diff --git a/bun.lock b/bun.lock
index 852a509..684ca24 100644
--- a/bun.lock
+++ b/bun.lock
@@ -11,13 +11,15 @@
         "@perplexity-ai/ai-sdk": "^0.1.2",
         "@viem/anvil": "^0.0.10",
         "ai": "^6.0.5",
-        "alkahest-ts": "github:arkhai-io/alkahest",
+        "alkahest-ts": "^0.6.1",
         "arktype": "^2.1.23",
         "viem": "^2.42.1",
         "zod": "^3.25.76",
       },
       "devDependencies": {
         "@types/bun": "latest",
+        "@types/node": "^20.0.0",
+        "typescript": "^5.9.3",
       },
       "peerDependencies": {
         "typescript": "^5.9.3",
@@ -65,7 +67,7 @@
 
     "@types/bun": ["@types/bun@1.3.4", "", { "dependencies": { "bun-types": "1.3.4" } }, "sha512-EEPTKXHP+zKGPkhRLv+HI0UEX8/o+65hqARxLy8Ov5rIxMBPNTjeZww00CIihrIQGEQBYg+0roO5qOnS/7boGA=="],
 
-    "@types/node": ["@types/node@25.0.2", "", { "dependencies": { "undici-types": "~7.16.0" } }, "sha512-gWEkeiyYE4vqjON/+Obqcoeffmk0NF15WSBwSs7zwVA2bAbTaE0SJ7P0WNGoJn8uE7fiaV5a7dKYIJriEqOrmA=="],
+    "@types/node": ["@types/node@20.19.30", "", { "dependencies": { "undici-types": "~6.21.0" } }, "sha512-WJtwWJu7UdlvzEAUm484QNg5eAoq5QR08KDNx7g45Usrs2NtOPiX8ugDqmKdXkyL03rBqU5dYNYVQetEpBHq2g=="],
 
     "@vercel/oidc": ["@vercel/oidc@3.0.5", "", {}, "sha512-fnYhv671l+eTTp48gB4zEsTW/YtRgRPnkI2nT7x6qw5rkI1Lq2hTmQIpHPgyThI0znLK+vX2n9XxKdXZ7BUbbw=="],
 
@@ -75,7 +77,7 @@
 
     "ai": ["ai@6.0.5", "", { "dependencies": { "@ai-sdk/gateway": "3.0.4", "@ai-sdk/provider": "3.0.1", "@ai-sdk/provider-utils": "4.0.2", "@opentelemetry/api": "1.9.0" }, "peerDependencies": { "zod": "^3.25.76 || ^4.1.8" } }, "sha512-CKL3dDHedWskC6EY67LrULonZBU9vL+Bwa+xQEcprBhJfxpogntG3utjiAkYuy5ZQatyWk+SmWG8HLvcnhvbRg=="],
 
-    "alkahest-ts": ["alkahest-ts@github:arkhai-io/alkahest#80a8273", { "dependencies": { "@viem/anvil": "^0.0.10", "arktype": "^2.1.23", "zod": "^3.25.76" }, "peerDependencies": { "typescript": "^5.9.3", "viem": "^2.38.3" } }, "arkhai-io-alkahest-80a8273"],
+    "alkahest-ts": ["alkahest-ts@0.6.1", "", { "dependencies": { "@viem/anvil": "^0.0.10", "arktype": "^2.1.23", "zod": "^3.25.76" }, "peerDependencies": { "typescript": "^5.9.3", "viem": "^2.38.3" } }, "sha512-0u1xUM9OLca6emKDVzn6ISx4VFg7TGZtA/7hnT3SOHOWVPLk5ruX12tbX5MO7hG1jxVHAO3wgIE2t7vl864/nQ=="],
 
     "arkregex": ["arkregex@0.0.5", "", { "dependencies": { "@ark/util": "0.56.0" } }, "sha512-ncYjBdLlh5/QnVsAA8De16Tc9EqmYM7y/WU9j+236KcyYNUXogpz3sC4ATIZYzzLxwI+0sEOaQLEmLmRleaEXw=="],
 
@@ -133,7 +135,7 @@
 
     "typescript": ["typescript@5.9.3", "", { "bin": { "tsc": "bin/tsc", "tsserver": "bin/tsserver" } }, "sha512-jl1vZzPDinLr9eUt3J/t7V6FgNEw9QjvBPdysz9KfQDD41fQrC2Y4vKQdiaUpFT4bXlb1RHhLpp8wtm6M5TgSw=="],
 
-    "undici-types": ["undici-types@7.16.0", "", {}, "sha512-Zz+aZWSj8LE6zoxD+xrjh4VfkIG8Ya6LvYkZqtUQGJPZjYl53ypCaUwWqo7eI0x66KBGeRo+mlBEkMSeSZ38Nw=="],
+    "undici-types": ["undici-types@6.21.0", "", {}, "sha512-iwDZqg0QAGrg9Rav5H4n0M64c3mkR59cJ6wQp+7C4nI0gsmExaedaYLNO44eT4AtBBwjbTiGPMlt2Md0T9H9JQ=="],
 
     "viem": ["viem@2.42.1", "", { "dependencies": { "@noble/curves": "1.9.1", "@noble/hashes": "1.8.0", "@scure/bip32": "1.7.0", "@scure/bip39": "1.6.0", "abitype": "1.1.0", "isows": "1.0.7", "ox": "0.9.6", "ws": "8.18.3" }, "peerDependencies": { "typescript": ">=5.0.4" }, "optionalPeers": ["typescript"] }, "sha512-NzT/f54jT+b0Um6pYzN/uAGMLg+3twhricAzXS+XH8pVIREzPEh7P25rlhPQnLYiPWzQd9mrFcvnm73Sc8bx+A=="],
 
@@ -143,8 +145,12 @@
 
     "zod": ["zod@3.25.76", "", {}, "sha512-gzUt/qt81nXsFGKIFcC3YnfEAx5NkunCfnDlvuBSSFS02bcXu4Lmea0AFIUwbLWxWPx3d9p8S5QoaujKcNQxcQ=="],
 
+    "bun-types/@types/node": ["@types/node@25.0.2", "", { "dependencies": { "undici-types": "~7.16.0" } }, "sha512-gWEkeiyYE4vqjON/+Obqcoeffmk0NF15WSBwSs7zwVA2bAbTaE0SJ7P0WNGoJn8uE7fiaV5a7dKYIJriEqOrmA=="],
+
     "npm-run-path/path-key": ["path-key@4.0.0", "", {}, "sha512-haREypq7xkM7ErfgIyA0z+Bj4AGKlMSdlQE2jvJo6huWD1EdkKYV+G/T4nq0YEF2vgTT8kqMFKo1uHn950r4SQ=="],
 
     "ox/eventemitter3": ["eventemitter3@5.0.1", "", {}, "sha512-GWkBvjiSZK87ELrYOSESUYeVIc9mvLLf/nXalMOS5dYrgZq9o5OVkbZAVM06CVxYsCwH9BDZFPlQTlPA1j4ahA=="],
+
+    "bun-types/@types/node/undici-types": ["undici-types@7.16.0", "", {}, "sha512-Zz+aZWSj8LE6zoxD+xrjh4VfkIG8Ya6LvYkZqtUQGJPZjYl53ypCaUwWqo7eI0x66KBGeRo+mlBEkMSeSZ38Nw=="],
   }
 }
diff --git a/cli/client/collect-escrow.ts b/cli/client/collect-escrow.ts
index 5cad394..215c83c 100644
--- a/cli/client/collect-escrow.ts
+++ b/cli/client/collect-escrow.ts
@@ -6,46 +6,18 @@
  */
 
 import { parseArgs } from "util";
-import { createWalletClient, http, publicActions } from "viem";
+import { createWalletClient, http, publicActions, formatEther } from "viem";
 import { privateKeyToAccount } from "viem/accounts";
 import { existsSync, readFileSync } from "fs";
 import { resolve, dirname, join } from "path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "url";
 import { makeClient } from "alkahest-ts";
-import { getChainFromNetwork } from "../utils.js";
+import { getChainFromNetwork, loadDeploymentWithDefaults, getPrivateKey } from "../utils.js";
 
