massed-compute-ops

name	massed-compute-ops
description	Operate Massed Compute GPU virtual machines through its MCP server. Use when the user mentions Massed Compute, massedcompute, MassedCompute, asks what GPU is available, wants to choose or launch training/inference VMs, inspect running instances, configure SSH access, audit hourly spend or billing runway, restart a VM, or terminate rented compute safely.

Massed Compute operations

Use the Massed Compute MCP tools as the live source of truth for inventory, pricing, account state, and instances. Read references/recipes.md before the first account operation in a session.

Operating rules

1. Validate the token before account work. If authentication is missing, request only MC_TOKEN; never request the account password.
2. Use live inventory and image compatibility data. Do not recommend a SKU or quote a price from memory.
3. Before a launch, check token scope, billing settings, SSH keys, current capacity, price, compatible images, requested region, instance count, and naming.
4. Treat launch and restart as cost-affecting reversible operations. State the chosen SKU, region, quantity, hourly cost, image, and name, then execute when within the user's request.
5. Treat termination and SSH-key deletion as destructive. Show exact targets and costs, obtain explicit unambiguous user confirmation, call the tool, then re-list state to verify the target is gone.
6. Never expose or persist VM passwords in chat, skill files, Git, or memory. MCP redacts them; the user can read them in the Massed Compute site if needed.
7. After launch, poll instance state until usable, then provide the exact SSH target and record the instance UUID/name/GPU/region in the relevant project handoff or run journal.
8. For long training jobs, preserve resumability: confirm durable storage/checkpoints, record shutdown criteria, and audit burn rate before leaving the job unattended.

Workflow router

• Inventory or GPU choice: call gpu_inventory_list and images_list; rank two or three live options by VRAM fit, availability, total hourly cost, and architecture constraints.
• Launch: call account_token_validation, account_billing, ssh_keys_list, gpu_inventory_list, and images_list before instances_launch; verify with instances_get or instances_list.
• Status: call instances_list; use instances_get for exact details. Report UUID, name, GPU, region, state, age, and hourly cost.
• Spend audit: combine instances_list, live product pricing, and account_billing; calculate per-instance and fleet hourly/daily burn plus recharge runway when balances are available.
• Restart: inspect the instance first, restart only the named UUID, then poll until healthy.
• Terminate: follow the destructive confirmation rule above; never terminate from a vague description without resolving it to exact UUIDs.
• SSH keys: list before creating. Add only a public key with a clear device name. Deletion requires exact disclosure, confirmation, and post-delete verification.

Tool availability

Read-only tokens expose inventory, images, instances, coupons, token validation, billing, and SSH-key listing. Full-access tokens additionally expose launch, restart, terminate, SSH-key creation, and SSH-key deletion. If a mutation tool is absent, identify the token scope as the cause instead of guessing.

Gotchas

• A 401 usually means the token was truncated; re-copy it unchanged.
• A 402 on launch means recharge billing is not configured.
• GPU/image compatibility is enforced; SXM-only and PCIe images are not interchangeable.
• A 429 is a rate limit; wait briefly and retry without duplicating a launch.
• instances_list and instances_get redact cleartext VM passwords before the model sees them.
• Environment-variable changes require a new Codex process before MCP authentication is available.
• ssh_keys_create may return a generic upstream_error even for valid Ed25519 and RSA public keys. After two verified formats fail, stop retrying and have the user add the public key in the web settings; verify afterward with ssh_keys_list.
• The live server may expose recipe discovery tools (recipes_search, recipes_get, recipes_list) beyond the published lifecycle-tool table. Search recipes before provisioning software or a training stack.

Troubleshooting

• No Massed Compute tools: verify the MCP entry, MC_TOKEN, network access, and restart Codex.
• Read tools exist but launch/terminate does not: replace the read-only API key with a full-access key only if mutations are required.
• Launch failed after a timeout: list instances before retrying; the first request may have succeeded.
• Cannot SSH: verify instance state, registered public key, username/image instructions, host/port, and local private-key availability.
• Cannot create an SSH key through MCP: validate the OpenSSH public-key format, try at most one alternative supported key type, then use the account UI and confirm the result through ssh_keys_list.
• Unclear or stale price: refresh gpu_inventory_list; never reuse an old quote.