Legacy vf-* Commands

Backward-compatible CLI commands from earlier verifiers versions

Overview

Legacy vf-* commands are still available for backward compatibility. These commands are equivalent to their prime counterparts but use a different command structure.

New projects should use the prime command namespace. Legacy commands may be deprecated in future versions.

Command Mapping

Legacy Command	Modern Equivalent	Description
vf-setup	prime lab setup	Initialize workspace
vf-init	prime env init	Create environment template
vf-install	prime env install	Install environment package
vf-build	(internal)	Build OpenEnv Docker image
vf-eval	prime eval run	Run evaluations
vf-tui	prime eval tui	View results in TUI
vf-gepa	prime gepa run	Run GEPA prompt optimization
vf-rl	prime rl run	Run RL training (local)
vf-train	(deprecated)	Old training command
vf-vllm	(internal)	vLLM server utilities
prime-rl	(standalone)	prime-rl training harness

Usage Examples

vf-setup

Equivalent to prime lab setup:

vf-setup
vf-setup --prime-rl
vf-setup --skip-install

See prime lab setup for full documentation.

vf-init

Equivalent to prime env init:

vf-init my-env
vf-init my-env --path ~/envs
vf-init my-env --multi-file
vf-init my-env --openenv

See prime env init for full documentation.

vf-install

Equivalent to prime env install:

vf-install my-env
vf-install primeintellect/gsm8k
vf-install my-env --path ~/envs
vf-install gsm8k --from-repo
vf-install gsm8k --from-repo --branch dev

See prime env install for full documentation.

vf-build

Internal command for building OpenEnv Docker images. Called automatically by prime env push for OpenEnv environments.

vf-build my-env
vf-build my-env --path ~/envs

This command:

1. Locates proj/ directory with OpenEnv project
2. Detects contract type (gym vs. mcp) from server/app.py
3. Builds Docker image using prime images push
4. Waits for build completion
5. Writes .build.json with image metadata

Options:

env · string · required

Environment ID (e.g., my-env)

--path · string · default: "./environments"

Base path for environments directory. The command looks for {path}/{env_id}/proj/.

Aliases: -p

Output:

Building image for 'my-env' with context='./environments/my_env/proj' dockerfile='server/Dockerfile' image='my-env:latest'
Image build completed with status=ready
Wrote ./environments/my_env/proj/.build.json with image='registry.primeintellect.ai/username/my-env:latest' port=8000 app='server.app:app' contract='gym'

vf-eval

Equivalent to prime eval run:

vf-eval gsm8k -m gpt-4.1-mini -n 10
vf-eval gsm8k -m gpt-4.1-mini -n 100 -r 5 -t 1024 -T 0.7
vf-eval configs/eval/benchmark.toml

See prime eval run for full documentation.

vf-tui

Equivalent to prime eval tui:

vf-tui

See prime eval tui for full documentation.

vf-gepa

Runs GEPA (Genetic Prompt Optimization Algorithm) for automated prompt improvement:

vf-gepa my-env -m gpt-4.1-mini
vf-gepa my-env -m gpt-4.1-mini -c configs/gepa/custom.toml

GEPA iteratively evolves prompts to maximize reward on your environment. See the GEPA documentation for details.

vf-rl

Runs local RL training with the verifiers trainer:

vf-rl configs/rl/gsm8k.toml

For production training, use Hosted Training or prime-rl instead. vf-rl is for quick local experiments only.

vf-train

Deprecated. Use vf-rl, prime-rl, or Hosted Training instead.

vf-vllm

Internal command for vLLM server management. Not intended for direct use.

prime-rl

Standalone training framework. Installed via prime lab setup --prime-rl.

uv run prime-rl configs/prime-rl/wiki-search.toml

See prime-rl documentation for details.

Migration Guide

From vf-* to prime

Update your workflows to use modern commands:

Before:

vf-setup
vf-init my-env
vf-install my-env
vf-eval my-env -m gpt-4.1-mini -n 10
vf-tui

After:

prime lab setup
prime env init my-env
prime env install my-env
prime eval run my-env -m gpt-4.1-mini -n 10
prime eval tui

Scripts and CI/CD

Update scripts to use the prime command:

#!/bin/bash
# Old
# vf-eval gsm8k -m gpt-4.1-mini -n 100 -s

# New
prime eval run gsm8k -m gpt-4.1-mini -n 100 -s

Aliases (Optional)

If you prefer the old command names, create aliases:

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
alias vf-setup='prime lab setup'
alias vf-init='prime env init'
alias vf-install='prime env install'
alias vf-eval='prime eval run'
alias vf-tui='prime eval tui'

Why the Change?

The prime command namespace provides:

1. Better organization - Logical grouping (lab, env, eval)
2. Consistency - Matches other Prime Intellect tools
3. Discoverability - prime --help shows all subcommands
4. Extensibility - Easier to add new command groups

Deprecation Timeline

• v0.8.x - Both vf-* and prime commands supported (current)
• v0.9.x - vf-* commands emit deprecation warnings
• v1.0.x - vf-* commands may be removed

We recommend migrating to prime commands now to avoid disruption.

Support

If you encounter issues migrating to the new commands:

• Check GitHub Issues
• Join Discord for help
• Review the migration guide

Summary

Legacy vf-* commands still work but are being phased out in favor of the prime command namespace. Update your workflows to use:

• prime lab setup instead of vf-setup
• prime env {init,install,push} instead of vf-{init,install,build}
• prime eval {run,tui} instead of vf-{eval,tui}

The functionality is identical; only the command structure has changed.