Hugging Face Jobs

Running Workloads on Hugging Face Jobs

Overview

Run any workload on fully managed Hugging Face infrastructure. No local setup required—jobs run on cloud CPUs, GPUs, or TPUs and can persist results to the Hugging Face Hub.

Common use cases:

• Data Processing - Transform, filter, or analyze large datasets
• Batch Inference - Run inference on thousands of samples
• Experiments & Benchmarks - Reproducible ML experiments
• Model Training - Fine-tune models (see model-trainer skill for TRL-specific training)
• Synthetic Data Generation - Generate datasets using LLMs
• Development & Testing - Test code without local GPU setup
• Scheduled Jobs - Automate recurring tasks

For model training specifically: See the model-trainer skill for TRL-based training workflows.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when users want to:

• Run Python workloads on cloud infrastructure
• Execute jobs without local GPU/TPU setup
• Process data at scale
• Run batch inference or experiments
• Schedule recurring tasks
• Use GPUs/TPUs for any workload
• Persist results to the Hugging Face Hub

Key Directives

When assisting with jobs:

1. ALWAYS use hf_jobs() MCP tool - Submit jobs using hf_jobs("uv", {...}) or hf_jobs("run", {...}). The script parameter accepts Python code directly. Do NOT save to local files unless the user explicitly requests it. Pass the script content as a string to hf_jobs().

2. Always handle authentication - Jobs that interact with the Hub require HF_TOKEN via secrets. See Token Usage section below.

3. Provide job details after submission - After submitting, provide job ID, monitoring URL, estimated time, and note that the user can request status checks later.

4. Set appropriate timeouts - Default 30min may be insufficient for long-running tasks.

Prerequisites Checklist

Before starting any job, verify:

✅ Account & Authentication

• Hugging Face Account with Pro, Team, or Enterprise plan (Jobs require paid plan)
• Authenticated login: Check with hf_whoami()
• HF_TOKEN for Hub Access ⚠️ CRITICAL - Required for any Hub operations (push models/datasets, download private repos, etc.)
• Token must have appropriate permissions (read for downloads, write for uploads)

✅ Token Usage (See Token Usage section for details)

When tokens are required:

• Pushing models/datasets to Hub
• Accessing private repositories
• Using Hub APIs in scripts
• Any authenticated Hub operations

How to provide tokens:

# hf_jobs MCP tool — $HF_TOKEN is auto-replaced with real token:
{"secrets": {"HF_TOKEN": "$HF_TOKEN"}}

# HfApi().run_uv_job() — MUST pass actual token:
from huggingface_hub import get_token
secrets={"HF_TOKEN": get_token()}

⚠️ CRITICAL: The $HF_TOKEN placeholder is ONLY auto-replaced by the hf_jobs MCP tool. When using HfApi().run_uv_job(), you MUST pass the real token via get_token(). Passing the literal string "$HF_TOKEN" results in a 9-character invalid token and 401 errors.

Token Usage Guide

Understanding Tokens

What are HF Tokens?

• Authentication credentials for Hugging Face Hub
• Required for authenticated operations (push, private repos, API access)
• Stored securely on your machine after hf auth login

Token Types:

• Read Token - Can download models/datasets, read private repos
• Write Token - Can push models/datasets, create repos, modify content
• Organization Token - Can act on behalf of an organization

When Tokens Are Required

Always Required:

• Pushing models/datasets to Hub
• Accessing private repositories
• Creating new repositories
• Modifying existing repositories
• Using Hub APIs programmatically

Not Required:

• Downloading public models/datasets
• Running jobs that don't interact with Hub
• Reading public repository information

How to Provide Tokens to Jobs

Method 1: Automatic Token (Recommended)

hf_jobs("uv", {
    "script": "your_script.py",
    "secrets": {"HF_TOKEN": "$HF_TOKEN"}  # ✅ Automatic replacement
})

How it works:

• $HF_TOKEN is a placeholder that gets replaced with your actual token
• Uses the token from your logged-in session (hf auth login)
• Most secure and convenient method
• Token is encrypted server-side when passed as a secret

Benefits:

