# US VM to UK catalog and NZ trade sites Worked setup for a US cloud VM that needs a UK or EU catalog, or a New Zealand trade site sitting behind Imperva Error 16. Worked scenarios for operators running Grok Bot (or a similar cloud agent) on a US VM when the job needs a UK or EU catalog, or a New Zealand trade site sitting behind Imperva. This is a field kit: setup, country select, sticky session for checkout, rotate when the exit is still blocked, and the limits that keep you honest. ## The command ```sh npx aluvia-cli setup aluvia geos ``` `setup` aims the existing Chrome at a local proxy. One Chrome restart is expected at setup. Do not launch a second Chrome. `geos` lists country codes you can pass to `--geo`. First 10 MB free, no account and no API key, then $2/GB. Sticky sessions last up to 30 minutes. ## Shared setup Grok Bot's browser uses the VM's IP. On a US AWS-style machine, every request looks like a US datacenter visitor. Sites return US prices, refuse the region, or drop the client at the edge. Install once on that machine. The agent runs the commands. You do not SSH in to set env vars for the happy path. Bring-your-own proxy URL via `aluvia proxy-provider ` is free for bandwidth on Aluvia's side. When you are finished with the exit, `aluvia proxy-off` keeps Chrome running on the machine's own IP. Aluvia is not a human VPN, not for streaming, not an MCP, and not a login bypass. Country only, not city. It does not change fingerprint, Linux Chrome, TLS, or canvas. ```sh aluvia proxy-off ``` ## Scenario 1 — US VM vs UK / EU prices and catalog A UK or EU shop opens in Grok Bot's Chrome. The currency, tax line, catalog, or language matches the United States. Or the page says the content is not available in your region / country, or that the shop does not ship to your location. There may be no Cloudflare Ray ID and no Imperva incident card. The miss is the country of the datacenter IP. The shop is choosing the country page from the client address. A US cloud IP selects the US storefront. That is how a `.co.uk` checkout or a UK catalog fails to appear even though the URL looks right. `GB` is the usual code when a US VM needs Britain. For another EU market, pass that country's code instead (confirm with `aluvia geos`). Omit `--geo` only when any residential or mobile exit in the global pool is enough; for catalog and checkout work, set the country explicitly. Reload after `proxy-on`. Confirm currency, language, and ship-to match the market you need before you continue. ```sh npx aluvia-cli setup aluvia geos aluvia proxy-on --geo GB ``` ## Sticky 30 minutes for checkout Sticky sessions last up to 30 minutes. Keep the same exit through browse, cart, and checkout so the shop does not see the country flip mid-flow. If you turn the proxy off and on again, you may get a different IP. Plan the checkout inside the sticky window when the site is sensitive to IP changes. ## If the UK or EU page is still wrong or blocked - Confirm the country code with `aluvia geos` and re-run `aluvia proxy-on --geo GB` (or the correct code). - If an edge challenge appears on top of the geo miss, treat IP as one input: `aluvia rotate-ip`, then reload. - If the page still fails after a residential exit and names fingerprint, Linux Chrome, TLS, or canvas, stop. Aluvia does not beat those. ## When the UK / EU scenario is the wrong tool - Streaming or live video. - City-level targeting. - A normal login wall that already needs credentials. - Hoping a site region picker will appear without changing egress. - Further reading: [`/geo/grok-bot`](/geo/grok-bot), [`/unblock/geo-restricted`](/unblock/geo-restricted), [`/geo`](/geo). ## Scenario 2 — NZ trade site / Imperva Error 16 A New Zealand trade or parts site refuses the request before the catalog HTML loads. The card may show "Error 16," "This request was blocked by our security service," "Access denied," "Your IP" / "Proxy IP" / "Incident ID," or "Powered by imperva." The hostname can still sit on that card while the rest of the site is missing. This is not a 403 