 // Get the directory of the current module
 const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
 const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
 
-// Helper function to find deployment file
-function findDeploymentFile(deploymentPath: string): string | null {
-    // Try the provided path first
-    if (existsSync(resolve(deploymentPath))) {
-        return resolve(deploymentPath);
-    }
-    
-    // Try relative to current working directory
-    const cwdPath = resolve(process.cwd(), deploymentPath);
-    if (existsSync(cwdPath)) {
-        return cwdPath;
-    }
-    
-    // Try relative to the CLI installation directory
-    const cliPath = resolve(__dirname, "..", "deployments", "devnet.json");
-    if (existsSync(cliPath)) {
-        return cliPath;
-    }
-    
-    // Try in the project root (for local development)
-    const projectPath = resolve(__dirname, "..", "..", "cli", "deployments", "devnet.json");
-    if (existsSync(projectPath)) {
-        return projectPath;
-    }
-    
-    return null;
-}
-
 // Helper function to display usage
 function displayHelp() {
     console.log(`
@@ -112,8 +84,8 @@ async function main() {
         // Get configuration
         const escrowUid = args["escrow-uid"];
         const fulfillmentUid = args["fulfillment-uid"];
-        const privateKey = args["private-key"] || process.env.PRIVATE_KEY;
-        const deploymentPath = args.deployment || "./cli/deployments/devnet.json";
+        const privateKey = args["private-key"] || getPrivateKey();
+        const deploymentPath = args.deployment;
 
         // Validate required parameters
         if (!escrowUid) {
@@ -129,24 +101,25 @@ async function main() {
         }
 
         if (!privateKey) {
-            console.error("❌ Error: Private key is required. Use --private-key or set PRIVATE_KEY");
-            console.error("Run with --help for usage information.");
+            console.error("❌ Error: Private key is required");
+            console.error("\n💡 You can either:");
+            console.error("   1. Set it globally: nla wallet:set --private-key <your-key>");
+            console.error("   2. Use for this command only: --private-key <your-key>");
+            console.error("   3. Set PRIVATE_KEY environment variable");
+            console.error("\nRun with --help for usage information.");
             process.exit(1);
         }
 
-        // Load deployment file
-        const resolvedDeploymentPath = findDeploymentFile(deploymentPath);
-        if (!resolvedDeploymentPath) {
-            console.error(`❌ Error: Deployment file not found: ${deploymentPath}`);
+        // Load deployment file (auto-detects current network if not specified)
+        let deployment;
+        try {
+            deployment = loadDeploymentWithDefaults(deploymentPath);
+        } catch (error) {
+            console.error(`❌ Error: ${(error as Error).message}`);
             console.error("Please deploy contracts first or specify correct path with --deployment");
-            console.error("\nSearched in:");
-            console.error(`  - ${resolve(deploymentPath)}`);
-            console.error(`  - ${resolve(process.cwd(), deploymentPath)}`);
-            console.error(`  - ${resolve(__dirname, "..", "deployments", "devnet.json")}`);
             process.exit(1);
         }
 
-        const deployment = JSON.parse(readFileSync(resolvedDeploymentPath, "utf-8"));
         const rpcUrl = args["rpc-url"] || deployment.rpcUrl;
         const chain = getChainFromNetwork(deployment.network);
 
@@ -168,7 +141,7 @@ async function main() {
 
         // Check balance
         const balance = await walletClient.getBalance({ address: account.address });
-        console.log(`💰 ETH balance: ${parseFloat((balance / 10n ** 18n).toString()).toFixed(4)} ETH\n`);
+        console.log(`💰 ETH balance: ${parseFloat(formatEther(balance)).toFixed(4)} ETH\n`);
 
         if (balance === 0n) {
             console.error("❌ Error: Account has no ETH for gas. Please fund the account first.");
diff --git a/cli/client/create-escrow.ts b/cli/client/create-escrow.ts
index c705c11..1016eb6 100644
--- a/cli/client/create-escrow.ts
+++ b/cli/client/create-escrow.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  */
 
 import { parseArgs } from "util";
-import { createWalletClient, http, publicActions, parseEther } from "viem";
+import { createWalletClient, http, publicActions, parseEther, formatEther } from "viem";
 import { privateKeyToAccount } from "viem/accounts";
 import { existsSync, readFileSync } from "fs";
 import { resolve, dirname, join } from "path";
@@ -15,48 +15,12 @@ import { fileURLToPath } from "url";
 import { makeClient } from "alkahest-ts";
 import { makeLLMClient } from "../..";
 import {fixtures} from "alkahest-ts";
-import { getCurrentEnvironment } from "../commands/switch.js";
-import { getChainFromNetwork } from "../utils.js";
+import { getCurrentEnvironment, getChainFromNetwork, loadDeploymentWithDefaults, getPrivateKey } from "../utils.js";
 
 // Get the directory of the current module
 const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
 const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
 
-// Helper function to find deployment file
-function findDeploymentFile(deploymentPath: string, environment?: string): string | null {
-    // If no path provided, use current environment
-    if (!deploymentPath) {
-        const env = environment || getCurrentEnvironment();
-        deploymentPath = `./cli/deployments/${env}.json`;
-    }
-    
-    // Try the provided path first
-    if (existsSync(resolve(deploymentPath))) {
-        return resolve(deploymentPath);
-    }
-    
-    // Try relative to current working directory
-    const cwdPath = resolve(process.cwd(), deploymentPath);
-    if (existsSync(cwdPath)) {
-        return cwdPath;
-    }
-    
-    // Try relative to the CLI installation directory with current environment
-    const env = environment || getCurrentEnvironment();
-    const cliPath = resolve(__dirname, "..", "deployments", `${env}.json`);
-    if (existsSync(cliPath)) {
-        return cliPath;
-    }
-    
-    // Try in the project root (for local development)
-    const projectPath = resolve(__dirname, "..", "..", "cli", "deployments", `${env}.json`);
-    if (existsSync(projectPath)) {
-        return projectPath;
-    }
-    
-    return null;
-}
-
 // Helper function to display usage
 function displayHelp() {
     const currentEnv = getCurrentEnvironment();
@@ -140,8 +104,8 @@ async function main() {
         const amount = args.amount;
         const tokenAddress = args.token;
         const oracleAddress = args.oracle;
-        const privateKey = args["private-key"] || process.env.PRIVATE_KEY;
-        const deploymentPath = args.deployment || `./cli/deployments/${getCurrentEnvironment()}.json`;
+        const privateKey = args["private-key"] || getPrivateKey();
+        const deploymentPath = args.deployment;
         
         // Arbitration configuration with defaults
         const arbitrationProvider = args["arbitration-provider"] || "OpenAI";
@@ -179,24 +143,25 @@ Fulfillment: {{obligation}}`;
         }
 
         if (!privateKey) {
-            console.error("❌ Error: Private key is required. Use --private-key or set PRIVATE_KEY");
-            console.error("Run with --help for usage information.");
+            console.error("❌ Error: Private key is required");
+            console.error("\n💡 You can either:");
+            console.error("   1. Set it globally: nla wallet:set --private-key <your-key>");
+            console.error("   2. Use for this command only: --private-key <your-key>");
+            console.error("   3. Set PRIVATE_KEY environment variable");
+            console.error("\nRun with --help for usage information.");
             process.exit(1);
         }
 
