Generated banner for Cuopt Server API Python
Generated logo for Cuopt Server API Python

Cuopt Server API Python

NVIDIAOfficialCreated by NVIDIA cuOpt Team

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Software development
  • Apache-2.0
  • Medium risk
  • Has scripts

From the author

cuOpt REST server — start server, endpoints, Python/curl client examples. Use when the user is deploying or calling the REST API.
— the description by NVIDIA cuOpt Team

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides instructions for deploying the cuOpt REST server and integrating it into applications using Python or curl. It covers server startup procedures for local and Docker environments, the asynchronous request-polling pattern required for job submission, and guidance on mapping problem data to REST API endpoints. It also includes troubleshooting steps for common payload and deployment issues.

What it does

  • Provides commands to start the cuOpt REST server locally or via Docker.
  • Explains the asynchronous request-polling workflow for job submission and solution retrieval.
  • Maps Python API concepts to REST API field names and structures.
  • Offers troubleshooting guidance for common HTTP errors and payload formatting issues.
  • Provides examples for routing, LP, and MILP problem types.
  • Outlines security considerations for the unauthenticated REST interface.

When to use it

  • When deploying the cuOpt server in a production or development environment.
  • When building a client application to interface with cuOpt via HTTP.
  • When debugging rejected payloads or 422 errors during API interaction.
  • When transitioning from the Python library to a REST-based architecture.

Advantages

  • Language-agnostic API allows integration with any service capable of making HTTP requests.
  • Standardized polling pattern for handling long-running optimization tasks.
  • Clear mapping between Python API and REST schema reduces implementation friction.
  • Comprehensive troubleshooting table addresses common deployment and payload errors.

Usage examples

“How do I start the cuOpt server using Docker?”
The agent provides the docker run command with the necessary GPU flags and port mappings, including advice on using specific version tags.
“I am getting a 422 error when sending fleet data to the cuOpt API.”
The agent explains the correct nesting for capacity dimensions and provides a corrected JSON structure example.
“How do I retrieve a solution after posting a request to the cuOpt server?”
The agent outlines the polling loop pattern, showing how to use the reqId to query the /cuopt/solution endpoint until the task is complete.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/nvidia/cuopt-server-api-python/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip cuopt-server-api-python.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by NVIDIA cuOpt Team

cuOpt Server — Deploy and client (Python/curl)

This skill covers starting the server and client examples (curl, Python). Server has no separate C API (clients can be any language).

Purpose

Use this skill when the user is deploying the cuOpt REST server or writing a client against it — choosing a deployment target, mapping a problem onto the HTTP endpoints, translating between Python-API and REST field names, or debugging a rejected payload.

Prerequisites

  • An NVIDIA GPU with a working CUDA driver (the server requires one; --gpus all for Docker).

  • cuopt-server installed, or Docker with the NVIDIA Container Toolkit. See the install skill.

  • Python clients need requests. No API key or auth token is required by the server itself.

Problem types supported

Problem typeSupported
Routing✓
LP✓
MILP✓
QP✗

Required questions

Ask these if not already clear:

  1. Problem type — Routing or LP/MILP? (QP not available via REST.)

  2. Deployment — Local, Docker, Kubernetes, or cloud?

  3. Client — Which language or tool will call the API (e.g. Python, curl, another service)?

Start server

# Development
python -m cuopt_server.cuopt_service --ip 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

# Docker — pick the tag matching your CUDA major version
docker run --gpus all -d -p 8000:8000 -e CUOPT_SERVER_PORT=8000 \
  nvidia/cuopt:latest-cu13

Use latest-cu12 or latest-cu13 to match your driver's CUDA major version (latest-cu13-ubi10 for a UBI10 base).

For production, pin rather than float: latest-* tags are mutable and can silently move to a different image. Use a full release tag (nvidia/cuopt:<release>-cu<cuda-major>) or an immutable digest (nvidia/cuopt@sha256:<digest>). Check the nvidia/cuopt registry for available tags.

