PAI DSW Instance Management

Manage the full lifecycle of Alibaba Cloud PAI DSW (Data Science Workshop) instances — from provisioning through configuration changes, status monitoring, and start/stop operations. Also supports querying available ECS compute specs.

Architecture: PAI Workspace + DSW Instance + ECS Spec + Image + VPC + Dataset

API Version: pai-dsw/2022-01-01

Installation

Pre-check: Aliyun CLI >= 3.3.3 required

Run aliyun version to verify >= 3.3.3. If not installed or version too low, run curl -fsSL https://aliyuncli.alicdn.com/setup.sh | bash to update, or see references/cli-installation-guide.md for installation instructions.

Pre-check: Aliyun CLI plugin update required [MUST] run aliyun configure set --auto-plugin-install true to enable automatic plugin installation. [MUST] run aliyun plugin update to ensure that any existing plugins are always up-to-date.

# macOS (recommended)
brew install aliyun-cli

# Verify version (>= 3.3.3)
aliyun version

# Enable automatic plugin installation
aliyun configure set --auto-plugin-install true

# Update existing plugins
aliyun plugin update

# Install pai-dsw plugin
aliyun plugin install --names pai-dsw

[MUST] CLI User-Agent — Every aliyun CLI command invocation must include: --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills/alibabacloud-pai-dsw-manage

Authentication

Pre-check: Alibaba Cloud Credentials Required

Security Rules:

• NEVER read, echo, or print AK/SK values (e.g., echo $ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID is FORBIDDEN)
• NEVER ask the user to input AK/SK directly in the conversation or command line
• NEVER use aliyun configure set with literal credential values
• ONLY use aliyun configure list to check credential status

aliyun configure list

Check the output for a valid profile (AK, STS, or OAuth identity).

If no valid profile exists, STOP here.

1. Obtain credentials from Alibaba Cloud Console
2. Configure credentials outside of this session (via aliyun configure in a terminal or environment variables in a shell profile)
3. Return and retry after aliyun configure list shows a valid profile

RAM Permissions

See references/ram-policies.md for the complete permission list and minimum-privilege policy.

[MUST] Permission Failure Handling: When any command or API call fails due to permission errors at any point during execution, follow this process:

1. Read references/ram-policies.md to get the full list of permissions required by this skill
2. Use the ram-permission-diagnose skill to guide the user through requesting the necessary permissions
3. Pause and wait until the user confirms that the required permissions have been granted

Parameter Confirmation

IMPORTANT: Parameter Confirmation — Before executing any command or API call, ALL user-customizable parameters (e.g., RegionId, instance names, CIDR blocks, passwords, domain names, resource specifications, etc.) MUST be confirmed with the user. Do NOT assume or use default values without explicit user approval.

How to get WorkspaceId: If the user doesn't know their workspace ID, run:

aliyun aiworkspace list-workspaces --region \x3Cregion> --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills/alibabacloud-pai-dsw-manage

This returns all workspaces the user has access to. Select the appropriate one based on WorkspaceName or ask the user to confirm.

Reference: Create and Manage Workspaces

Core Workflow

Full command syntax and parameter details: references/related-commands.md.

1. Query Available ECS Specs

Run aliyun pai-dsw list-ecs-specs --accelerator-type \x3CCPU|GPU> --region \x3Cregion> to list available compute specs.

[MUST] Region confirmation: The --region parameter is required. Spec availability varies by region — always confirm the region with the user before querying.

[MUST] Determine accelerator type correctly:

• User mentions a spec name (e.g., ecs.hfc6.10xlarge): Query BOTH CPU and GPU types, then match InstanceType in results. Use the returned AcceleratorType field to confirm the classification.
• User specifies image type: GPU image URL (contains -gpu- or cu) → query GPU specs; CPU image URL → query CPU specs.
• User describes use case only: GPU for 大模型训练/深度学习, CPU for 数据分析/轻量任务. Always confirm with user if ambiguous.
• [IMPORTANT] Do NOT guess from spec name prefix — the naming convention is unreliable. Always verify via API response.

