slowlyC CUTLASS and CuTe development
Use the local CUTLASS checkout as the primary implementation reference. Prefer current source and examples over remembered APIs because CuTeDSL paths and interfaces change frequently.
Locate the checkout
Resolve the directory containing this SKILL.md, then use its repos/cutlass/ child. The installer links that path to agent-gpu-skills/third_party/cutlass/ or to the checkout supplied through CUTLASS_REPO.
In commands below, replace CUTLASS_REPO with the resolved absolute path:
CUTLASS_REPO=/absolute/path/to/cutlass-skill/repos/cutlass
If the checkout is missing, run this from the agent-gpu-skills repository and reinstall the Skill:
bash update-repos.sh cutlass
bash install.sh --skill cutlass-skill
Choose the source surface
| Task | Start here |
|---|---|
| CuTeDSL API and implementation | python/CuTeDSL/cutlass/ |
| All CuTeDSL examples and tutorials | examples/python/CuTeDSL/ |
| CUTLASS C++ examples | examples/ |
| CUTLASS C++ kernels and builders | include/cutlass/ |
| CuTe C++ layout, copy, and MMA | include/cute/ |
| Python layout and swizzle utilities | python/pycute/ |
| Python manifest and generator utilities | python/cutlass_library/ |
Read quick-reference.md when mapping an operation or architecture to a concrete file in the validated checkout.
Query workflow
- Identify the programming surface: CuTeDSL Python, CuTe C++, or CUTLASS C++.
- Find the closest example for the target architecture and operation.
- Trace the example into the implementation and headers it instantiates.
- Check dtype, layout, alignment, architecture target, schedule, and epilogue together.
- Build or run the smallest representative example before adapting it to the target repository.
Discover files before loading a large source file:
find "$CUTLASS_REPO/examples/python/CuTeDSL" -type f | sort
find "$CUTLASS_REPO/examples" -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -type d | sort
Search CuTeDSL definitions and usage together:
rg -n 'TiledMMA|tiled_mma' \
"$CUTLASS_REPO/python/CuTeDSL/cutlass/cute" \
"$CUTLASS_REPO/examples/python/CuTeDSL"
rg -n 'Pipeline|pipeline' \
"$CUTLASS_REPO/python/CuTeDSL/cutlass/pipeline" \
"$CUTLASS_REPO/examples/python/CuTeDSL/cute"
Trace CUTLASS C++ builders and kernels:
rg -n 'CollectiveBuilder' \
"$CUTLASS_REPO/examples/49_hopper_gemm_with_collective_builder"
rg -n 'CollectiveMainloop' \
"$CUTLASS_REPO/include/cutlass/gemm/collective"
rg -n 'GemmUniversal' \
"$CUTLASS_REPO/include/cutlass/gemm"
Trace CuTe layout and architecture primitives:
rg -n 'make_layout|composition|complement' \
"$CUTLASS_REPO/include/cute/layout.hpp"
rg -n 'TiledCopy|make_tiled_copy' "$CUTLASS_REPO/include/cute"
rg -n 'SM90_TMA|SM100_TMA' "$CUTLASS_REPO/include/cute/arch"
For a C++ example, inspect its CMakeLists.txt and build only the selected target. Replace the architecture and target below for the workload:
cmake -S "$CUTLASS_REPO" -B /tmp/cutlass-build -DCUTLASS_NVCC_ARCHS=100a
cmake --build /tmp/cutlass-build \
--target 71_blackwell_gemm_with_collective_builder
Before running a CuTeDSL example, inspect the current python/CuTeDSL/pyproject.toml and requirements files instead of assuming a compatible CUDA or Python version.
Implementation discipline
Keep three layers separate when diagnosing a CUTLASS kernel:
problem shape and tensor layout
→ selected collective and schedule
→ generated CUDA/PTX behavior on the target architecture
Do not infer the selected schedule from an example directory name. Follow the instantiated types and builder parameters. When an architecture or instruction detail determines correctness, add cuda-skill and verify it against the CUDA or PTX reference.
For correctness work:
- preserve the original problem shapes, strides, layouts, dtypes, scaling format, and epilogue;
- compare against an independent reference implementation;
- test boundary shapes and alignment cases before performance tuning;
- treat template compilation success as necessary but not sufficient.
For performance work:
- establish a stable baseline and measurement method;
- change one schedule, tile, stage count, or epilogue choice at a time;
- record compiler resource usage and the exact architecture target;
- profile only after confirming that the measured dispatch path uses the intended kernel.
Updating the source
From the agent-gpu-skills repository:
bash update-repos.sh cutlass
python3 scripts/validate_repo.py --require-sources
The checkout follows CUTLASS main, while third_party/UPSTREAMS.toml records the commit last accepted by this Skill. Review source-map drift before updating that record.