-        // Load deployment file
-        const resolvedDeploymentPath = findDeploymentFile(deploymentPath);
-        if (!resolvedDeploymentPath) {
-            console.error(`❌ Error: Deployment file not found: ${deploymentPath}`);
+        // Load deployment file (auto-detects current network if not specified)
+        let deployment;
+        try {
+            deployment = loadDeploymentWithDefaults(deploymentPath);
+        } catch (error) {
+            console.error(`❌ Error: ${(error as Error).message}`);
             console.error("Please deploy contracts first or specify correct path with --deployment");
-            console.error("\nSearched in:");
-            console.error(`  - ${resolve(deploymentPath)}`);
-            console.error(`  - ${resolve(process.cwd(), deploymentPath)}`);
-            console.error(`  - ${resolve(__dirname, "..", "deployments", "devnet.json")}`);
             process.exit(1);
         }
 
-        const deployment = JSON.parse(readFileSync(resolvedDeploymentPath, "utf-8"));
         const rpcUrl = args["rpc-url"] || deployment.rpcUrl;
         const chain = getChainFromNetwork(deployment.network);
 
@@ -221,7 +186,7 @@ Fulfillment: {{obligation}}`;
 
         // Check balance
         const balance = await walletClient.getBalance({ address: account.address });
-        console.log(`💰 ETH balance: ${parseFloat((balance / 10n ** 18n).toString()).toFixed(4)} ETH\n`);
+        console.log(`💰 ETH balance: ${parseFloat(formatEther(balance)).toFixed(4)} ETH\n`);
 
         if (balance === 0n) {
             console.error("❌ Error: Account has no ETH for gas. Please fund the account first.");
@@ -257,7 +222,7 @@ Fulfillment: {{obligation}}`;
         console.log("📋 Creating escrow\n");
 
         // Encode the demand with oracle arbiter
-        const arbiter = deployment.addresses.trustedOracleArbiter;
+        const arbiter = deployment.addresses.trustedOracleArbiter as `0x${string}`;
         const encodedDemand = client.arbiters.general.trustedOracle.encodeDemand({
             oracle: oracleAddress as `0x${string}`,
             data: llmClient.llm.encodeDemand({
@@ -266,7 +231,7 @@ Fulfillment: {{obligation}}`;
                 arbitrationPrompt,
                 demand: demand
             })
-        });
+        }) as `0x${string}`;
 
         // Create the escrow
         const { attested: escrow } = await client.erc20.escrow.nonTierable.permitAndCreate(
diff --git a/cli/client/fulfill-escrow.ts b/cli/client/fulfill-escrow.ts
index 1b8e073..93a1968 100644
--- a/cli/client/fulfill-escrow.ts
+++ b/cli/client/fulfill-escrow.ts
@@ -7,47 +7,19 @@
  */
 
 import { parseArgs } from "util";
-import { createWalletClient, http, publicActions } from "viem";
+import { createWalletClient, http, publicActions, formatEther } from "viem";
 import { privateKeyToAccount } from "viem/accounts";
 import { existsSync, readFileSync } from "fs";
 import { resolve, dirname, join } from "path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "url";
 import { makeClient } from "alkahest-ts";
 import { makeLLMClient } from "../..";
-import { getChainFromNetwork } from "../utils.js";
+import { getChainFromNetwork, loadDeploymentWithDefaults, getPrivateKey } from "../utils.js";
 
 // Get the directory of the current module
 const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
 const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
 
-// Helper function to find deployment file
-function findDeploymentFile(deploymentPath: string): string | null {
-    // Try the provided path first
-    if (existsSync(resolve(deploymentPath))) {
-        return resolve(deploymentPath);
-    }
-    
-    // Try relative to current working directory
-    const cwdPath = resolve(process.cwd(), deploymentPath);
-    if (existsSync(cwdPath)) {
-        return cwdPath;
-    }
-    
-    // Try relative to the CLI installation directory
-    const cliPath = resolve(__dirname, "..", "deployments", "devnet.json");
-    if (existsSync(cliPath)) {
-        return cliPath;
-    }
-    
-    // Try in the project root (for local development)
-    const projectPath = resolve(__dirname, "..", "..", "cli", "deployments", "devnet.json");
-    if (existsSync(projectPath)) {
-        return projectPath;
-    }
-    
-    return null;
-}
-
 // Helper function to display usage
 function displayHelp() {
     console.log(`
@@ -118,8 +90,8 @@ async function main() {
         const escrowUid = args["escrow-uid"];
         const fulfillment = args.fulfillment;
         const oracleAddress = args.oracle;
-        const privateKey = args["private-key"] || process.env.PRIVATE_KEY;
-        const deploymentPath = args.deployment || "./cli/deployments/devnet.json";
+        const privateKey = args["private-key"] || getPrivateKey();
+        const deploymentPath = args.deployment ;
 
         // Validate required parameters
         if (!escrowUid) {
@@ -141,24 +113,25 @@ async function main() {
         }
 
         if (!privateKey) {
-            console.error("❌ Error: Private key is required. Use --private-key or set PRIVATE_KEY");
-            console.error("Run with --help for usage information.");
+            console.error("❌ Error: Private key is required");
+            console.error("\n💡 You can either:");
+            console.error("   1. Set it globally: nla wallet:set --private-key <your-key>");
+            console.error("   2. Use for this command only: --private-key <your-key>");
+            console.error("   3. Set PRIVATE_KEY environment variable");
+            console.error("\nRun with --help for usage information.");
             process.exit(1);
         }
 
-        // Load deployment file
-        const resolvedDeploymentPath = findDeploymentFile(deploymentPath);
-        if (!resolvedDeploymentPath) {
-            console.error(`❌ Error: Deployment file not found: ${deploymentPath}`);
+        // Load deployment file (auto-detects current network if not specified)
+        let deployment;
+        try {
+            deployment = loadDeploymentWithDefaults(deploymentPath);
+        } catch (error) {
+            console.error(`❌ Error: ${(error as Error).message}`);
             console.error("Please deploy contracts first or specify correct path with --deployment");
-            console.error("\nSearched in:");
-            console.error(`  - ${resolve(deploymentPath)}`);
-            console.error(`  - ${resolve(process.cwd(), deploymentPath)}`);
-            console.error(`  - ${resolve(__dirname, "..", "deployments", "devnet.json")}`);
             process.exit(1);
         }
 
-        const deployment = JSON.parse(readFileSync(resolvedDeploymentPath, "utf-8"));
         const rpcUrl = args["rpc-url"] || deployment.rpcUrl;
         const chain = getChainFromNetwork(deployment.network);
 
@@ -182,7 +155,7 @@ async function main() {
 
         // Check balance
         const balance = await walletClient.getBalance({ address: account.address });
-        console.log(`💰 ETH balance: ${parseFloat((balance / 10n ** 18n).toString()).toFixed(4)} ETH\n`);
+        console.log(`💰 ETH balance: ${parseFloat(formatEther(balance)).toFixed(4)} ETH\n`);
 
         if (balance === 0n) {
             console.error("❌ Error: Account has no ETH for gas. Please fund the account first.");
diff --git a/cli/commands/dev.ts b/cli/commands/dev.ts
index 0df804f..10ddd8b 100644
--- a/cli/commands/dev.ts
+++ b/cli/commands/dev.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { spawn, spawnSync } from "child_process";
 import { existsSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, createWriteStream, unlinkSync } from "fs";
 import { join } from "path";
+import { getCurrentEnvironment, setCurrentEnvironment } from "../utils.js";
 
