diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index de7332b..2fb385c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ aws authorization is handled via two required ENV vars
 When you add the pool config `provision: true` to a pool, the new VMs will also get initialized with extra steps to setup the sshd config via NET:SSH
 These steps expect two environment vars
 1. ROOT_KEYS_SCRIPT: (optional) the URI location of a script (eg https in github) that will be run to setup keys. If not set, this will be skipped
-2. KEY_FILE_LOCATION: (required) the location on local disk where the ssh key resides for VMPooler to connect via SSH to the EC2 node
+2. AWS_KEY_FILE_LOCATION: (required) the location on local disk where the ssh key resides for VMPooler to connect via SSH to the EC2 node
 
 ### DNS
 AWS will setup a private ip and private dns hostname for the VM once running. Optionally we can setup a human readable DNS entry to resolve the VMPooler provider `spicy-proton` fqdn
diff --git a/lib/vmpooler/aws_setup.rb b/lib/vmpooler/aws_setup.rb
index 94a9b99..90a0825 100644
--- a/lib/vmpooler/aws_setup.rb
+++ b/lib/vmpooler/aws_setup.rb
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ module Vmpooler
       ROOT_KEYS_SYNC_CMD = "curl -k -o - -L #{ROOT_KEYS_SCRIPT} | %s"
 
       def self.setup_node_by_ssh(host, platform)
-        @key_file = ENV['KEY_FILE_LOCATION'] || '/app/abs/.ssh/abs-aws-ec2.rsa'
+        @key_file = ENV['AWS_KEY_FILE_LOCATION']
         conn = check_ssh_accepting_connections(host, platform)
         configure_host(host, platform, conn)
       end
diff --git a/lib/vmpooler/providers/ec2.rb b/lib/vmpooler/providers/ec2.rb
index e72c877..4a7c26c 100644
--- a/lib/vmpooler/providers/ec2.rb
+++ b/lib/vmpooler/providers/ec2.rb
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ module Vmpooler
         def initialize(config, logger, metrics, redis_connection_pool, name, options)
           super(config, logger, metrics, redis_connection_pool, name, options)
 
-          @aws_access_key = ENV['ABS_AWS_ACCESS_KEY']
-          @aws_secret_key = ENV['ABS_AWS_SECRET_KEY']
+          @aws_access_key = ENV['ABS_AWS_ACCESS_KEY'] || provider_config['ABS_AWS_ACCESS_KEY']
+          @aws_secret_key = ENV['ABS_AWS_SECRET_KEY'] || provider_config['ABS_AWS_SECRET_KEY']
 
           task_limit = global_config[:config].nil? || global_config[:config]['task_limit'].nil? ? 10 : global_config[:config]['task_limit'].to_i
           # The default connection pool size is:
@@ -123,10 +123,16 @@ module Vmpooler
           pool = pool_config(pool_name)
           raise("Pool #{pool_name} does not exist for the provider #{name}") if pool.nil?
 
-          filters = [{
-            name: 'tag:pool',
-            values: [pool_name]
-          }]
+          filters = [
+            {
+              name: 'tag:pool',
+              values: [pool_name]
+            },
+            {
+              name: 'instance-state-name',
+              values: %w[pending running shutting-down stopping stopped]
+            }
+          ]
           instance_list = connection.instances(filters: filters)
 
           return vms if instance_list.first.nil?
diff --git a/spec/unit/providers/ec2_spec.rb b/spec/unit/providers/ec2_spec.rb
index f1d4850..5225835 100644
--- a/spec/unit/providers/ec2_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/unit/providers/ec2_spec.rb
@@ -53,16 +53,38 @@ EOT
 
   describe '#manual tests live' do
     context 'in itsysops' do
+      let(:vmname) { "instance-50" }
+      let(:poolname) { "ubuntu-2004-arm64" }
+      let(:config) { YAML.load(<<~EOT
+  ---
+  :config:
+    max_tries: 3
+    retry_factor: 10
+  :providers:
+    :ec2:
+      connection_pool_timeout: 1
+      zone: '#{zone}'
+      region: '#{region}'
+  :pools:
+    - name: '#{poolname}'
+      alias: [ 'mockpool' ]
+      amisize: 'a1.large'
+      template: 'ami-03c1b544a7566b3e5'
+      size: 5
+      timeout: 10
+      ready_ttl: 1440
+      provider: 'ec2'
+      provision: 'true'
+      EOT
+      )
+      }
       before(:each) {
-        config['provision'] = "true"
         allow(subject).to receive(:dns).and_call_original
       }
-      let(:vmname) { "instance-46" }
-      let(:poolname) { "ubuntu-2004-arm64" }
       skip 'gets a vm' do
-
-        # result = subject.create_vm(poolname, vmname)
-        subject.provision_node_aws("ip-10-227-4-27.amz-dev.puppet.net", poolname)
+        result = subject.create_vm(poolname, vmname)
+        #subject.vms_in_pool("amazon-6-x86_64-ec2")
+        #subject.provision_node_aws("ip-10-227-4-97.amz-dev.puppet.net", poolname)
         # subject.create_snapshot(poolname, vmname, "foo")
         #subject.create_disk(poolname, vmname, 10)
         # a = subject.destroy_vm(poolname, vmname)