---
name: fly-machines-0a0d8d1f75e0
description: Deploy and manage Fly.io Machines - create, start, stop, delete, and monitor containerized apps. Use for deploying containers, managing app instances, and orchestrating multi-tenant workloads.
metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"🪰"}}
---

# fly-machines

Deploy and manage containers on Fly.io using the Machines API.

## Setup

1. Get a Fly.io API token from https://fly.io/user/personal_access_tokens
2. Store it:
```bash
mkdir -p ~/.config/fly
echo "your_token_here" > ~/.config/fly/token
```

Or use environment variable:
```bash
export FLY_API_TOKEN="your_token_here"
```

## API Reference

Base URL: `https://api.machines.dev/v1`

All requests require:
```bash
FLY_TOKEN=$(cat ~/.config/fly/token 2>/dev/null || echo $FLY_API_TOKEN)
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     "https://api.machines.dev/v1/..."
```

## Apps Management

**List all apps:**
```bash
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps?org_slug=personal"
```

**Create app:**
```bash
curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps" \
  -d '{
    "app_name": "my-app",
    "org_slug": "personal"
  }'
```

**Get app details:**
```bash
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/my-app"
```

## Machines

**List machines in app:**
```bash
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/my-app/machines"
```

**Create machine:**
```bash
curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/my-app/machines" \
  -d '{
    "name": "worker-1",
    "region": "iad",
    "config": {
      "image": "nginx:latest",
      "env": {
        "MY_VAR": "value"
      },
      "services": [{
        "ports": [{"port": 443, "handlers": ["tls", "http"]}],
        "protocol": "tcp",
        "internal_port": 80
      }],
      "guest": {
        "cpu_kind": "shared",
        "cpus": 1,
        "memory_mb": 256
      }
    }
  }'
```

**Get machine:**
```bash
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/my-app/machines/{machine_id}"
```

**Start machine:**
```bash
curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/my-app/machines/{machine_id}/start"
```

**Stop machine:**
```bash
curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/my-app/machines/{machine_id}/stop"
```

**Delete machine:**
```bash
curl -X DELETE -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/my-app/machines/{machine_id}?force=true"
```

**Wait for state:**
```bash
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/my-app/machines/{machine_id}/wait?state=started&timeout=60"
```

## Volumes

**List volumes:**
```bash
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/my-app/volumes"
```

**Create volume:**
```bash
curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/my-app/volumes" \
  -d '{
    "name": "data_vol",
    "region": "iad",
    "size_gb": 1
  }'
```

**Mount volume to machine:**
```bash
# Include in machine config:
{
  "config": {
    "mounts": [{
      "volume": "vol_abc123",
      "path": "/data"
    }]
  }
}
```

## Machine Config Options

```json
{
  "name": "my-machine",
  "region": "iad",
  "config": {
    "image": "registry.fly.io/my-app:latest",
    "env": {"KEY": "value"},
    "guest": {
      "cpu_kind": "shared",
      "cpus": 1,
      "memory_mb": 256
    },
    "services": [{
      "ports": [
        {"port": 80, "handlers": ["http"]},
        {"port": 443, "handlers": ["tls", "http"]}
      ],
      "protocol": "tcp",
      "internal_port": 8080
    }],
    "mounts": [{"volume": "vol_id", "path": "/data"}],
    "auto_destroy": false,
    "restart": {"policy": "on-failure"}
  }
}
```

## Regions

Common regions:
- `iad` - Ashburn, Virginia (US East)
- `lax` - Los Angeles (US West)
- `cdg` - Paris
- `lhr` - London
- `nrt` - Tokyo
- `sin` - Singapore
- `syd` - Sydney

## Auto-Stop/Start

Machines automatically stop after idle timeout (default 5 min). They wake on incoming request (~3s cold start).

**Disable auto-stop:**
```json
{
  "config": {
    "auto_destroy": false,
    "services": [{
      "auto_stop_machines": false,
      "auto_start_machines": true
    }]
  }
}
```

## Secrets

**Set secret:**
```bash
curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/my-app/secrets" \
  -d '{"MY_SECRET": "secret_value"}'
```

Secrets are available as environment variables to all machines.

## Common Patterns

### Deploy a bot instance
```bash
FLY_TOKEN=$(cat ~/.config/fly/token)
APP="botspawn"
BOT_ID="user123"

curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/$APP/machines" \
  -d '{
    "name": "bot-'"$BOT_ID"'",
    "region": "iad",
    "config": {
      "image": "registry.fly.io/botspawn-bot:latest",
      "env": {
        "BOT_ID": "'"$BOT_ID"'",
        "AI_PROVIDER": "anthropic"
      },
      "guest": {"cpu_kind": "shared", "cpus": 1, "memory_mb": 256}
    }
  }'
```

### Scale to zero
Machines auto-stop when idle. To wake:
```bash
curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/my-app/machines/{id}/start"
```

### Health check
```bash
MACHINE=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLY_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.machines.dev/v1/apps/my-app/machines/{id}")
echo $MACHINE | jq '{state: .state, region: .region, updated: .updated_at}'
```

## CLI Alternative

For interactive use, the `flyctl` CLI is often easier:
```bash
# Install
curl -L https://fly.io/install.sh | sh

# Auth
fly auth login

# Deploy
fly deploy

# List machines
fly machines list -a my-app

# SSH into machine
fly ssh console -a my-app
```

## Notes

- Machines API is separate from the main Fly GraphQL API
- Each machine is an independent VM (Firecracker microVM)
- Volumes are regional and can only attach to machines in same region
- Private networking between machines via `.internal` DNS
- Logs: `fly logs -a my-app` or via Fly dashboard


---
Source attribution: modbender
Original project: https://github.com/modbender/skill-library-mcp/blob/d9c8fe903b5b4e82237dbe8d0df8567783022e18/data/fly-machines/SKILL.md
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2025 skill-library-mcp contributors

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Mega AI Hub resource metadata

Creator / publisher: modbender
Original project: https://github.com/modbender/skill-library-mcp/blob/d9c8fe903b5b4e82237dbe8d0df8567783022e18/data/fly-machines/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Source repository record

Fields of work: Development & Engineering
Roles: Backend Developer, DevOps / SRE, Full-Stack Developer
Specialties: Backend, DevOps
Tools: Fly.Io
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: da1be6ecac275af168400095393d371415131de3182ecde1aa7921edbc6e592c