manage-instances

name	manage-instances
description	Manage Vast.ai GPU instances — show status, start, stop, destroy, SSH, execute commands, view logs, copy files, take snapshots. Use when the user wants to check on, connect to, transfer files, or control their GPU instances.
argument-hint	[action or instance-id]
allowed-tools	Bash

Manage Vast.ai Instances

Help the user manage their GPU instances on Vast.ai.

User Request

$ARGUMENTS

Available Actions

Show Instances

vastai show instances                   # Table view
vastai show instances --raw             # JSON
vastai show instance <ID> --raw         # Single instance JSON

Start / Stop / Reboot / Destroy

vastai start instance <ID>
vastai stop instance <ID>
vastai reboot instance <ID>             # Restart, keeps GPU priority
vastai recycle instance <ID>            # Destroy + recreate fresh
vastai destroy instance <ID>            # PERMANENT — confirm first

Batch: start instances, stop instances, destroy instances take multiple IDs.

Always confirm destroy with the user — it is irreversible.

Labels & Updates

vastai label instance <ID> '<LABEL>'
vastai update instance <ID> --label '<NEW>'
vastai bid instance <ID> --price <$/hr>  # Change bid price
vastai prepay instance <ID> <AMOUNT>     # Prepay credits

SSH Connection

vastai ssh-url <ID>
# Returns: ssh://root@<HOST>:<PORT>
# Connect with: ssh -p <PORT> root@<HOST>

SCP File Transfer

vastai scp-url <ID>
# Upload:   scp -P <PORT> file.py root@<HOST>:/root/
# Download: scp -P <PORT> root@<HOST>:/root/results.tar.gz ./

Copy (rsync-based)

vastai copy local:./data C.<ID>:/workspace/data          # Upload
vastai copy C.<ID>:/workspace/results local:./results    # Download
vastai copy C.<ID1>:/data C.<ID2>:/data                  # Instance-to-instance
vastai cancel copy C.<ID>:/path                          # Cancel transfer

Execute (API-based, limited)

vastai execute <ID> 'ls -l /workspace'     # ls, rm, du only

Logs

vastai logs <ID>                        # Last 1000 lines
vastai logs <ID> --tail 50              # Last N lines
vastai logs <ID> --filter 'ERROR'       # Filter lines
vastai logs <ID> --daemon-logs          # System logs

Snapshots

vastai snapshot instance <ID> --repo <DOCKERHUB_REPO> [--tag <TAG>]

Scheduled Operations

# Schedule reboots
vastai reboot instance <ID> --schedule DAILY --hour 3

# Schedule bid changes
vastai bid instance <ID> --price 0.5 --schedule WEEKLY --day 1

# View/delete scheduled jobs
vastai show scheduled-jobs
vastai delete scheduled-job <ID>

Instance Statuses

Status	Meaning
created	Just created, initializing
scheduling	Waiting for resources
running	Active and accessible
exited	Container exited (check logs)
stopped	Paused by user
offline	Machine went offline

Cost Awareness

When showing instances, note:

• $/hr rate for each instance
• Uptime duration
• Remind users to destroy idle instances