 // Colors for console output
 const colors = {
@@ -71,6 +72,16 @@ export async function runDevCommand(cliDir: string, envPath?: string) {
     console.log(`${colors.blue}  Natural Language Agreement Oracle - Quick Setup${colors.reset}`);
     console.log(`${colors.blue}════════════════════════════════════════════════════════${colors.reset}\n`);
 
+    // Auto-switch to devnet environment
+    const currentEnv = getCurrentEnvironment();
+    if (currentEnv !== 'devnet') {
+        console.log(`${colors.yellow}🔄 Switching environment from ${currentEnv} to devnet...${colors.reset}`);
+        setCurrentEnvironment('devnet');
+        console.log(`${colors.green}✅ Switched to devnet${colors.reset}\n`);
+    } else {
+        console.log(`${colors.green}✅ Already on devnet environment${colors.reset}\n`);
+    }
+
     // Load .env file first
     loadEnvFile(envPath);
     console.log('');
diff --git a/cli/commands/switch.ts b/cli/commands/switch.ts
index 6ae360d..c5755d5 100644
--- a/cli/commands/switch.ts
+++ b/cli/commands/switch.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@ import { existsSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, mkdirSync } from "fs";
 import { join, dirname } from "path";
 import { homedir } from "os";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "url";
+import { 
+    getNLAConfigDir, 
+    getCurrentEnvironment, 
+    setCurrentEnvironment, 
+    getDeploymentPath 
+} from "../utils.js";
 
 // Get the directory of the current module
 const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
@@ -16,65 +22,6 @@ const colors = {
     reset: '\x1b[0m'
 };
 
-// Get NLA config directory
-function getNLAConfigDir(): string {
-    const configDir = join(homedir(), '.nla');
-    if (!existsSync(configDir)) {
-        mkdirSync(configDir, { recursive: true });
-    }
-    return configDir;
-}
-
-// Get current environment
-export function getCurrentEnvironment(): string {
-    const configPath = join(getNLAConfigDir(), 'config.json');
-    
-    if (!existsSync(configPath)) {
-        // Default to devnet
-        return 'devnet';
-    }
-    
-    try {
-        const config = JSON.parse(readFileSync(configPath, 'utf-8'));
-        return config.environment || 'devnet';
-    } catch (e) {
-        return 'devnet';
-    }
-}
-
-// Set current environment
-function setCurrentEnvironment(env: string): void {
-    const configPath = join(getNLAConfigDir(), 'config.json');
-    const config = existsSync(configPath) 
-        ? JSON.parse(readFileSync(configPath, 'utf-8'))
-        : {};
-    
-    config.environment = env;
-    writeFileSync(configPath, JSON.stringify(config, null, 2));
-}
-
-// Get deployment path for environment
-export function getDeploymentPath(cliDir: string, env?: string): string {
-    const environment = env || getCurrentEnvironment();
-    const filename = `${environment}.json`;
-    
-    // Try multiple locations
-    const paths = [
-        join(cliDir, 'deployments', filename),  // dist/cli/deployments/
-        join(__dirname, '..', 'deployments', filename),  // Relative to switch.ts
-        join(process.cwd(), 'cli', 'deployments', filename),  // Project root
-    ];
-    
-    for (const path of paths) {
-        if (existsSync(path)) {
-            return path;
-        }
-    }
-    
-    // Return the first path as default (even if it doesn't exist yet)
-    return paths[0];
-}
-
 // Switch command
 export function runSwitchCommand(env?: string) {
     console.log(`${colors.blue}════════════════════════════════════════════════════════${colors.reset}`);
@@ -86,19 +33,20 @@ export function runSwitchCommand(env?: string) {
         const current = getCurrentEnvironment();
         console.log(`${colors.blue}Current environment:${colors.reset} ${colors.green}${current}${colors.reset}\n`);
         console.log('Available environments:');
-        console.log('  • devnet   (local Anvil blockchain)');
-        console.log('  • sepolia  (Ethereum Sepolia testnet)');
-        console.log('  • mainnet  (Ethereum mainnet)\n');
+        console.log('  • devnet       (local Anvil blockchain)');
+        console.log('  • sepolia      (Ethereum Sepolia testnet)');
+        console.log('  • base-sepolia (Base Sepolia testnet)');
+        console.log('  • mainnet      (Ethereum mainnet)\n');
         console.log(`${colors.yellow}Usage:${colors.reset} nla switch <environment>`);
         console.log(`${colors.yellow}Example:${colors.reset} nla switch sepolia\n`);
         return;
     }
 
     // Validate environment
-    const validEnvs = ['devnet', 'sepolia', 'mainnet'];
+    const validEnvs = ['devnet', 'sepolia', 'base-sepolia', 'mainnet'];
     if (!validEnvs.includes(env)) {
         console.error(`${colors.red}❌ Invalid environment: ${env}${colors.reset}`);
-        console.log('Valid environments: devnet, sepolia, mainnet\n');
+        console.log('Valid environments: devnet, sepolia, base-sepolia, mainnet\n');
         process.exit(1);
     }
 
