fix(python-backend): make JIT subprocesses work on hosts of any size - #9679
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Two related runtime fixes for Python backends that JIT-compile CUDA
kernels at first model load (FlashInfer, PyTorch inductor, triton):
1. libbackend.sh: replace `source ${EDIR}/venv/bin/activate` with a
minimal manual setup (_activateVenv: export VIRTUAL_ENV, prepend
PATH, unset PYTHONHOME) computed from $EDIR at runtime. `uv venv`
and `python -m venv` both bake the create-time absolute path into
bin/activate (e.g. VIRTUAL_ENV='/vllm/venv' from the Docker build
stage), so sourcing activate on a relocated venv — copied out of
the build container and unpacked at an arbitrary backend dir —
prepends a stale, non-existent path to $PATH. Pip-installed CLI
tools (e.g. ninja, used by FlashInfer's NVFP4 GEMM JIT) are then
never found and the load aborts with FileNotFoundError. Doing the
env setup ourselves matches what `uv run` does internally and
sidesteps the relocation problem entirely. Generic — every Python
backend benefits.
2. vllm/run.sh: replace ninja's default -j$(nproc)+2 with an adaptive
MAX_JOBS = min(nproc, (MemAvailable-4)/4). Each concurrent
nvcc/cudafe++ peaks at multiple GiB; the default OOM-kills on
memory-tight hosts (e.g. a 16 GiB desktop loading a 27B NVFP4
model) but underutilises 100-core / 1 TB boxes. User-set MAX_JOBS
still wins. Also pin NVCC_THREADS=2 unless overridden.
Refs: vllm-project/vllm#20079
Assisted-by: Claude:claude-opus-4-7 [Edit] [Bash]
mudler
approved these changes
May 5, 2026
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Put ninja on the PATH by putting the venv bin in the PATH correctly. Instead of trying to patch up the activate script we just do the necessary bits ourselves; it's very simple and shouldn't change.
Two related runtime fixes for Python backends that JIT-compile CUDA
kernels at first model load (FlashInfer, PyTorch inductor, triton):
libbackend.sh: replace
source ${EDIR}/venv/bin/activatewith aminimal manual setup (_activateVenv: export VIRTUAL_ENV, prepend
PATH, unset PYTHONHOME) computed from $EDIR at runtime.
uv venvand
python -m venvboth bake the create-time absolute path intobin/activate (e.g. VIRTUAL_ENV='/vllm/venv' from the Docker build
stage), so sourcing activate on a relocated venv — copied out of
the build container and unpacked at an arbitrary backend dir —
prepends a stale, non-existent path to $PATH. Pip-installed CLI
tools (e.g. ninja, used by FlashInfer's NVFP4 GEMM JIT) are then
never found and the load aborts with FileNotFoundError. Doing the
env setup ourselves matches what
uv rundoes internally andsidesteps the relocation problem entirely. Generic — every Python
backend benefits.
vllm/run.sh: replace ninja's default -j$(nproc)+2 with an adaptive
MAX_JOBS = min(nproc, (MemAvailable-4)/4). Each concurrent
nvcc/cudafe++ peaks at multiple GiB; the default OOM-kills on
memory-tight hosts (e.g. a 16 GiB desktop loading a 27B NVFP4
model) but underutilises 100-core / 1 TB boxes. User-set MAX_JOBS
still wins. Also pin NVCC_THREADS=2 unless overridden.
Refs: vllm-project/vllm#20079
Assisted-by: Claude:claude-opus-4-7 [Edit] [Bash]