Create Genesis Account | Metaplex CLI

What You'll Do

Create a Genesis account and token mint — the first step in any token launch:

Initialize a Genesis PDA that manages the entire launch
Create a new token mint (or link an existing one)
Configure token name, symbol, decimals, and supply

Summary

The mplx genesis create command creates a new Genesis account and token mint. This is the first step in any token launch.

Creates: A Genesis account PDA and a token mint
Required flags: --name, --symbol, --totalSupply
Default decimals: 9 (1 token = 1,000,000,000 base units)

Out of Scope

Bucket configuration, deposit/claim flows, token metadata hosting, liquidity pool setup.

Jump to: Basic Usage · Options · Examples · Output · Common Errors · FAQ

Maintained by Metaplex Foundation · Last verified February 2026 · Requires Metaplex CLI (mplx)

Basic Usage

Create a Genesis account

mplx genesis create --name "My Token" --symbol "MTK" --totalSupply 1000000000000000 --decimals 9

Options

Flag	Short	Description	Required
`--name <string>`	`-n`	Name of the token	Yes
`--symbol <string>`	`-s`	Symbol of the token	Yes
`--totalSupply <string>`		Total supply in base units	Yes
`--uri <string>`	`-u`	URI for token metadata JSON	No
`--decimals <integer>`	`-d`	Number of decimals (default: 9)	No
`--quoteMint <string>`		Quote token mint address (default: Wrapped SOL)	No
`--fundingMode <new-mint\|transfer>`		Create a new mint or use an existing one (default: `new-mint`)	No
`--baseMint <string>`		Base token mint address (required when `fundingMode` is `transfer`)	Conditional
`--genesisIndex <integer>`		Genesis index for multiple launches on the same mint (default: 0)	No

Examples

Create a token with 9 decimals and 1 million total supply:

Basic creation

mplx genesis create \
  --name "My Token" \
  --symbol "MTK" \
  --totalSupply 1000000000000000 \
  --decimals 9

Create a token with metadata URI:

With metadata URI

mplx genesis create \
  --name "My Token" \
  --symbol "MTK" \
  --totalSupply 1000000000000000 \
  --decimals 9 \
  --uri "https://example.com/metadata.json"

Use an existing token mint:

Existing mint

mplx genesis create \
  --name "Existing Token" \
  --symbol "EXT" \
  --totalSupply 1000000000000000 \
  --fundingMode transfer \
  --baseMint <EXISTING_MINT_ADDRESS>

Output

Expected output

--------------------------------
  Genesis Account: <genesis_address>
  Signature: <transaction_signature>
  Explorer: <explorer_url>
--------------------------------

Save the Genesis Account address — you'll use it in every subsequent command.

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Fix
Missing required flag	`--name`, `--symbol`, or `--totalSupply` not provided	Add all three required flags
Invalid totalSupply	Non-numeric or zero value	Provide a positive integer in base units
baseMint required	`--fundingMode transfer` without `--baseMint`	Add `--baseMint <address>` when using transfer mode
Insufficient SOL	Not enough SOL for the transaction fee	Fund your wallet with SOL for fees

Notes

totalSupply is in base units. With 9 decimals, 1000000000000000 = 1,000,000 tokens
The default quote token is Wrapped SOL. Use --quoteMint to specify a different SPL token
When using --fundingMode transfer, you must also provide --baseMint with an existing token mint address
Use --genesisIndex if you need to create multiple Genesis launches for the same token mint

FAQ

What does mplx genesis create do? It creates a new Genesis account PDA and token mint on Solana. This is the first step in any Genesis token launch — all subsequent commands reference the Genesis address from this step.

How do I calculate totalSupply in base units? Multiply the desired token count by 10 raised to the number of decimals. For 1 million tokens with 9 decimals: 1,000,000 × 10^9 = 1,000,000,000,000,000.

Can I use an existing token mint instead of creating a new one? Yes. Set --fundingMode transfer and provide the existing mint address with --baseMint. The existing mint's authority must be transferable to the Genesis account.

What is genesisIndex for? It allows multiple Genesis launches for the same token mint. Each launch needs a unique index. The default is 0.

Glossary

Term	Definition
Genesis Account	The PDA that manages the token launch, created by this command
Base Units	Smallest denomination — with 9 decimals, 1 token = 1,000,000,000 base units
Quote Mint	The token accepted as payment during deposits (default: Wrapped SOL)
Genesis Index	Numeric index allowing multiple launches for the same token mint