@@ -120,6 +68,9 @@ export function runSwitchCommand(env?: string) {
     } else if (env === 'sepolia') {
         console.log('📝 Using Ethereum Sepolia testnet');
         console.log('   Make sure you have deployed contracts and updated sepolia.json\n');
+    } else if (env === 'base-sepolia') {
+        console.log('📝 Using Base Sepolia testnet');
+        console.log('   Make sure you have deployed contracts and updated base-sepolia.json\n');
     } else if (env === 'mainnet') {
         console.log('📝 Using Ethereum mainnet');
         console.log(`   ${colors.yellow}⚠️  WARNING: This is production! Use with caution.${colors.reset}\n`);
diff --git a/cli/commands/wallet.ts b/cli/commands/wallet.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3108eeb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cli/commands/wallet.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/**
+ * Wallet management commands
+ */
+
+import { setPrivateKey, clearPrivateKey, getPrivateKey } from "../utils.js";
+import { privateKeyToAddress } from "viem/accounts";
+
+/**
+ * Set wallet private key
+ */
+export async function setWallet(privateKey: string): Promise<void> {
+    // Validate private key format
+    if (!privateKey.startsWith('0x')) {
+        console.error('❌ Private key must start with 0x');
+        process.exit(1);
+    }
+
+    if (privateKey.length !== 66) {
+        console.error('❌ Invalid private key length. Expected 66 characters (0x + 64 hex chars)');
+        process.exit(1);
+    }
+
+    try {
+        // Validate by deriving address
+        const address = privateKeyToAddress(privateKey as `0x${string}`);
+        
+        // Store in config
+        setPrivateKey(privateKey);
+        
+        console.log('✅ Wallet configured successfully');
+        console.log(`📍 Address: ${address}`);
+        console.log('\n💡 Your private key is stored in ~/.nla/config.json');
+        console.log('   It will be used automatically for all transactions');
+    } catch (error) {
+        console.error('❌ Invalid private key format');
+        process.exit(1);
+    }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Show current wallet address
+ */
+export async function showWallet(): Promise<void> {
+    const privateKey = getPrivateKey();
+    
+    if (!privateKey) {
+        console.log('ℹ️  No wallet configured');
+        console.log('\n💡 Set your wallet with:');
+        console.log('   nla wallet:set --private-key <your-key>');
+        return;
+    }
+
+    try {
+        const address = privateKeyToAddress(privateKey as `0x${string}`);
+        console.log('✅ Wallet configured');
+        console.log(`📍 Address: ${address}`);
+    } catch (error) {
+        console.error('❌ Invalid private key in config');
+        console.log('\n💡 Update your wallet with:');
+        console.log('   nla wallet:set --private-key <your-key>');
+    }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Clear wallet from config
+ */
+export async function clearWallet(): Promise<void> {
+    clearPrivateKey();
+    console.log('✅ Wallet cleared from config');
+    console.log('\n💡 Set a new wallet with:');
+    console.log('   nla wallet:set --private-key <your-key>');
+}
diff --git a/cli/deployments/base-sepolia.json b/cli/deployments/base-sepolia.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b7346d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cli/deployments/base-sepolia.json
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+{
+  "network": "Base Sepolia",
+  "chainId": 84532,
+  "rpcUrl": "https://base-sepolia.infura.io/v3/e8b0c66293ae484083cf9e1d793d68bd",
+  "addresses": {
+    "eas": "",
+    "easSchemaRegistry": "",
+    "erc20EscrowObligation": "",
+    "erc20PaymentObligation": "",
+    "erc20BarterUtils": "",
+    "erc721EscrowObligation": "",
+    "erc721PaymentObligation": "",
+    "erc721BarterUtils": "",
+    "erc1155EscrowObligation": "",
+    "erc1155BarterUtils": "",
+    "erc1155PaymentObligation": "",
+    "tokenBundleEscrowObligation": "",
+    "tokenBundlePaymentObligation": "",
+    "tokenBundleBarterUtils": "",
+    "attestationEscrowObligation": "",
+    "attestationEscrowObligation2": "",
+    "attestationBarterUtils": "",
+    "stringObligation": "",
+    "trivialArbiter": "",
+    "trustedOracleArbiter": "",
+    "anyArbiter": "",
+    "allArbiter": "",
+    "intrinsicsArbiter": "",
+    "intrinsicsArbiter2": "",
+    "exclusiveRevocableConfirmationArbiter": "",
+    "exclusiveUnrevocableConfirmationArbiter": "",
+    "nonexclusiveRevocableConfirmationArbiter": "",
+    "nonexclusiveUnrevocableConfirmationArbiter": "",
+    "nativeTokenEscrowObligation": "",
+    "nativeTokenPaymentObligation": "",
+    "nativeTokenBarterUtils": "",
+    "recipientArbiter": "",
+    "attesterArbiter": "",
+    "schemaArbiter": "",
+    "uidArbiter": "",
+    "refUidArbiter": "",
+    "revocableArbiter": "",
+    "timeAfterArbiter": "",
+    "timeBeforeArbiter": "",
+    "timeEqualArbiter": "",
+    "expirationTimeAfterArbiter": "",
+    "expirationTimeBeforeArbiter": "",
+    "expirationTimeEqualArbiter": ""
+  }
+}
diff --git a/cli/index.ts b/cli/index.ts
index b675be4..ea8a17c 100755
--- a/cli/index.ts
+++ b/cli/index.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import { contracts } from "alkahest-ts";
 import { runDevCommand } from "./commands/dev.js";
 import { runStopCommand } from "./commands/stop.js";
 import { runSwitchCommand } from "./commands/switch.js";
+import { setWallet, showWallet, clearWallet } from "./commands/wallet.js";
 
 // Get the directory name for ESM modules (compatible with both Node and Bun)
 const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
@@ -29,8 +30,11 @@ Commands:
   deploy           Deploy contracts to blockchain
   start-oracle     Start the oracle service
   stop             Stop all services (Anvil + Oracle)
-  switch [env]     Switch between environments (devnet, sepolia, mainnet)
+  switch [env]     Switch between environments (devnet, sepolia, base-sepolia, mainnet)
   network          Show current network/environment
+  wallet:set       Set wallet private key
+  wallet:show      Show current wallet address
+  wallet:clear     Clear wallet from config
   escrow:create    Create a new escrow with natural language demand
   escrow:fulfill   Fulfill an existing escrow
   escrow:collect   Collect an approved escrow
@@ -182,6 +186,27 @@ async function main() {
             return;
         }
 
+        // Handle wallet commands
+        if (command === "wallet:set") {
+            const privateKey = args["private-key"] as string | undefined;
+            if (!privateKey) {
+                console.error("❌ Missing required option: --private-key");
+                process.exit(1);
+            }
+            await setWallet(privateKey);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (command === "wallet:show") {
+            await showWallet();
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (command === "wallet:clear") {
+            await clearWallet();
+            return;
+        }
+
         // Handle TypeScript commands that can run directly
         if (command === "deploy") {
             await runServerCommand("deploy.js", process.argv.slice(3));
diff --git a/cli/server/deploy.ts b/cli/server/deploy.ts
index 66b3b3f..4bca840 100644
--- a/cli/server/deploy.ts
+++ b/cli/server/deploy.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 import { parseArgs } from "util";
 import { createWalletClient, http, publicActions, parseEther } from "viem";
 import { privateKeyToAccount } from "viem/accounts";
-import { mainnet, sepolia, foundry } from "viem/chains";
+import { mainnet, sepolia, baseSepolia, foundry } from "viem/chains";
 import { writeFileSync, existsSync, mkdirSync } from "fs";
 import { resolve } from "path";
 import { fixtures, contracts } from "alkahest-ts";
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ Usage:
   bun deploy.ts [options]
 
 Options:
-  --network <name>             Network to deploy to: mainnet, sepolia, localhost (required)
+  --network <name>             Network to deploy to: mainnet, sepolia, base-sepolia, localhost (required)
   --rpc-url <url>              Custom RPC URL (overrides network default)
   --private-key <key>          Deployer's private key (required)
   --output <path>              Output file for deployment addresses (default: ./cli/deployments/<network>.json)
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ Environment Variables (alternative to CLI options):
 Networks:
   mainnet                      Ethereum Mainnet
   sepolia                      Ethereum Sepolia Testnet
+  base-sepolia                 Base Sepolia Testnet
   localhost                    Local development (Anvil/Hardhat)
 
 Examples:
@@ -75,11 +76,13 @@ function getChain(network: string) {
             return mainnet;
         case "sepolia":
             return sepolia;
+        case "base-sepolia":
+            return baseSepolia;
         case "localhost":
         case "local":
             return foundry;
         default:
-            throw new Error(`Unknown network: ${network}. Use mainnet, sepolia, or localhost`);
+            throw new Error(`Unknown network: ${network}. Use mainnet, sepolia, base-sepolia, or localhost`);
     }
 }
 
@@ -368,16 +371,6 @@ async function main() {
         console.log("\n🎯 Next steps:");
         console.log("1. Start the oracle:");
         console.log(`   nla start-oracle`);
-        console.log("\n2. Export your private key (use a test account private key):");
-        console.log(`   export PRIVATE_KEY=0xac0974bec39a17e36ba4a6b4d238ff944bacb478cbed5efcae784d7bf4f2ff80`);
-        console.log("\n3. Create an escrow:");
-        console.log(`   nla escrow:create \\`);
-        console.log(`     --demand "The sky is blue" \\`);
-        console.log(`     --amount 10 \\`);
-        console.log(`     --token ${addresses.mockERC20A} \\`);
-        console.log(`     --oracle 0x70997970C51812dc3A010C7d01b50e0d17dc79C8 \\`);
-        console.log(`     --arbitration-provider "OpenAI" \\`);
-        console.log(`     --arbitration-model "gpt-4o-mini"`);
 
