Exploring Blockchain Data
Overview
Query and analyze blockchain data across multiple EVM-compatible networks including Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, and BSC. Supports transaction lookups, address balance checks, block inspection, token balance queries, transaction history retrieval, and whale wallet tracking via a unified CLI.
Prerequisites
- Python 3.8+ with
requests and web3 libraries installed (pip install requests web3)
- Etherscan API key (free tier provides 5 requests/second; set via
ETHERSCAN_API_KEY environment variable)
- Optional: API keys for Polygonscan, Arbiscan, and other chain-specific explorers for higher rate limits
blockchain_explorer.py CLI script, chain_client.py, and token_resolver.py modules available in the plugin directory- RPC endpoint access (public endpoints work; dedicated providers like Alchemy, Infura, Chainstack, or QuickNode recommended for reliability)
Instructions
- Set the Etherscan API key as an environment variable:
export ETHERSCAN_API_KEY=<key> to unlock higher rate limits beyond the default 5 requests/second.
- Run
python blockchain_explorer.py tx <hash> to look up a transaction by hash, returning status, block number, from/to addresses, value transferred, and gas details.
- Append
--detailed to the transaction query to decode the function call, identify the interacting protocol, and display input parameters.
- Specify
--chain polygon, --chain arbitrum, or --chain bsc to query transactions on alternative EVM chains when the hash is not found on Ethereum.
- Run
python blockchain_explorer.py address <address> to check the native token balance and total transaction count for a wallet.
- Add
--history --limit 50 to the address query to retrieve the most recent 50 transactions with timestamps, values, and counterparties.
- Add
--tokens to the address query to list all ERC-20 token holdings with balances, symbols, and USD values via CoinGecko price resolution.
- Run
python blockchain_explorer.py block latest to inspect the most recent block, or python blockchain_explorer.py block <number> for a specific block.
- Run
python blockchain_explorer.py token <wallet> <contract> to check the balance of a specific ERC-20 token at a wallet address, with automatic decimal and symbol resolution.
- Export any query result in JSON or CSV format using
--format json or --format csv and redirect to a file for downstream processing.
- Enable verbose mode with
--verbose to display API request URLs, response times, cache hit/miss status, and rate limit counters for debugging.
See ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/implementation.md for the full four-step implementation workflow.
Output
- Transaction detail tables showing hash, chain, status, block number, from/to addresses, value, gas price (Gwei), gas limit, gas used, and gas cost
- Decoded transaction data with function name, protocol identification, and parsed input parameters (when
--detailed is used)
- Address summary with native balance, transaction count, and explorer link
- Transaction history tables with timestamp, hash, from/to, value, and direction (in/out)
- Token balance listings with contract address, token name, symbol, raw balance, human-readable balance, and USD value
- Block details with block number, timestamp, transaction count, gas used, and miner/validator
- JSON (
output.json) or CSV (transactions.csv) export files for programmatic consumption
Error Handling
| Error |
Cause |
Solution |
Transaction not found |
Transaction pending in mempool, wrong chain selected, or invalid hash |
Wait and retry for pending transactions; try --chain polygon, --chain arbitrum, --chain bsc; verify hash is 66 characters starting with 0x |
Explorer API error: Max rate limit reached |
Too many requests; no API key or quota exhausted |
Wait 1-5 seconds and retry; set ETHERSCAN_API_KEY for higher limits; upgrade to paid tier for production use |
RPC error: execution timeout |
RPC endpoint overloaded or complex query timed out |
Retry with a different RPC endpoint; use a dedicated provider (Alchemy, Infura, QuickNode); simplify the query |
Invalid address: 0xinvalid |
Address has wrong length, invalid checksum, or non-hex characters |
Verify 42 characters with 0x prefix; use the checksummed version from a block explorer; convert to lowercase if checksum fails |
Contract source code not verified |
Contract source not published on the explorer |
Use known function signature databases for decoding; check if the contract is a proxy and look up the implementation address |
Token: ??? (Unknown Token) |
Token too new, too obscure, or not tracked by CoinGecko |
Check the token contract directly on the explorer; look up on a DEX (Uniswap, SushiSwap); manually specify decimals if known |
Price: N/A |
Token not listed on CoinGecko, API rate limited, or very low liquidity |
Check the DEX for on-chain price; use an alternative price feed; calculate from LP reserves |
ImportError: No module named 'requests' |
Missing Python dependencies |
Run pip install requests web3 to install required packages |
Examples
Look Up a Transaction Across Chains
# Try Ethereum first, then Polygon if not found
python blockchain_explorer.py tx 0x1234...abcdef --chain ethereum
python blockchain_explorer.py tx 0x1234...abcdef --chain polygon
Returns a formatted table with transaction status, block number, value transferred, gas details, and a link to the block explorer. Adding --detailed decodes the function call (e.g., swapExactTokensForTokens on Uniswap).
