docs: deprecate Switchyard plugin

[bbednarski9]

Overview

Deprecates the experimental nemo-relay-switchyard plugin ahead of its removal in NeMo Relay 0.8 and replacement by a Switchyard-owned native plugin. Clarifies that the existing integration is supported by NeMo Relay 0.6.0 and 0.7.0.

• I confirm this contribution is my own work, or I have the right to submit it under this project license.
• I searched existing issues and open pull requests, and this does not duplicate existing work.

Details

• Mark the Switchyard docs landing page and navigation entry as deprecated.
• Render the deprecation message as a native warning callout on the MDX documentation pages.
• Add removal and replacement notices to the configuration guide, crate README, and example README.
• Document support for the existing integration in NeMo Relay 0.6.0 and 0.7.0 across the landing page, architecture description, prerequisite table, configuration guide, crate README, and examples.
• Tell readers that the NeMo Relay 0.8 documentation will provide updated configuration guidance and a migration plan when the replacement is available.
• Keep the notice independent of any specific upstream pull request or provisional migration commands.

Validation:

• Targeted pre-commit checks passed for all six changed files, including YAML validation and docs link checking.
• git diff --check passed.
• The repository-wide pre-commit run completed all applicable formatting, lint, type, Cargo, Go, Node, attribution, and docs-link checks successfully. The generated Python worker-protocol check could not run because just is not installed.
• just docs could not run because just is not installed in the environment.

Where should the reviewer start?

Start with docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx, which contains the canonical deprecation warning and the supported-version language reused by the other entry points.

Related Issues: (use one of the action keywords Closes / Fixes / Resolves / Relates to)

• Relates to: none

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Documentation
  • Marked the Switchyard integration as deprecated across guides, navigation, and examples.
  • Documented compatibility with NeMo Relay 0.6.0 and 0.7.0.
  • Added notice that the integration will be removed in Relay 0.8 and replaced by a native Switchyard plugin.
  • Updated setup guidance and example instructions for supported Relay versions.

[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

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📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 0ef068f and 59a4609.

📒 Files selected for processing (6)

• crates/switchyard/README.md
• docs/configure-plugins/about.mdx
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/configuration.mdx
• docs/index.yml
• examples/switchyard/README.md

📜 Recent review details

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📓 Path-based instructions (18)

{docs,examples}/**/*

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/rename-surfaces/SKILL.md)

Update docs and examples.

Files:

• docs/index.yml
• docs/configure-plugins/about.mdx
• examples/switchyard/README.md
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/configuration.mdx

**/*

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/validate-change/SKILL.md)

**/*: Format changed files with the language-native formatter before the final lint/test pass.
If dynamic plugin behavior changed, use maintain-dynamic-plugins and include the native SDK, worker protocol, Python SDK, docs, packaging, and Codecov surfaces in the validation plan.
If code changes alter APIs, bindings, commands, paths, packaging behavior, observability/adaptive semantics, or documented best practices, update any dependent maintainer or consumer skills in the same branch.
During iteration, prefer uv run pre-commit run --files <changed files...>.
Before review or handoff, run uv run pre-commit run --all-files.

**/*: Use release tags in raw Rust-compatible SemVer without a leading v; tags such as v0.1.0 are prohibited.
Use branch prefixes feat/, fix/, docs/, test/, or refactor/ according to the change purpose.
Every commit in a pull request must include a DCO Signed-off-by: sign-off.
Before submitting a pull request, ensure pre-commit hooks, relevant tests, target-specific builds, documentation updates, and a rebase on the latest main are complete.
Use commit messages in the form type: short description, with a valid type and a first line under 72 characters.

Files:

• docs/index.yml
• docs/configure-plugins/about.mdx
• examples/switchyard/README.md
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx
• crates/switchyard/README.md
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/configuration.mdx

docs/**/*

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/validate-change/SKILL.md)

If documentation examples or commands under docs/ change, run the targeted docs checks appropriate to the change.

