Sui Move

MCP tool: When available in your environment, also query the Sui documentation MCP server (https://sui.mcp.kapa.ai) for up-to-date answers. Use it for verification and for details not covered by these reference files.

Source constraint: All information in this skill is sourced exclusively from docs.sui.io and move-book.com. When extending or updating this skill, only pull from these sources. Do not use third-party blogs, tutorials, or unofficial documentation.

Move is Sui's smart contract language, designed around resource safety and an object-centric data model. This skill covers the core Move language: the type system, abilities, resource safety, events, and coins.

This skill routes to focused reference files. Load only the ones relevant to the current task.

Reference files (this skill)

move — Move Language Fundamentals

Path: move.md Load when: writing Move code, working with abilities, TxContext, time/Clock, init functions, One-Time Witness, internal::Permit<T>, type_name deprecations, packages, modules, structs, resource safety, access control patterns, admin rotation, deny lists, security review, or advanced design patterns (ability dosing, phantom events, shared-object concurrency, receiver syntax, error attributes, transfer::receive, field privacy, macros). Covers: the four abilities and common combinations, TxContext methods, Clock object, init functions, OTW pattern, internal::Permit<T> type-level authorization, type_name deprecations, packages and upgrades, modules, structs, resource safety and object destruction, a worked Greeting example, admin rotation (two-step transfer), regulated coins and deny lists, security review checklist, advanced design patterns (ability dosing, phantom-type events, event denormalization, shared-object & vs &mut, receiver-syntax ordering, #[error] constants, transfer::receive privacy, field privacy, macro gotchas).

events-coins — Events and Coins

Path: events-coins.md Load when: emitting events, subscribing to events offchain, creating fungible tokens, or working with coin operations (mint, burn, split, join). Covers: event emission, event struct requirements, coin::create_currency, TreasuryCap, CoinMetadata, standard coin operations.

Related skills (load from separate skill directories)

Routing guide

Rules

• Always use object::new(ctx) to create UIDs. There is no other way.
• Use public_transfer (not transfer) when the object has store and the call originates outside the defining module.
• Event structs must have copy and drop abilities.
• No as casts on numeric types. Use from/into or try_from/try_into.
• To destroy an object without drop, unpack the struct and call object::delete(id) on the UID.

Common mistakes

• Confusing transfer with public_transfer. The non-public variant only works within the defining module. Calling it from another module is a compile error.
• Forgetting to delete the UID. When destroying an object, you must call object::delete(id) on the UID field.
• Assuming ctx.epoch_timestamp_ms() is precise. It returns the epoch start time. Use the Clock object (0x6) for real-time timestamps.