Full Wallet Analysis
python blockchain_explorer.py address 0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045 --history --tokens --limit 50
Produces a wallet summary (ETH balance, total transaction count), the 50 most recent transactions with timestamps and counterparties, and a complete ERC-20 token holdings list with USD values. Useful for whale watching or due diligence on a wallet.
Check USDC Balance and Export to JSON
python blockchain_explorer.py token 0xYourWallet 0xa0b86991c6218b36c1d19d4a2e9eb0ce3606eb48 --format json > usdc_balance.json
Resolves the USDC contract, fetches the wallet balance with proper decimal handling (6 decimals for USDC), includes the current USD price, and writes the result to usdc_balance.json for integration with dashboards or alerting pipelines.
Resources
1---2name: exploring-blockchain-data3description: Process query and analyze blockchain data including blocks, transactions, and smart contracts. Use when querying blockchain data and transactions. Trigger with phrases like "explore blockchain", "query transactions", or "check on-chain data".4license: MIT5---6# Exploring Blockchain Data
7
8## Overview
9
10Query and analyze blockchain data across multiple EVM-compatible networks including Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, and BSC. Supports transaction lookups, address balance checks, block inspection, token balance queries, transaction history retrieval, and whale wallet tracking via a unified CLI.
11
12## Prerequisites
13
14- Python 3.8+ with `requests` and `web3` libraries installed (`pip install requests web3`)
15- Etherscan API key (free tier provides 5 requests/second; set via `ETHERSCAN_API_KEY` environment variable)
16- Optional: API keys for Polygonscan, Arbiscan, and other chain-specific explorers for higher rate limits
17- `blockchain_explorer.py` CLI script, `chain_client.py`, and `token_resolver.py` modules available in the plugin directory
18- RPC endpoint access (public endpoints work; dedicated providers like Alchemy, Infura, Chainstack, or QuickNode recommended for reliability)
19
20## Instructions
21
221. Set the Etherscan API key as an environment variable: `export ETHERSCAN_API_KEY=<key>` to unlock higher rate limits beyond the default 5 requests/second.
232. Run `python blockchain_explorer.py tx <hash>` to look up a transaction by hash, returning status, block number, from/to addresses, value transferred, and gas details.
243. Append `--detailed` to the transaction query to decode the function call, identify the interacting protocol, and display input parameters.
254. Specify `--chain polygon`, `--chain arbitrum`, or `--chain bsc` to query transactions on alternative EVM chains when the hash is not found on Ethereum.
265. Run `python blockchain_explorer.py address <address>` to check the native token balance and total transaction count for a wallet.
276. Add `--history --limit 50` to the address query to retrieve the most recent 50 transactions with timestamps, values, and counterparties.
287. Add `--tokens` to the address query to list all ERC-20 token holdings with balances, symbols, and USD values via CoinGecko price resolution.
298. Run `python blockchain_explorer.py block latest` to inspect the most recent block, or `python blockchain_explorer.py block <number>` for a specific block.
309. Run `python blockchain_explorer.py token <wallet> <contract>` to check the balance of a specific ERC-20 token at a wallet address, with automatic decimal and symbol resolution.
3110. Export any query result in JSON or CSV format using `--format json` or `--format csv` and redirect to a file for downstream processing.
3211. Enable verbose mode with `--verbose` to display API request URLs, response times, cache hit/miss status, and rate limit counters for debugging.
33
34See `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/implementation.md` for the full four-step implementation workflow.
