diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index cdf7c4b..de24d16 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ This repository holds shell scripts that Intersect uses to engage in Cardano on-
 - [metadata-create.sh](./scripts/metadata-create.sh)
   - Creates a governance-action JSON-LD file (CIP-108 body + CIP-169 extension + CIP-116 ProposalProcedure on-chain format, including [Intersect CIP108 schemas](https://github.com/IntersectMBO/governance-actions/tree/main/schemas))
   - Requires a `.md` input file with H2 sections (`## Title`, `## Abstract`, `## Motivation`, `## Rationale`, `## References`, `## Authors`)
-  - Requires `--governance-action-type <info|treasury|ppu>` and `--deposit-return-addr <stake-address>`
+  - Requires `--type <info|treasury|ppu>` and `--deposit-return-addr <stake-address>`
   - Optional `--language <BCP-47-tag>` sets the JSON-LD `@context.@language` (default: `en`)
 
 - [metadata-validate.sh](./scripts/metadata-validate.sh)
diff --git a/docs/info-action-procedure.md b/docs/info-action-procedure.md
index 74ea286..fd4bc46 100644
--- a/docs/info-action-procedure.md
+++ b/docs/info-action-procedure.md
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ With the `metadata-create` script taking the data from the doc and creating a `.
 The input file must be a `.md` file structured with H2 headers (`## Title`, `## Abstract`, `## Motivation`, `## Rationale`, `## References`, `## Authors`). Pass `--language <BCP-47-tag>` to override the default `en` in the generated `@context.@language`.
 
 ```shell
-./scripts/metadata-create.sh my-metadata.md --governance-action-type info --deposit-return-addr $DEPOSIT_RETURN_ADDR
+./scripts/metadata-create.sh my-metadata.md --type info --deposit-return-addr $DEPOSIT_RETURN_ADDR
 ```
 
 ### 5. Sanity check the metadata
diff --git a/docs/treasury-withdrawal-procedure.md b/docs/treasury-withdrawal-procedure.md
index 1191006..76c1f35 100644
--- a/docs/treasury-withdrawal-procedure.md
+++ b/docs/treasury-withdrawal-procedure.md
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ With the `metadata-create` script taking the data from the doc and creating a `.
 The input file must be a `.md` file structured with H2 headers (`## Title`, `## Abstract`, `## Motivation`, `## Rationale`, `## References`, `## Authors`). Pass `--language <BCP-47-tag>` to override the default `en` in the generated `@context.@language`.
 
 ```shell
-./scripts/metadata-create.sh my-metadata.md --governance-action-type treasury --deposit-return-addr $DEPOSIT_RETURN_ADDR
+./scripts/metadata-create.sh my-metadata.md --type treasury --deposit-return-addr $DEPOSIT_RETURN_ADDR
 ```
 