     } catch (error) {
         console.error("❌ Deployment failed:", error);
diff --git a/cli/server/oracle.ts b/cli/server/oracle.ts
index 92d2cbb..1a26355 100644
--- a/cli/server/oracle.ts
+++ b/cli/server/oracle.ts
@@ -2,13 +2,26 @@
 import { parseArgs } from "util";
 import { parseAbiParameters, createWalletClient, http, publicActions } from "viem";
 import { privateKeyToAccount } from "viem/accounts";
-import { foundry } from "viem/chains";
 import { makeLLMClient } from "../..";
 import { existsSync, readFileSync } from "fs";
-import { resolve } from "path";
+import { resolve, dirname, join } from "path";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "url";
 import { makeClient } from "alkahest-ts";
 import { fixtures } from "alkahest-ts";
 import { ProviderName } from "../../nla";
+import { contractAddresses } from "alkahest-ts";
+import { 
+    getCurrentEnvironment, 
+    getDeploymentPath, 
+    loadEnvFile,
+    loadDeploymentWithDefaults,
+    getChainFromNetwork,
+    getPrivateKey
+} from "../utils.js";
+
+// Get the directory name for ESM modules
+const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
+const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
 
 // Helper function to display usage
 function displayHelp() {
@@ -19,38 +32,45 @@ Usage:
   bun oracle.ts [options]
 
 Options:
-  --rpc-url <url>              RPC URL for the blockchain network (required)
-  --private-key <key>          Private key of the oracle operator (required)
-  --openai-api-key <key>       OpenAI API key (optional)
-  --anthropic-api-key <key>    Anthropic API key (optional)
-  --openrouter-api-key <key>   OpenRouter API key (optional)
-  --perplexity-api-key <key>   Perplexity API key for search tools (optional)
-  --eas-contract <address>     EAS contract address (optional)
-  --deployment <file>          Load addresses from deployment file (optional)
+  --private-key <key>          Private key of the oracle operator (optional, loaded from .env)
+  --openai-api-key <key>       OpenAI API key (optional, loaded from .env)
+  --anthropic-api-key <key>    Anthropic API key (optional, loaded from .env)
+  --openrouter-api-key <key>   OpenRouter API key (optional, loaded from .env)
+  --perplexity-api-key <key>   Perplexity API key (optional, loaded from .env)
+  --env <file>                 Path to .env file (default: .env)
+  --deployment <file>          Load addresses from deployment file (optional, auto-detected from current network)
   --polling-interval <ms>      Polling interval in milliseconds (default: 5000)
   --help, -h                   Display this help message
 
-Environment Variables (alternative to CLI options):
-  RPC_URL                      RPC URL for the blockchain network
+Environment Variables (from .env file or environment):
   ORACLE_PRIVATE_KEY           Private key of the oracle operator
   OPENAI_API_KEY               OpenAI API key
   ANTHROPIC_API_KEY            Anthropic API key
   OPENROUTER_API_KEY           OpenRouter API key
   PERPLEXITY_API_KEY           Perplexity API key for search tools
-  EAS_CONTRACT_ADDRESS         EAS contract address
 
 Examples:
-  # Using command line options
-  bun oracle.ts --rpc-url http://localhost:8545 --private-key 0x... --openai-api-key sk-...
-
-  # Using deployment file
-  bun oracle.ts --deployment ./deployments/devnet.json --private-key 0x... --openai-api-key sk-...
-
-  # Using environment variables
-  export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
-  export RPC_URL=http://localhost:8545
-  export ORACLE_PRIVATE_KEY=0x...
+  # Using .env file (default)
   bun oracle.ts
+
+  # Using custom .env file
+  bun oracle.ts --env /path/to/.env.production
+
+  # Override with command-line parameters
+  bun oracle.ts --private-key 0x... --openai-api-key sk-...
+
+  # Using specific deployment file
+  bun oracle.ts --deployment ./deployments/sepolia.json
+
+  # Mix of .env and command-line parameters
+  bun oracle.ts --openai-api-key sk-... --env .env.local
+
+Example .env file:
+  ORACLE_PRIVATE_KEY=0xac0974bec39a17e36ba4a6b4d238ff944bacb478cbed5efcae784d7bf4f2ff80
+  OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
+  ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
+  OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...
+  PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=pplx-...
 `);
 }
 
@@ -59,13 +79,12 @@ function parseCliArgs() {
     const { values } = parseArgs({
         args: process.argv.slice(2),
         options: {
-            "rpc-url": { type: "string" },
             "private-key": { type: "string" },
             "openai-api-key": { type: "string" },
             "anthropic-api-key": { type: "string" },
             "openrouter-api-key": { type: "string" },
             "perplexity-api-key": { type: "string" },
-            "eas-contract": { type: "string" },
+            "env": { type: "string" },
             "deployment": { type: "string" },
             "polling-interval": { type: "string" },
             "help": { type: "boolean", short: "h" },
@@ -76,16 +95,6 @@ function parseCliArgs() {
     return values;
 }
 
-// Load deployment file
-function loadDeployment(filePath: string) {
-    if (!existsSync(filePath)) {
-        throw new Error(`Deployment file not found: ${filePath}`);
-    }
-
-    const content = readFileSync(filePath, "utf-8");
-    return JSON.parse(content);
-}
-
 // Main function
 async function main() {
     try {
@@ -97,27 +106,33 @@ async function main() {
             process.exit(0);
         }
 
-        let rpcUrl = args["rpc-url"] || process.env.RPC_URL;
-        let easContract = args["eas-contract"] || process.env.EAS_CONTRACT_ADDRESS;
-        let deploymentAddresses = null;
-
-        // Load deployment file if provided
-        if (args.deployment) {
-            console.log(`📄 Loading deployment from: ${args.deployment}\n`);
-            const deployment = loadDeployment(args.deployment);
-            deploymentAddresses = deployment.addresses;
-            
-            if (!rpcUrl) {
-                rpcUrl = deployment.rpcUrl;
-            }
-            if (!easContract) {
-                easContract = deployment.addresses.eas;
-            }
-            
-            console.log(`✅ Loaded deployment (${deployment.network})\n`);
+        // Load .env file
+        const envPath = args.env || ".env";
+        const resolvedEnvPath = resolve(process.cwd(), envPath);
+        
+        if (existsSync(resolvedEnvPath)) {
+            console.log(`📁 Loading environment from: ${resolvedEnvPath}\n`);
+            loadEnvFile(resolvedEnvPath);
+        } else if (args.env) {
+            // Only error if user explicitly specified an env file
+            console.error(`❌ Error: .env file not found: ${resolvedEnvPath}`);
+            process.exit(1);
         }
 
-        const privateKey = args["private-key"] || process.env.ORACLE_PRIVATE_KEY;
+        // Load deployment file (auto-detects current network if not specified)
+        const currentEnv = getCurrentEnvironment();
+        const deploymentFile = args.deployment;
+        
+        if (deploymentFile) {
+            console.log(`� Loading deployment from: ${deploymentFile}\n`);
+        } else {
+            console.log(`� Auto-detected environment: ${currentEnv}\n`);
+        }
+        
+        const deployment = loadDeploymentWithDefaults(deploymentFile);
+        console.log(`✅ Loaded deployment (${deployment.network})\n`);
+
+        const privateKey = args["private-key"] || getPrivateKey();
         const openaiApiKey = args["openai-api-key"] || process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY;
         const anthropicApiKey = args["anthropic-api-key"] || process.env.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY;
         const openrouterApiKey = args["openrouter-api-key"] || process.env.OPENROUTER_API_KEY;
@@ -125,29 +140,39 @@ async function main() {
         const pollingInterval = parseInt(args["polling-interval"] || "5000");
 