35
36## Output
37
38- Transaction detail tables showing hash, chain, status, block number, from/to addresses, value, gas price (Gwei), gas limit, gas used, and gas cost
39- Decoded transaction data with function name, protocol identification, and parsed input parameters (when `--detailed` is used)
40- Address summary with native balance, transaction count, and explorer link
41- Transaction history tables with timestamp, hash, from/to, value, and direction (in/out)
42- Token balance listings with contract address, token name, symbol, raw balance, human-readable balance, and USD value
43- Block details with block number, timestamp, transaction count, gas used, and miner/validator
44- JSON (`output.json`) or CSV (`transactions.csv`) export files for programmatic consumption
45
46## Error Handling
47
48| Error | Cause | Solution |
49|-------|-------|----------|
50| `Transaction not found` | Transaction pending in mempool, wrong chain selected, or invalid hash | Wait and retry for pending transactions; try `--chain polygon`, `--chain arbitrum`, `--chain bsc`; verify hash is 66 characters starting with `0x` |
51| `Explorer API error: Max rate limit reached` | Too many requests; no API key or quota exhausted | Wait 1-5 seconds and retry; set `ETHERSCAN_API_KEY` for higher limits; upgrade to paid tier for production use |
52| `RPC error: execution timeout` | RPC endpoint overloaded or complex query timed out | Retry with a different RPC endpoint; use a dedicated provider (Alchemy, Infura, QuickNode); simplify the query |
53| `Invalid address: 0xinvalid` | Address has wrong length, invalid checksum, or non-hex characters | Verify 42 characters with `0x` prefix; use the checksummed version from a block explorer; convert to lowercase if checksum fails |
54| `Contract source code not verified` | Contract source not published on the explorer | Use known function signature databases for decoding; check if the contract is a proxy and look up the implementation address |
55| `Token: ??? (Unknown Token)` | Token too new, too obscure, or not tracked by CoinGecko | Check the token contract directly on the explorer; look up on a DEX (Uniswap, SushiSwap); manually specify decimals if known |
56| `Price: N/A` | Token not listed on CoinGecko, API rate limited, or very low liquidity | Check the DEX for on-chain price; use an alternative price feed; calculate from LP reserves |
57| `ImportError: No module named 'requests'` | Missing Python dependencies | Run `pip install requests web3` to install required packages |
58
59## Examples
60
61### Look Up a Transaction Across Chains
62```bash
63# Try Ethereum first, then Polygon if not found
64python blockchain_explorer.py tx 0x1234...abcdef --chain ethereum
65python blockchain_explorer.py tx 0x1234...abcdef --chain polygon
66```
67Returns a formatted table with transaction status, block number, value transferred, gas details, and a link to the block explorer. Adding `--detailed` decodes the function call (e.g., `swapExactTokensForTokens` on Uniswap).
68
69### Full Wallet Analysis
70```bash
71python blockchain_explorer.py address 0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045 --history --tokens --limit 50
72```
73Produces a wallet summary (ETH balance, total transaction count), the 50 most recent transactions with timestamps and counterparties, and a complete ERC-20 token holdings list with USD values. Useful for whale watching or due diligence on a wallet.
74
75### Check USDC Balance and Export to JSON
76```bash
77python blockchain_explorer.py token 0xYourWallet 0xa0b86991c6218b36c1d19d4a2e9eb0ce3606eb48 --format json > usdc_balance.json
78```
79Resolves the USDC contract, fetches the wallet balance with proper decimal handling (6 decimals for USDC), includes the current USD price, and writes the result to `usdc_balance.json` for integration with dashboards or alerting pipelines.
80
81## Resources
82
83- [Etherscan API Documentation](https://docs.etherscan.io/) -- primary explorer API for Ethereum; free tier available with registration
84- [CoinGecko API](https://www.coingecko.com/en/api/documentation) -- token price resolution and metadata lookup
85- [web3.py Documentation](https://web3py.readthedocs.io/) -- Python library for direct RPC interaction with EVM chains
86- [Alchemy](https://docs.alchemy.com/) / [Infura](https://docs.infura.io/) / [QuickNode](https://www.quicknode.com/docs) -- dedicated RPC providers for reliable node access
87- [4byte.directory](https://www.4byte.directory/) -- function signature database for decoding unverified contract interactions
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