Can i keep on using dfx instead of icpcli?

there’s already so much bash scripts that i made :sob: uuuoohhhh
and dfx is so comfy and cozy :sleeping_face:

is there any actual painkilling benefit in using icpcli?

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icp-cli was intended to eventually replace dfx. (will be deprecated)


Everyone had time since October to move away from dfx.
As of March 6th, 2026 - v0.2.0 we are already on version 0.2
The docs are very good icp-cli Documentation | ICP CLI and the feedback thread is full of additional info and help.

nobody forces you to switch, but you need to keep in mind that dfx is a big monolith when it comes to managing versions along the toolchain.

this means that going forward you will be stuck at a specific version of:

  • motoko compiler
  • pocket-ic

do you have a collection of scripts published somewhere which you would need to upgrade? I am curious what logic those scripts are handling for you.

did you try out using the icp-cli skill to migrate your scripts?

i’m actually bad with ai/agents :sob:

but i suppose i have to migrate asap so i dont get stuck like you said… will do it this weekend :slight_smile:

we’re happy to help if you run into issues :slight_smile:

if you really want to do this manually I recommend to check following docs:

please also note that we are going to update the Motoko recipe soon to rely on mops build for building canisters.

there are some work in progress PRs regarding this:

@marc0olo

I have searched the docs for the icp-cli equivalent of dfx canister sign but I have not been able to find any equivalent or mention of why it was left out of icp-cli. Is this something that you have more insight on?

If it does eventually make its way to icp-cli, it would also be helpful to map the output to stdout instead of forcing the creation of a json file as output.

Hi @brady may I ask how you are using the dfx canister sign command?

If you’re looking to manage more than one canister, Canic wraps the icp-cli executable and allows you to create fleets of canisters.

* may cause irreversible damage to kidneys and liver

I started a good while back on a project of what I call a “wallet interface” that is an open source browser extension that in one sense is similar to Plug in that it can spoof Plug as a provider but it passes you the command to execute in the terminal, making it compatible with air gapped setups.

Thanks to the wake of vibe coding I might be able to finally polish it up soon (it’s been on the back burner for years) especially since the developer community has exploded with growth in the wake of Caffeine AI **sarcasm intended**

dfx canister sign therefore is used to pass signed messages from a secure air gapped environment to the web browser environment. I find this setup to be more secure even than Oisy if handled properly and not to mention compatible with seed phrase.

One thing you think is above all else, Monaco still got your address, can you really spawn more children ?

I’m sorry, I had to check if Charlotte Bronte was still alive. When I glanced at your prose I was taken aback. Your mastery of language is, staggering to say the least.

How can you kill that which is already dead?