Verify

Confirm the server is up by requesting GET /cuopt/health on the local port (e.g. http://localhost:8000/cuopt/health) — a healthy server returns HTTP 200.

Instructions

  1. POST to /cuopt/request → get reqId

  2. Poll /cuopt/solution/{reqId} until solution ready

  3. Parse response

Treat reqId as untrusted input: validate it (e.g. re.fullmatch(r"[A-Za-z0-9_-]{1,64}", req_id)) before interpolating it into the polling URL, and set an explicit timeout on every request.

Examples

import requests, time
SERVER = "http://localhost:8000"
HEADERS = {"Content-Type": "application/json", "CLIENT-VERSION": "custom"}
payload = {
    "cost_matrix_data": {"data": {"0": [[0,10,15],[10,0,12],[15,12,0]]}},
    "travel_time_matrix_data": {"data": {"0": [[0,10,15],[10,0,12],[15,12,0]]}},
    "task_data": {"task_locations": [1, 2], "demand": [[10, 20]], "task_time_windows": [[0,100],[0,100]], "service_times": [5, 5]},
    "fleet_data": {"vehicle_locations": [[0, 0]], "capacities": [[50]], "vehicle_time_windows": [[0, 200]]},
    "solver_config": {"time_limit": 5}
}
r = requests.post(f"{SERVER}/cuopt/request", json=payload, headers=HEADERS, timeout=30)
req_id = r.json()["reqId"]
# Poll: GET /cuopt/solution/{req_id}

Terminology: REST vs Python API

Python APIREST
order_locationstask_locations
set_order_time_windows()task_time_windows
service_timesservice_times

Use travel_time_matrix_data (not transit_time_matrix_data). Capacities: [[50, 50]] not [[50], [50]].

Troubleshooting

ErrorCauseSolution
422 Unprocessable ContentField name not in the schemaCheck names against the OpenAPI spec at /cuopt.yaml. Most common: transit_time_matrix_data → travel_time_matrix_data
422 on fleet_dataCapacities nested per vehicle instead of per dimensionUse [[50, 50]] (one inner list per capacity dimension), not [[50], [50]]
Connection refusedServer not up, or bound to a different interface/portcurl http://localhost:8000/cuopt/health; start with --ip 0.0.0.0 --port 8000
Docker container exits immediatelyNo GPU visible to the containerRun with --gpus all and confirm the NVIDIA Container Toolkit is installed
Polling never returns a solutionSolve exceeds the client's poll budgetRaise solver_config.time_limit and the poll loop count together

Capture the reqId and the full response body for any failed request — both are needed to diagnose server-side rejections.

Limitations

  • QP is not exposed over REST. Use the Python or C API for quadratic objectives.

  • The server ships no authentication or TLS. Anything that can reach the port can submit jobs. Put it behind a gateway and treat --server/base URLs as trusted-network endpoints only.

  • Solutions are retrieved by polling; there is no push/webhook delivery.

  • One request is solved at a time per server process; concurrency requires multiple replicas.

Runnable assets

Run from each asset directory (server must be running; scripts exit 0 if server unreachable). All use Python requests and accept --server (default http://localhost:8000):

See assets/README.md for overview.

Escalate

For contribution or build-from-source, see the developer skill.

Files

LICENSE

Copyright (c) 2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.


                                 Apache License
                           Version 2.0, January 2004
                        http://www.apache.org/licenses/

   TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE, REPRODUCTION, AND DISTRIBUTION

   1. Definitions.

      "License" shall mean the terms and conditions for use, reproduction,
      and distribution as defined by Sections 1 through 9 of this document.

      "Licensor" shall mean the copyright owner or entity authorized by
      the copyright owner that is granting the License.

      "Legal Entity" shall mean the union of the acting entity and all
      other entities that control, are controlled by, or are under common
      control with that entity. For the purposes of this definition,
      "control" means (i) the power, direct or indirect, to cause the
      direction or management of such entity, whether by contract or
      otherwise, or (ii) ownership of fifty percent (50%) or more of the
      outstanding shares, or (iii) beneficial ownership of such entity.