[MUST] Choose accelerator type based on user requirements:

• Default recommendation: GPU for 大模型训练/深度学习, CPU for 数据分析/轻量任务
• Match image type (strong indicator): If user specifies a GPU image URL (contains -gpu- or cu), query GPU specs. If CPU image, query CPU specs.
• Spec name requires verification: If user mentions a spec name, query both types and find the match in results
• Always confirm with user before querying if the use case is ambiguous and no spec name is provided

Key response fields:

• InstanceType: Spec name (e.g., ecs.hfc6.10xlarge)
• AcceleratorType: CPU or GPU — the actual classification from API
• IsAvailable: PRIMARY indicator — true means the spec is available for pay-as-you-go/subscription
• SpotStockStatus: SECONDARY indicator — only for spot instances: WithStock (available) or NoStock (unavailable)
• CPU / Memory / GPU / GPUType: Hardware details
• Price: Hourly price in CNY

[MUST] Availability check logic:

• For pay-as-you-go/subscription: Check IsAvailable == true
• For spot instances: Check IsAvailable == true AND SpotStockStatus == "WithStock"
• DO NOT use SpotStockStatus alone to judge availability — many specs have IsAvailable: true but SpotStockStatus: "NoStock"
• Example: ecs.hfc6.10xlarge with IsAvailable: true, SpotStockStatus: "NoStock" → Available for pay-as-you-go

2. Create Instance (check-then-act)

[MUST] Idempotency guarantee: The CreateInstance API does not support ClientToken, so idempotency is ensured via a check-then-act pattern. Before creating, you must call list-instances --instance-name \x3Cname> to check if the name already exists.

Step 2.1 — Check existence

aliyun pai-dsw list-instances \
  --instance-name \x3Cname> \
  --region \x3Cregion> \
  --resource-id ALL \
  --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills/alibabacloud-pai-dsw-manage

Decision logic:

• TotalCount == 0 → Name is available, proceed to Step 2.2 to create
• TotalCount >= 1 → [MUST] Verify exact name match:
  1. Iterate through the returned Instances array
  2. For each instance, compare its InstanceName field with the target name character by character (case-sensitive, exact string match)
  3. Exact match found (instance.InstanceName === targetName) → Name already exists:
     • Extract the InstanceId from the matching instance
     • Call get-instance --instance-id \x3Cid> to get full details
     • Compare key parameters (EcsSpec, ImageUrl, Accessibility, etc.)
     • Match → Return the existing InstanceId, do not recreate
     • Mismatch → Ask user to choose a different name
  4. No exact match found (no instance has InstanceName === targetName) → Name is available, proceed to Step 2.2 to create

[WARNING] Critical: Exact name match required

The --instance-name filter may return partial matches. For example:

• Query: --instance-name llm_train_001
• Response may include: llm_train_001, llm_train_001_v2, llm_train_001_backup

You MUST verify exact match by checking:

for instance in response.Instances:
    if instance.InstanceName == targetName:  # EXACT string equality
        # Name already exists - DO NOT create

Do NOT assume name is available just because TotalCount > 0 but you "think" no exact match. If TotalCount >= 1, carefully check each instance's InstanceName field.

Step 2.2 — Provision

Run aliyun pai-dsw create-instance with required args: --workspace-id, --instance-name, --ecs-spec, --region, and either --image-url or --image-id.

[MUST] Region confirmation: The --region parameter is required and must be confirmed with the user. Do NOT use CLI default region without explicit user approval. Spec availability and pricing vary by region.

[MUST] Match EcsSpec with image type:

• GPU image URL (contains -gpu- or cu) → Must select a GPU spec (e.g., ecs.gn6v-c4g1.xlarge)
• CPU image URL (contains -cpu-) → Must select a CPU spec (e.g., ecs.c6.large)
• The spec type MUST match the image type, otherwise the instance will fail to start
• Use case (大模型训练/数据分析) is only a recommendation, image type is the definitive indicator

Dataset mounting (optional): If the user specifies a dataset to mount, use the --datasets parameter in CLI list format:

--datasets DatasetId=\x3Cdataset-id> MountPath=\x3Cmount-path> MountAccess=RO

[MUST] Dataset parameters require explicit user confirmation — do NOT assume or auto-generate dataset configurations.

