autohandai Build and Dependency Guide
Docker Images
Build the release image (includes all dependencies and pre-fetched venvs):
# Build from local source
docker buildx build -f docker/Dockerfile --tag nemo-rl:latest .
# Build from a specific git ref (no local clone needed)
docker buildx build -f docker/Dockerfile \
--build-arg NRL_GIT_REF=main \
--tag nemo-rl:latest \
https://github.com/NVIDIA-NeMo/RL.git
Skip optional backends to reduce build time:
# Skip vLLM and SGLang
docker buildx build -f docker/Dockerfile \
--build-arg SKIP_VLLM_BUILD=1 \
--build-arg SKIP_SGLANG_BUILD=1 \
--tag nemo-rl:latest .
See @docs/docker.md for full options.
Always Use uv
Never use pip install directly — always go through uv.
# Run a script
uv run examples/run_grpo.py
# Run tests
uv run --group test bash tests/run_unit.sh
# Install all deps from lockfile
uv sync --locked
Exception: Dockerfile.ngc_pytorch is exempt from this rule.
Adding Dependencies
# Add a runtime dependency
uv add <package>
# Add an optional dependency
uv add --optional --extra <group> <package>
# Regenerate the lockfile after changes
uv lock
Commit both pyproject.toml and uv.lock together:
git add pyproject.toml uv.lock
git commit -s -m "build: add <package> dependency"
Common Pitfalls
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
uv sync --locked fails |
Dependency conflict or stale lockfile | Re-run uv lock and commit updated lock |
ModuleNotFoundError after pip install |
pip installed outside uv-managed venv | Use uv add + uv sync, never bare pip install |
| Docker build fails at vLLM | vLLM build time overhead | Pass --build-arg SKIP_VLLM_BUILD=1 |