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Setup

1. dfx​

dfx --version

2. Identity​

dfx identity whoami

Then retrieve the principal and account ID for the active identity:

dfx identity get-principal
dfx ledger account-id
  • Principal (xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-cai) — your identifier on every canister. Used for all ICRC calls and canister interactions.
  • Account ID (64-char hex) — the deposit address. This is where the human sends tokens to fund the agent. Centralized exchanges and the NNS use this format.

3. ICP Balance​

All canister calls target mainnet with --ic. Try your first one:

PRINCIPAL=$(dfx identity get-principal)

dfx canister call --ic ryjl3-tyaaa-aaaaa-aaaba-cai icrc1_balance_of \
  "(record { owner = principal \"$PRINCIPAL\"; subaccount = null })"

This is the ICP ledger (ryjl3-tyaaa-aaaaa-aaaba-cai). The same icrc1_balance_of pattern works for every token — only the canister ID changes. See Reference for all token ledgers.

4. Prior Activity​

dfx canister call --ic 3mu3b-xaaaa-aaaal-asd5q-cai get_user_markets '()'

Non-empty result means this principal has traded before.

What's Next​