| name | vastai-setup |
| description | Set up Vast.ai CLI — configure API key, verify installation, set up SSH keys, and check account. Use when the user needs to get started with Vast.ai or is having authentication issues. |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| allowed-tools | Bash |
Vast.ai CLI Setup
Help the user set up and verify their Vast.ai CLI.
Step 1: Check Installation
vastai --version
If not installed:
pip install vastai
Step 2: Configure API Key
Get an API key from https://cloud.vast.ai/account/
vastai set api-key <API_KEY>
Or set via environment variable:
export VAST_API_KEY=<API_KEY>
Step 3: Verify Authentication
vastai show user
Should return account details (username, email, balance).
Step 4: Check SSH Keys
vastai show ssh-keys
If no keys exist, create/upload one:
vastai create ssh-key
vastai create ssh-key "$(cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub)"
Step 5: Check Account Balance
vastai show user --raw | jq '.credit'
Step 6: Test Search
vastai search offers 'gpu_name=RTX_4090 num_gpus=1 reliability>0.9' -o 'dph_total'
If this returns results, setup is complete.
Step 7: Environment Variables (Optional)
Store commonly used values:
vastai create env-var HF_TOKEN <token>
vastai create env-var WANDB_API_KEY <key>
vastai show env-vars
These are available in all instances.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|
| Auth errors | Re-set API key from https://cloud.vast.ai/account/ |
| No search results | Broaden query or check credits |
| SSH connection refused | Wait 30s after instance starts, check vastai ssh-url <ID> |
| Instance won't start | Check offer is still available, try another offer |
vastai: command not found | pip install vastai or check PATH |
