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                   # Auto-generates and uploads
# OR upload existing:
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