Files:

• docs/index.yml
• docs/configure-plugins/about.mdx
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/configuration.mdx

**/*.{rs,py,js,jsx,ts,tsx,go,c,h,cc,cpp,md,toml,yml,yaml,sh}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (AGENTS.md)

Keep SPDX headers on source, documentation, scripts, and configuration files; the project is Apache-2.0.

Files:

• docs/index.yml
• examples/switchyard/README.md
• crates/switchyard/README.md

**/*.{yaml,yml,toml,json}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (CONTRIBUTING.md)

Maintain valid YAML, TOML, and JSON files; pre-commit hooks validate these formats.

Files:

• docs/index.yml

{docs/**,README.md,CONTRIBUTING.md,RELEASING.md,SECURITY.md}

⚙️ CodeRabbit configuration file

{docs/**,README.md,CONTRIBUTING.md,RELEASING.md,SECURITY.md}: Review documentation for technical accuracy against the current API, command correctness, and consistency across language bindings.
Flag stale examples, missing SPDX headers where required, and instructions that no longer match CI or pre-commit behavior.

Files:

• docs/index.yml
• docs/configure-plugins/about.mdx
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/configuration.mdx

**/*.mdx

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/review-doc-style/SKILL.md)

MDX top-of-file SPDX comments must use {/* ... */} delimiters instead of HTML comment delimiters (Must-Fix)

**/*.mdx: In MDX files, top-of-file comments must use JSX comment delimiters ({/* and */}); do not use HTML comments for MDX SPDX headers.
New or regenerated MDX files must use {/* ... */} for top-of-file SPDX comments.

Files:

• docs/configure-plugins/about.mdx
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/configuration.mdx

**/*.{md,mdx}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/validate-change/SKILL.md)

If links in documentation change, run just docs-linkcheck.

Use documented public APIs and stable wrapper commands in examples and user-facing documentation; do not rely on internal helpers.

**/*.{md,mdx}: Prefer the documented public API over internal shortcuts in documentation and examples.
Keep package names, repository references, and build commands current.
Contribution workflow documentation must require an issue before external contribution pull requests and note that NVIDIA contributors may use a GitHub or Linear issue.
Update entry-point documentation when examples or reading paths change.
Keep release-process and release-notes guidance in maintainer documentation such as RELEASING.md, rather than user-facing documentation pages or CHANGELOG.md.
Use stable user-facing wrappers at the scripts/ root in documentation and examples; reference namespaced helper paths only for internal maintenance documentation.
When detailed dynamic plugin guides exist, keep Rust native plugin examples, Python worker plugin examples, and grpc-v1 protocol details on separate pages.
Dynamic plugin manifests in documentation and examples should use compat.relay = ">=0.5,<1.0" unless deliberately narrower.
Render images, diagrams, tables, and other visual content at representative page widths, ensuring legibility and complete access without clipping; use responsive scaling, reflow, or overflow as appropriate and scope visual styling narrowly.
Dynamic plugin entry pages should link to native, worker, Rust example, Python example, and protocol pages when those pages exist.
Images, diagrams, tables, and custom visual content must remain legible and fully accessible at representative desktop and narrow page widths.
Release-policy documentation must point to GitHub Releases as the only release-history source of truth.
Run just docs when the documentation site changes; retain ./scripts/build-docs.sh html as the compatibility wrapper.

Files:

• docs/configure-plugins/about.mdx
• examples/switchyard/README.md
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx
• crates/switchyard/README.md
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/configuration.mdx

**/*.{md,mdx,py,go,js,ts}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/maintain-observability/SKILL.md)

Examples and documentation must use each exporter's documented flush/deregister order before shutdown.

Files:

• docs/configure-plugins/about.mdx
• examples/switchyard/README.md
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx
• crates/switchyard/README.md
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/configuration.mdx

docs/**/*.{md,mdx}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (CONTRIBUTING.md)

Update relevant reference documentation when public behavior or APIs change.

Files:

• docs/configure-plugins/about.mdx
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/configuration.mdx

**/*.{rs,py,go,js,jsx,ts,tsx,c,h,html,md,mdx,toml}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (CONTRIBUTING.md)

Include the appropriate SPDX copyright and Apache-2.0 license header in every source file.

