vast-cloud

name	vast-cloud
description	Run jobs on VAST AI cloud GPUs. Use when you need GPU compute immediately without queue times, for short-to-medium jobs (<4 hours), or when HPC is unavailable. Pay-per-hour pricing.
allowed-tools	["Read","Write","Edit","Bash","Glob","Grep","WebSearch","WebFetch"]

VAST AI Cloud GPU Access

You have access to VAST AI, an on-demand GPU cloud marketplace. Rent GPUs by the hour, get instant access (no queue), full SSH control.

Quick Reference

Item	Value
CLI	vastai 1.2.0 — in the science-tools conda env, symlinked at ~/.local/bin/vastai (installed 2026-07-04)
API Key	CLI 1.2.0 resolution order: VAST_API_KEY env → ~/.config/vastai/vast_api_key → ~/.vast_api_key. The bundled vast_client.py reads ~/.config/vastai/api_key. All four exist and match (2026-07-04).
SSH Key	Registered (ID: 614140)
Balance	check vastai show user (show credit was removed in CLI 1.2.0)
Billing	Per-hour, stops when you destroy instance

---

When to Use VAST AI

Use VAST When:

Situation	Why VAST
Need GPU now	No queue, instant allocation
HPC unreachable	Network/VPN issues
Short job (<4h)	Cost-effective for quick runs
Testing/debugging	Rapid iteration, cheap
Urgent deadline	Time > money

Use HPC Instead When:

Situation	Why HPC
Long production runs (>8h)	Free allocation, reliability
Massive scale (1000+ cores)	HPC has more resources
Budget constrained	HPC is free (with allocation)
Queue is short	No cost advantage to VAST

Use Local Instead When:

Situation	Why Local
Small jobs (<30 min)	Setup overhead not worth it
No GPU needed	Local CPU is fine
Testing inputs	Don't pay for debugging

---

Cost Reference

GPU	Typical $/hr	Good For
RTX 3090	$0.15-0.25	Light ML, small LAMMPS
RTX 4090	$0.25-0.45	MACE, CHGNet, medium LAMMPS
A100 40GB	$0.80-1.50	Large models, QE GPU
A100 80GB	$1.20-2.00	Very large models
H100	$2.00-4.00	Maximum performance

Cost Estimation:

# 4090 for 2 hours ≈ $0.70
# A100 for 2 hours ≈ $2.00
# Always destroy instances when done!

---

Basic Workflow

1. Search for Available GPUs

# Find RTX 4090s under $0.50/hr, sorted by price
vastai search offers "gpu_name=RTX_4090 rentable=True dph<0.5" -o "dph+"

# Find A100s
vastai search offers "gpu_name=A100 rentable=True" -o "dph+"

# Find any cheap GPU
vastai search offers "gpu_ram>20 rentable=True dph<0.3" -o "dph+"

Key Fields in Output:

• ID - Offer ID (use this to rent)
• dph - Dollars per hour
• gpu_name - GPU model
• gpu_ram - VRAM in GB
• cpu_ram - System RAM in GB
• disk_space - Available disk in GB

2. Create Instance

# Rent an instance (replace ID with actual offer ID from search)
vastai create instance <offer_id> \
  --image nvidia/cuda:12.2.0-devel-ubuntu22.04 \
  --disk 50 \
  --ssh

# Wait for it to boot (usually 1-3 minutes)
# Check status:
vastai show instances

Recommended Images:

nvidia/cuda:12.2.0-devel-ubuntu22.04  # General GPU work
pytorch/pytorch:2.1.0-cuda12.1-cudnn8-devel  # ML potentials
python:3.11  # CPU-only Python work

3. Connect and Work

# Get SSH command
vastai ssh-url <instance_id>
# Output: ssh -p PORT root@HOST

# Connect
ssh -p <port> root@<host>

# Once connected, you have root access:
# - Install software
# - Run jobs
# - Transfer files

4. Transfer Files

# Upload to instance
scp -P <port> local_file.txt root@<host>:/root/

# Download from instance
scp -P <port> root@<host>:/root/results.tar.gz ./

# Use rsync for directories
rsync -avz -e "ssh -p <port>" ./project/ root@<host>:/root/project/

5. DESTROY WHEN DONE (Critical!)

# Stop billing!
vastai destroy instance <instance_id>

# Verify it's gone
vastai show instances

WARNING: Instances bill until destroyed. Always destroy when done.

