[Bug] CLI Validator Stake Command Fails with Base64 Public Key Format

[Josephtran102]

Bug Description

The story validator stake command fails when providing a validator public key in Base64 format but works with hex format. The CLI should handle both formats or provide clear documentation about the required format.

Current Behavior

When using a Base64-encoded public key, the command fails with an error:

 ⚡ root@josephtran  ~  story validator stake \
   --validator-pubkey "A9k2hhP1ihByqEPWR1F8Ui3F8+d9uN/6DzP5X7rzXtVa" \
   --stake 17950000000000000000000 \
   --private-key $PRIVATE_KEY
24-11-06 10:51:15.125 ERRO !! Fatal error occurred, app died️ unexpectedly !! err="failed to decode hex-encoded pub key: encoding/hex: invalid byte: U+006B 'k'" stacktrace="[errors.go:39 validator.go:539 validator.go:257 validator.go:389 command.go:985 command.go:1117 command.go:1041 command.go:1034 cmd.go:34 main.go:10 proc.go:271 asm_amd64.s:1695]"

Error message:

24-11-06 10:36:15.210 ERRO !! Fatal error occurred, app died️ unexpectedly !! err="failed to decode hex-encoded pub key: encoding/hex: invalid byte: U+006B 'k'" stacktrace="[errors.go:39 validator.go:539 validator.go:257 validator.go:389 command.go:985 command.go:1117 command.go:1041 command.go:1034 cmd.go:34 main.go:10 proc.go:271 asm_amd64.s:1695]"

Expected Behavior

The CLI should either:

• Accept Base64 format public keys directly, or
• Provide clear error messages indicating the required format, or
• Include a built-in conversion utility

Workaround

Currently, users need to manually convert Base64 to hex format using additional tools. For example, using Python:

import base64

base64_pubkey = "A9k2hhP1ihByqEPWR1F8Ui3F8+d9uN/6DzP5X7rzXtVa"
hex_pubkey = base64.b64decode(base64_pubkey).hex()
print(hex_pubkey)
# Output: 03d9368613f58a1072a843d647517c522dc5f3e77db8dffa0f33f95fbaf35ed55a

After conversion, the command works successfully:

✘ ⚡ root@josephtran  ~  story validator stake \
   --validator-pubkey "03d9368613f58a1072a843d647517c522dc5f3e77db8dffa0f33f95fbaf35ed55a" \
   --stake 17950000000000000000000 \
   --private-key $PRIVATE_KEY
Transaction hash: 0xffa52cedbee5fa5dbe3bd12436430b2b2b733b02d8655c2dbef529d0d650beef
Explorer URL: https://odyssey.storyscan.xyz/tx/0xffa52cedbee5fa5dbe3bd12436430b2b2b733b02d8655c2dbef529d0d650beef
Transaction sent, waiting for confirmation...
Transaction confirmed successfully!
Tokens staked successfully! Extracting delegation ID...
Delegation ID: 0

Suggested Solutions

Add Base64 format support to the CLI
Include a built-in conversion utility in the CLI (e.g., story utils convert-pubkey)
Add format validation and helpful error messages
Update documentation to clearly specify the required public key format

Environment

Story version: v0.12.1
OS: Linux
Architecture: amd64

Additional Context

This issue affects validator setup and might cause confusion for new validators trying to stake tokens.