Book Compute capacity and choose priority

Choose when the work should be eligible to start

Choose an explicit scheduling intent for Compute. Lithi does not infer a booking merely because a job has a deadline.

The four scheduling modes are:

A scheduling intent is not execution authority. It describes when the work may run; the signed quote and required approval still govern whether paid work may be admitted.

Reserve a compatible time window

A reservation holds capacity for the quoted type of work and time window. Lithi selects eligible Macs when the work is ready to run; it does not reserve a named provider Mac in advance.

Near execution, the scheduler still selects eligible Macs under the current placement, health and policy rules.

That distinction matters because provider Macs can go offline, change availability or fail qualification between booking time and execution time. The reservation protects a compatible capacity commitment rather than pretending one device is permanently assigned.

Review the permitted start window

For a reserved window, keep these times separate:

earliest → preferred → latest
└─ permitted start window ─┘
                         ↓
             work, checks, reserve
                         ↓
                      deadline

This timeline shows the order of the points, not a scale. The latest start must leave enough time for the expected execution, verification, delivery reserve and retry reserve before the deadline.

If capacity or an authority needed for the reservation changes, the reservation can become rebook required. That is a request to obtain a new compatible quote/reservation, not permission to run outside the original window.

Choose priority separately

Booking and priority answer different questions:

The public priority levels are:

Choose low, normal, high, or urgent under the current priority policy.

A reserved window does not automatically make a job urgent. An urgent job does not automatically reserve future capacity.

Priority can affect queue weight, protected headroom and wait policy under the active priority policy. It does not add a surge or urgency multiplier; read the signed quote for the terms that apply to this work rather than relying on an old example.

Compare the quote alternatives

A current quote can offer bounded scheduling alternatives such as:

• ASAP
• RESERVED_WINDOW
• FLEXIBLE_OFFPEAK

Each alternative carries its own start window, compatible-capacity reservation and expiry. The token rates do not change with the selected window or priority; compare the timing, maximum charge, reservation expiry and assumptions together.

A reservation expiring does not mean the work ran. A quote expiring does not mean the underlying job was canceled. A new schedule, changed input or changed priority can require a new quote and review.

Know what a reservation does not authorize

A capacity reservation does not:

• approve paid execution;
• move money;
• override the customer's spend limit;
• grant access to a different account;
• widen data policy;
• choose a specific provider Mac;
• guarantee that a stale or revoked capability remains available.

Keep the same sequence used elsewhere in Compute:

1. Choose the scheduling intent and review any capacity reservation.
2. Review the signed quote for that work and obtain the required approval.
3. Lithi checks the request before admission and execution.

Recover a booking that can no longer run

If the reservation is expired, rejected, canceled or marked rebook required, keep the original work identity and quote references for review.

Requote the still-needed work with a later compatible horizon or a different scheduling intent. Do not silently change the deadline, priority, capability or data policy to force admission.

For immediate-capacity problems, use Deadlines and capacity. For the exact quote and approval boundary, read Quotes and approvals.