huawei-cloud-ascend-command

Q: How do I install huawei-cloud-ascend-command?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/huaweicloud/huaweicloud-skills --skill huawei-cloud-ascend-command in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/huawei-cloud-ascend-command/ (personal) or .claude/skills/huawei-cloud-ascend-command/ (project).

by huaweicloudTesting & QA

Huawei Ascend NPU natural language management skill, supporting both local direct connection and SSH remote modes. Provides comprehensive npu-smi command capabilities including device queries, configuration management, firmware upgrade, vNPU virtualization, certificate management, and compute power testing (FLOPS). Enables remote management and monitoring of Ascend NPU devices with real-time metrics tracking. Use this skill when the user wants to: (1) query NPU device status and health, (2) monitor temperature, power, memory/HBM utilization, (3) configure ECC settings and fan modes, (4) perform firmware upgrades, (5) manage vNPU virtualization, (6) run compute power tests, (7) check certificate information. Trigger: user mentionsnpu', 'ascend', 'NPU', 'Ascend', 'temperature', 'power', 'HBM', 'firmware', 'upgrade', 'vNPU', 'virtualization', 'certificate', 'FLOPS', 'compute', 'health', 'memory', 'utilization', 'ECC', 'fan', '昇腾', '昇腾卡', '昇腾状态', '显存', '算力', '设备查询', 'NPU监控'"

Installs: 457
Last 24h: —
Trending rank: —
Security: Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/huaweicloud/huaweicloud-skills --skill huawei-cloud-ascend-command

01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads huawei-cloud-ascend-command automatically when relevant.
03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

Provides Huawei Ascend NPU natural language command translation and execution. Supports full npu-smi commands: device queries, configuration management, firmware upgrade, vNPU virtualization, certificate management, and compute power testing.

Overview

This skill provides natural language management for Huawei Ascend NPU devices via npu-smi commands. Supports both local direct execution and SSH remote modes.

Related Skills:

huawei-cloud-ascend-remote-connect - General SSH remote operations (disk, Docker, logs, processes)
npu-smi-skill - Alternative NPU management implementation
model-deploy-test-skill - Model deployment and testing on Ascend DevServer

Capabilities:

Device queries (health, temperature, power, HBM, ECC, topology)
Configuration management (ECC, fan mode, fan speed)
Firmware upgrade and status
vNPU virtualization
Certificate management
Compute power testing (FLOPS)

Architecture

System Architecture Diagram

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                         Agent Orchestration                         │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │  1. Parse user intent → Match Trigger keywords                        │    │
│  │  2. Prepare params → host, user, password explicit                 │    │
│  │  3. Invoke Skill → skill exec --name ascend-command            │    │
│  │  4. Return result → User                                          │    │
│  └────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                               │ Explicit param passing (Rule 1)                │
│                               ▼                                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                        User Interaction Layer                       │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │  Natural Language Commands / CLI Arguments                  │    │
│  │  (NPU health check, temperature, firmware upgrade)          │    │
│  └────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                               │                                     │
│                               ▼                                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                      Skill Core Components (Stateless (Rule 2))           │
│  ┌─────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────┐      │
│  │ Command Executor│←→│   NPU Client    │←→│ Trend Recorder  │      │
│  │  - NL Parsing   │  │  - npu-smi cmd  │  │  - Metric Log   │      │
│  │  - Command Route│  │  - Local/SSH    │  │  - Trend Analysis│      │
│  └─────────────────┘  └─────────────────┘  └─────────────────┘      │
│         │                      │                                     │
│         ▼                      ▼                                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                    Huawei Cloud Ascend Infrastructure               │
│  Data Flow: Agent → Skill(host,user,pwd) → SSH → npu-smi → Response │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Agent Orchestration Flow

User request: "Query NPU status on 116.204.23.145"
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Agent parses intent                                               │
│   - Keyword "NPU" → Match ascend-command                       │
│   - IP address → SSH params needed                                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Agent prepares params (explicit, Rule 1)                              │
│   --host 116.204.23.145                                      │
│   --user root                                                │
│   --password ***                                             │
│   --command "NPU list"                                       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Skill executes (Stateless, Rule 2)                                    │
│   - NpuClient(host, user, password) explicit receive                 │
│   - Execute npu-smi command                                        │
│   - Return result                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
         │
         ▼
      Return to user

Related Skills (Agent orchestrated, no direct call, Rule 3)

Skill	Purpose	Orchestration Scenario
`huawei-cloud-ascend-remote-connect`	SSH remote ops	Agent selects when user needs disk/Docker/logs
`npu-smi-skill`	NPU management	Alternative impl, Agent selects by scenario
`model-deploy-test-skill`	Model deploy	Use ascend-command to monitor NPU after deploy

Note: No direct calls between Skills, orchestrated by Agent based on user intent.

