diff --git a/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_context.ml b/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_context.ml
index fd8070e26..a66cb1487 100644
--- a/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_context.ml
+++ b/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_context.ml
@@ -35,7 +35,25 @@ let get_timestamp cctxt block =
 
 let list_contracts cctxt block =
   Client_proto_rpcs.Context.Contract.list cctxt block >>=? fun contracts ->
-  iter_s (fun h ->
+  map_s (fun h ->
+      begin match Contract.is_default h with
+        | Some m -> begin
+            Public_key_hash.rev_find cctxt m >|= function
+            | None -> ""
+            | Some nm -> nm
+          end
+        | None -> begin
+            RawContractAlias.rev_find cctxt h >|= function
+            | None -> ""
+            | Some nm -> nm
+          end
+      end >>= fun alias ->
+      return (alias, h, Contract.is_default h))
+    contracts
+
+let list_contract_labels cctxt block =
+  Client_proto_rpcs.Context.Contract.list cctxt block >>=? fun contracts ->
+  map_s (fun h ->
       begin match Contract.is_default h with
         | Some m -> begin
             Public_key_hash.rev_find cctxt m >>= function
@@ -54,10 +72,13 @@ let list_contracts cctxt block =
       let kind = match Contract.is_default h with
         | Some _ -> " (default)"
         | None -> "" in
-      cctxt.message "%s%s%s" (Contract.to_b58check h) kind nm >>= fun () ->
-      return ())
+      let h_b58 = Contract.to_b58check h in
+      return (nm, h_b58, kind))
     contracts
 
+let get_balance cctxt block contract =
+  Client_proto_rpcs.Context.Contract.balance cctxt block contract
+
 let transfer cctxt
     block ?force
     ~source ~src_pk ~src_sk ~destination ?arg ~amount ~fee () =
@@ -174,16 +195,19 @@ let commands () =
     command ~group ~desc: "lists all non empty contracts of the block"
       (fixed [ "list" ; "contracts" ])
       (fun cctxt ->
-         list_contracts cctxt cctxt.config.block >>= fun res ->
-         Client_proto_rpcs.handle_error cctxt res) ;
+         list_contract_labels cctxt cctxt.config.block >>= fun res ->
+         Client_proto_rpcs.handle_error cctxt res >>= fun contracts ->
+         Lwt_list.iter_s (fun (alias, hash, kind) ->
+             cctxt.message "%s%s%s" hash kind alias)
+           contracts) ;
     command ~group ~desc: "get the balance of a contract"
       (prefixes [ "get" ; "balance" ]
        @@ ContractAlias.destination_param ~name:"src" ~desc:"source contract"
        @@ stop)
       (fun (_, contract) cctxt ->
-         Client_proto_rpcs.Context.Contract.balance cctxt cctxt.config.block contract
+         get_balance cctxt cctxt.config.block contract
          >>= Client_proto_rpcs.handle_error cctxt >>= fun amount ->
-         cctxt.answer "%a %s" Tez.pp amount tez_sym);
+         cctxt.answer "%a %s" Tez.pp amount tez_sym) ;
     command ~group ~desc: "get the manager of a block"
       (prefixes [ "get" ; "manager" ]
        @@ ContractAlias.destination_param ~name:"src" ~desc:"source contract"
diff --git a/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_context.mli b/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_context.mli
index 4b519aec8..8f1720d26 100644
--- a/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_context.mli
+++ b/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_context.mli
@@ -7,6 +7,18 @@
 (*                                                                        *)
 (**************************************************************************)
 
+val list_contracts:
+  Client_commands.context ->
+  Client_proto_rpcs.block ->
+  (string * Contract.t * Environment.Ed25519.Public_key_hash.t option)
+    list tzresult Lwt.t
+
+val get_balance:
+  Client_commands.context ->
+  Client_proto_rpcs.block ->
+  Contract.t ->
+  Tez.t tzresult Lwt.t
+
 val transfer:
   Client_commands.context ->
   Client_proto_rpcs.block ->
diff --git a/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_contracts.ml b/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_contracts.ml
index c275a311c..032c2f950 100644
--- a/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_contracts.ml
+++ b/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_contracts.ml
@@ -87,6 +87,22 @@ module ContractAlias = struct
 
 end
 
+let list_contracts cctxt =
+  (* List contracts *)
+  RawContractAlias.load cctxt >>= fun raw_contracts ->
+  Lwt_list.map_s (fun (n, v) ->
+      Lwt.return ("", n, v))
+    raw_contracts >>= fun contracts ->
+  Client_keys.Public_key_hash.load cctxt >>= fun keys ->
+  (* List accounts (default contracts of identities) *)
+  Lwt_list.map_s (fun (n, v) ->
+      RawContractAlias.mem cctxt n >>= fun mem ->
+      let p = if mem then "key:" else "" in
+      let v' = Contract.default_contract v in
+      Lwt.return (p, n, v'))
+    keys >>= fun accounts ->
+  Lwt.return (contracts @ accounts)
+
 let get_manager cctxt block source =
   match Contract.is_default source with
   | Some hash -> return hash
@@ -147,19 +163,11 @@ let commands  () =
     command ~group ~desc: "lists all known contracts"
       (fixed [ "list" ; "known" ; "contracts" ])
       (fun cctxt ->
-         RawContractAlias.load cctxt >>= fun list ->
-         Lwt_list.iter_s (fun (n, v) ->
-             let v = Contract.to_b58check v in
-             cctxt.message "%s: %s" n v)
-           list >>= fun () ->
-         Client_keys.Public_key_hash.load cctxt >>= fun list ->
-         Lwt_list.iter_s (fun (n, v) ->
-             RawContractAlias.mem cctxt n >>= fun mem ->
-             let p = if mem then "key:" else "" in
-             let v = Contract.to_b58check (Contract.default_contract v) in
-             cctxt.message "%s%s: %s" p n v)
-           list >>= fun () ->
-         Lwt.return ()) ;
+        list_contracts cctxt >>= fun contracts ->
+        Lwt_list.iter_s (fun (prefix, alias, contract) ->
+            cctxt.message "%s%s: %s" prefix alias
+              (Contract.to_b58check contract))
+          contracts) ;
     command ~group ~desc: "forget all known contracts"
       (fixed [ "forget" ; "all" ; "contracts" ])
       (fun cctxt ->
diff --git a/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_contracts.mli b/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_contracts.mli
index 9d4b511ec..c510dce3f 100644
--- a/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_contracts.mli
+++ b/src/client/embedded/alpha/client_proto_contracts.mli
@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@ module ContractAlias : sig
     Contract.t -> string Lwt.t
 end
 
+val list_contracts:
+  Client_commands.context ->
+  (string * string * Contract.t) list Lwt.t
+
 val get_manager:
   Client_commands.context ->
   Client_proto_rpcs.block ->