IdleChip matches people who need GPU hours with machines that would otherwise sit idle. Sellers register hardware and list time; buyers post requests or join listings. Both sides meet on a post thread, accept an escrow contract, run a metered session, and check settlement on Profile. The Advanced chapter covers tight supply, hour transfers on join replies, seller approvals, and failover. Use the sidebar to jump around, or read straight through — FAQ and articles are at the end.
The marketplace is public. Buyers post Need GPU requests; sellers post Offering GPU listings with an hour pool and rate. Filter the feed to see one side or the other. Browse threads before you sign up — no account required.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsSign upNew Post
AllNeed GPUOffering GPU
Need GPU
Fine-tune Llama — need 8h on RTX 4090
8h · $1.20/hr · 2 replies
Offering GPU
Idle A100 overnight — 12h available
RTX-class · $0.85/hr
Feed — buyer requests and seller offerings in one placeOpen the feed →
2Everyone
Sign up
Whether you are renting out a card or buying hours, you need one @username for posts, contracts, and My GPUs. On /signup, choose Create account (see tabs below) or Sign in if you already have one. You cannot log in with a wallet yet — add a payout address on Profile after you sign up.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsSign upNew Post
@usernameAnonymous IDWalletGoogle
Create account · pick one method below
Sign up — four create-account methods plus sign-inSign up →
@username
Pick a unique @username (2–32 characters) and a password (10+ characters). Display name and email are optional. Most people use this.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsSign upNew Post
@usernameAnonymous IDWalletGoogle
Create account · pick one method below
@vram-goblin
••••••••••
Create account — @username tab
Anonymous ID
One click assigns a random chip-… name. It is temporary: tied to this browser's cookie for 14 days, or gone immediately if cookies are cleared. Add an optional password on signup or later on Profile to keep the ID permanently.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsSign upNew Post
@usernameAnonymous IDWalletGoogle
Create account · pick one method below
Temporary — 14 days or until cookies cleared. Optional password makes it permanent.
Assigns a random name like chip-a1b2c3.
Password (optional)
Create account — anonymous ID
Wallet
Typed wallet addresses are not proof of ownership in this phase. The Wallet tab explains that you should use @username or Google first, then optionally save an address on Profile for display and future payout wiring.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsSign upNew Post
@usernameAnonymous IDWalletGoogle
Create account · pick one method below
Wallet sign-in is not available yet. Create an @username or use Google, then save a payout address on Profile.
Wallet tab — save address on Profile instead
Google
Optional convenience sign-in when the server has Google OAuth configured. Google remembers your marketplace handle — it does not hold escrow or pay sellers. Same @username rules apply; the handle is derived from your Google email when possible.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsSign upNew Post
@usernameAnonymous IDWalletGoogle
Create account · pick one method below
Remembers your handle — convenience only.
Continue with Google (when configured)
Sign in
Returning users switch to Sign in, enter @username and password, and complete 2FA if enabled on the account.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsSign upNew Post
Create accountSign in
@batch-size-1
Sign in — existing @username accounts
3Selling
GPU scanning setup
Sellers prove hardware exists by scanning from the machine that has the GPU. Open My GPUs while signed in — the page buttons are the controls (no terminal needed for normal use). On localhost with npm run dev, scans run on the same PC as the browser. On the live site, pair the IdleChip agent on your PC once, then use the same buttons; the agent syncs scans to your account. Order matters: scan → select GPU → register → heartbeats.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsProfileNew Post
1Enable live scanning — reads GPUs on your machine (or via the paired agent on Vercel).
Enable live scanning
Live updates active
2When Local scans shows your card, pick it from the dropdown and Confirm.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 · 24 GB
Confirm
Local scans
RTX 4090 · scanned just now
24 GB VRAM · driver 551.23
3Register selected GPU under your @username — same name you used to sign up.
Register selected GPU
4Start heartbeats so buyers see Online on the feed and your Profile.