• No token exposure in code
• Uses your current login session
• Automatically updated if you re-login
• Works seamlessly with MCP tools

Method 2: Explicit Token (Not Recommended)

hf_jobs("uv", {
    "script": "your_script.py",
    "secrets": {"HF_TOKEN": "hf_abc123..."}  # ⚠️ Hardcoded token
})

When to use:

• Only if automatic token doesn't work
• Testing with a specific token
• Organization tokens (use with caution)

Security concerns:

• Token visible in code/logs
• Must manually update if token rotates
• Risk of token exposure

Method 3: Environment Variable (Less Secure)

hf_jobs("uv", {
    "script": "your_script.py",
    "env": {"HF_TOKEN": "hf_abc123..."}  # ⚠️ Less secure than secrets
})

Difference from secrets:

• env variables are visible in job logs
• secrets are encrypted server-side
• Always prefer secrets for tokens

Using Tokens in Scripts

In your Python script, tokens are available as environment variables:

# /// script
# dependencies = ["huggingface-hub"]
# ///

import os
from huggingface_hub import HfApi

# Token is automatically available if passed via secrets
token = os.environ.get("HF_TOKEN")

# Use with Hub API
api = HfApi(token=token)

# Or let huggingface_hub auto-detect
api = HfApi()  # Automatically uses HF_TOKEN env var

Best practices:

• Don't hardcode tokens in scripts
• Use os.environ.get("HF_TOKEN") to access
• Let huggingface_hub auto-detect when possible
• Verify token exists before Hub operations

Token Verification

Check if you're logged in:

from huggingface_hub import whoami
user_info = whoami()  # Returns your username if authenticated

Verify token in job:

import os
assert "HF_TOKEN" in os.environ, "HF_TOKEN not found!"
token = os.environ["HF_TOKEN"]
print(f"Token starts with: {token[:7]}...")  # Should start with "hf_"

Common Token Issues

Error: 401 Unauthorized

• Cause: Token missing or invalid
• Fix: Add secrets={"HF_TOKEN": "$HF_TOKEN"} to job config
• Verify: Check hf_whoami() works locally

Error: 403 Forbidden

• Cause: Token lacks required permissions
• Fix: Ensure token has write permissions for push operations
• Check: Token type at https://huggingface.co/settings/tokens

Error: Token not found in environment

• Cause: secrets not passed or wrong key name
• Fix: Use secrets={"HF_TOKEN": "$HF_TOKEN"} (not env)
• Verify: Script checks os.environ.get("HF_TOKEN")

Error: Repository access denied

• Cause: Token doesn't have access to private repo
• Fix: Use token from account with access
• Check: Verify repo visibility and your permissions

Token Security Best Practices

1. Never commit tokens - Use $HF_TOKEN placeholder or environment variables
2. Use secrets, not env - Secrets are encrypted server-side
3. Rotate tokens regularly - Generate new tokens periodically
4. Use minimal permissions - Create tokens with only needed permissions
5. Don't share tokens - Each user should use their own token
6. Monitor token usage - Check token activity in Hub settings

Complete Token Example

# Example: Push results to Hub
hf_jobs("uv", {
    "script": """
# /// script
# dependencies = ["huggingface-hub", "datasets"]
# ///

import os
from huggingface_hub import HfApi
from datasets import Dataset

# Verify token is available
assert "HF_TOKEN" in os.environ, "HF_TOKEN required!"

# Use token for Hub operations
api = HfApi(token=os.environ["HF_TOKEN"])

# Create and push dataset
data = {"text": ["Hello", "World"]}
dataset = Dataset.from_dict(data)
dataset.push_to_hub("username/my-dataset", token=os.environ["HF_TOKEN"])

print("✅ Dataset pushed successfully!")
""",
    "flavor": "cpu-basic",
    "timeout": "30m",
    "secrets": {"HF_TOKEN": "$HF_TOKEN"}  # ✅ Token provided securely
})

Quick Start: Two Approaches

Approach 1: UV Scripts (Recommended)

UV scripts use PEP 723 inline dependencies for clean, self-contained workloads.