         // Validate required parameters
-        if (!rpcUrl) {
-            console.error("❌ Error: RPC URL is required. Use --rpc-url or set RPC_URL environment variable.");
+        if (!deployment?.rpcUrl) {
+            console.error("❌ Error: RPC URL not found in deployment file.");
+            console.error("   Current environment:", getCurrentEnvironment());
+            console.error("   Make sure the deployment file exists for your current network.");
             console.error("Run with --help for usage information.");
             process.exit(1);
         }
 
         if (!privateKey) {
-            console.error("❌ Error: Private key is required. Use --private-key or set ORACLE_PRIVATE_KEY environment variable.");
-            console.error("Run with --help for usage information.");
+            console.error("❌ Error: Private key is required.");
+            console.error("\n💡 You can either:");
+            console.error("   1. Set it globally: nla wallet:set --private-key <your-key>");
+            console.error("   2. Use for this command only: --private-key <your-key>");
+            console.error("   3. Set ORACLE_PRIVATE_KEY in .env file");
+            console.error("   4. Set PRIVATE_KEY environment variable");
+            console.error("\nRun with --help for usage information.");
             process.exit(1);
         }
 
         // Check if at least one API key is provided
         if (!openaiApiKey && !anthropicApiKey && !openrouterApiKey) {
             console.error("❌ Error: At least one LLM provider API key is required.");
-            console.error("   Set one of: OPENAI_API_KEY, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, or OPENROUTER_API_KEY");
+            console.error("   Set one of these in your .env file:");
+            console.error("   - OPENAI_API_KEY");
+            console.error("   - ANTHROPIC_API_KEY");
+            console.error("   - OPENROUTER_API_KEY");
             console.error("Run with --help for usage information.");
             process.exit(1);
         }
 
         console.log("🚀 Starting Natural Language Agreement Oracle...\n");
         console.log("Configuration:");
-        console.log(`  📡 RPC URL: ${rpcUrl}`);
+        console.log(`  📡 RPC URL: ${deployment.rpcUrl}`);
         console.log(`  🔑 Oracle Key: ${privateKey.slice(0, 6)}...${privateKey.slice(-4)}`);
         
         // Show available providers
@@ -161,21 +186,24 @@ async function main() {
             console.log(`  🔍 Perplexity Search: Enabled`);
         }
         
-        if (easContract) {
-            console.log(`  📝 EAS Contract: ${easContract}`);
+        if (deployment.addresses.eas) {
+            console.log(`  📝 EAS Contract: ${deployment.addresses.eas}`);
         }
         console.log(`  ⏱️  Polling Interval: ${pollingInterval}ms\n`);
 
         // Create wallet client
+        const chain = getChainFromNetwork(deployment.network);
         const account = privateKeyToAccount(privateKey as `0x${string}`);
         const walletClient = createWalletClient({
             account,
-            chain: foundry,
-            transport: http(rpcUrl),
+            chain,
+            transport: http(deployment.rpcUrl),
         }).extend(publicActions) as any;
 
+
+
         // Create alkahest client
-        const client = makeClient(walletClient, deploymentAddresses || { eas: easContract });
+        const client = makeClient(walletClient, deployment.addresses);
         
         console.log(`✅ Oracle initialized with address: ${account.address}\n`);
 
@@ -234,12 +262,25 @@ async function main() {
                     console.log(`   Obligation: "${obligationItem}"`);
 
                     const trustedOracleDemandData = client.arbiters.general.trustedOracle.decodeDemand(demand);
+                    console.log(`   DEBUG - trustedOracleDemandData:`, trustedOracleDemandData);
+                    
                     const nlaDemandData = llmClient.llm.decodeDemand(trustedOracleDemandData.data);
+                    console.log(`   DEBUG - nlaDemandData:`, nlaDemandData);
+                    
                     console.log(`   Demand: "${nlaDemandData.demand}"`);
+                    console.log(`   Provider: ${nlaDemandData.arbitrationProvider}`);
                     console.log(`   Model: ${nlaDemandData.arbitrationModel}`);
 
+                    // Validate the demand data before proceeding
+                    if (!nlaDemandData.demand || !nlaDemandData.arbitrationModel || nlaDemandData.arbitrationModel.includes('\u0000')) {
+                        console.error(`   ❌ Invalid demand data - contains null bytes or empty fields`);
+                        console.error(`   This usually means the demand was encoded incorrectly`);
+                        console.error(`   Skipping this attestation (throwing error to avoid on-chain recording)...\n`);
+                        throw new Error('Invalid demand data - skipping attestation');
+                    }
+
                     // Perform arbitration using LLM
-                    console.log(`   🤔 Arbitrating with AI...`);
+                    console.log(`   🤔 Arbitrating with ${nlaDemandData.arbitrationProvider}...`);
                     const result = await llmClient.llm.arbitrate(
                         nlaDemandData,
                         obligationItem
@@ -249,14 +290,21 @@ async function main() {
                     return result;
                 } catch (error) {
                     console.error(`   ❌ Error during arbitration:`, error);
-                    throw error;
+                    console.error(`   Continuing to listen for new requests...\n`);
+                    return false; // Return false instead of throwing to keep oracle running
                 }
             },
             {
                 onAfterArbitrate: async (decision: any) => {
-                    console.log(`   📝 Arbitration decision recorded on-chain`);
-                    console.log(`   Decision UID: ${decision.attestation.uid}`);
-                    console.log(`   Result: ${decision.decision ? "✅ Fulfilled" : "❌ Not Fulfilled"}\n`);
+                    try {
+                        console.log(`   📝 Arbitration decision recorded on-chain`);
+                        console.log(`   Decision UID: ${decision.attestation.uid}`);
+                        console.log(`   Result: ${decision.decision ? "✅ Fulfilled" : "❌ Not Fulfilled"}\n`);
+                    } catch (error: any) {
+                        console.error(`   ⚠️  Failed to record arbitration on-chain:`, error.message);
+                        console.error(`   This may be due to transaction conflicts or gas issues`);
+                        console.error(`   Continuing to listen for new requests...\n`);
+                    }
                 },
                 pollingInterval,
             },
@@ -264,6 +312,36 @@ async function main() {
 
         console.log("✨ Oracle is now running. Press Ctrl+C to stop.\n");
 
+        // Show next steps for creating escrow
+        if (deployment) {
+            console.log("━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━");
+            console.log("📝 Next Steps - Create Your First Escrow:\n");
+            
+            if (currentEnv === 'devnet') {
+                console.log("1. Export your private key (use a test account):");
+                console.log("   export PRIVATE_KEY=0xac0974bec39a17e36ba4a6b4d238ff944bacb478cbed5efcae784d7bf4f2ff80\n");
+            } else {
+                console.log("1. Export your private key:");
+                console.log("   export PRIVATE_KEY=<your-private-key>\n");
+            }
+            
+            console.log("2. Create an escrow:");
+            console.log("   nla escrow:create \\");
+            console.log("     --demand \"The sky is blue\" \\");
+            console.log("     --amount 10 \\");
+            
+            if (currentEnv === 'devnet' && deployment.addresses.mockERC20A) {
+                console.log(`     --token ${deployment.addresses.mockERC20A} \\`);
+            } else {
+                console.log("     --token <ERC20_TOKEN_ADDRESS> \\");
+            }
+            
+            console.log(`     --oracle ${account.address} \\`);
+            console.log("     --arbitration-provider \"OpenAI\" \\");
+            console.log("     --arbitration-model \"gpt-4o-mini\"");
+            console.log("━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\n");
+        }
+
         // Handle graceful shutdown
         const shutdown = async () => {
             console.log("\n\n🛑 Shutting down oracle...");
diff --git a/cli/utils.ts b/cli/utils.ts
index 0a96f36..ed67f99 100644
--- a/cli/utils.ts
+++ b/cli/utils.ts
@@ -2,22 +2,247 @@
  * Shared utilities for NLA CLI
  */
 