Start heartbeats
Registered as admin · Online
My GPUs — scan, select, register, then heartbeatsOpen My GPUs →
Connect PC (live site)
Skip this on local dev. On Vercel (or any remote deploy), GPUs are not scanned in the browser. At the top of My GPUs, click Generate pairing code, copy the commands, and run them on the machine with the GPU (npx idlechip-agent pair … then npx idlechip-agent scan). After pairing, leave the agent running or use Get the agent for a background install. The site stores your intent; the agent does nvidia-smi and pushes results back.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsProfileNew Post
Connect this PC
Generate a one-time code while signed in, then run the command on your machine.
Pair once — then My GPUs buttons work from any browser
Enable scanning
Click Enable live scanning. The page starts a scan loop on this machine (local dev) or sets a flag your paired agent picks up (live site). Within a minute you should see cards under Local scans with model, VRAM, driver, and live util when scanning is active. If the list stays empty, check that NVIDIA drivers are installed and the agent is paired on Vercel.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsProfileNew Post
1Enable live scanning — reads GPUs on your machine (or via the paired agent on Vercel).
Enable live scanning
Live updates active
Turn scanning on before selecting or registering
Select GPU
Use the Select GPU type dropdown above the buttons. Pick the card you want to rent out, then click Confirm. The matching feed on the right uses this choice. Choosing None clears the selection and stops live scanning — only use that when you want to pause.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsProfileNew Post
2When Local scans shows your card, pick it from the dropdown and Confirm.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 · 24 GB
Confirm
Local scans
RTX 4090 · scanned just now
24 GB VRAM · driver 551.23
Confirm locks the GPU type for registration and matching
Register & online
Click Register selected GPU — use the same @username as your account (pre-filled when signed in). That publishes the GPU to the marketplace registry. Then click Start heartbeats so buyers see Online on Profile and listings. During an active session, keep heartbeats running; attestations for delivered hours come from the agent while a session is linked.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsProfileNew Post
3Register selected GPU under your @username — same name you used to sign up.
Register selected GPU
4Start heartbeats so buyers see Online on the feed and your Profile.
Start heartbeats
Registered as admin · Online
Registered + heartbeats = visible to buyers
Ready to list
When Local scans updates, util and temperature refresh on the card. Profile shows your network status. Next step: create an Offering GPU post or reply to a buyer thread — both require a registered, online GPU.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsProfileNew Post
My GPUs
Registered as admin
Disable live scanningStop heartbeats
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Online
4 GB VRAM · 15% util · 50°C
Fully set up — scan loop and heartbeats running
4Selling
List or reply
Publish an offering: New Post → I have a GPU → set total hours in the pool, your rate, and attach scanned specs. A public escrow goes live with the listing; buyers join for a slice of the pool. Or reply to a buyer: open a Need GPU post, attach your registered GPU, offer hours and price — a contract invitation is created on your reply for the buyer to accept.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsProfileNew Post
New post
I need a GPUI have a GPU
RTX 4090 · scanned specs attached
24 hours pool$0.95 / hr
Public escrow deploys with the listing — buyers join in slices until the pool fills.
Buyers open New Post, choose I need a GPU, and set model, hours wanted, and budget. Sellers reply with registered hardware and an offered rate. When a reply looks right, the buyer accepts the contract invitation on that thread. After that, either side can start a session.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsProfileNew Post
New post
I need a GPUI have a GPU
RTX 4090 or similar · 8 hours · $1.20 / hr
Sellers reply with their registered GPU, price, and hours offered.
On an Offering GPU post, the seller's public escrow is already on the thread. Use Request this GPU to take hours from the remaining pool at the listing rate (or negotiate via replies on tight supply). Multiple buyers can join the same listing until the pool is full.
Every deal settles against an escrow card on the post. On a buyer request, the buyer accepts the seller's invitation. On a seller listing, the join flow accepts terms when the buyer submits the request form. Until someone accepts, hours are not booked and no session can start.
After acceptance, either party clicks Start session on the post. While it runs, the seller keeps heartbeats going from My GPUs. Delivered hours accumulate from attestations. When work finishes, click Stop session on the session page — you'll see a settlement preview right away (no real money moves yet).