MCP Tool:

hf_jobs("uv", {
    "script": """
# /// script
# dependencies = ["transformers", "torch"]
# ///

from transformers import pipeline
import torch

# Your workload here
classifier = pipeline("sentiment-analysis")
result = classifier("I love Hugging Face!")
print(result)
""",
    "flavor": "cpu-basic",
    "timeout": "30m"
})

CLI Equivalent:

hf jobs uv run my_script.py --flavor cpu-basic --timeout 30m

Python API:

from huggingface_hub import run_uv_job
run_uv_job("my_script.py", flavor="cpu-basic", timeout="30m")

Benefits: Direct MCP tool usage, clean code, dependencies declared inline, no file saving required

When to use: Default choice for all workloads, custom logic, any scenario requiring hf_jobs()

Custom Docker Images for UV Scripts

By default, UV scripts use ghcr.io/astral-sh/uv:python3.12-bookworm-slim. For ML workloads with complex dependencies, use pre-built images:

hf_jobs("uv", {
    "script": "inference.py",
    "image": "vllm/vllm-openai:latest",  # Pre-built image with vLLM
    "flavor": "a10g-large"
})

CLI:

hf jobs uv run --image vllm/vllm-openai:latest --flavor a10g-large inference.py

Benefits: Faster startup, pre-installed dependencies, optimized for specific frameworks

Python Version

By default, UV scripts use Python 3.12. Specify a different version:

hf_jobs("uv", {
    "script": "my_script.py",
    "python": "3.11",  # Use Python 3.11
    "flavor": "cpu-basic"
})

Python API:

from huggingface_hub import run_uv_job
run_uv_job("my_script.py", python="3.11")

Working with Scripts

⚠️ Important: There are two "script path" stories depending on how you run Jobs:

• Using the hf_jobs() MCP tool (recommended in this repo): the script value must be inline code (a string) or a URL. A local filesystem path (like "./scripts/foo.py") won't exist inside the remote container.
• Using the hf jobs uv run CLI: local file paths do work (the CLI uploads your script).

Common mistake with hf_jobs() MCP tool:

# ❌ Will fail (remote container can't see your local path)
hf_jobs("uv", {"script": "./scripts/foo.py"})

Correct patterns with hf_jobs() MCP tool:

# ✅ Inline: read the local script file and pass its *contents*
from pathlib import Path
script = Path("hf-jobs/scripts/foo.py").read_text()
hf_jobs("uv", {"script": script})

# ✅ URL: host the script somewhere reachable
hf_jobs("uv", {"script": "https://huggingface.co/datasets/uv-scripts/.../raw/main/foo.py"})

# ✅ URL from GitHub
hf_jobs("uv", {"script": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/huggingface/trl/main/trl/scripts/sft.py"})

CLI equivalent (local paths supported):

hf jobs uv run ./scripts/foo.py -- --your --args

Adding Dependencies at Runtime

Add extra dependencies beyond what's in the PEP 723 header:

hf_jobs("uv", {
    "script": "inference.py",
    "dependencies": ["transformers", "torch>=2.0"],  # Extra deps
    "flavor": "a10g-small"
})

Python API:

from huggingface_hub import run_uv_job
run_uv_job("inference.py", dependencies=["transformers", "torch>=2.0"])

Approach 2: Docker-Based Jobs

Run jobs with custom Docker images and commands.

MCP Tool:

hf_jobs("run", {
    "image": "python:3.12",
    "command": ["python", "-c", "print('Hello from HF Jobs!')"],
    "flavor": "cpu-basic",
    "timeout": "30m"
})

CLI Equivalent:

hf jobs run python:3.12 python -c "print('Hello from HF Jobs!')"

