| name | vastai-common-errors |
| description | Diagnose and fix Vast.ai common errors and exceptions.
Use when encountering Vast.ai errors, debugging failed instances,
or troubleshooting GPU rental issues.
Trigger with phrases like "vastai error", "fix vastai",
"vastai not working", "debug vastai", "vastai instance failed".
|
| allowed-tools | Read, Grep, Bash(vastai:*), Bash(curl:*) |
| version | 1.11.0 |
| license | MIT |
| author | Jeremy Longshore <jeremy@intentsolutions.io> |
| tags | ["saas","vast-ai","debugging"] |
| compatibility | Designed for Claude Code, also compatible with Codex and OpenClaw |
Vast.ai Common Errors
Overview
Quick reference for the most common Vast.ai errors across CLI, REST API, and instance operations. Vast.ai uses HTTP status codes for API errors and instance status strings for machine-level issues.
Prerequisites
- Vast.ai CLI installed (
pip install vastai)
- API key configured
Instructions
API Errors
| HTTP Code | Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|
| 401 | Unauthorized | Invalid or missing API key | Verify with vastai show user; regenerate at cloud.vast.ai |
| 403 | Forbidden | Insufficient balance or permissions | Add credits; check account restrictions |
| 404 | Not Found | Instance or offer ID does not exist | Re-search offers; instance may have been destroyed |
| 409 | Conflict | Offer already rented by someone else | Search again and pick another offer |
| 429 | Rate Limited | Too many API requests | Wait 60s and retry with backoff |
| 500 | Server Error | Vast.ai platform issue | Check status.vast.ai; retry after 5 minutes |
Instance Status Errors
| Status | Meaning | Action |
|---|
loading | Docker image downloading | Wait; large images can take 5-10 min |
running | Instance ready | Connect via SSH |
exited | Container stopped | Check logs: vastai logs INSTANCE_ID |
error | Provisioning failed | Destroy and try a different offer |
offline | Host machine went down | Destroy; provision on a different host |
Common CLI Errors
vastai search offers -- 5
vastai show user --raw | python3 -c
vastai create instance OFFER_ID --image ubuntu --disk 10