Create Metaplex Token Metadata from the CLI

If you created an SPL token or mint without a metadata account, wallets and explorers show it with no name, symbol, or image. To fix that you create a Metaplex Token Metadata account for the mint. People often search for a token create-metadata command; the current Metaplex CLI spells it mplx toolbox token add-metadata, and the older community metaplex-cli used a metadata-create subcommand. Both do the same job: create the on-chain metadata account that points to your metadata JSON.

The command

With the Metaplex CLI installed (so the mplx binary is available), add metadata to an existing mint like this:

mplx toolbox token add-metadata <MINT_ADDRESS> \
  --name "My Token" \
  --symbol "MTK" \
  --uri "https://example.com/metadata.json"

If you do not already host a metadata JSON, pass an image and description instead and the CLI will upload the asset and build the JSON for you:

mplx toolbox token add-metadata <MINT_ADDRESS> \
  --name "My Token" \
  --symbol "MTK" \
  --description "A great token" \
  --image ./logo.png

The flags

• <MINT_ADDRESS> – the mint you are adding metadata to (positional argument).
• --name – token or NFT name (required).
• --symbol – short symbol, usually 2–6 characters (required).
• --uri – URL of an existing metadata JSON. Use this instead of --image/--description.
• --image – path to an image file to upload when you do not have a JSON yet.
• --description – description used when the CLI builds the JSON for you.
• --is-mutable – whether the metadata can be updated later (defaults to true; set it false for immutable metadata).
• -k, --keypair – path to the keypair that holds the mint authority.
• -r, --rpc – RPC URL for the cluster (mainnet or devnet).

Before you run it

Two conditions have to be true. First, you must hold the mint authority; the transaction is signed by that keypair. Second, the mint must not already have a metadata account – this command creates one, it does not overwrite an existing one (use an update command for that). Install the Metaplex CLI by following the official CLI docs, then point -r at your RPC and -k at your keypair.

Verify it worked

Open the mint address on Solscan or load it in a wallet. You should now see the name, symbol, and image, and the on-chain metadata account should hold the URI you supplied. If the image does not appear, check that the URI resolves and that the JSON's image field is a working URL. For how the on-chain account and off-chain JSON fit together, see the Solana NFT metadata guide and the Solana NFT standards explainer.

Minting an NFT? Skip the CLI

The command above is for attaching metadata to an existing mint, typically a fungible token. If your goal is to mint a new 1-of-1 NFT, you do not need a CLI, keypair files, or RPC setup at all. Solana NFT Creator builds a standards-compliant metadata JSON, pins your image and JSON to IPFS, and creates the on-chain Metaplex metadata account in a single transaction, straight from your browser with your wallet. No command line required.