Run a node (mxnode) - XOXNO Docs

Use mxnode to install and operate MultiversX validators, observers, and multikey hosts from one CLI.

Use This When

Need	Command family
Install validators, observers, or multikey hosts	`mxnode install`
Start, stop, restart, or inspect services	`mxnode start`, `stop`, `restart`, `status`, `logs`
Upgrade `mx-chain-go` tags across installed nodes	`mxnode upgrade`
Reapply config, prune databases, or run diagnostics	`mxnode config`, `prune`, `doctor`
Remove node files and generated units	`mxnode cleanup`

Need	Use instead
You only need RPC reads	Gateway
You only need transaction propagation	Relayer
You need a managed validator service	Your validator operations provider

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/XOXNO/mx-node/main/install.sh | sh

The installer adds the mxnode CLI. State-changing commands initialize ~/.config/mxnode/config.toml with host defaults.

Choose an install shape

Pick validator, observer, or multikey. A multikey host runs a 4-node squad, one node per shard.

Place keys

For validators, place one node-{i}.zip per node. For multikey, place allValidatorsKeys.pem where the CLI expects it.

Install nodes

Run mxnode install with the role and shape flags that match the host.

Start and verify

Run mxnode start --all, then inspect mxnode status and logs before funding or relying on the node.

Shape	Nodes	Key model	Notes
Validator	User-selected count	One BLS key per node	Use for validator operators with per-node key archives
Observer	User-selected count	Generated throwaway BLS key	Use for read-only infrastructure
Multikey	4	Shared `allValidatorsKeys.pem`	One node per shard; `--count` is rejected
Squad	4	Per role	One node per shard
Backup	Mirrors primary intent	Depends on role	Used for redundancy, not active double-signing

Validator and multikey flows involve live signing keys. Verify file ownership, backups, and host isolation before starting services.

Platform	Supervisor	Status
Linux	systemd	Primary target
macOS	launchd	Development and test hosts

Install the CLI, install nodes, start services, and verify status.

Choose validator, observer, multikey, squad, proxy, and backup shapes.

Start, stop, restart, inspect status, and read logs.

Diagnose stale locks, key placement, Go bootstrap, and port conflicts.