Python API:

from huggingface_hub import run_job
run_job(image="python:3.12", command=["python", "-c", "print('Hello!')"], flavor="cpu-basic")

Benefits: Full Docker control, use pre-built images, run any command When to use: Need specific Docker images, non-Python workloads, complex environments

Example with GPU:

hf_jobs("run", {
    "image": "pytorch/pytorch:2.6.0-cuda12.4-cudnn9-devel",
    "command": ["python", "-c", "import torch; print(torch.cuda.get_device_name())"],
    "flavor": "a10g-small",
    "timeout": "1h"
})

Using Hugging Face Spaces as Images:

You can use Docker images from HF Spaces:

hf_jobs("run", {
    "image": "hf.co/spaces/lhoestq/duckdb",  # Space as Docker image
    "command": ["duckdb", "-c", "SELECT 'Hello from DuckDB!'"],
    "flavor": "cpu-basic"
})

CLI:

hf jobs run hf.co/spaces/lhoestq/duckdb duckdb -c "SELECT 'Hello!'"

Finding More UV Scripts on Hub

The uv-scripts organization provides ready-to-use UV scripts stored as datasets on Hugging Face Hub:

# Discover available UV script collections
dataset_search({"author": "uv-scripts", "sort": "downloads", "limit": 20})

# Explore a specific collection
hub_repo_details(["uv-scripts/classification"], repo_type="dataset", include_readme=True)

Popular collections: OCR, classification, synthetic-data, vLLM, dataset-creation

Hardware Selection

Reference: HF Jobs Hardware Docs (updated 07/2025)

All Available Flavors:

• CPU: cpu-basic, cpu-upgrade
• GPU: t4-small, t4-medium, l4x1, l4x4, a10g-small, a10g-large, a10g-largex2, a10g-largex4, a100-large
• TPU: v5e-1x1, v5e-2x2, v5e-2x4

Guidelines:

• Start with smaller hardware for testing
• Scale up based on actual needs
• Use multi-GPU for parallel workloads or large models
• Use TPUs for JAX/Flax workloads
• See references/hardware_guide.md for detailed specifications

Critical: Saving Results

⚠️ EPHEMERAL ENVIRONMENT—MUST PERSIST RESULTS

The Jobs environment is temporary. All files are deleted when the job ends. If results aren't persisted, ALL WORK IS LOST.

Persistence Options

1. Push to Hugging Face Hub (Recommended)

# Push models
model.push_to_hub("username/model-name", token=os.environ["HF_TOKEN"])

# Push datasets
dataset.push_to_hub("username/dataset-name", token=os.environ["HF_TOKEN"])

# Push artifacts
api.upload_file(
    path_or_fileobj="results.json",
    path_in_repo="results.json",
    repo_id="username/results",
    token=os.environ["HF_TOKEN"]
)

2. Use External Storage

# Upload to S3, GCS, etc.
import boto3
s3 = boto3.client('s3')
s3.upload_file('results.json', 'my-bucket', 'results.json')

3. Send Results via API

# POST results to your API
import requests
requests.post("https://your-api.com/results", json=results)

Required Configuration for Hub Push

In job submission:

# hf_jobs MCP tool:
{"secrets": {"HF_TOKEN": "$HF_TOKEN"}}  # auto-replaced

# HfApi().run_uv_job():
from huggingface_hub import get_token
secrets={"HF_TOKEN": get_token()}  # must pass real token

In script:

import os
from huggingface_hub import HfApi

# Token automatically available from secrets
api = HfApi(token=os.environ.get("HF_TOKEN"))

# Push your results
api.upload_file(...)

Verification Checklist

Before submitting:

• Results persistence method chosen
• Token in secrets if using Hub (MCP: "$HF_TOKEN", Python API: get_token())
• Script handles missing token gracefully
• Test persistence path works

See: references/hub_saving.md for detailed Hub persistence guide

Timeout Management

⚠️ DEFAULT: 30 MINUTES

Jobs automatically stop after the timeout. For long-running tasks like training, always set a custom timeout.

Setting Timeouts

MCP Tool:

{
    "timeout": "2h"   # 2 hours
}

Supported formats:

• Integer/float: seconds (e.g., 300 = 5 minutes)
• String with suffix: "5m" (minutes), "2h" (hours), "1d" (days)
• Examples: "90m", "2h", "1.5h", 300, "1d"

Python API:

from huggingface_hub import run_job, run_uv_job

run_job(image="python:3.12", command=[...], timeout="2h")
run_uv_job("script.py", timeout=7200)  # 2 hours in seconds

Timeout Guidelines

Always add 20-30% buffer for setup, network delays, and cleanup.

