> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://vastai-80aa3a82-ltxv2-serverless.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Self-Test

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## Minimal Requirements for Verification

Before your machine can be verified on Vast.ai, it must meet all minimum quality and reliability benchmarks.
Verification confirms that your machine is stable, performant, and properly configured to run client workloads.

<Note>
  **Note:** Meeting these minimum requirements makes your machine eligible for verification, but does not automatically guarantee verification.
</Note>

## About the Self-Test

The self-test helps confirm that your machine satisfies Vast.ai’s minimum performance and configuration standards.
It automatically evaluates key system aspects and simulates real workloads to validate both hardware and network readiness.

## What the Self-Test Checks

During the self-test, the following components and conditions are verified:

* Driver setup (including CUDA configuration)
* Network speed and stability
* Open ports and connectivity
* PCIe bandwidth
* GPU VRAM capacity and reliability
* System RAM and CPU performance
* Overall machine reliability under simulated workloads

A short test workload will be executed to assess actual runtime performance.

<Tip>
  **Tip:** Ensure no other jobs or instances are running during the self-test for the most accurate results.
</Tip>

## Step-by-Step Guide

### Step 0: Install the Vast CLI

Follow the official setup guide to install the Vast CLI:
[Vast CLI: Get Started](https://docs.vast.ai/cli/get-started)

### Step 1: Set Your API Key

1.1 Get your API key: [API Keys Documentation](https://docs.vast.ai/documentation/reference/keys#api-keys)

1.2 Authenticate your CLI with your Vast.ai account:

```
vastai set api-key <API_KEY>
```

Example:

```
vastai set api-key 123123123123123
```

### Step 2: Run the Self-Test

Before running the test, make sure:

* Your machine has been listed.
* There are no active clients currently renting it.

Run the self-test command:

```
vastai self-test machine <machine_id>
```

Example:

```
vastai self-test machine 12345
```

### Step 3: Review the Results

If the test passes, you’ll see:

* Test completed successfully.

If the test fails:

* The CLI will display detailed reasons for failure.
* Apply the suggested fixes and rerun the test.

If the test says the machine is "not found or not rentable":

* Try un-listing your machine, then listing it again.
* Ensure your machine has no missing data in your machines page, such as upload and download speed, RAM, or ports.

### Optional: Ignore Requirements Mode

If your machine is rejected for not meeting requirements, but you still want to check its rentability or run the pressure tests, you can rerun the test with the `--ignore-requirements` flag:

```
vastai self-test machine <machine_id> --ignore-requirements
```

Example:

```
vastai self-test machine 12345 --ignore-requirements
```

<Warning>
  **Note:** The `--ignore-requirements` flag runs the test in a relaxed mode, bypassing some checks.
  Even if the test passes in this mode, your machine does not meet the minimum verification requirements.
</Warning>

<Warning>
  **Important:** Even with `--ignore-requirements`, your machine must have at least three direct open ports — otherwise, the self-test will fail.
</Warning>