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Python 3.8+
Pure Python standard library implementation, no additional dependencies required

Environment Check

Prerequisite check: Python3 required
python3 --version  # Python3 >= 3.8

Authentication

Security rules (must be followed):

Prohibited from reading, echoing, or printing password values

Prohibited from asking the user to input passwords directly in the conversation

Only allowed to read credentials from command line arguments

Parameter Confirmation

Input Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
command	Yes (one-shot)	Natural language command to execute
host	No	SSH remote host IP address
user	No	SSH username
password	No	SSH password

Confirmation Requirements

The following operations require explicit user confirmation:

ECC enable/disable
Fan mode changes
Firmware upgrade
vNPU creation/deletion
Certificate management

Core Workflow

Task 1: One-Shot Command Execution

python3 scripts/main.py --command "NPU health check"

Task 2: SSH Remote Execution

python3 scripts/main.py --command "NPU list" --host 192.168.1.100 --user root --password xxx

Task 3: Interactive Mode

python3 scripts/main.py

Usage Instructions

Device Queries

List all NPU devices
NPU health check
Get NPU temperature
Get NPU power usage
Get NPU memory info

Configuration Management

Set ECC mode
Set fan mode

Firmware Upgrade

Query firmware version
Upgrade firmware

Virtualization

Query vNPU info
Create vNPU

FLOPS Test

Run FLOPS test
Run FP32 FLOPS test
Run multi-device FLOPS test

Output Format

Standard Response Format

All command outputs follow a structured format:

{
  "status": "success",
  "command": "npu-smi info -l",
  "description": "List all NPU devices"
}

Error Response Format

[ERROR] <error-code>
Message: <error-description>
Suggestion: <troubleshooting-tip>

Verification Method

Basic Verification Steps

Environment Check

python3 --version  # Verify Python 3.8+

Local Command Test

python3 scripts/main.py --command "NPU list"

Remote Command Test

python3 scripts/main.py --host <ascend-ip> --user root --password <pwd> --command "NPU health check"

Expected Results

Test Case	Expected Output
Environment check	Python version >= 3.8
Local command	NPU device information or "npu-smi not found"
Remote command	NPU status from remote server

Script Files

Entry File

main.py: Skill entry file (required)
- Function: Provide interactive mode, one-shot mode, SSH remote mode
- Supports: Command line arguments, interactive prompt

Core Scripts

executor.py: NPU command executor (main entry)
- Function: Natural language parsing, command routing, sensitive operation confirmation
- Supported commands: Device queries, configuration, firmware upgrade, virtualization, certificate management
- Core methods: handle_command(text), confirm_sensitive()
npu_client.py: NPU client
- Function: Wraps npu-smi command execution, supports local and SSH remote execution
- Core methods: list_devices(), get_health(), get_temperature(), get_power(), get_memory(), set_ecc_enable(), upgrade_query(), create_vnpu(), get_tls_cert()
- Optimization: SSH ControlMaster, batch execution, parallel FLOPS testing

Command Translation Mapping

Device Queries

Natural Language	Command	Description
List all NPU devices	`npu-smi info -l`	List all NPU devices
NPU card info	`npu-smi info -m`	Card and chip mapping
NPU info	`npu-smi info`	Full NPU information

Health Check

Natural Language	Command	Description
NPU health check	`npu-smi info -t health -i 0`	Check device health
Check NPU status	`npu-smi info -t health -i 0`	Check device health

Temperature/Power/Memory

Natural Language	Command	Description
NPU temperature	`npu-smi info -t temp -i 0 -c 0`	Get temperature
NPU power	`npu-smi info -t power -i 0 -c 0`	Get power usage
NPU memory	`npu-smi info -t memory -i 0 -c 0`	Get memory info
NPU utilization	`npu-smi info -t usages -i 0 -c 0`	Get utilization

Configuration

Natural Language	Command	Description
Set ECC	`npu-smi set -t ecc-enable -i 0 -c 0 -d 1`	Enable ECC (requires confirmation)
Set fan mode	`npu-smi set -t pwm-mode -d 0`	Set fan mode (requires confirmation)

Firmware Upgrade

Natural Language	Command	Description
Firmware version	`npu-smi upgrade -b mcu -i 0`	Query firmware version
Upgrade firmware	`npu-smi upgrade -t mcu -i 0 -f file.hpm`	Upload firmware (requires confirmation)

Virtualization

Natural Language	Command	Description
vNPU info	`npu-smi info -t info-vnpu -i 0 -c 0`	Query vNPU info
Template info	`npu-smi info -t template-info -i 0`	Query template info
Create vNPU	`npu-smi set -t create-vnpu -i 0 -c 0 -f vir04`	Create vNPU (requires confirmation)