---

Running Simulations

LAMMPS on VAST

# On the instance:

# Install LAMMPS (GPU version)
apt-get update && apt-get install -y build-essential cmake wget git

# Quick LAMMPS GPU install
wget https://github.com/lammps/lammps/archive/stable_2Aug2023.tar.gz
tar xzf stable_2Aug2023.tar.gz
cd lammps-stable_2Aug2023
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ../cmake -D PKG_GPU=on -D GPU_API=cuda
make -j$(nproc)

# Run simulation
./lmp -sf gpu -pk gpu 1 -in input.lmp

Faster Alternative - Use Pre-built:

# If simulation is simple, use conda:
apt-get install -y wget
wget https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-latest-Linux-x86_64.sh
bash Miniconda3-latest-Linux-x86_64.sh -b
~/miniconda3/bin/conda install -c conda-forge lammps

ML Potentials on VAST

# On the instance (using pytorch image):

# Install MACE
pip install mace-torch

# Install CHGNet
pip install chgnet

# Install M3GNet
pip install matgl

# Run ASE with MLIP
python << 'EOF'
from ase.build import bulk
from mace.calculators import mace_mp

atoms = bulk('Cu', 'fcc', a=3.6)
calc = mace_mp(model="medium", device="cuda")
atoms.calc = calc
print(f"Energy: {atoms.get_potential_energy():.3f} eV")
EOF

QE on VAST

# QE GPU installation (longer setup)
apt-get update && apt-get install -y build-essential gfortran libopenmpi-dev

# Download QE
wget https://github.com/QEF/q-e/releases/download/qe-7.2/qe-7.2-ReleasePack.tar.gz
tar xzf qe-7.2-ReleasePack.tar.gz
cd qe-7.2

# Configure with GPU
./configure --enable-cuda
make pw

# Run
./bin/pw.x < input.in > output.out

---

Python Client

Use the included Python client for programmatic access:

import sys
sys.path.insert(0, 'skills/vast-cloud')
from vast_client import VastClient

# Initialize
vast = VastClient()

# Search for cheap 4090s
offers = vast.search_offers(gpu_name="RTX_4090", max_price=0.40)
print(f"Found {len(offers)} offers")

# Rent the cheapest
instance = vast.create_instance(
    offer_id=offers[0]['id'],
    image="nvidia/cuda:12.2.0-devel-ubuntu22.04",
    disk_gb=50
)
print(f"Instance ID: {instance['id']}")

# Wait for ready
vast.wait_until_ready(instance['id'])

# Get SSH connection
ssh_cmd = vast.get_ssh_command(instance['id'])
print(f"Connect with: {ssh_cmd}")

# When done:
vast.destroy_instance(instance['id'])

---

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Quick GPU Test

# Find cheapest available GPU
OFFER=$(vastai search offers "rentable=True gpu_ram>10 dph<0.3" -o "dph+" --raw | head -1 | jq -r '.id')

# Rent it
INSTANCE=$(vastai create instance $OFFER --image nvidia/cuda:12.2.0-devel-ubuntu22.04 --disk 20 --raw | jq -r '.new_contract')

# Wait and connect
sleep 120  # Wait 2 min for boot
SSH_CMD=$(vastai ssh-url $INSTANCE)
echo "Connect: $SSH_CMD"

# After testing, destroy
vastai destroy instance $INSTANCE

Pattern 2: MACE Simulation Job

# 1. Create instance
vastai create instance <id> --image pytorch/pytorch:2.1.0-cuda12.1-cudnn8-devel --disk 30

# 2. Upload files
scp -P <port> structure.cif root@<host>:/root/
scp -P <port> run_mace.py root@<host>:/root/

# 3. Run job
ssh -p <port> root@<host> "pip install mace-torch ase && python run_mace.py"

# 4. Download results
scp -P <port> root@<host>:/root/results/* ./results/

# 5. Destroy
vastai destroy instance <id>

Pattern 3: Long-Running Job (Use Screen)