 ### 5. Sanity check the metadata
diff --git a/scripts/action-create-hf.sh b/scripts/action-create-hf.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..1fd35f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/action-create-hf.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,455 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+##################################################
+
+# Default configuration values
+
+##################################################
+
+# Exit immediately if a command exits with a non-zero status,
+# treat unset variables as an error, and fail if any command in a pipeline fails
+set -euo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+# shellcheck source=lib/messages.sh
+source "$SCRIPT_DIR/lib/messages.sh"
+
+# Check if cardano-cli is installed
+if ! command -v cardano-cli >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  print_fail "cardano-cli is not installed or not in your PATH."
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Check if ipfs cli is installed
+if ! command -v ipfs >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  print_fail "ipfs cli is not installed or not in your PATH."
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Usage message
+
+usage() {
+    printf '%s%sCreate a Hard Fork Initiation action from a given JSON-LD metadata file%s\n\n' "$UNDERLINE" "$BOLD" "$NC"
+    printf 'Syntax:%s %s %s<jsonld-file>%s [%s--deposit-return-addr%s <stake address>] [%s--prev-governance-action-id%s <tx-id>#<index>]\n' "$BOLD" "$0" "$GREEN" "$NC" "$GREEN" "$NC" "$GREEN" "$NC"
+    print_usage_option "<jsonld-file>"                                       "Path to the JSON-LD metadata file"
+    print_usage_option "[--deposit-return-addr <stake address>]"             "Optional check that metadata deposit return address matches provided one (Bech32)"
+    print_usage_option "[--prev-governance-action-id <tx-id>#<index>]"       "Optional check that metadata previous-HF action id matches provided one"
+    print_usage_option "-h, --help"                                          "Show this help message and exit"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Initialize variables with defaults
+input_file=""
+
+# Optional variables
+deposit_return_address_input=""
+prev_action_id_input=""
+prev_tx_input=""
+prev_idx_input=""
+
+# Parse command line arguments
+while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+    case $1 in
+        --deposit-return-addr)
+            if [ -n "${2:-}" ]; then
+                deposit_return_address_input="$2"
+                shift 2
+            else
+                print_fail "--deposit-return-addr requires a value"
+                usage
+            fi
+            ;;
+        --prev-governance-action-id)
+            if [ -n "${2:-}" ]; then
+                prev_action_id_input="$2"
+                shift 2
+            else
+                print_fail "--prev-governance-action-id requires a value"
+                usage
+            fi
+            ;;
+        -h|--help)
+            usage
+            ;;
+        *)
+            if [ -z "$input_file" ]; then
+                input_file="$1"
+            else
+                print_fail "Input file already specified. Unexpected argument: $1"
+                usage
+            fi
+            shift
+            ;;
+    esac
+done
+
+# If no input file provided, show usage
+if [ -z "$input_file" ]; then
+    print_fail "No input file specified"
+    usage
+fi
+
+# Enforce .jsonld extension
+if [[ "$input_file" != *.jsonld ]]; then
+    print_fail "Input file $(fmt_path "$input_file") must be a JSON-LD metadata file with a .jsonld extension."
+    print_hint "This script expects a CIP-108 metadata document whose body.onChain.gov_action.tag is 'hard_fork_initiation_action'."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Check if input file exists
+if [ ! -f "$input_file" ]; then
+    print_fail "Input file not found: $(fmt_path "$input_file")"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Parse --prev-governance-action-id if supplied: <64hex>#<integer>
+if [ -n "$prev_action_id_input" ]; then
+    if [[ ! "$prev_action_id_input" =~ ^[0-9a-fA-F]{64}#[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+        print_fail "--prev-governance-action-id must be of the form <64-hex tx-id>#<integer index>. Got: $(fmt_path "$prev_action_id_input")"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    prev_tx_input="${prev_action_id_input%%#*}"
+    prev_idx_input="${prev_action_id_input##*#}"
+fi
+
+print_banner "Creating a Hard Fork Initiation governance action from a given metadata file"
+print_info "This script assumes compliance with Intersect's hard-fork-initiation action schema"
+print_info "This script assumes that CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH, CARDANO_NODE_NETWORK_ID and IPFS_GATEWAY_URI are set"
+
+# Exit if socket path is not set
+if [ -z "${CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH:-}" ]; then
+    print_fail "CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH environment variable is not set."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Exit if network id is not set
+if [ -z "${CARDANO_NODE_NETWORK_ID:-}" ]; then
+    print_fail "CARDANO_NODE_NETWORK_ID environment variable is not set."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Get if mainnet or testnet
+if [ "$CARDANO_NODE_NETWORK_ID" = "764824073" ] || [ "$CARDANO_NODE_NETWORK_ID" = "mainnet" ]; then
+    print_info "Local node is using mainnet"
+    protocol_magic="mainnet"
+else
+    print_info "Local node is using a testnet"
+    protocol_magic="testnet"
+fi
+
+# Do some basic validation checks on metadata
+print_section "Doing some basic validation and checks on metadata"
+
+# Function to check if jq query returned null or empty
+check_field() {
+    local field_name="$1"
+    local field_value="$2"
+
+    if [ -z "$field_value" ] || [ "$field_value" = "null" ]; then
+        print_fail "Required field '$field_name' not found in metadata"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+}
+
+# Extract and validate required fields
+title=$(jq -r '.body.title' "$input_file")
+check_field "title" "$title"
+
+ga_type=$(jq -r '.body.onChain.gov_action.tag' "$input_file")
+check_field "tag" "$ga_type"
+
+deposit_return=$(jq -r '.body.onChain.reward_account' "$input_file")
+check_field "reward_account" "$deposit_return"
+
+deposit=$(jq -r '.body.onChain.deposit' "$input_file")
+check_field "deposit" "$deposit"
+
