits via x402.
EVM_LEDGER_NETWORK	Alias (base, abstract, polygon-amoy, …) or canonical eip155:<chainId> string.

Load the variables via dotenv or your preferred configuration system.

Step 3 — Initialise the Client

import { config } from 'dotenv';
import { RegistryBrokerClient } from '@hashgraphonline/standards-sdk';

config();

const hederaAccountId = process.env.HEDERA_ACCOUNT_ID;
const hederaPrivateKey = process.env.HEDERA_PRIVATE_KEY;
const historyAutoTopUp =
  hederaAccountId && hederaPrivateKey
    ? {
        accountId: hederaAccountId,
        privateKey: hederaPrivateKey,
        hbarAmount: 0.25,
      }
    : undefined;

export const registryBrokerClient = new RegistryBrokerClient({
  apiKey: process.env.REGISTRY_BROKER_API_KEY,
  historyAutoTopUp,
  defaultHeaders: {
    'x-app-id': 'registry-broker-docs-demo',
  },
});

Use setApiKey and setDefaultHeader at runtime if credentials are refreshed.

Step 4 — Validate Connectivity

async function verifyConnection() {
  const stats = await registryBrokerClient.stats();
  console.log('Agents indexed:', stats.totalAgents);
}

verifyConnection().catch(error => {
  console.error('Registry Broker connectivity failed');
  console.error(error);
  process.exitCode = 1;
});

If the call succeeds you can proceed with discovery, chat, and registration tutorials.

Step 5 — Optional: Authenticate with Ledger Credentials

Use the helper method instead of manually calling createLedgerChallenge + verifyLedgerChallenge.

async function setupLedgerAuthentication() {
  if (!process.env.HEDERA_ACCOUNT_ID || !process.env.HEDERA_PRIVATE_KEY) {
    throw new Error('Set HEDERA_ACCOUNT_ID and HEDERA_PRIVATE_KEY first');
  }

  await registryBrokerClient.authenticateWithLedgerCredentials({
    accountId: process.env.HEDERA_ACCOUNT_ID,
    network: 'hedera:testnet',
    hederaPrivateKey: process.env.HEDERA_PRIVATE_KEY,
    expiresInMinutes: 30,
    label: 'installation-guide',
  });
}

authenticateWithLedgerCredentials performs the challenge/verify flow and stores the issued key on the client automatically. Combined with historyAutoTopUp, this gives you the simplest production-ready path for chat history billing. For network-scoped credential patterns and advanced top-up strategies, see Ledger Authentication & Credits.

Common Setup Issues

Symptom	Likely Cause	Resolution
Registry broker request failed (401)	Missing or invalid API key.	Set REGISTRY_BROKER_API_KEY or regenerate the key in the billing portal.
Registry broker request failed (402)	Credits depleted (or free tier exhausted / additional registries selected).	Purchase credits via the dashboard or purchaseCreditsWithHbar, or configure historyAutoTopUp / registrationAutoTopUp.
Failed to parse search response	Corporate proxies rewriting responses.	Use fetchImplementation to handle proxy auth or bypass the proxy.
fetch is not defined	Node.js runtime older than 18.	Upgrade to Node.js 20+ or provide a fetch polyfill (e.g. undici).

Next Steps

• Complete the Quick Start Guide to perform discovery and chat.
• Follow First Agent Registration for a full registration walkthrough.
• Reference the Registry Broker Client API for every available method.

For assistance, open an issue on GitHub or join the community on Hashgraph Online Telegram.