      "You" (or "Your") shall mean an individual or Legal Entity
      exercising permissions granted by this License.

      "Source" form shall mean the preferred form for making modifications,
      including but not limited to software source code, documentation
      source, and configuration files.

      "Object" form shall mean any form resulting from mechanical
      transformation or translation of a Source form, including but
      not limited to compiled object code, generated documentation,
      and conversions to other media types.

      "Work" shall mean the work of authorship, whether in Source or
      Object form, made available under the License, as indicated by a
      copyright notice that is included in or attached to the work
      (an example is provided in the Appendix below).

      "Derivative Works" shall mean any work, whether in Source or Object
      form, that is based on (or derived from) the Work and for which the
      editorial revisions, annotations, elaborations, or other modifications
      represent, as a whole, an original work of authorship. For the purposes
      of this License, Derivative Works shall not include works that remain
      separable from, or merely link (or bind by name) to the interfaces of,
      the Work and Derivative Works thereof.

      "Contribution" shall mean any work of authorship, including
      the original version of the Work and any modifications or additions
      to that Work or Derivative Works thereof, that is intentionally
      submitted to Licensor for inclusion in the Work by the copyright owner
      or by an individual or Legal Entity authorized to submit on behalf of
      the copyright owner. For the purposes of this definition, "submitted"
      means any form of electronic, verbal, or written communication sent
      to the Licensor or its representatives, including but not limited to
      communication on electronic mailing lists, source code control systems,
      and issue tracking systems that are managed by, or on behalf of, the
      Licensor for the purpose of discussing and improving the Work, but
      excluding communication that is conspicuously marked or otherwise
      designated in writing by the copyright owner as "Not a Contribution."

      "Contributor" shall mean Licensor and any individual or Legal Entity
      on behalf of whom a Contribution has been received by Licensor and
      subsequently incorporated within the Work.

   2. Grant of Copyright License. Subject to the terms and conditions of
      this License, each Contributor hereby grants to You a perpetual,
      worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable
      copyright license to reproduce, prepare Derivative Works of,
      publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute the
      Work and such Derivative Works in Source or Object form.

   3. Grant of Patent License. Subject to the terms and conditions of
      this License, each Contributor hereby grants to You a perpetual,
      worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable
      (except as stated in this section) patent license to make, have made,
      use, offer to sell, sell, import, and otherwise transfer the Work,
      where such license applies only to those patent claims licensable
      by such Contributor that are necessarily infringed by their
      Contribution(s) alone or by combination of their Contribution(s)
      with the Work to which such Contribution(s) was submitted. If You
      institute patent litigation against any entity (including a
      cross-claim or counterclaim in a lawsuit) alleging that the Work
      or a Contribution incorporated within the Work constitutes direct
      or contributory patent infringement, then any patent licenses
      granted to You under this License for that Work shall terminate
      as of the date such litigation is filed.

   4. Redistribution. You may reproduce and distribute copies of the
      Work or Derivative Works thereof in any medium, with or without
      modifications, and in Source or Object form, provided that You
      meet the following conditions:

      (a) You must give any other recipients of the Work or
          Derivative Works a copy of this License; and

      (b) You must cause any modified files to carry prominent notices
          stating that You changed the files; and

      (c) You must retain, in the Source form of any Derivative Works
          that You distribute, all copyright, patent, trademark, and
          attribution notices from the Source form of the Work,
          excluding those notices that do not pertain to any part of
          the Derivative Works; and

      (d) If the Work includes a "NOTICE" text file as part of its
          distribution, then any Derivative Works that You distribute must
          include a readable copy of the attribution notices contained
          within such NOTICE file, excluding those notices that do not
          pertain to any part of the Derivative Works, in at least one
          of the following places: within a NOTICE text file distributed
          as part of the Derivative Works; within the Source form or
          documentation, if provided along with the Derivative Works; or,
          within a display generated by the Derivative Works, if and
          wherever such third-party notices normally appear. The contents
          of the NOTICE file are for informational purposes only and
          do not modify the License. You may add Your own attribution
          notices within Derivative Works that You distribute, alongside
          or as an addendum to the NOTICE text from the Work, provided
          that such additional attribution notices cannot be construed
          as modifying the License.