-import { foundry, sepolia, mainnet } from "viem/chains";
+import { foundry, sepolia, mainnet, baseSepolia } from "viem/chains";
 import type { Chain } from "viem/chains";
+import { existsSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, mkdirSync } from "fs";
+import { join } from "path";
+import { homedir } from "os";
+import { contractAddresses } from "alkahest-ts";
+
+/**
+ * Load .env file and set environment variables
+ */
+export function loadEnvFile(envPath: string): void {
+    if (!existsSync(envPath)) {
+        throw new Error(`.env file not found: ${envPath}`);
+    }
+
+    const content = readFileSync(envPath, "utf-8");
+    const lines = content.split("\n");
+
+    for (const line of lines) {
+        const trimmed = line.trim();
+        
+        // Skip empty lines and comments
+        if (!trimmed || trimmed.startsWith("#")) {
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        // Parse KEY=VALUE format
+        const match = trimmed.match(/^([^=]+)=(.*)$/);
+        if (match) {
+            const key = match[1].trim();
+            let value = match[2].trim();
+
+            // Remove surrounding quotes if present
+            if ((value.startsWith('"') && value.endsWith('"')) || 
+                (value.startsWith("'") && value.endsWith("'"))) {
+                value = value.slice(1, -1);
+            }
+
+            // Only set if not already set
+            if (!process.env[key]) {
+                process.env[key] = value;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
 
 /**
  * Get viem chain configuration from network name
  */
 export function getChainFromNetwork(network: string): Chain {
-    switch (network.toLowerCase()) {
+    // Normalize the network name: lowercase and replace spaces with dashes
+    const normalized = network.toLowerCase().replace(/\s+/g, '-');
+    
+    switch (normalized) {
         case "localhost":
         case "devnet":
             return foundry;
         case "sepolia":
+        case "ethereum-sepolia":
             return sepolia;
+        case "base-sepolia":
+            return baseSepolia;
         case "mainnet":
+        case "ethereum":
             return mainnet;
         default:
             return foundry;
     }
 }
+
+/**
+ * Get NLA config directory (~/.nla)
+ */
+export function getNLAConfigDir(): string {
+    const configDir = join(homedir(), '.nla');
+    if (!existsSync(configDir)) {
+        mkdirSync(configDir, { recursive: true });
+    }
+    return configDir;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Get current environment from config
+ */
+export function getCurrentEnvironment(): string {
+    const configPath = join(getNLAConfigDir(), 'config.json');
+    
+    if (!existsSync(configPath)) {
+        // Default to devnet
+        return 'devnet';
+    }
+    
+    try {
+        const config = JSON.parse(readFileSync(configPath, 'utf-8'));
+        return config.environment || 'devnet';
+    } catch (e) {
+        return 'devnet';
+    }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Set current environment in config
+ */
+export function setCurrentEnvironment(env: string): void {
+    const configPath = join(getNLAConfigDir(), 'config.json');
+    const config = existsSync(configPath) 
+        ? JSON.parse(readFileSync(configPath, 'utf-8'))
+        : {};
+    
+    config.environment = env;
+    writeFileSync(configPath, JSON.stringify(config, null, 2));
+}
+
+/**
+ * Get private key from config or environment
+ */
+export function getPrivateKey(): string | undefined {
+    // First check environment variable
+    if (process.env.PRIVATE_KEY) {
+        return process.env.PRIVATE_KEY;
+    }
+    
+    // Then check config file
+    const configPath = join(getNLAConfigDir(), 'config.json');
+    if (!existsSync(configPath)) {
+        return undefined;
+    }
+    
+    try {
+        const config = JSON.parse(readFileSync(configPath, 'utf-8'));
+        return config.privateKey;
+    } catch (e) {
+        return undefined;
+    }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Set private key in config
+ */
+export function setPrivateKey(privateKey: string): void {
+    const configPath = join(getNLAConfigDir(), 'config.json');
+    const config = existsSync(configPath) 
+        ? JSON.parse(readFileSync(configPath, 'utf-8'))
+        : {};
+    
+    config.privateKey = privateKey;
+    writeFileSync(configPath, JSON.stringify(config, null, 2));
+}
+
+/**
+ * Clear private key from config
+ */
+export function clearPrivateKey(): void {
+    const configPath = join(getNLAConfigDir(), 'config.json');
+    if (!existsSync(configPath)) {
+        return;
+    }
+    
+    try {
+        const config = JSON.parse(readFileSync(configPath, 'utf-8'));
+        delete config.privateKey;
+        writeFileSync(configPath, JSON.stringify(config, null, 2));
+    } catch (e) {
+        // Ignore errors
+    }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Get deployment path for environment
+ */
+export function getDeploymentPath(cliDir: string, env?: string): string {
+    const environment = env || getCurrentEnvironment();
+    const filename = `${environment}.json`;
+    
+    // Try multiple locations
+    const paths = [
+        join(cliDir, 'deployments', filename),  // dist/cli/deployments/
+        join(process.cwd(), 'cli', 'deployments', filename),  // Project root
+    ];
+    
+    for (const path of paths) {
+        if (existsSync(path)) {
+            return path;
+        }
+    }
+    
+    // Return the first path as default (even if it doesn't exist yet)
+    return paths[0];
+}
+
+/**
+ * Load deployment file and fill empty addresses with defaults from contractAddresses
+ * If deploymentFilePath doesn't exist, tries to load deployment for current network
+ */
+export function loadDeploymentWithDefaults(deploymentFilePath?: string): {
+    network: string;
+    chainId: number;
+    rpcUrl: string;
+    addresses: Record<string, string>;
+} {
+    let actualPath = deploymentFilePath;
+    
+    // If no path provided or path doesn't exist, try current network
+    if (!actualPath || !existsSync(actualPath)) {
+        const currentEnv = getCurrentEnvironment();
+        const autoPath = getDeploymentPath(process.cwd(), currentEnv);
+        
+        if (existsSync(autoPath)) {
+            actualPath = autoPath;
+        } else if (!actualPath) {
+            throw new Error(`No deployment file found for current environment: ${currentEnv}`);
+        } else {
+            throw new Error(`Deployment file not found: ${actualPath}`);
+        }
+    }
+
+    const content = readFileSync(actualPath, "utf-8");
+    const deployment = JSON.parse(content);
+    
+    let finalAddresses: Record<string, string> = {};
+    
+    // Start with default addresses from contractAddresses if available
+    // contractAddresses is indexed by chain name (e.g., "Base Sepolia", "foundry")
+    const chainName = deployment.network;
+    if (contractAddresses[chainName]) {
+        finalAddresses = { ...contractAddresses[chainName] };
+    }
+
+    // Override with deployment addresses, but only if they're not empty strings
+    if (deployment.addresses && Object.keys(deployment.addresses).length > 0) {
+        for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(deployment.addresses)) {
+            if (value && value !== "") {
+                finalAddresses[key] = value as string;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    return {
+        network: deployment.network,
+        chainId: deployment.chainId,
+        rpcUrl: deployment.rpcUrl,
+        addresses: finalAddresses,
+    };
+}
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index bc44fce..585849e 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@
     "@perplexity-ai/ai-sdk": "^0.1.2",
     "@viem/anvil": "^0.0.10",
     "ai": "^6.0.5",
-    "alkahest-ts": "github:arkhai-io/alkahest",
+    "alkahest-ts": "^0.6.1",
     "arktype": "^2.1.23",
     "viem": "^2.42.1",
     "zod": "^3.25.76"