+# HF-specific fields. All four are required by our contract — for a "very
+# first hard fork in the chain" you'd omit gov_action_id, but Conway is well
+# past that point and the metadata-create.sh prompt requires it.
+target_major=$(jq -r '.body.onChain.gov_action.protocol_version.major' "$input_file")
+check_field "protocol_version.major" "$target_major"
+target_minor=$(jq -r '.body.onChain.gov_action.protocol_version.minor' "$input_file")
+check_field "protocol_version.minor" "$target_minor"
+prev_tx=$(jq -r '.body.onChain.gov_action.gov_action_id.transaction_id' "$input_file")
+check_field "gov_action_id.transaction_id" "$prev_tx"
+prev_idx=$(jq -r '.body.onChain.gov_action.gov_action_id.gov_action_index' "$input_file")
+check_field "gov_action_id.gov_action_index" "$prev_idx"
+
+# Sanity-check the deposit magnitude. The current Cardano governance action
+# deposit is 100,000 ada = 100_000_000_000 lovelace.
+EXPECTED_DEPOSIT_LOVELACE="100000000000"
+if [ "$deposit" != "$EXPECTED_DEPOSIT_LOVELACE" ]; then
+    print_warn "body.onChain.deposit = ${BRIGHTWHITE}${deposit}${NC} lovelace, expected ${BRIGHTWHITE}${EXPECTED_DEPOSIT_LOVELACE}${NC} (100,000 ADA, the current governance action deposit). Verify this is intentional before submitting."
+fi
+
+# Authoritative deposit check against the live protocol parameter
+print_info "Checking that deposit matches the current protocol parameter"
+onchain_deposit=$(cardano-cli conway query protocol-parameters | jq -r '.govActionDeposit')
+if [ "$deposit" = "$onchain_deposit" ]; then
+    print_pass "Metadata has expected deposit amount"
+else
+    print_fail "Metadata does not have expected deposit amount"
+    print_hint "Expected: $onchain_deposit  found: $deposit"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+authors=$(jq -r '.authors' "$input_file")
+check_field "authors" "$authors"
+witness=$(jq -r '.authors[0].witness' "$input_file")
+check_field "witness" "$witness"
+
+if [ "$ga_type" = "hard_fork_initiation_action" ]; then
+    print_pass "Metadata has correct governance action tag"
+else
+    print_fail "Metadata does not have the correct governance action tag"
+    print_hint "Expected: hard_fork_initiation_action  found: $ga_type"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Shape-check HF-specific fields per CIP-116.
+if [[ ! "$target_major" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+    print_fail "body.onChain.gov_action.protocol_version.major must be a non-negative integer. Got: $target_major"
+    exit 1
+fi
+if [[ ! "$target_minor" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+    print_fail "body.onChain.gov_action.protocol_version.minor must be a non-negative integer. Got: $target_minor"
+    exit 1
+fi
+if [[ ! "$prev_tx" =~ ^[0-9a-fA-F]{64}$ ]]; then
+    print_fail "body.onChain.gov_action.gov_action_id.transaction_id must be 64 hex characters. Got: $prev_tx"
+    exit 1
+fi
+if [[ ! "$prev_idx" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+    print_fail "body.onChain.gov_action.gov_action_id.gov_action_index must be a non-negative integer. Got: $prev_idx"
+    exit 1
+fi
+print_pass "HF-specific fields have valid shapes"
+
+# if return address passed in check against metadata
+if [ -n "$deposit_return_address_input" ]; then
+    print_info "Comparing provided deposit return address to metadata"
+    if [ "$deposit_return_address_input" = "$deposit_return" ]; then
+        print_pass "Metadata has expected deposit return address"
+    else
+        print_fail "Metadata does not have expected deposit return address"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+fi
+
+# if previous-action id passed in check against metadata
+if [ -n "$prev_action_id_input" ]; then
+    print_info "Comparing provided previous-HF action id to metadata"
+    if [ "$prev_tx_input" = "$prev_tx" ] && [ "$prev_idx_input" = "$prev_idx" ]; then
+        print_pass "Metadata has expected previous-HF action id"
+    else
+        print_fail "Metadata does not have expected previous-HF action id"
+        print_hint "Provided: ${prev_tx_input}#${prev_idx_input}"
+        print_hint "Metadata: ${prev_tx}#${prev_idx}"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+fi
+
+# Verify bech32 integrity (checksum + address type) of stake address
+validate_stake_address() {
+    local label="$1"
+    local address="$2"
+    local info
+    if ! info=$(cardano-cli address info --address "$address" 2>&1); then
+        print_fail "$label is not a valid bech32 address: $(fmt_path "$address")"
+        print_hint "cardano-cli rejected it: $info"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    local addr_type
+    addr_type=$(echo "$info" | jq -r '.type // ""')
+    if [ "$addr_type" != "stake" ]; then
+        print_fail "$label is bech32-valid but is not a stake address (type=${addr_type:-unknown}): $(fmt_path "$address")"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+}
+
+validate_stake_address "metadata body.onChain.reward_account" "$deposit_return"
+
+# use bech32 prefix to determine if addresses are mainnet or testnet
+is_stake_address_mainnet() {
+    local address="$1"
+    # Check if address starts with stake1 (mainnet)
+    if [[ "$address" =~ ^stake1 ]]; then
+        return 0
+    # Check if address starts with stake_test1 (testnet)
+    elif [[ "$address" =~ ^stake_test1 ]]; then
+        return 1
+    else
+        print_fail "Invalid stake address format: $address"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+}
+
+# if mainnet node then expect addresses to be mainnet
+if [ "$protocol_magic" = "mainnet" ]; then
+    if is_stake_address_mainnet "$deposit_return"; then
+        print_pass "Deposit return address is a valid mainnet stake address"
+    else
+        print_fail "Deposit return address is not a valid mainnet stake address"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+else
+    if ! is_stake_address_mainnet "$deposit_return"; then
+        print_pass "Deposit return address is a valid testnet stake address"
+    else
+        print_fail "Deposit return address is not a valid testnet stake address"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+fi
+
+# use header byte to determine if stake address is script-based or key-based
+is_stake_address_script() {
+    local address="$1"
+
+    address_hex=$(cardano-cli address info --address "$address"| jq -r ".base16")
+    first_char="${address_hex:0:1}"
+
+    if [ "$first_char" = "f" ]; then
+        return 0  # true
+    elif [ "$first_char" = "e" ]; then
+        return 1  # false
+    else