On timeout: Job killed immediately, all unsaved progress lost

Cost Estimation

General guidelines:

Total Cost = (Hours of runtime) × (Cost per hour)

Example calculations:

Quick test:

• Hardware: cpu-basic ($0.10/hour)
• Time: 15 minutes (0.25 hours)
• Cost: $0.03

Data processing:

• Hardware: l4x1 ($2.50/hour)
• Time: 2 hours
• Cost: $5.00

Batch inference:

• Hardware: a10g-large ($5/hour)
• Time: 4 hours
• Cost: $20.00

Cost optimization tips:

1. Start small - Test on cpu-basic or t4-small
2. Monitor runtime - Set appropriate timeouts
3. Use checkpoints - Resume if job fails
4. Optimize code - Reduce unnecessary compute
5. Choose right hardware - Don't over-provision

Monitoring and Tracking

Check Job Status

MCP Tool:

# List all jobs
hf_jobs("ps")

# Inspect specific job
hf_jobs("inspect", {"job_id": "your-job-id"})

# View logs
hf_jobs("logs", {"job_id": "your-job-id"})

# Cancel a job
hf_jobs("cancel", {"job_id": "your-job-id"})

Python API:

from huggingface_hub import list_jobs, inspect_job, fetch_job_logs, cancel_job

# List your jobs
jobs = list_jobs()

# List running jobs only
running = [j for j in list_jobs() if j.status.stage == "RUNNING"]

# Inspect specific job
job_info = inspect_job(job_id="your-job-id")

# View logs
for log in fetch_job_logs(job_id="your-job-id"):
    print(log)

# Cancel a job
cancel_job(job_id="your-job-id")

CLI:

hf jobs ps                    # List jobs
hf jobs logs <job-id>         # View logs
hf jobs cancel <job-id>       # Cancel job

Remember: Wait for user to request status checks. Avoid polling repeatedly.

Job URLs

After submission, jobs have monitoring URLs:

https://huggingface.co/jobs/username/job-id

View logs, status, and details in the browser.

Wait for Multiple Jobs

import time
from huggingface_hub import inspect_job, run_job

# Run multiple jobs
jobs = [run_job(image=img, command=cmd) for img, cmd in workloads]

# Wait for all to complete
for job in jobs:
    while inspect_job(job_id=job.id).status.stage not in ("COMPLETED", "ERROR"):
        time.sleep(10)

Scheduled Jobs

Run jobs on a schedule using CRON expressions or predefined schedules.

MCP Tool:

# Schedule a UV script that runs every hour
hf_jobs("scheduled uv", {
    "script": "your_script.py",
    "schedule": "@hourly",
    "flavor": "cpu-basic"
})

# Schedule with CRON syntax
hf_jobs("scheduled uv", {
    "script": "your_script.py",
    "schedule": "0 9 * * 1",  # 9 AM every Monday
    "flavor": "cpu-basic"
})

# Schedule a Docker-based job
hf_jobs("scheduled run", {
    "image": "python:3.12",
    "command": ["python", "-c", "print('Scheduled!')"],
    "schedule": "@daily",
    "flavor": "cpu-basic"
})

Python API:

from huggingface_hub import create_scheduled_job, create_scheduled_uv_job

# Schedule a Docker job
create_scheduled_job(
    image="python:3.12",
    command=["python", "-c", "print('Running on schedule!')"],
    schedule="@hourly"
)

# Schedule a UV script
create_scheduled_uv_job("my_script.py", schedule="@daily", flavor="cpu-basic")

# Schedule with GPU
create_scheduled_uv_job(
    "ml_inference.py",
    schedule="0 */6 * * *",  # Every 6 hours
    flavor="a10g-small"
)

Available schedules:

• @annually, @yearly - Once per year
• @monthly - Once per month
• @weekly - Once per week
• @daily - Once per day
• @hourly - Once per hour
• CRON expression - Custom schedule (e.g., "*/5 * * * *" for every 5 minutes)

Manage scheduled jobs:

