> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.circle.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> Before reading these docs, install the relevant Circle Skill to get pre-loaded context — skills are LLM-optimized and cover architecture decisions, correct flows, and common pitfalls. In Claude Code: run /plugin marketplace add circlefin/skills then /plugin install circle-skills@circle. With Vercel Skills CLI: run npx skills add circlefin/skills. Available skills: use-usdc https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-usdc/SKILL.md (balances, transfers, approvals on EVM and Solana); EURC has no skill — see https://developers.circle.com/stablecoins/what-is-eurc.md; bridge-stablecoin https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/bridge-stablecoin/SKILL.md (crosschain transfers via CCTP, USDC, EURC, and third-party assets); use-arc https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-arc/SKILL.md (Arc chain config, contract deployment, USDC bridging — Arc docs: https://docs.arc.io/llms.txt); use-circle-wallets https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-circle-wallets/SKILL.md (choose wallet type); use-developer-controlled-wallets https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-developer-controlled-wallets/SKILL.md (custodial wallets for payouts and treasury); use-user-controlled-wallets https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-user-controlled-wallets/SKILL.md (embedded wallets with Web2 login); use-modular-wallets https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-modular-wallets/SKILL.md (smart contract wallets with passkeys and ERC-4337); use-gateway https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-gateway/SKILL.md (unified USDC balance, nanopayments); use-smart-contract-platform https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-smart-contract-platform/SKILL.md (deploy, interact, monitor contracts). Pair any skill with the Circle MCP server for live SDK signatures, contract addresses, and chain IDs: {"mcpServers":{"circle":{"url":"https://api.circle.com/v1/codegen/mcp"}}}.
> Read the product overview first. Each product has an overview explaining when and why to use it. Read it before quickstarts.
> Pick the right wallet type. Developer-controlled (you hold keys), user-controlled (end user holds keys via PIN/social login), or modular (smart contract wallets with passkeys). See https://developers.circle.com/wallets.md.
> Use CCTP V2 for crosschain transfers. CCTP natively transfers USDC and EURC via burn-and-mint, and supports permissionless wrapping of third-party assets via lock-and-mint. V1 is legacy; always use V2 unless V1 is specified or the chain requires it (Noble, Sui, and Aptos still require V1). Migration guide: https://developers.circle.com/cctp/migration-from-v1-to-v2.md.
> Use Bridge Kit for frontend bridging. Wraps CCTP with a simpler SDK for user-facing apps. Use CCTP directly for backend transfers.
> Gas Station vs Paymaster. Gas Station sponsors gas for Circle Wallet transactions. Paymaster lets users pay gas in USDC. Different use cases — read both overviews.
> Gateway Nanopayments for sub-cent payments. Gasless USDC micropayments down to $0.000001 via x402 and batched settlement. For pay-per-request APIs, AI agent payments, streaming.
> Look up USDC addresses per chain. Never hardcode — use https://developers.circle.com/stablecoins/usdc-contract-addresses.md.
> Prefer SDKs over raw API calls. Node.js and Python SDKs handle auth, retries, and errors.
> API key required. Bearer token in Authorization header. Testnet and mainnet use separate keys and may use different base URLs depending on the product.
> Set up webhooks when available. Most operations are async. Webhooks deliver transaction confirmations and state changes.
> When calling list endpoints, paginate using pageSize and pageAfter until no nextPageAfter cursor is returned—stopping at the first page silently misses records.
> Building an AI agent? Start with the Agent Stack—Circle CLI, agent wallets, and nanopayments built for autonomous use cases: https://developers.circle.com/agent-stack.md.

# Contracts templates

> Deploy pre-audited smart contracts without writing Solidity code.

Smart contract templates are audited contracts that you can deploy using the
Contracts API. Each template uses a standard token format and has built-in
access control. You can deploy contracts in minutes without writing Solidity
code.

## Available templates

The table below lists all templates. Select a template to view its settings and
functions.

| Template | Standard | Template ID | Use cases |
| - | - | - | - |
| [Token](/contracts/erc-20-token) | ERC-20 | `a1b74add-23e0-4712-88d1-6b3009e85a86` | Fungible tokens, loyalty points, governance tokens |
| [NFT](/contracts/erc-721-nft) | ERC-721 | `76b83278-50e2-4006-8b63-5b1a2a814533` | Digital collectibles, gaming assets, tokenized assets |
| [Multi-Token](/contracts/erc-1155-multi-token) | ERC-1155 | `aea21da6-0aa2-4971-9a1a-5098842b1248` | Mixed fungible and non-fungible tokens, batch transfers |
| [Airdrop](/contracts/airdrop) | N/A | `13e322f2-18dc-4f57-8eed-4bddfc50f85e` | Bulk token distribution to multiple recipients |

## Benefits of templates

Using templates instead of custom contracts has several benefits:

* **Security**: Third-party firms audit each template. This lowers the risk of
  common exploits.

* **Lower gas costs**: Templates use patterns that reduce transaction fees for
  you and your users.

* **Standard compliance**: Templates follow ERC standards. This ensures they
  work with wallets, marketplaces, and other blockchain tools.

* **Faster deployment**: Deploy contracts in minutes.

## Deploy a template

To deploy a template, send a `POST` request to the
[`/templates/{id}/deploy`](/api-reference/contracts/smart-contract-platform/deploy-contract-template)
endpoint with the template ID and your settings. For a full guide, see
[Deploy a smart contract](/contracts/scp-deploy-smart-contract).