+        print_fail "Invalid stake address header byte"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+}
+
+is_stake_address_registered(){
+    local address="$1"
+    stake_address_deposit=$(cardano-cli conway query stake-address-info --address "$address" | jq -r '.[0].stakeRegistrationDeposit')
+    if [ "$stake_address_deposit" != "null" ]; then
+        return 0
+    else
+        return 1
+    fi
+}
+
+# check if stake addresses are registered
+if is_stake_address_registered "$deposit_return"; then
+    print_pass "Deposit return stake address is registered"
+else
+    print_fail "Deposit return stake address is not registered"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+print_pass "Automatic validations passed"
+
+# HF-specific chain cross-checks: previous-action id (hard-fail) and target
+# version sanity (warn-only).
+print_section "Cross-checking chain state for hard-fork action"
+
+# Cache gov-state once — used for both checks below.
+gov_state_json=$(cardano-cli conway query gov-state)
+
+chain_prev_hf=$(echo "$gov_state_json" | jq -c '.nextRatifyState.nextEnactState.prevGovActionIds.HardFork')
+if [ "$chain_prev_hf" = "null" ] || [ -z "$chain_prev_hf" ]; then
+    print_fail "Chain reports no previous hard fork in prevGovActionIds.HardFork, but metadata claims one (${prev_tx}#${prev_idx})."
+    print_hint "If this is genuinely the first hard fork in the chain, the metadata must omit body.onChain.gov_action.gov_action_id — but our contract requires it. Resolve the contradiction before continuing."
+    exit 1
+fi
+chain_prev_tx=$(echo "$chain_prev_hf" | jq -r '.txId')
+chain_prev_idx=$(echo "$chain_prev_hf" | jq -r '.govActionIx')
+if [ "$chain_prev_tx" != "$prev_tx" ] || [ "$chain_prev_idx" != "$prev_idx" ]; then
+    print_fail "Metadata's previous-HF gov_action_id does not match chain state."
+    print_hint "Metadata: ${prev_tx}#${prev_idx}"
+    print_hint "Chain:    ${chain_prev_tx}#${chain_prev_idx}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+print_pass "Previous-HF action id matches chain state"
+
+# Target version sanity. HARDFORK-01 says the new major must be either equal
+# to or one greater than the previous; if one greater, minor must be zero.
+chain_major=$(echo "$gov_state_json" | jq -r '.currentPParams.protocolVersion.major')
+chain_minor=$(echo "$gov_state_json" | jq -r '.currentPParams.protocolVersion.minor')
+if [ "$target_major" = "$((chain_major + 1))" ] && [ "$target_minor" = "0" ]; then
+    print_pass "Target version ${target_major}.${target_minor} is currentMajor+1 with minor=0 (HARDFORK-01 happy path)"
+elif [ "$target_major" = "$chain_major" ] && [ "$target_minor" -gt "$chain_minor" ]; then
+    print_pass "Target version ${target_major}.${target_minor} is a minor bump on currentMajor"
+else
+    print_warn "Target version ${target_major}.${target_minor} is unusual relative to chain ${chain_major}.${chain_minor}. Verify HARDFORK-01/-02/-03 before submitting."
+fi
+
+print_section "Computing details"
+
+# Compute the hash and IPFS URI
+file_hash=$(b2sum -l 256 "$input_file" | awk '{print $1}')
+print_info "Metadata file hash: ${YELLOW}${file_hash}${NC}"
+
+ipfs_cid=$(ipfs add -Q --cid-version 1 "$input_file")
+print_info "IPFS URI: ${YELLOW}ipfs://${ipfs_cid}${NC}"
+
+# Make user manually confirm the choices
+print_section "Creating hard-fork-initiation action"
+print_info "Title: ${YELLOW}${title}${NC}"
+
+print_info "Deposit return address: ${YELLOW}${deposit_return}${NC}"
+if is_stake_address_script "$deposit_return"; then
+    print_info "(this is a script-based address)"
+else
+    print_info "(this is a key-based address)"
+fi
+if ! confirm "Do you want to proceed with this deposit return address?"; then
+    print_fail "Cancelled by user"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+print_info "Target protocol version: ${YELLOW}${chain_major}.${chain_minor}${NC} -> ${YELLOW}${target_major}.${target_minor}${NC}"
+if ! confirm "Do you want to proceed with this protocol version?"; then
+    print_fail "Cancelled by user"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+print_info "Previous HF action: ${YELLOW}${prev_tx}#${prev_idx}${NC}"
+if ! confirm "Do you want to proceed with this previous-action id?"; then
+    print_fail "Cancelled by user"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Create the action
+print_section "Creating action file"
+
+action_file="$input_file.action"
+action_json="$input_file.action.json"
+
+gov_action_deposit=$(echo "$gov_state_json" | jq -r '.currentPParams.govActionDeposit')
+require_nonnull "$gov_action_deposit" "governance action deposit (gov-state .currentPParams.govActionDeposit)"
+
+cardano-cli conway governance action create-hardfork \
+  --$protocol_magic \
+  --governance-action-deposit "$gov_action_deposit" \
+  --deposit-return-stake-address "$deposit_return" \
+  --anchor-url "ipfs://$ipfs_cid" \
+  --anchor-data-hash "$file_hash" \
+  --check-anchor-data \
+  --protocol-major-version "$target_major" \
+  --protocol-minor-version "$target_minor" \
+  --prev-governance-action-tx-id "$prev_tx" \
+  --prev-governance-action-index "$prev_idx" \
+  --out-file "$action_file"
+
+print_pass "Action file created at $(fmt_path "$action_file")"
+
+print_section "Creating JSON representation of action file"
+
+cardano-cli conway governance action view --action-file "$action_file" > "$action_json"
+print_pass "JSON file created at $(fmt_path "$action_json")"
+
+print_section "Summary"
+print_pass "Hard Fork Initiation governance action created"
+print_kv "Input"   "$(fmt_path "$input_file")"
+print_kv "Action"  "$(fmt_path "$action_file")"
+print_kv "JSON"    "$(fmt_path "$action_json")"
+print_kv "Hash"    "$file_hash"
+print_kv "IPFS"    "ipfs://$ipfs_cid"
+print_kv "Version" "${target_major}.${target_minor}"
+print_kv "Prev"    "${prev_tx}#${prev_idx}"
+print_next "Include the action file in a transaction:" \
+           "  cardano-cli latest transaction build \\" \
+           "    --tx-in <utxo> --change-address <addr> \\" \
+           "    --proposal-file '$action_file' \\" \
+           "    --out-file tx.raw"
diff --git a/scripts/action-create-tw.sh b/scripts/action-create-tw.sh
index 36f96a3..2214e3f 100755
--- a/scripts/action-create-tw.sh
+++ b/scripts/action-create-tw.sh
@@ -124,14 +124,15 @@ print_info "This script assumes compliance Intersect's treasury withdrawal actio
 print_info "This script assumes that CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH, CARDANO_NODE_NETWORK_ID and IPFS_GATEWAY_URI are set"
 