# MCP Tool
hf_jobs("scheduled ps")                              # List scheduled jobs
hf_jobs("scheduled inspect", {"job_id": "..."})     # Inspect details
hf_jobs("scheduled suspend", {"job_id": "..."})     # Pause
hf_jobs("scheduled resume", {"job_id": "..."})      # Resume
hf_jobs("scheduled delete", {"job_id": "..."})      # Delete

Python API for management:

from huggingface_hub import (
    list_scheduled_jobs,
    inspect_scheduled_job,
    suspend_scheduled_job,
    resume_scheduled_job,
    delete_scheduled_job
)

# List all scheduled jobs
scheduled = list_scheduled_jobs()

# Inspect a scheduled job
info = inspect_scheduled_job(scheduled_job_id)

# Suspend (pause) a scheduled job
suspend_scheduled_job(scheduled_job_id)

# Resume a scheduled job
resume_scheduled_job(scheduled_job_id)

# Delete a scheduled job
delete_scheduled_job(scheduled_job_id)

Webhooks: Trigger Jobs on Events

Trigger jobs automatically when changes happen in Hugging Face repositories.

Python API:

from huggingface_hub import create_webhook

# Create webhook that triggers a job when a repo changes
webhook = create_webhook(
    job_id=job.id,
    watched=[
        {"type": "user", "name": "your-username"},
        {"type": "org", "name": "your-org-name"}
    ],
    domains=["repo", "discussion"],
    secret=os.environ["HF_WEBHOOK_SECRET"]
)

How it works:

1. Webhook listens for changes in watched repositories
2. When triggered, the job runs with WEBHOOK_PAYLOAD environment variable
3. Your script can parse the payload to understand what changed

Use cases:

• Auto-process new datasets when uploaded
• Trigger inference when models are updated
• Run tests when code changes
• Generate reports on repository activity

Access webhook payload in script:

import os
import json

payload = json.loads(os.environ.get("WEBHOOK_PAYLOAD", "{}"))
print(f"Event type: {payload.get('event', {}).get('action')}")

See Webhooks Documentation for more details.

Common Workload Patterns

This repository ships ready-to-run UV scripts in hf-jobs/scripts/. Prefer using them instead of inventing new templates.

Pattern 1: Dataset → Model Responses (vLLM) — scripts/generate-responses.py

What it does: loads a Hub dataset (chat messages or a prompt column), applies a model chat template, generates responses with vLLM, and pushes the output dataset + dataset card back to the Hub.

Requires: GPU + write token (it pushes a dataset).

from pathlib import Path

script = Path("hf-jobs/scripts/generate-responses.py").read_text()
hf_jobs("uv", {
    "script": script,
    "script_args": [
        "username/input-dataset",
        "username/output-dataset",
        "--messages-column", "messages",
        "--model-id", "Qwen/Qwen3-30B-A3B-Instruct-2507",
        "--temperature", "0.7",
        "--top-p", "0.8",
        "--max-tokens", "2048",
    ],
    "flavor": "a10g-large",
    "timeout": "4h",
    "secrets": {"HF_TOKEN": "$HF_TOKEN"},
})

Pattern 2: CoT Self-Instruct Synthetic Data — scripts/cot-self-instruct.py

What it does: generates synthetic prompts/answers via CoT Self-Instruct, optionally filters outputs (answer-consistency / RIP), then pushes the generated dataset + dataset card to the Hub.

Requires: GPU + write token (it pushes a dataset).

from pathlib import Path

script = Path("hf-jobs/scripts/cot-self-instruct.py").read_text()
hf_jobs("uv", {
    "script": script,
    "script_args": [
        "--seed-dataset", "davanstrien/s1k-reasoning",
        "--output-dataset", "username/synthetic-math",
        "--task-type", "reasoning",
        "--num-samples", "5000",
        "--filter-method", "answer-consistency",
    ],
    "flavor": "l4x4",
    "timeout": "8h",
    "secrets": {"HF_TOKEN": "$HF_TOKEN"},
})

Pattern 3: Streaming Dataset Stats (Polars + HF Hub) — scripts/finepdfs-stats.py

What it does: scans parquet directly from Hub (no 300GB download), computes temporal stats, and (optionally) uploads results to a Hub dataset repo.

