# Choose a host mode

Understand Dedicated, Idle, and Co-listed availability before offering capacity.

A host mode states when a machine may accept AmpleRun work and when it must step aside. It is an availability policy, not a stronger hardware-isolation boundary or a promise of continuous earnings.

| Mode | Intended use | Renter implication |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `dedicated` | Capacity allocated to AmpleRun rather than competing local rental workloads | Read the offer's actual availability terms |
| `idle` | A personal machine that offers eligible capacity while the owner is away | Offered as Interruptible |
| `colisted` | Capacity also offered through another platform | Offered as Interruptible and withdrawn while competing work is detected |

Idle and Co-listed are useful when reclaiming the machine is part of normal operation. They are not a way to hide that interruption risk from renters.

## Select deliberately

The Linux installer accepts a mode flag, for example:

```sh
sudo bash amplerun-host.sh --json --mode colisted
```

Use only the mode that describes how you actually operate the machine. The host agent's checks can block a dedicated installation when another platform or foreign tenant is detected. Do not disable the other service or conceal the workload merely to pass a check.

Mode availability can depend on the tier and installer path. Follow the current installer's output and the host console rather than applying Linux service instructions to a macOS user-service install.

## Read interruption terms as a renter

A quote includes `availability_class` and `preemption_notice_s`. It may include a sample-gated interruption estimate. A missing estimate means there is insufficient evidence to show one; it does not mean zero interruption risk.

For Interruptible work, checkpoint progress and save output outside the rented machine. Do not place the only copy of an important result inside a workload that may be reclaimed. Select a different availability class when the task cannot tolerate interruption.

Before maintenance, stop accepting new work and inspect active rentals in the host console. A change to an availability policy is not evidence that an active job has already stopped.

---
Last reviewed: 2026-10-19.
Canonical: https://docs.amplerun.com/hosting/modes/