 # Exit if socket path is not set
-if [ -z "$CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH" ]; then
+if [ -z "${CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH:-}" ]; then
     print_fail "CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH environment variable is not set."
     exit 1
 fi
 
 # Exit if network id is not set
-if [ -z "$CARDANO_NODE_NETWORK_ID" ]; then
+if [ -z "${CARDANO_NODE_NETWORK_ID:-}" ]; then
     print_fail "CARDANO_NODE_NETWORK_ID environment variable is not set."
+    exit 1
 fi
 
 # Get if mainnet or testnet
diff --git a/scripts/metadata-create.sh b/scripts/metadata-create.sh
index e5dcb39..4f515fd 100755
--- a/scripts/metadata-create.sh
+++ b/scripts/metadata-create.sh
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ resolve_context_url() {
     ppu)       echo "${INTERSECT_SCHEMAS_BASE}/parameter-changes/common.jsonld" ;;
     hf)        echo "${INTERSECT_SCHEMAS_BASE}/hard-fork-initiation/common.jsonld" ;;
     committee) echo "${INTERSECT_SCHEMAS_BASE}/update-committee/common.jsonld" ;;
-    *)        print_fail "No @context mapping for --governance-action-type '$1'"; exit 1 ;;
+    *)        print_fail "No @context mapping for --type '$1'"; exit 1 ;;
   esac
 }
 
