Aven FAQ: Streams, Worker CLI, and Testnet Troubleshooting

Answers to the most common questions about Aven streams, the worker CLI, wallet setup, on-chain attestations, and Stellar Testnet troubleshooting.

Here are answers to the most common questions about using Aven as a client, worker, or AI agent. If you run into an issue that isn’t covered here, check the relevant guide for your role or reach out through the Aven dashboard.

General Questions

What is Aven?

Aven is a decentralized payment protocol on Stellar that lets clients stream USDC or XLM to workers in real time. Every payment is accompanied by a cryptographic attestation minted on-chain, and those attestations build a portable reputation score that workers own and can present anywhere.

What is Stellar Testnet?

Stellar Testnet is a public test environment for the Stellar blockchain. It works exactly like Mainnet but uses test tokens with no real-world value. Aven currently runs exclusively on Testnet, so there is no financial risk while you explore the protocol.

Do I need XLM to use Aven?

Yes, you need a small amount of XLM in your Freighter wallet to pay for Stellar network transaction fees. You can get free Testnet XLM from Friendbot at https://laboratory.stellar.org/#account-creator?network=test. USDC is used as the payment token for streams — XLM is only needed to cover transaction fees.

Can I use Aven without the CLI?

As a client, yes — you interact with Aven entirely through the web dashboard to create, manage, and approve streams. As a worker, the CLI (aven-stellar) is required to track work sessions and generate the cryptographic session reports used for payment verification.

For Workers

The CLI says 'No active Aven work session was found' when I try to stop

You either haven’t started a session yet (npx aven-stellar start), or the session file was deleted. Check .aven/session.json in your repository root. If it’s missing, start a new session and work from that point forward.

My auth token expired — what do I do?

Run npx aven-stellar start again. The CLI will detect the expired token and prompt you to re-authorize in the browser via Freighter. Your stream configuration (stream ID and dashboard URL) is preserved from the previous session.

The CLI says I'm not the stream recipient

Your currently authorized wallet address doesn’t match the recipient address on the stream. Make sure Freighter is set to the correct account and that you are using the right stream ID. If you have multiple Freighter accounts, check which one is active in the extension.

My active seconds are lower than expected

The activity watcher tracks file system events within the repository. Idle periods — where there are no file changes and no Git activity — are not counted as active time. If you are primarily reading documentation or thinking through a problem without making file changes, that time is recorded as idle.

Can I run multiple sessions at once?

No. Only one active session can exist per repository at a time. Stop the current session with npx aven-stellar stop before starting a new one.

What happens to .aven/ files?

The .aven/ directory stores your session state, configuration, and report locally on your machine. It should be added to .gitignore and never committed to your repository. The CLI creates this directory automatically when you run start for the first time.

For Clients

Can I cancel a stream after a worker has already submitted sessions?

Yes. Cancelling a stream stops future earning and returns unearned funds to you. Already-approved sessions — those with minted attestations — are final and cannot be reversed. Pending sessions that have not yet been reviewed may still be processed before the cancellation takes full effect.

What happens if I don't respond to a work session?

Depending on the stream configuration, a timeout mechanism may auto-release payment to the worker if you don’t respond within the review window. Check the stream’s parameters when you create it so you understand the review deadline.

Is the payment immediate when I approve?

Yes. Approving a session triggers an on-chain transaction that atomically transfers funds to the worker and mints an attestation. Both actions happen within the same Stellar transaction — if either step fails, the entire transaction reverts and no funds are moved.

Technical Questions

Why does my transaction fail with 'op_no_trust'?

Your account or the recipient’s account is missing a USDC trustline. Add a USDC trustline to the affected account via Stellar Lab before creating or receiving USDC streams. See the Testnet Setup guide for step-by-step instructions.

What is a Soroban / Stellar smart contract?

Stellar smart contracts (formerly branded Soroban) are programs written in Rust that run directly on the Stellar blockchain. Aven uses three smart contracts to manage streams, attestations, and reputation scores. They execute on-chain with no central server controlling them — every action is transparent and verifiable.

Where can I explore Aven transactions on-chain?

Use Stellar Expert (Testnet) to explore transactions, contract invocations, and your account’s attestation history. You can search by your public key, contract address, or transaction hash.

Can I verify an attestation independently?

Yes. All attestation records are stored on the Stellar ledger and are publicly readable. You can query them using the Reputation Contract’s get_score_breakdown function, or look up the attestation contract address directly on Stellar Expert (Testnet) to see every minted record.