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After a Bittensor upgrade, first confirm that btcli is using the right software generation and network. Then use btcli wallet balance <coldkey> for free TAO and TAO-valued stake, btcli wallet overview for holdings by subnet, btcli wallet registrations for registered local hotkeys, and btcli query metagraph --netuid <N> for neuron details on a specific subnet. These are read-only checks; they do not submit transactions.
Before checking: confirm the CLI version and network
Bittensor’s V431 release page, dated July 2026, describes chain spec version 431 and the v11 package. In v11, the bittensor package includes both the Python SDK and btcli. See the Bittensor documentation for the current package documentation.
If you are migrating an existing v9 or v10 environment, the migration guide instructs you to remove the legacy bittensor-cli and bittensor-wallet packages before installing or upgrading bittensor. Both the legacy packages and v11 can own the btcli command. The guide warns that uninstalling the old CLI after upgrading can remove the command script; its recovery command is:
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pip install --force-reinstall --no-deps bittensor
Select the intended network
The quickstart documents three network names: finney for mainnet, test for testnet, and local for a development node. Set the default network with:
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btcli config set network finney
Replace finney with the network you intend to inspect. A network flag on an individual command can override the configured default. Check the effective network before interpreting results: balances and subnet data from testnet or a local node are not your mainnet state.
Run the checks that match your question
The commands provide different views. The coldkey is associated with funds and financial actions; hotkeys are operational identities used for subnet participation. The wallets and keys documentation explains the distinction.
| What you want to check | Command | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Free TAO and stake represented in TAO | btcli wallet balance <coldkey> |
Free TAO and stake marked to TAO. |
| Holdings broken down by subnet | btcli wallet overview |
Free TAO and stake per subnet. |
| Subnets where local hotkeys are registered | btcli wallet registrations |
Local hotkey registration information. |
| Neuron-level state for one subnet | btcli query metagraph --netuid <N> |
Metagraph records for the selected netuid. |
Check the coldkey balance
Run btcli wallet balance <coldkey>, replacing <coldkey> with the coldkey to inspect. This view reports free TAO and stake represented in TAO; it is not a list of registrations or a full breakdown of every subnet position.
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Review holdings by subnet
Run btcli wallet overview to see free TAO and stake per subnet. Bittensor distinguishes TAO from subnet alpha, so do not add their displayed amounts together or compare them as if they were the same unit. The v11 balance model documentation describes the separate units.
Check hotkey registrations
Run btcli wallet registrations to inspect local hotkeys and their registered subnets. This helps verify registration locations, but registration alone does not establish every aspect of a neuron’s current state.
Inspect a subnet metagraph
Use the target subnet’s netuid in btcli query metagraph --netuid <N>. Check that the netuid is the one you mean to inspect. The v11 metagraph presents typed per-neuron records, with documented fields including UID, hotkey, coldkey, incentive, dividends, rank, trust, consensus, emission, alpha stake, TAO stake, and total stake. These fields provide subnet-level context beyond the wallet’s balance view.
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Keep verification separate from transactions
The quickstart says chain reads are free and unsigned, so the wallet and metagraph checks above do not require signing a transaction. If you move from inspecting state to a transaction, Bittensor’s V431 release notes document --dry-run as a way to preview fees and predicted effects without submission. A dry run is a preview, not a transaction and not proof that a later transaction will succeed.
What an upgrade may—and may not—explain
Bittensor’s July 2026 V431 release describes chain changes relevant to subnet participants: ownership can become contestable through conviction under specified chain conditions, and cross-subnet emissions are allocated using subnet moving-average price with a miner-burn penalty. Those release notes do not establish that a particular account’s balance or registration changed. Confirm the network, wallet, and netuid in your own environment and interpret the displayed current chain state rather than assuming the upgrade caused a difference.
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