These are two instruments with two setup jobs, and almost nothing carries across. This page keeps them apart on purpose — the shared checklist people expect does not exist.
The Puerto Rican instrument: spacing and tension
Five doubled steel courses under a pick means the setup is judged by whether a stroke can cross them cleanly. The two strings of a course want to be close enough to be struck as one event and far enough apart not to rattle together; the gaps between courses want to be even so the hand does not have to aim. Action is set for the stroke you actually use — the figures on the gaita page punish high action by being tiring rather than unplayable, which is worse because you notice it late.
Watch the top. Ten steel strings on a mid-size body is real tension, and a top that has started to belly behind the bridge is telling you something a setup cannot fix.
The Venezuelan instrument: action for a damped stroke
Four nylon strings pull far less, so the top is rarely the issue. What matters is action low enough for a fast strum and a nut that lets the first position play in tune, because this instrument spends most of its life in first-position chords. Nylon moves in a wider arc than steel, so set action against your hardest stroke rather than a gentle one.
The damped stroke deserves its own attention: the right hand stops the strings as part of the rhythm, so a setup that sounds fine when notes ring can still feel wrong when they are cut. Test with the stroke you use, not with sustained chords.
What both want
Level frets, a straight neck, tuners that hold, and a climate that is not extreme. Beyond that, the instruments diverge — which is the whole reason the comparison page exists.