Official images: references/common-images.md.

Advanced usage (VPC, datasets): references/related-commands.md.

Response: {"InstanceId": "dsw-xxxxx", ...}

[IMPORTANT] Return immediately after creation: After create-instance returns InstanceId, do NOT block waiting for Running status. Instead:

1. Return the InstanceId and current status (Creating) to the user immediately
2. Provide the user with a command to check status later:

   aliyun pai-dsw get-instance --instance-id \x3Cinstance-id> --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills/alibabacloud-pai-dsw-manage
   

3. Inform the user that instance startup typically takes 2–5 minutes

Why this matters: Blocking polling prevents the agent from responding to other user requests. DSW instance creation is a long-running operation; the agent should return control to the user promptly.

3. List Instances

Run aliyun pai-dsw list-instances. Filter by --workspace-id or --status; paginate with --page-number / --page-size.

4. Get Instance Details

Run aliyun pai-dsw get-instance --instance-id \x3Cid> to check instance status and details.

When to poll: Only poll when the user explicitly asks to wait for a status change (e.g., "wait until it's running"). Otherwise, return the current status immediately.

Timeout limits: Maximum 60 polls (30 minutes total). If exceeded, stop and prompt user to check manually.

Polling interval: 10–30 seconds between calls.

CLI timeout: For long-running operations, increase read timeout:

aliyun pai-dsw get-instance --instance-id \x3Cid> --read-timeout 30 --user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills/alibabacloud-pai-dsw-manage

Once Status == "Running", access the instance via InstanceUrl.

For complete status transitions, see Instance Status Values in references/related-commands.md.

5. Stop Instance

Run aliyun pai-dsw stop-instance --instance-id \x3Cid>.

Status transition: Running → Stopping → Stopped

Save environment image: To save the environment as a custom image before stopping, use the PAI Console. See Create a DSW Instance Image for instructions.

6. Update Instance

Run aliyun pai-dsw update-instance --instance-id \x3Cid> to modify --instance-name, --ecs-spec, --image-id, --accessibility, --datasets, etc.

[MUST] Before updating:

1. Call get-instance to check current status and configuration
2. Check if update is needed:
   • For --ecs-spec: Compare current EcsSpec with target spec. If already equal, skip update and inform user
   • For --image-id/--image-url: Compare current ImageId/ImageUrl with target
   • For --instance-name: Compare current InstanceName with target
3. If already at target configuration, return current instance info — do not call update-instance
4. If update is needed, use --start-instance true to auto-start after update

[IMPORTANT] Always update the specified instance by its InstanceId. Do NOT substitute with another instance that already has the target spec — the user's request is to upgrade the specific instance, not to find an alternative.

7. Start Instance

Run aliyun pai-dsw start-instance --instance-id \x3Cid>, then poll (Step 4) until Running.

Prerequisite: Instance must be in Stopped or Failed state. Call get-instance to confirm before starting.

Success Verification

Full verification steps: references/verification-method.md.

Quick check: get-instance should return Status == "Running" with a non-empty InstanceUrl.

Cleanup

This skill does not expose instance deletion (irreversible operation — use the console).

To stop incurring charges, stop the instance via Step 5 (stop-instance).

Best Practices

1. Always run check-then-act before creation — use list-instances --instance-name \x3Cname> to avoid duplicate-instance errors.
2. Prefer PRIVATE visibility — prevents accidental operations by other workspace users.
3. Check instance status before update — call get-instance first; some parameters require Stopped state, others can be updated while Running.
4. Use --resource-id ALL with list-instances — the default only returns post-paid instances.
5. Observe polling timeout limits — see Step 4 for timeout and interval guidance.
6. Verify spec availability before provisioning — run list-ecs-specs to confirm the spec is available in the target region.
7. Tag instances with Labels — simplifies batch queries and lifecycle management.

References