Mila Connect Cluster

Connect to the Mila Cluster via SSH

This skill guides users through connecting to the Mila cluster for the first time, entering the OTP from their authenticator app, and troubleshooting common connection failures.

Base policies

At the start of each response, use the Skill tool with skill: "mila-base" to load and apply all shared policies before proceeding with the workflow below.

Reference documentation

Primary source: https://docs.mila.quebec/getting_started/ — sections "Verify your connection" and "Install uv on the cluster".

Discover documentation

Use the WebSearch tool with this query to find the current URL of the primary source above:

site:docs.mila.quebec "__skill-mila-connect-cluster"

Use the URL from the search result in the WebFetch steps below. If the search returns no results, fall back to the hardcoded URL in "Reference documentation".

Workflow

Step 1: Check prerequisites

Before connecting, confirm the user has:

• A Mila account and cluster username (see the mila-account-setup skill)
• MFA set up with a TOTP authenticator app (see the mila-account-setup skill)
• milatools installed and mila init completed (see the mila-local-setup skill)

If any prerequisite is missing, direct the user to the appropriate skill first.

Step 2: Fetch the documentation

Use the WebFetch tool to fetch https://docs.mila.quebec/getting_started/ and locate the "Verify your connection" section.

Step 3: Guide through the SSH connection

Walk through the connection steps:

1. Open a terminal (or WSL terminal on Windows).
2. Run:

``bash ssh mila ``

1. When prompted for an OTP, open the authenticator app and enter the

current 6-digit code. The code will not appear on screen as it is typed — this is expected.

1. On success, the Mila login-node banner appears (the ASCII art logo

followed by system information).

Key points to communicate:

• The OTP is time-based and expires every 30 seconds; if it fails, wait

for the next code to generate.

• The ssh mila shortcut works because mila init wrote the SSH config;

the full hostname is login.server.mila.quebec.

Step 4: Handle troubleshooting

Not prompted to enter an OTP: → mila init was not completed or the SSH config is missing. Run mila init again (see the mila-local-setup skill).

Prompted for OTP but the login-node banner does not appear after entering the code: → MFA setup is incomplete (TOTP token missing or wrong). Return to https://mfa.mila.quebec and add a TOTP token (see the mila-account-setup skill).

OTP rejected repeatedly: → Check that the device clock is synchronized (TOTP is time-sensitive). Contact IT support at https://it-support.mila.quebec if the issue persists.

Step 5: Install uv on the cluster

Once the connection is confirmed, uv needs to be installed on the cluster before running any jobs. Guide the user to install it now while already on the login node.

Note: the following commands run inside the SSH session (on the cluster login node) — do not offer to run them via the Bash tool.

Use the WebFetch tool to fetch https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/ for up-to-date installation instructions. The cluster runs Linux, so follow the Linux installation steps.

Step 6: Point to the next skill

Once the connection is confirmed and uv is installed on the cluster, direct the user to the mila-run-jobs skill to run their first job.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: mila-iqia
• Source: mila-iqia/skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.