Profile holds your display name, optional wallet, active sessions, and a ledger preview. Sellers see what they would be paid; buyers see what would leave escrow and what would be refunded for unused hours. Real payouts are not live yet — the numbers match what settlement will look like later.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsProfileNew Post
Profile
Session · running
3.2 / 8.0 hours delivered
Would pay
$3.20
Would refund
$4.80
Profile — would-pay and would-refund after a sessionOpen Profile →
Advanced
Tight supply, transfers, and failover
For when a listing's public pool is full, another buyer's join still has unused hours, or a running session loses heartbeats.
10Buying
Tight supply
On a popular Offering GPU post, the public hour pool can run out while join replies still show activity. The main join form may not fit your job. Check the thread — sellers sometimes clarify overflow in replies, and buyers haggle when only scraps of pool time are left. Look at join replies on the same listing, not a different machine.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsProfileNew Post
Offering post — pool nearly full
Offering
A100 overnight · 12h pool
Pool
0.5h left in escrow
Join form disabled — scroll replies for another buyer's unused hours or negotiate in thread.
When compute is sparse, open an accepted join reply where the first buyer still has unused booked hours (session not fully delivered). Expand Request remaining hours, pick hours up to the transferable max, and offer a premium $/hr at or above the listing rate. You are buying hours on the same seller GPU — not compute from Buyer A's card. The listing author must approve before hours move.
If you own the offering post, pending requests appear at the top of the post detail as Pending hour transfers. Approve to shrink the original buyer's booked hours and assign a new join slice to the requester at their premium rate. Reject if the deal does not work. Ledger lines show the refund and charge math. You still host all compute on your registered GPU.
IdleChip
New to this?FeedMy GPUsProfileNew Post
Post detail — seller view
Pending hour transfers
Buyer B wants 2h @ $1.25/hr from Buyer A's unused booking
If heartbeats stop, the session moves to paused or failed. On the session page, the buyer can pick another matching seller GPU and start a failover session for remaining booked hours. Delivered time on the old session is settled first; the new session continues where the old one left off. You restart the job on the new machine — IdleChip does not migrate workloads automatically.
Informal deals can work for a one-off. They usually do not record agreed hours, price, hardware checks, or what happens if the seller drops offline. IdleChip keeps the listing, reply, session start, and stop on one thread so terms and status stay in one place.
How is this different from a cloud GPU marketplace?▾
Cloud rentals usually sell a machine or slot by the day or month. IdleChip is for shorter runs: a few hours on a named GPU class from a seller whose card is idle between their own work. You match to a scanned card on someone's PC, not a datacenter instance type.
Do GPU scans work in the browser if I'm logged in?▾
The website controls My GPUs, posts, and sessions. The scan runs on the PC that has the GPU (nvidia-smi), not in the browser. On localhost, site and agent share one machine. On the live site, keep the IdleChip agent running on your PC; the page sends commands and the agent reports stats back.
How do I know the seller really has that GPU?▾
The seller runs the IdleChip agent. It registers the card and sends heartbeats while listed. Online status and model data come from the agent, not a text field on the post.
Do you hold my money?▾
No. Buyer and seller set hours and rate on the post. During a session, billing follows delivered time. Funds use on-chain escrow; IdleChip tracks sessions and attestations. We are not a custodial wallet holding your balance in our database.
What if the seller goes offline during my job?▾
Heartbeats stop and the session pauses. You can fail over to another listing with a matching GPU for the hours you still have booked. You move your workload to the new host yourself.
Why rent by the hour?▾
Many jobs are a training run, render, or experiment, not a month-long lease. Hourly booking fits short buyer jobs and sellers who only have spare capacity between their own work.
What about when a popular listing is almost full?▾
When the public hour pool on a post is full, unused hours may still sit on another buyer's join reply. You can request a transfer at a premium; the listing owner approves or rejects. Compute still comes from the same seller GPU under that post's rules.
Do I need an account to look around?▾
No. You can browse the feed and read posts without signing in. Create an account to post, reply, or start a session.