How to set Switch rules in BloomGauge: a short tutorial
Updated
Short answer: Switch rules let you say when BloomGauge should leave your home model for another Darkbloom model, and when to come back. Each rule is two points on a ruler of demand: switch when demand reaches one, come back when it drops below the other. BloomGauge shows what each point would have earned last week, so you can see whether it pays before you save. Every model starts Off, so nothing changes until you turn a rule on. Switch rules are in BloomGauge beta 52 and later.
Before you start
- Open Optimizer → Switch rules. You can also get there from Model controls → Switch rules, or the Switch rules link on Optimizer → Overview.
- Rules run while the Manager is on. If it is off, your rules are kept and wait until you turn it on in Optimizer → Overview.
- Rules also wait while Darkbloom Autopilot chooses your models, while a home model is pinned, or during a trial. The page says which one, with a button to fix it.
- Switch rules pause while Darkbloom runs 3 or more models at once, and start again when it’s back to one or two.
- Your phone shows the same page, one model at a time.
The ruler: what the numbers mean
The numbers under every bar (0 · 0.1 · 0.25 · 0.5 · 1 · 2 · 4) are requests per warm Mac: how many requests each Mac that has the model loaded is answering or waiting for right now, across the Darkbloom network. 0.1 means most of those Macs are idle; 1 means about one request each; above 1 they are queueing. Higher means busier. The scale stretches the low end, because most of the time demand sits below 1.
Reading the bars
Each model gets one bar. The text line under it says the same thing in words, for example “now 0.12 · usual 0.3 · switch at 0.5 · back below 0.25”.
| Mark | Means |
|---|---|
| Round dot | Demand now |
| Thin grey tick | Usual demand at this hour |
| Gold tick (taller) | Your switch point (Switch at) |
| Dashed blue tick | Your return point (Back below) |
| Dark green | Fair: pays at least half of what your home model usually pays |
| Mid green | Good: pays at least as much as your home model usually does |
| Light green | Great: pays at least twice as much |
| Dark track, no green | Quiet: pays less than half |
| Striped | No data yet at that much demand |
Set a rule, step by step
- Turn a model from Off to Allowed. The badge next to it says demand now and its zone, for example “now 0.1 · fair”. A model marked “low pay” has never beaten half of your home model’s pay at any demand seen, so it is usually not worth a rule.
- Set Switch at. A good starting point is where the bar turns mid green, so the model pays more than home. BloomGauge suggests one when you first allow a model.
- Set Back below, lower than Switch at. Leave a gap: if the two points are close, a Mac switches back and forth and pays the switch cost each time. The default is about 70% of Switch at.
- Pick a hold: 10, 15, 20, 30 or 60 minutes (20 is the default). Demand has to stay at or above your switch point for the whole hold, then the Manager adds a 5-minute final check. A longer hold skips short rushes.
- Read the figures on the right (next section) and fix any amber warning. Most warnings have a button that sets a better value for you, such as “Use 0.2” or “Back below 0.1”.
- Choose Save rules. BloomGauge uses them from its next check.
The figures on the right
- At X here: what this model has paid per hour at your switch point on Macs like yours, with a likely range. It is adjusted for how often those Macs actually have the model loaded.
- vs your home model’s usual: how much more (or less) per hour that is than staying home, and how long a stay has to last to earn back one switch.
- Switch cost, round trip: what a trip away and back costs in lost pay: minutes before the first paid job, warm-up, base-reward periods lost to restarts and the chance a load fails. Open “What the switch cost is made of” for the parts. It starts from BloomGauge defaults and then uses this Mac’s own switches.
- Last week: what this rule would have earned or lost against staying home if it had run last week, with the number of switches and hours away. If it is negative, raise Switch at, lengthen the hold or turn the rule off.
What happens when a rule is met
- BloomGauge switches by itself; it doesn’t ask first. Your usual switch notifications still apply.
- While it is away, the optimizer card says “Your rule:” with the model and its points, and has a Go back now button. After Go back now, that rule waits 60 minutes before it can switch again.
- It comes back when demand stays below your return point for 10 minutes, counted from 10 minutes after the model is warm. A trip that ends badly (a failed load, no paid work, or hitting its time limit) also makes that rule wait an hour.
- Limits still apply: up to about 4 trips away a day, shared with the Manager’s own switches; by default at least 30 minutes on a model before the next switch; and no switch during a long request, while Autopilot runs your models, or to a model that isn’t downloaded.
- If several rules are met at once, the model paying best right now goes first.
Manager + my rules, or only my rules
- Manager + my rules (the default): the Manager keeps making its own moves and also switches when one of your rules is met. Turn every rule off and it is the Manager alone.
- Only my rules: you pick the home model, and BloomGauge leaves it only when one of your rules is met. The Manager’s own moves are off, including its rescue when a Mac gets no work for a long time. Safety checks still apply.
How BloomGauge helps
Switch rules are free in BloomGauge beta 52 and later. The top of the page shows the last 7 days with your current setup (simulated) against staying on your home model, with switching costs already taken off, so you can compare before you save.
Questions
What does “requests per warm Mac” mean?
How many requests each Darkbloom Mac that has the model loaded is answering or waiting for right now. 0.1 means most of them are idle; above 1 they are queueing.
Does BloomGauge ask before a rule switches models?
No. When demand stays at your switch point for the hold time and the 5-minute final check, it switches by itself. Go back now on the optimizer card returns to your home model.
How often can a rule switch?
Up to about 4 trips away a day, shared with the Manager’s own switches, and by default at least 30 minutes after the last switch, so Darkbloom isn’t restarted too often.
Are any rules on by default?
No. Every model starts Off, and with no rules saved the Manager works exactly as before.
What if last week’s replay is negative?
That rule would have earned less than staying home. Raise Switch at, lengthen the hold, widen the gap to Back below, or turn the rule off.
Related
- BloomGauge vs. darkbloom-manager
- Which Darkbloom model should I run on my Mac?
- Darkbloom 0.9.10: live model switching and on-demand loading
- BloomGauge Guardian: keeps your Mac earning
Updated 2026-10-05. Still stuck? Ask in #bloomgauge on the Darkbloom Slack (join it here, free) or contact us. BloomGauge is independent and not affiliated with Darkbloom.