Files:

• docs/configure-plugins/about.mdx
• examples/switchyard/README.md
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx
• crates/switchyard/README.md
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/configuration.mdx

**/*.{md,mdx,rst}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/review-doc-style/assets/nvidia-style-technical-docs.md)

**/*.{md,mdx,rst}: Use title case consistently for technical documentation headings and table headers; avoid quotation marks, ampersands, and exclamation marks in headings, while preserving official product, event, research, and whitepaper title case.
Format code elements, commands, parameters, package names, expressions, directories, file names, and paths in monospace; represent path placeholders with angle brackets inside monospace.
Format UI buttons, menus, fields, and labels in bold, and separate consecutive UI navigation labels with >.
Use quotation marks for error messages and strings when appropriate, italics for newly introduced terms and publication titles, and plain text for keyboard shortcuts.
Represent GitHub repositories with owner/repository link text, such as [NVIDIA/NeMo](link), rather than generic repository wording.
Introduce every code block with a complete sentence; do not let a code block complete or interrupt the grammar of surrounding prose; use syntax highlighting when supported.
Keep inline method, function, and class references consistent with nearby documentation; omit empty parentheses in prose when no call is shown.
Use descriptive link text matching the destination title when possible; avoid raw URLs, generic anchors, long-sentence links, and unnecessary links that distract from procedures.
Ensure lists have a complete lead-in sentence, more than one item, no more than two levels, parallel construction, one idea or action per item, and appropriate punctuation; use bullets for unordered items and numbers for ordered tasks.
Format definition lists with a bold term followed by a complete, parallel, punctuated definition.
Use tables for reference information, decision support, compatibility matrices, and comparable choices; flag one-row tables, missing captions or lead-ins, sentence-case headers where title case is expected, unexplained empty cells, and code or links that would be clearer as prose.
Write procedure steps as imperative ...

Files:

• docs/configure-plugins/about.mdx
• examples/switchyard/README.md
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx
• crates/switchyard/README.md
• docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/configuration.mdx

**/*.{md,rst,html,txt}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/review-doc-style/assets/nvidia-style-brand-terminology.md)

**/*.{md,rst,html,txt}: Always spell NVIDIA in all caps. Do not use Nvidia, nvidia, nVidia, nVIDIA, or NV.
Use an NVIDIA before a noun because the name starts with an 'en' sound.
Do not add a registered trademark symbol after NVIDIA when referring to the company.
Use trademark symbols with product names only when the document type or legal guidance requires them.
Verify official capitalization, spacing, and hyphenation for product names.
Precede NVIDIA product names with NVIDIA on first mention when it is natural and accurate.
Do not rewrite product names for grammar or title-case rules.
Preserve third-party product names according to the owner's spelling.
Include the company name and full model qualifier on first use when it helps identify the model.
Preserve the official capitalization and punctuation of model names.
Use shorter family names only after the full name is established.
Spell out a term on first use and put the acronym in parentheses unless the acronym is widely understood by the intended audience.
Use the acronym on later mentions after it has been defined.
For long documents, reintroduce the full term if readers might lose context.
Form plurals of acronyms with s, not an apostrophe, such as GPUs.
In headings, common acronyms can remain abbreviated. Spell out the term in the first or second sentence of the body.
Common terms such as CPU, GPU, PC, API, and UI usually do not need to be spelled out for developer audiences.

Files:

• examples/switchyard/README.md
• crates/switchyard/README.md

**/*.{md,rst,html}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/review-doc-style/assets/nvidia-style-brand-terminology.md)

Link the first mention of a product name when the destination helps the reader.

Files:

• examples/switchyard/README.md
• crates/switchyard/README.md

**/*.{md,rst,txt}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/review-doc-style/assets/nvidia-style-guide.md)

Spell NVIDIA in all caps. Do not use Nvidia, nvidia, or NV.

