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Installation

The CoW Protocol Watch Tower is a standalone application that monitors blockchain events for programmatic orders and submits them to the CoW Protocol OrderBook API.

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Requirements

Before installing the Watch Tower, ensure you have the following:
  • Node.js >= v16.18.0
  • yarn package manager
  • An RPC node connected to a supported network (Ethereum mainnet, Arbitrum One, Gnosis Chain, Base, Sepolia, etc.)
  • Internet access to the CoW Protocol OrderBook API

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Installation

1

Clone the repository

Clone the Watch Tower repository from GitHub:
git clone https://github.com/cowprotocol/watch-tower.git
cd watch-tower
2

Install dependencies

Install the required dependencies using yarn:
yarn
This will install all dependencies defined in package.json, including:
  • @cowprotocol/cow-sdk - CoW Protocol SDK
  • ethers - Ethereum library
  • level - LevelDB database
  • express - API server
3

Configure the watch-tower

Copy the example configuration file and customize it for your needs:
cp config.json.example config.json
Edit config.json to configure your RPC endpoints and network settings. See the Configuration guide for details.
4

Verify installation

Test that the installation is working by checking the version:
yarn cli --version
Expected output:
2.14.0

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Building from source

If you need to build the Watch Tower from source:
1

Generate type definitions

Generate TypeChain types from contract ABIs:
yarn typechain
2

Build the project

Compile TypeScript to JavaScript:
yarn build
This command will:
  • Remove previous build artifacts
  • Generate TypeChain types
  • Compile TypeScript files to the dist/ directory
  • Copy the configuration schema
3

Run the built version

After building, you can run the compiled version:
node dist/src/index.js run --config-path ./config.json

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Docker installation

The Watch Tower is also available as a Docker image, which is the preferred deployment method for production environments.

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Available tags

  • latest - The latest stable version
  • vX.Y.Z - Specific version tags (e.g., v2.14.0)
  • main - Latest version from the main branch
  • pr-<PR_NUMBER> - Pull request builds for testing

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Pull the image

docker pull ghcr.io/cowprotocol/watch-tower:latest

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Run with Docker

docker run --rm -it \
  -v "$(pwd)/config.json:/config.json" \
  ghcr.io/cowprotocol/watch-tower:latest \
  run \
  --config-path /config.json
Make sure your config.json file is properly configured before running the Docker container.

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Next steps

After installation, proceed to:
Last modified on March 4, 2026