> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://defi-cli.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Output Contract

> Understand the stable response envelope and rendering semantics.

`defi-cli` always emits a stable envelope in JSON mode unless `--results-only` is used on successful commands.

## Success envelope

```json theme={null}
{
  "version": "v1",
  "success": true,
  "data": [...],
  "error": null,
  "warnings": [],
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "...",
    "timestamp": "2026-02-24T03:00:10Z",
    "command": "lend markets",
    "providers": [{"name": "aave", "status": "ok", "latency_ms": 372}],
    "cache": {"status": "miss", "age_ms": 0, "stale": false},
    "partial": false
  }
}
```

## Error envelope behavior

Errors always return the full envelope, even if you pass `--results-only` or `--select`.

```json theme={null}
{
  "version": "v1",
  "success": false,
  "data": [],
  "error": {
    "code": 10,
    "type": "auth_error",
    "message": "missing required API key for 1inch (DEFI_1INCH_API_KEY)"
  },
  "meta": {
    "command": "swap quote",
    "cache": {"status": "bypass", "age_ms": 0, "stale": false},
    "partial": false
  }
}
```

## Rendering flags

| Flag             | Behavior                            |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| `--json`         | JSON output (default)               |
| `--plain`        | key=value lines                     |
| `--results-only` | output only `data` on success       |
| `--select a,b,c` | project selected fields from `data` |

## Stability guarantees

* `error.code` maps to stable process exit codes
* `meta.command` uses normalized command paths
* provider status values are stable (`ok`, `auth_error`, `rate_limited`, `unavailable`, `error`)
* APY values are percentage points (`2.3` means `2.3%`)
* lending/yield rows include retrieval-first IDs: `provider`, `provider_native_id`, `provider_native_id_kind`
* bridge quotes expose `fee_breakdown` when provider fee components are available

See [Envelope Schema](/reference/envelope-schema) and [Exit Codes](/reference/exit-codes).