Requires: CPU is often enough; token needed only if you pass --output-repo (upload).

from pathlib import Path

script = Path("hf-jobs/scripts/finepdfs-stats.py").read_text()
hf_jobs("uv", {
    "script": script,
    "script_args": [
        "--limit", "10000",
        "--show-plan",
        "--output-repo", "username/finepdfs-temporal-stats",
    ],
    "flavor": "cpu-upgrade",
    "timeout": "2h",
    "env": {"HF_XET_HIGH_PERFORMANCE": "1"},
    "secrets": {"HF_TOKEN": "$HF_TOKEN"},
})

Common Failure Modes

Out of Memory (OOM)

Fix:

1. Reduce batch size or data chunk size
2. Process data in smaller batches
3. Upgrade hardware: cpu → t4 → a10g → a100

Job Timeout

Fix:

1. Check logs for actual runtime
2. Increase timeout with buffer: "timeout": "3h"
3. Optimize code for faster execution
4. Process data in chunks

Hub Push Failures

Fix:

1. Add token to secrets: MCP uses "$HF_TOKEN" (auto-replaced), Python API uses get_token() (must pass real token)
2. Verify token in script: assert "HF_TOKEN" in os.environ
3. Check token permissions
4. Verify repo exists or can be created

Missing Dependencies

Fix: Add to PEP 723 header:

# /// script
# dependencies = ["package1", "package2>=1.0.0"]
# ///

Authentication Errors

Fix:

1. Check hf_whoami() works locally
2. Verify token in secrets — MCP: "$HF_TOKEN", Python API: get_token() (NOT "$HF_TOKEN")
3. Re-login: hf auth login
4. Check token has required permissions

Troubleshooting

Common issues:

• Job times out → Increase timeout, optimize code
• Results not saved → Check persistence method, verify HF_TOKEN
• Out of Memory → Reduce batch size, upgrade hardware
• Import errors → Add dependencies to PEP 723 header
• Authentication errors → Check token, verify secrets parameter

See: references/troubleshooting.md for complete troubleshooting guide

Resources

References (In This Skill)

• references/token_usage.md - Complete token usage guide
• references/hardware_guide.md - Hardware specs and selection
• references/hub_saving.md - Hub persistence guide
• references/troubleshooting.md - Common issues and solutions

Scripts (In This Skill)

• scripts/generate-responses.py - vLLM batch generation: dataset → responses → push to Hub
• scripts/cot-self-instruct.py - CoT Self-Instruct synthetic data generation + filtering → push to Hub
• scripts/finepdfs-stats.py - Polars streaming stats over finepdfs-edu parquet on Hub (optional push)

External Links

Official Documentation:

• HF Jobs Guide - Main documentation
• HF Jobs CLI Reference - Command line interface
• HF Jobs API Reference - Python API details
• Hardware Flavors Reference - Available hardware

Related Tools:

• UV Scripts Guide - PEP 723 inline dependencies
• UV Scripts Organization - Community UV script collection
• HF Hub Authentication - Token setup
• Webhooks Documentation - Event triggers

Key Takeaways

1. Submit scripts inline - The script parameter accepts Python code directly; no file saving required unless user requests
2. Jobs are asynchronous - Don't wait/poll; let user check when ready
3. Always set timeout - Default 30 min may be insufficient; set appropriate timeout
4. Always persist results - Environment is ephemeral; without persistence, all work is lost
5. Use tokens securely - MCP: secrets={"HF_TOKEN": "$HF_TOKEN"}, Python API: secrets={"HF_TOKEN": get_token()} — "$HF_TOKEN" only works with MCP tool
6. Choose appropriate hardware - Start small, scale up based on needs (see hardware guide)
7. Use UV scripts - Default to hf_jobs("uv", {...}) with inline scripts for Python workloads
8. Handle authentication - Verify tokens are available before Hub operations
9. Monitor jobs - Provide job URLs and status check commands
10. Optimize costs - Choose right hardware, set appropriate timeouts

Quick Reference: MCP Tool vs CLI vs Python API

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.