sui-move

Sui Move

MCP tool: When available in your environment, also query the Sui documentation MCP server (https://sui.mcp.kapa.ai) for up-to-date answers. Use it for verification and for details not covered by these reference files.

Source constraint: All information in this skill is sourced exclusively from docs.sui.io and move-book.com. When extending or updating this skill, only pull from these sources. Do not use third-party blogs, tutorials, or unofficial documentation.

Move is Sui's smart contract language, designed around resource safety and an object-centric data model. This skill covers the core Move language: the type system, abilities, resource safety, events, and coins.

This skill routes to focused reference files. Load only the ones relevant to the current task.

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Reference files (this skill)

move — Move Language Fundamentals

Path: move.md Load when: writing Move code, working with abilities, TxContext, time/Clock, init functions, One-Time Witness, internal::Permit<T>, type_name deprecations, packages, modules, structs, resource safety, access control patterns, admin rotation, deny lists, security review, or advanced design patterns (ability dosing, phantom events, shared-object concurrency, receiver syntax, error attributes, transfer::receive, field privacy, macros). Covers: the four abilities and common combinations, TxContext methods, Clock object, init functions, OTW pattern, internal::Permit<T> type-level authorization, type_name deprecations, packages and upgrades, modules, structs, resource safety and object destruction, a worked Greeting example, admin rotation (two-step transfer), regulated coins and deny lists, security review checklist, advanced design patterns (ability dosing, phantom-type events, event denormalization, shared-object & vs &mut, receiver-syntax ordering, #[error] constants, transfer::receive privacy, field privacy, macro gotchas).

events-coins — Events and Coins

Path: events-coins.md Load when: emitting events, subscribing to events offchain, creating fungible tokens, or working with coin operations (mint, burn, split, join). Covers: event emission, event struct requirements, coin::create_currency, TreasuryCap, CoinMetadata, standard coin operations.

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Related skills (load from separate skill directories)

Topic	Skill	Load when
Object model, ownership, dynamic fields, collections, Display, transfer patterns	object-model/	Designing data models, choosing ownership types, using dynamic fields or collections, setting up Object Display
Programmable transaction blocks, commands, equivocation	ptbs/	Building PTBs, composing transactions, sponsored transactions, troubleshooting transaction errors
Frontend dApp development, dApp Kit, wallet connection	frontend-apps/	Building React/Vue frontends, wallet integration, querying onchain state from the browser
Project setup, Move.toml, dependencies, publishing	sui-move-project/	Creating a Move project, configuring Move.toml, resolving build errors, publishing packages
Move 2024 syntax, method syntax, macros	modern-move-syntax/	Using Move 2024 edition features like method syntax, vector literals, option/loop macros
Composable function design	composable-move-functions/	Designing functions for PTB composability, parameter ordering, return patterns
Unit testing conventions	move-unit-testing/	Writing Move unit tests, test patterns, expected_failure, cleanup
Naming conventions	naming-conventions/	Naming errors, constants, capabilities, events, getters, dynamic field keys

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Routing guide

Task	Load
Writing a Move struct with abilities	move
Using TxContext or the Clock object	move
Writing an init function or OTW	move
Using type_name functions	move
Proving module authority with internal::Permit<T>	move
Publishing or upgrading a package	move
Destroying an object without drop	move
Emitting or subscribing to events	events-coins
Creating a fungible token	move + events-coins
Designing an object data model	object-model/ skill
Choosing shared vs owned objects	object-model/ skill
Using dynamic fields or collections	object-model/ skill
Setting up Object Display	object-model/ skill
Building a PTB	ptbs/ skill
Implementing sponsored transactions	ptbs/ skill
Building a frontend	frontend-apps/ skill
Setting up Move.toml	sui-move-project/ skill
Writing a complete smart contract	move + events-coins + object-model/ + naming-conventions/ + modern-move-syntax/
Code review	move + events-coins + composable-move-functions/ + naming-conventions/ + modern-move-syntax/
Security review / access control audit	move + object-model/ (patterns) + events-coins
Advanced design patterns / performance tuning	move

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Rules

• Always use object::new(ctx) to create UIDs. There is no other way.
• Use public_transfer (not transfer) when the object has store and the call originates outside the defining module.
• Event structs must have copy and drop abilities.
• No as casts on numeric types. Use from/into or try_from/try_into.
• To destroy an object without drop, unpack the struct and call object::delete(id) on the UID.

Common mistakes

• Confusing transfer with public_transfer. The non-public variant only works within the defining module. Calling it from another module is a compile error.
• Forgetting to delete the UID. When destroying an object, you must call object::delete(id) on the UID field.
• Assuming ctx.epoch_timestamp_ms() is precise. It returns the epoch start time. Use the Clock object (0x6) for real-time timestamps.