@@ -41,9 +41,9 @@ fi
 # Usage message
 usage() {
     printf '%s%sCreate JSON-LD metadata from a Markdown file%s\n\n' "$UNDERLINE" "$BOLD" "$NC"
-    printf 'Syntax:%s %s %s<.md-file> --governance-action-type%s <info|treasury|ppu|hf> %s--deposit-return-addr%s <stake-address> [%s--inline-context%s]\n' "$BOLD" "$0" "$GREEN" "$NC" "$GREEN" "$NC" "$GREEN" "$NC"
+    printf 'Syntax:%s %s %s<.md-file> --type%s <info|treasury|ppu|hf> %s--deposit-return-addr%s <stake-address> [%s--inline-context%s]\n' "$BOLD" "$0" "$GREEN" "$NC" "$GREEN" "$NC" "$GREEN" "$NC"
     print_usage_option "<.md-file>"                                     "Path to the .md file as input"
-    print_usage_option "--governance-action-type <info|treasury|ppu|hf>" "Type of governance action"
+    print_usage_option "--type <info|treasury|ppu|hf>"                  "Type of governance action"
     print_usage_option "--deposit-return-addr <stake-address>"        "Stake address for deposit return (bech32)"
     print_usage_option "[--inline-context]"                           "Embed the full @context object in the document instead of referencing the URL"
     print_usage_option "-h, --help"                                   "Show this help message and exit"
@@ -80,12 +80,12 @@ trap cleanup EXIT
 # Parse command line arguments
 while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
     case $1 in
-        --governance-action-type)
+        --type)
             if [ -n "${2:-}" ]; then
                 governance_action_type="$2"
                 shift 2
             else
-                print_fail "--governance-action-type requires a value"
+                print_fail "--type requires a value"
                 usage
             fi
             ;;
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ fi
 
