vastai-install-auth

name	vastai-install-auth
description	Install and configure Vast.ai CLI and REST API authentication. Use when setting up a new Vast.ai integration, configuring API keys, or initializing Vast.ai GPU cloud access in your project. Trigger with phrases like "install vastai", "setup vastai", "vastai auth", "configure vastai API key", "vastai gpu setup".
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Bash(pip:*), Bash(vastai:*), Bash(curl:*), Grep
version	1.11.0
license	MIT
author	Jeremy Longshore <[e-mail]>
tags	["saas","vast-ai","api","authentication"]
compatibility	Designed for Claude Code, also compatible with Codex and OpenClaw

Vast.ai Install & Auth

Overview

Set up the Vast.ai CLI and REST API access for renting GPU compute instances. Vast.ai is a marketplace where individual hosts and data centers list GPU machines at prices significantly below hyperscaler providers.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• Vast.ai account at https://cloud.vast.ai
• Credit card or credits loaded for GPU rental

Instructions

Step 1: Install the CLI

set -euo pipefail
pip install vastai
vastai --version

Step 2: Get Your API Key

1. Log in at https://cloud.vast.ai
2. Navigate to Account > API Keys (or visit https://cloud.vast.ai/cli/)
3. Copy your API key (a long hexadecimal string)

Step 3: Configure Authentication

# Save API key to ~/.vast_api_key
vastai set api-key YOUR_API_KEY_HERE

# Verify authentication
vastai show user

For programmatic use, set the environment variable:

export VASTAI_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
echo 'VASTAI_API_KEY=your-api-key' >> .env

Step 4: Verify with REST API

# Direct REST API call — base URL is cloud.vast.ai/api/v0
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $VASTAI_API_KEY" \
  "https://cloud.vast.ai/api/v0/users/current" | jq '{id, username, balance}'

Step 5: Python Client Setup

# vastai_client.py
import os
import requests
from typing import Optional, Dict, Any, List

 :
    BASE_URL = 

     ():
        .api_key = api_key  os.environ.get()
          .api_key:
            
            key_file = os.path.expanduser()
             os.path.exists(key_file):
                .api_key = (key_file).read().strip()
          .api_key:
             ValueError()

        .session = requests.Session()
        .session.headers.update({
            : ,
            : ,
        })

     () -> [, ]:
        url = 
        resp = .session.request(method, url, **kwargs)
        resp.raise_for_status()
         resp.json()

     () -> []:
         ._request(, , params={: (query)})

     () -> :
        body = {: , : image, : disk_gb,
                : onstart, : env  {}}
         ._request(, , json=body)

     () -> []:
         ._request(, )[]

     () -> :
         ._request(, )


 __name__ == :
    client = VastClient()
    user = client._request(, )
    ()
    ()