vastai-common-errors

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 <[e-mail]>
tags	["saas","vast-ai","debugging"]
compatibility	Designed for Claude Code

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

# Error: "No offers found"
# Cause: Filters too restrictive

vastai search offers  -- 5  



vastai show user --raw | python3 -c 



vastai create instance OFFER_ID --image ubuntu --disk 10