 # If no governance action type provided, show usage
 if [ -z "$governance_action_type" ]; then
-  print_fail "--governance-action-type is required"
+  print_fail "--type is required"
   usage
 fi
 
@@ -281,6 +281,33 @@ resolve_ppu_prev_gov_action_id() {
   printf '%s' "$reshaped"
 }
 
+# Resolve the previously enacted hard-fork-initiation governance action id
+resolve_hf_prev_gov_action_id() {
+  local gov_state="$1"
+  local prev
+
+  prev=$(printf '%s' "$gov_state" \
+    | jq '.nextRatifyState.nextEnactState.prevGovActionIds.HardFork')
+
+  if [ -z "$prev" ]; then
+    print_fail "Could not read prevGovActionIds.HardFork from gov-state (cardano-cli output may have changed)" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  if [ "$prev" = "null" ]; then
+    print_warn "No previously enacted hard-fork-initiation action on chain; gov_action_id will be null" >&2
+    printf 'null'
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  # Reshape ledger {txId, govActionIx} into CIP-116 {transaction_id, gov_action_index}.
+  local reshaped
+  reshaped=$(printf '%s' "$prev" \
+    | jq '{ transaction_id: .txId, gov_action_index: (.govActionIx | tostring) }')
+  print_pass "Resolved previous hard-fork-initiation gov_action_id: $(printf '%s' "$reshaped" | jq -c .)" >&2
+  printf '%s' "$reshaped"
+}
+
 # Resolve the guardrails script hash used as the on-chain
 resolve_policy_hash() {
   local script_hash=""
@@ -510,30 +537,12 @@ hf_collect_inputs() {
     exit 1
   fi
 
-  # Previous hard-fork-initiation action ID
-  printf 'Please enter previous hard fork action transaction id (64 hex chars): ' >&2
-  IFS= read -r HF_PREV_TX </dev/tty
-  if [ -z "$HF_PREV_TX" ]; then
-    print_fail "Previous hard fork action transaction id is required."
-    exit 1
-  fi
-  if [[ ! "$HF_PREV_TX" =~ ^[0-9a-fA-F]{64}$ ]]; then
-    print_fail "Previous hard fork transaction id must be 64 hex characters. Got: ${HF_PREV_TX}"
-    exit 1
-  fi
-  printf 'Please enter previous hard fork action gov_action_index [0]: ' >&2
-  IFS= read -r HF_PREV_IDX </dev/tty
-  if [ -z "$HF_PREV_IDX" ]; then
-    HF_PREV_IDX="0"
-  fi
-  if [[ ! "$HF_PREV_IDX" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
-    print_fail "gov_action_index must be a non-negative integer. Got: ${HF_PREV_IDX}"
-    exit 1
-  fi
+  # Previous hard-fork-initiation action id is resolved from chain (HF_GOV_ACTION_ID),
+  # not collected here — mirrors the parameter-change (ppu) flow.
 
