---
title: "Allocate nodes to projects"
description: "Give a private cluster's free nodes to a project, add or remove them later, and move a node to a different project."
content_type: "how-to"
product: "tir-private-cluster"
platform: "TIR"
url: "/tir/tir-private-cluster/how-to/allocate-nodes-to-projects/"
topic: ["manage-nodes"]
---

# Allocate nodes to projects

Allocate a private cluster's free nodes to a project so that it can run instances and other
services on them. Add or remove nodes later as the project's needs change, and move capacity to
another project when its current one is done with it. Allocating and removing nodes is free, and
moving a free node to another project only reassigns it.

## Before you begin

- A private cluster with at least one **Free** node. See [Create a private
  cluster](/tir/tir-private-cluster/how-to/create-a-private-cluster/).
- The **Owner** or **Admin** role to add nodes to a project or move them between projects. A member
  with update access to a project can remove nodes from that project's own share; see
  [Nodes, projects, and access](/tir/tir-private-cluster/concepts/nodes-projects-and-access/).

## Allocate nodes to a project

A project's share of the cluster is created the first time you allocate nodes to it.

1. In **Manage Private Cluster**, open the cluster's **Actions** menu and select **Allocate Nodes to
   Project**. On the cluster's **Project Allocations** tab, **Allocate Nodes** does the
   same.
2. In **Allocate Nodes to Projects**, choose the project.
3. Set how many nodes to give it, up to the cluster's **Free** node count.
4. Select **Allocate Nodes**.

The nodes move from **Free** to **Allocated**, and the project is listed on **Project Allocations**
with its **Total Allocated Nodes**.

To give a project one particular node instead, open **Cluster Nodes**, open a **Free** node's row
menu, select **Allocate Node**, and choose the project.

## Add or remove nodes for a project

1. On **Project Allocations**, find the project's row and select **Manage Nodes**.
2. Choose **Add More Nodes** or **Remove Nodes**. You can see the nodes available to allocate, the
   nodes the project already has, and the cluster's total.
3. Set the number of nodes. You can add up to the cluster's **Free** nodes, and remove up to the
   project's free nodes, the ones that show **Allocated**.
4. Select **Add Nodes** or **Remove Nodes**.

An **Occupied** node stays with its project until you stop or delete the service on it. Before
you take a project's last node, delete any stopped instance, model endpoint, or vector database it
still has on the cluster; TIR lists them by name if any are left.

## Take one node off a project

1. On **Cluster Nodes**, check that the node shows **Allocated**.
2. Open the node's row menu and select **Remove Node**.
3. Tick "I understand and want to remove node: `<name>`.", where `<name>` is the node's name, and
   confirm.

The node goes back to **Free**, ready for another project. **Remove Node** is offered only on an
**Allocated** node. Removing a node that runs a training-cluster workload is refused with "Node `<name>` is not
free." Stop or delete what runs on it first.

## Move capacity to a different project

A node goes to another project through the cluster's free nodes:

1. Stop or delete the services on the node, so that it is **Allocated** again.
2. Remove the node from its project.
3. Allocate the now **Free** node to the other project.
4. Create the services again in the new project; a service stays in the project it was created in.

## Check the allocation

**Project Allocations** shows each project's **Total Allocated Nodes**, **Occupied Nodes**, and
**Free Nodes**, and **Cluster Nodes** shows each node's status and the project it belongs to.

To make room for another project on the cluster, take back a project's idle nodes
instead of adding nodes to the cluster. To run something on the nodes, see [Launch services on a private
cluster](/tir/tir-private-cluster/how-to/launch-services-on-a-private-cluster/). For help with a
refused allocation or removal, see [Troubleshooting TIR Private
Cluster](/tir/tir-private-cluster/troubleshooting/tir-private-cluster/).