Certificate Management

Natural Language	Command	Description
Certificate info	`npu-smi info -t tls-cert -i 0 -c 0`	View TLS certificate
Certificate expiration	`npu-smi info -t tls-cert-period -i 0 -c 0`	Query certificate expiration threshold

FLOPS Test (ascend-dmi)

Default behavior: single device FP16, fast return (~2 seconds)

Natural Language	Command	Description
FLOPS test	`ascend-dmi -f -d 0 -t fp16 -q`	Default: NPU 0, FP16
NPU FLOPS	`ascend-dmi -f -d 0 -t fp16 -q`	Same as above
NPU 3 FLOPS	`ascend-dmi -f -d 3 -t fp16 -q`	Specify NPU 3
FP32 FLOPS	`ascend-dmi -f -d 0 -t fp32 -q`	FP32 precision
All devices FLOPS	8 devices async parallel	All NPUs tested simultaneously

Execution strategy:

Single device: Direct execution, ~2 seconds return
Multi-device: Async parallel execution, total ~2 seconds (not serial 16 seconds)
Precision: Default fp16, supports fp32/bf16/int8/hf32

Performance Optimization

Optimization	Description	Effect
SSH persistent connection	ControlMaster reuse	Connection time ~0.1s
Batch execution	`execute_batch()` for multiple commands	Reduce SSH round trips
Parallel query	`test_flops_parallel()` 8-device async test	16s -> 2s
Single parse	`parse_full_info()` get all card info at once	O(N) -> O(1)

Troubleshooting

Command Not Recognized

Check if input contains supported keywords
Try using more explicit commands

SSH Connection Failed

Verify SSH parameters are correct
Ensure SSH service is running on target machine

npu-smi Not Available

Ensure CANN and npu-smi are installed on target machine
Check LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable

Notes

Security Warnings

Sensitive operations require user confirmation before execution
Passwords are only stored in memory during session
Blocked commands cannot be bypassed

Limitations

Requires npu-smi or ascend-dmi installed on target machine
SSH password authentication only (no interactive password prompt)

Best Practices

Connection Mode Selection
- Local direct: For NPU installed on local machine
- SSH remote: For managing remote Ascend servers
Command Execution Tips
- Sensitive ops (firmware upgrade, config change) require user confirmation
- Test on single card before batch operations
Performance Monitoring
- Regularly check NPU temperature and power
- Monitor HBM usage to avoid OOM
Troubleshooting
- First check NPU health: npu-smi info
- View detailed error log: npu-smi info -t board -i <npu_id>
- See troubleshooting.md
Trigger Keywords
- Chinese: NPU, 昇腾, 显存, 算力, 温度, 功耗, 固件, 虚拟化
- English: npu, ascend, temperature, power, HBM, firmware, vNPU, FLOPS

Directory Structure

huawei-cloud-ascend-command/
├── SKILL.md                    # Skill description (required)
├── scripts/                    # Scripts directory (required)
│   ├── __init__.py             # Module export
│   ├── main.py                 # Skill entry file (required)
│   ├── executor.py             # NPU command executor
│   └── npu_client.py           # NPU client
└── references/                 # Reference documentation
    ├── acceptance-criteria.md  # Acceptance criteria
    ├── verification-method.md  # Verification steps
    ├── troubleshooting.md      # Troubleshooting guide
    ├── device-queries.md       # Device queries reference
    ├── configuration.md        # Configuration reference
    ├── firmware-upgrade.md     # Firmware upgrade reference
    ├── virtualization.md       # Virtualization reference
    └── certificate-management.md # Certificate management

References

Document	Description
acceptance-criteria.md	Acceptance criteria for skill validation
verification-method.md	Verification steps and test methods
troubleshooting.md	Troubleshooting guide and common issues
device-queries.md	Device queries command reference
configuration.md	Configuration management reference
firmware-upgrade.md	Firmware upgrade reference
virtualization.md	Virtualization management reference
certificate-management.md	Certificate management reference

Technical Support

Ascend Official Documentation: https://www.hiascend.com/document
npu-smi Command Reference: https://www.hiascend.com/document/detail/zh/Atlas%20200I%20A2/260RC1/re/npu/npusmi_007.html

FAQ

What does the huawei-cloud-ascend-command skill do?

How do I install huawei-cloud-ascend-command?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/huaweicloud/huaweicloud-skills --skill huawei-cloud-ascend-command in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/huawei-cloud-ascend-command/ (personal) or .claude/skills/huawei-cloud-ascend-command/ (project).

Which AI agents can use huawei-cloud-ascend-command?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is huawei-cloud-ascend-command safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains huawei-cloud-ascend-command?

It is published by huaweicloud in huaweicloud/huaweicloud-skills. It has 457 recorded installs.