   print_info "Final confirmation:" >&2
   print_info "  Target protocol version: ${YELLOW}${HF_MAJOR}.${HF_MINOR}${NC}" >&2
-  print_info "  Previous HF action: ${YELLOW}${HF_PREV_TX}#${HF_PREV_IDX}${NC}" >&2
+  print_info "  Previous HF action: ${YELLOW}$(printf '%s' "$HF_GOV_ACTION_ID" | jq -c .)${NC}" >&2
 
   if ! confirm "Is this correct?"; then
     print_fail "Cancelled by user"
@@ -549,8 +558,7 @@ generate_hf_onchain() {
   jq -n \
     --arg     deposit        "$GOV_ACTION_DEPOSIT" \
     --arg     reward_account "$deposit_return_address" \
-    --arg     prev_tx        "$HF_PREV_TX" \
-    --arg     prev_idx       "$HF_PREV_IDX" \
+    --argjson gov_action_id  "$HF_GOV_ACTION_ID" \
     --argjson major          "$HF_MAJOR" \
     --argjson minor          "$HF_MINOR" \
     '{
@@ -558,7 +566,7 @@ generate_hf_onchain() {
       reward_account: $reward_account,
       gov_action: {
         tag: "hard_fork_initiation_action",
-        gov_action_id: { transaction_id: $prev_tx, gov_action_index: $prev_idx },
+        gov_action_id: $gov_action_id,
         protocol_version: { major: $major, minor: $minor }
       }
     }'
@@ -631,6 +639,15 @@ if [ "$governance_action_type" = "ppu" ]; then
   PPU_GOV_ACTION_ID=$(resolve_ppu_prev_gov_action_id "$GOV_STATE") || exit 1
 fi
 
+# Resolve the previously enacted hard-fork-initiation gov_action_id (hf only).
+# Resolved here at the top level so a failure reliably aborts the script — doing
+# it inside the generator (a command-substitution subshell) would not propagate
+# the exit.
+HF_GOV_ACTION_ID="null"
+if [ "$governance_action_type" = "hf" ]; then
+  HF_GOV_ACTION_ID=$(resolve_hf_prev_gov_action_id "$GOV_STATE") || exit 1
+fi
+
 # Generate onChain property based on governance action type
 print_info "Generating onChain property for $governance_action_type"
 ONCHAIN_PROPERTY=$(generate_onchain_property "$governance_action_type")
diff --git a/scripts/metadata-validate.sh b/scripts/metadata-validate.sh
index c4f6a11..2567e6b 100755
--- a/scripts/metadata-validate.sh
+++ b/scripts/metadata-validate.sh
@@ -439,12 +439,7 @@ fi
 
 # JSON-LD safe-mode expansion check. Surfaces "dropping property that did not
 # expand into an absolute IRI or keyword" warnings caused by missing term
-# mappings inside the document's @context. This is the failure mode that the
-# v1.1.0 hard-fork-initiation schema hit on protocol_version.{major,minor}:
-# the context only declared an outer @type, with no inner @context to map the
-# inner keys, so safe-mode JSON-LD processors silently drop them. We use Node
-# + the 'jsonld' npm package because pyld's behaviour matches it byte-for-byte
-# in safe mode (same warning event shape).
+# mappings inside the document's @context.
 JSONLD_CHECK_FAILED=0
 if [ "$check_jsonld" = "true" ]; then
     print_section "Applying JSON-LD safe-mode expansion check"