from the origin and not a Cloudflare "Verify you are human" flow with a Ray ID. Imperva sits in front of the origin. Error 16 means the security service classified the client and dropped the request. Cloud and hosting ranges are a common reason. A US cloud VM reaching a New Zealand trade shop is that shape: datacenter IP, often the wrong country for the merchant. `--geo NZ` matches the market when country also matters. If you only need to leave the datacenter range and the shop does not key on New Zealand, `aluvia proxy-on` without `--geo` uses the global pool. For NZ trade work, prefer `--geo NZ` when that code is listed in `aluvia geos`. Reload. A residential or mobile exit sometimes reaches the origin. Sometimes. Not a promise. ```sh npx aluvia-cli setup aluvia proxy-on --geo NZ ``` ## Rotate when Error 16 returns One exit IP can be blocked on its own. Reload again after `aluvia rotate-ip`. Repeat a small number of times if needed. If every exit still returns Error 16, the failure may no longer be wrong IP class alone. If the first residential exit clears Error 16 and you need to move through search, cart, or account gates that the trade site exposes after the edge, stay on that sticky session (up to 30 minutes). Rotating mid-checkout can put you back on a blocked address. ```sh aluvia rotate-ip ``` ## Login-shaped Imperva cards The address bar can show `/login` while the card is still Imperva's security service. That is not a credential form yet. Changing the exit IP is in scope so the request might reach a real login page. Filling or skipping username, password, SSO, or 2FA is out of scope. If a login form is already on screen and waiting for secrets, Aluvia is the wrong tool. ## When the NZ / Imperva scenario is the wrong tool - Guaranteed Imperva clearance. Aluvia hedges: sometimes. - Fingerprint, TLS, or canvas failure after the IP already looks residential. - Normal login bypass. - Streaming. - Further reading: [`/unblock/imperva-security-service`](/unblock/imperva-security-service), [`/geo/grok-bot`](/geo/grok-bot), [`/unblock/access-denied`](/unblock/access-denied). ## Operator alternatives Unattended work on a US VM often hits one of these dead ends. Take over the computer and clear the challenge yourself: it works for a one-off and fails when the agent must run alone. A Tailscale home exit can clear datacenter-triggered blocks, but when the cloud instance is replaced the path is gone until someone rebuilds it, and country select only works if the home is in that country. Some sites offer a region picker; many do not, or they still key shipping and tax off the IP. Aluvia survives instance replace by re-running setup on the new machine. Country select is `--geo`. Unblock remains sometimes. - Take over the computer: not unattended. No country select. - Tailscale home exit: mostly unattended. Wipe risk on replace. Country only if home is in that country. - Aluvia: unattended. Re-run setup after replace. Country select is `--geo`. ## Command cheat sheet If `aluvia` is not on PATH, prefix with `npx aluvia-cli`. When the free 10 MB is used up, a command that needs the network returns `payment_required` and a `claim_url`. The operator opens that URL on their machine; the agent does not invent payment. ```sh npx aluvia-cli setup aluvia geos aluvia proxy-on --geo GB aluvia proxy-on --geo NZ aluvia rotate-ip aluvia proxy-off aluvia status ``` ## Honest limits - Residential or mobile IP; country only. - Sometimes clears 403 / CAPTCHA / Cloudflare / Imperva — never a guarantee. - Does not beat fingerprint, Linux Chrome, TLS, or canvas. - Not a VPN, not streaming, not MCP, not login bypass. - Price is $2/GB after the free 10 MB. - Docs at [https://aluvia.io/docs](https://aluvia.io/docs). ## Next step Run `npx aluvia-cli setup`, then open [https://aluvia.io](https://aluvia.io), [`/geo/grok-bot`](/geo/grok-bot) for the Grok Bot geo case, and [`/unblock/imperva-security-service`](/unblock/imperva-security-service) for the Error 16 card. --- Source: https://aluvia.io/resources/us-vm-uk-nz-field-kit