      You may add Your own copyright statement to Your modifications and
      may provide additional or different license terms and conditions
      for use, reproduction, or distribution of Your modifications, or
      for any such Derivative Works as a whole, provided Your use,
      reproduction, and distribution of the Work otherwise complies with
      the conditions stated in this License.

   5. Submission of Contributions. Unless You explicitly state otherwise,
      any Contribution intentionally submitted for inclusion in the Work
      by You to the Licensor shall be under the terms and conditions of
      this License, without any additional terms or conditions.
      Notwithstanding the above, nothing herein shall supersede or modify
      the terms of any separate license agreement you may have executed
      with Licensor regarding such Contributions.

   6. Trademarks. This License does not grant permission to use the trade
      names, trademarks, service marks, or product names of the Licensor,
      except as required for reasonable and customary use in describing the
      origin of the Work and reproducing the content of the NOTICE file.

   7. Disclaimer of Warranty. Unless required by applicable law or
      agreed to in writing, Licensor provides the Work (and each
      Contributor provides its Contributions) on an "AS IS" BASIS,
      WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or
      implied, including, without limitation, any warranties or conditions
      of TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY, or FITNESS FOR A
      PARTICULAR PURPOSE. You are solely responsible for determining the
      appropriateness of using or redistributing the Work and assume any
      risks associated with Your exercise of permissions under this License.

   8. Limitation of Liability. In no event and under no legal theory,
      whether in tort (including negligence), contract, or otherwise,
      unless required by applicable law (such as deliberate and grossly
      negligent acts) or agreed to in writing, shall any Contributor be
      liable to You for damages, including any direct, indirect, special,
      incidental, or consequential damages of any character arising as a
      result of this License or out of the use or inability to use the
      Work (including but not limited to damages for loss of goodwill,
      work stoppage, computer failure or malfunction, or any and all
      other commercial damages or losses), even if such Contributor
      has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

   9. Accepting Warranty or Additional Liability. While redistributing
      the Work or Derivative Works thereof, You may choose to offer,
      and charge a fee for, acceptance of support, warranty, indemnity,
      or other liability obligations and/or rights consistent with this
      License. However, in accepting such obligations, You may act only
      on Your own behalf and on Your sole responsibility, not on behalf
      of any other Contributor, and only if You agree to indemnify,
      defend, and hold each Contributor harmless for any liability
      incurred by, or claims asserted against, such Contributor by reason
      of your accepting any such warranty or additional liability.

   END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

   APPENDIX: How to apply the Apache License to your work.

      To apply the Apache License to your work, attach the following
      boilerplate notice, with the fields enclosed by brackets "[]"
      replaced with your own identifying information. (Don't include
      the brackets!)  The text should be enclosed in the appropriate
      comment syntax for the file format. We also recommend that a
      file or class name and description of purpose be included on the
      same "printed page" as the copyright notice for easier
      identification within third-party archives.

   Copyright [yyyy] [name of copyright owner]

   Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
   you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
   You may obtain a copy of the License at

       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

   Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
   distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
   WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
   See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
   limitations under the License.

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs network access, Needs an API key, Needs a command-line tool, Needs Python

Security

What our scanner noticed· Medium risk

  • Large base64-encoded blobs
  • Instructions that use the network
  • Scripts that your agent may run

This skill includes scripts that your agent may run. Read them before you use it.

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Created by
NVIDIA cuOpt Team
Publisher
NVIDIA (Official)
Source
NVIDIA/skills · skills/cuopt-server-api-python · commit fce3cca
Licence
Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE-APACHE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by NVIDIA cuOpt Team or NVIDIA.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download cuopt-server-api-python.zip