Last updated Jun 14, 2026

Form a Delaware C-Corp (sandbox)

The canonical onboarding recipe. Idea → registered entity in under five minutes against the sandbox; under a week against live filing.

The recipe runs against sk_sandbox_* tokens — no live filings, no real fees, deterministic time via X-Matter-Test-Speed.

Prerequisites

1. A sandbox token (sk_sandbox_*) from the dashboard.
2. Either the Matter CLI (bun add -g @matter/cli), Node SDK (bun add @matter/sdk), or any HTTP client.

Recipe

Step 1 — Resolve the intent

The intent encodes what you want (a Delaware C-Corp with two founders, 10M authorized shares). Matter resolves how: chooses the filing provider, drafts the formation packet, schedules EIN, picks registered agent.

matter intent create \
  --jurisdiction US-DE \
  --type c_corp \
  --legal-name "Waypoint Systems, Inc." \
  --founders '[{"name":"Jane Doe","role":"CEO","equity_pct":60},{"name":"Bob Smith","role":"CTO","equity_pct":40}]' \
  --authorized-shares 10000000

import { Matter } from "@matter/sdk";

const matter = new Matter({ apiKey: process.env.MATTER_SANDBOX_TOKEN });
const intent = await matter.intents.create({
  jurisdiction: "US-DE",
  type: "c_corp",
  legal_name: "Waypoint Systems, Inc.",
  founders: [
    { name: "Jane Doe", role: "CEO", equity_pct: 60 },
    { name: "Bob Smith", role: "CTO", equity_pct: 40 },
  ],
  authorized_shares: 10_000_000,
});

from matter import Matter

m = Matter(api_key=os.environ["MATTER_SANDBOX_TOKEN"])
intent = m.intents.create(
    jurisdiction="US-DE",
    type="c_corp",
    legal_name="Waypoint Systems, Inc.",
    founders=[
        {"name": "Jane Doe", "role": "CEO", "equity_pct": 60},
        {"name": "Bob Smith", "role": "CTO", "equity_pct": 40},
    ],
    authorized_shares=10_000_000,
)

The response is an Intent (int_*) with an execution_plan rendered in plain English. Dry-run before executing:

matter intent execute --id $INTENT_ID --dry-run

Step 2 — Execute the intent → Entity

matter intent execute --id $INTENT_ID

Returns 202 Accepted with a Request (req_*). Subscribe to the SSE stream to watch the formation packet land:

matter requests follow --id $REQUEST_ID

You'll see (in sandbox-fast mode, ~20 seconds total):

• intent.resolved
• entity.created — the Entity (ent_*) in draft.
• entity.submitted — filed with the Delaware SoS.
• entity.registered — certificate issued.
• tax_profile.ein_received — EIN assigned.
• registered_agent.attached — RA active.
• entity.activated — terminal state.

Step 3 — Pull the formation packet

The packet is a typed Document with both PDF and JSON representations:

matter entities documents list --id $ENTITY_ID

The customer's digital archive includes everything filed: Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws, Action of Incorporator, Subscription Agreements, 83(b) elections (for each founder), Stock Purchase Agreements, Initial Board Resolutions.

Step 4 — Pull the cap table

matter entities captable retrieve --id $ENTITY_ID

Founders' shares are registered on the ShareLedger; equity_pct from Step 1 is reified into ShareLedgerEntry rows.

What you've built

A registered (sandbox) Delaware C-Corp with:

• 10M authorized shares of Common Stock.
• Two founders with vested-on-issuance Common (subject to per-founder vesting overlay you can apply next).
• EIN attached.
• Registered Agent active.
• Full formation packet digitally archived + downloadable.

Next steps

• Issue equity to early hires. See Issue an option grant.
• Raise a SAFE round. See Run a SAFE close.
• Annual report + franchise tax. See Compliance routines.
• Convert to live mode. Apply the same recipe against an sk_live_* token; pricing + actual filing fees apply.

Test-mode timing

In sandbox, every async step uses X-Matter-Test-Speed:

• instant (default) — every webhook fires synchronously.
• fast — webhooks fire every 2 seconds (~30s total).
• real — production timeline (~3–5 business days).