Files:

• examples/switchyard/README.md
• crates/switchyard/README.md

**/*.{md,rst}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/review-doc-style/assets/nvidia-style-guide.md)

**/*.{md,rst}: Format commands, code elements, expressions, package names, file names, and paths as inline code.
Use descriptive link text. Avoid raw URLs and weak anchors such as "here" or "read more."
Use title case consistently for technical documentation headings.
Introduce code blocks, lists, tables, and images with complete sentences.
Write procedures as imperative steps. Keep steps parallel and split long procedures into smaller tasks.
Prefer active voice, present tense, short sentences, contractions, and plain English.
Use can for possibility and reserve may for permission.
Use after for temporal relationships instead of once.
Prefer refer to over see when the wording points readers to another resource.
Avoid culture-specific idioms, unnecessary Latinisms, jokes, and marketing exaggeration in technical docs.
Spell out months in body text, avoid ordinal dates, and use clear time zones.
Spell out whole numbers from zero through nine unless they are technical values, parameters, versions, or UI values.
Use numerals for 10 or greater and include commas in thousands.
Do not add trademark symbols to learning-oriented docs unless the source, platform, or legal guidance explicitly requires them.

Files:

• examples/switchyard/README.md
• crates/switchyard/README.md

**/README.md

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (CONTRIBUTING.md)

Update the relevant crate or package README when that package surface changes.

Update relevant package or crate README.md files when examples or binding guidance changes.

Files:

• examples/switchyard/README.md
• crates/switchyard/README.md

**/{README.md,docs/index.md}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/contribute-docs/SKILL.md)

Update README.md or docs/index.md when documentation entry points change.

Files:

• examples/switchyard/README.md
• crates/switchyard/README.md

🔇 Additional comments (7)

docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx (1)

2-26: LGTM!

Also applies to: 38-38, 76-76

docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/configuration.mdx (1)

4-21: LGTM!

crates/switchyard/README.md (2)

12-15: LGTM!

---

17-24: 📐 Maintainability & Code Quality

Verify all versioned Switchyard references after adding Relay 0.7.0 support.

The documentation now advertises Relay 0.7.0, but the linked setup guides remain v0.6.0-specific. The shared Switchyard branch and commit also need confirmation for both Relay releases.

• crates/switchyard/README.md#L17-L24: verify the links at Lines 127-128 and confirm the pinned revision supports Relay 0.7.0.
• examples/switchyard/README.md#L14-L25: verify the setup link at Line 21 and the shared revision claim at Line 25.

As per path instructions, review documentation for technical accuracy and consistency across language bindings.

Source: Path instructions

docs/configure-plugins/about.mdx (1)

36-39: LGTM!

docs/index.yml (1)

44-44: LGTM!

examples/switchyard/README.md (1)

8-12: LGTM!

---

Walkthrough

The documentation marks the Switchyard plugin as deprecated, covers NeMo Relay 0.6.0 and 0.7.0, and documents its planned removal in Relay 0.8 with replacement by a Switchyard-owned native plugin.

Changes

Switchyard documentation updates

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Canonical Switchyard guidance docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/about.mdx, docs/configure-plugins/switchyard/configuration.mdx	The guides mark the plugin as deprecated, cover Relay 0.6.0 and 0.7.0, and document the planned Relay 0.8 replacement.
Supporting Switchyard references crates/switchyard/README.md, docs/configure-plugins/about.mdx, docs/index.yml, examples/switchyard/README.md	Related references and navigation now use the deprecated status and expanded Relay version scope.

Estimated code review effort: 1 (Trivial) | ~5 minutes

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 5

✅ Passed checks (5 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title uses the allowed docs type, has a concise imperative summary, stays under 72 characters, and has no trailing period.
Description check	✅ Passed	The description includes all major template sections and clearly documents the changes and validation, but lists no related issue.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Commit unit tests in branch docs/deprecate-switchyard-plugin

---

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands.}

[willkill07]

Approving from dev perspective

[github-actions]

Fern docs preview: https://nvidia-preview-pull-request-700.docs.buildwithfern.com/nemo/relay/dev

[bbednarski9]

/merge