# Connect and start screen session
ssh -p <port> root@<host>
screen -S myjob

# Run long job
python long_simulation.py

# Detach: Ctrl+A, then D
# Reconnect later: screen -r myjob

---

Budget Management

Check Balance

vastai show user   # `show credit` was removed in CLI 1.2.0; balance is a field of `show user`

Estimate Cost Before Renting

# Before renting, check price
vastai search offers "id=<offer_id>" --raw | jq '.dph_total'
# Multiply by expected hours

Set Spending Alerts

Keep track of spending manually:

1. Note start time when creating instance
2. Check elapsed time periodically
3. Destroy before budget exceeded

---

Troubleshooting

Instance Won't Start

# Check instance status
vastai show instance <id>

# If stuck "loading", might be host issue - try different offer
vastai destroy instance <id>
# Try another offer from search

SSH Connection Failed

# Get current SSH info
vastai ssh-url <id>

# If port changed, use new port
# If host changed, instance may have restarted

Out of Disk Space

# On instance:
df -h

# Clean up
rm -rf /root/.cache/*
apt-get clean

GPU Not Detected

# Check NVIDIA driver
nvidia-smi

# If not working, instance may not have GPU properly attached
# Destroy and try different offer

---

Safety Rules

1. Always destroy when done - Instances bill until destroyed
2. Don't store important data only on VAST - Instances are ephemeral
3. Set time limits - Plan when to destroy before starting
4. Check balance - Don't exceed prepaid amount
5. Use SSH keys - Already configured, don't use passwords

---

Quick Commands Reference

Command	Purpose
vastai search offers "..."	Find available GPUs
vastai create instance <id> --image <img>	Rent a GPU
vastai show instances	List your instances (CLI 1.2.0 prefers show instances-v1; both work)
vastai ssh-url <id>	Get SSH connection
vastai destroy instance <id>	Stop billing!
vastai show user	Check balance
vastai logs <id>	View instance logs

---

Integration with Workflow

Choosing Between VAST and HPC

Decision Tree:
1. Is job GPU-intensive?
   NO → Use local or HPC CPU
   YES → Continue

2. Is HPC available?
   NO → Use VAST
   YES → Continue

3. What's HPC queue time?
   < 30 min → Use HPC (free)
   30 min - 2 hr → Consider VAST if urgent
   > 2 hr → Use VAST

4. Is job > 4 hours?
   YES → Consider HPC (more reliable)
   NO → VAST is fine

Compute Decision Documentation

When using VAST, document:

## Compute Choice: VAST AI

**Rationale:** HPC queue showing 3-hour wait, job expected to take 45 minutes.
VAST RTX 4090 available at $0.35/hr. Estimated cost: $0.35.
Time savings: ~2+ hours.

**Instance:** <id>
**Start Time:** <timestamp>
**Expected Duration:** 45 min

---

Example Session

# Goal: Run MACE relaxation on 100 structures

# 1. Find cheap 4090
$ vastai search offers "gpu_name=RTX_4090 dph<0.4 rentable=True" -o "dph+"
# Found offer 12345678 at $0.32/hr

# 2. Rent it
$ vastai create instance 12345678 --image pytorch/pytorch:2.1.0-cuda12.1-cudnn8-devel --disk 30
# Created instance 87654321

# 3. Wait and check
$ sleep 90
$ vastai show instances
# Instance 87654321: running

# 4. Connect
$ SSH_INFO=$(vastai ssh-url 87654321)
$ echo $SSH_INFO
# ssh -p 12345 root@123.45.67.89

# 5. Upload and run
$ scp -P 12345 -r structures/ root@123.45.67.89:/root/
$ scp -P 12345 relax_all.py root@123.45.67.89:/root/
$ ssh -p 12345 root@123.45.67.89 "pip install mace-torch ase && python relax_all.py"

# 6. Download results
$ scp -P 12345 root@123.45.67.89:/root/results.tar.gz ./

# 7. DESTROY!
$ vastai destroy instance 87654321
# Destroyed. Total cost: ~$0.50 for ~1.5 hours