xpu-runtime-preflight

name

xpu-runtime-preflight

description

Run a read-only go/no-go preflight before any Intel GPU/XPU skillpack work. Checks driver health, /dev/dri permissions, render/video groups, Docker, /dev/shm, disk, proxy, and optional container-level XPU visibility. Use when the user asks whether a machine is ready for XPU model work or needs a reusable lab readiness report. Not for launching workloads, pulling images, editing system config, or verifying model output.

xpu-runtime-preflight

Use this as the shared readiness gate before Intel GPU/XPU skills in this pack. It answers "is this host/container ready for the requested skill path?", reports a READY / READY WITH WARNINGS / BLOCKED verdict, and routes failures to focused skills. It does not start model servers, run benchmarks, capture profiles, restart Docker, pull large images, edit system configuration, or validate generated content.

When To Use

Run this before a model run, benchmark, profile, or container workflow when readiness depends on more than GPU discovery. Use xpu-discover for device inventory and driver health; use this skill for the broader go/no-go path: /dev/dri, groups, Docker, shared memory, disk, proxy and network checks, plus optional container XPU visibility.

If preflight finds a blocker, follow the generated SUMMARY.md handoff. Do not duplicate routing guidance in this skill body.

Quick start

plugins/intel-gpu-ai-skills/skills/xpu-runtime-preflight/scripts/check_runtime_preflight.sh \
    --target-gpu 0 \
    --out-dir .out/skills/xpu-runtime-preflight

Add an already-local image when the next skill path runs in a container:

plugins/intel-gpu-ai-skills/skills/xpu-runtime-preflight/scripts/check_runtime_preflight.sh \
    --target-gpu 0 \
    --image <already-local-image>

When downloads or image builds are part of the next step, add a network check:

plugins/intel-gpu-ai-skills/skills/xpu-runtime-preflight/scripts/check_runtime_preflight.sh \
    --env-file .env \
    --target-gpu 0 \
    --network-check

The script writes:

.out/skills/xpu-runtime-preflight/SUMMARY.md
.out/skills/xpu-runtime-preflight/status.tsv
.out/skills/xpu-runtime-preflight/preflight.log

It also writes per-check evidence files such as xpu-smi-discovery.txt, xpu-smi-precheck.txt, xpu-smi-diag-target.txt, xpu-smi-stats-target.txt, target-driver.txt, dev-dri.txt, docker-info.txt, and, when --image is supplied, image-preflight.txt.

What Counts As Ready

Hard pass before GPU/XPU skill work:

1. xpu-smi discovery sees the target GPU.
2. The target GPU has an inspectable kernel driver binding. xe and i915 are accepted; vfio* blocks because the host driver did not bind the target GPU for XPU runtime use.
3. Targeted xpu-smi diag -d <id> -l 1 and bounded xpu-smi stats -d <id> complete or leave inspectable warning artifacts.
4. /dev/dri/renderD* exists and permissions are understandable.
5. Docker daemon is reachable by the current user.
6. /dev/shm and disk space are not obviously too small.
7. If --image is supplied, the selected container sees XPU through a Level Zero or Python XPU visibility probe. The default Python probe requires torch.xpu.is_available() and a nonzero XPU device count.

Warnings do not block every workflow. A missing proxy is fine on direct networks; missing BuildKit is fine unless the next step builds an image; a workstation xpu-smi diag permission warning may still allow GPU work if the computation sub-test passes.

Result Routing

Use the generated SUMMARY.md as the source of truth for failure-to-next skill routing. The script builds that section from the checks it actually ran, so do not maintain a separate static routing table in this skill.

For final answers, read status.tsv or the SUMMARY.md status table, then report hard blockers first and follow the SUMMARY.md "Next Skill Routing" section for the recommended handoff.

SUMMARY.md includes a Verdict field:

• READY when no checks fail or warn.
• READY WITH WARNINGS when no checks fail but at least one warning is present.
• BLOCKED when any check fails.

When blocked, SUMMARY.md also includes First blocker: with the first failing check from status.tsv.

Image Preflight Notes

The script refuses to implicitly pull an image. If --image is not already local, verify host/Docker/container proxy settings or run the skill that owns the image choice.

The generic image preflight sources oneAPI (if present) and then runs the XPU visibility probe against whatever python3 is on the image's PATH. It does not activate conda, miniforge, or any other Python environment — that is the image's responsibility:

source /opt/intel/oneapi/setvars.sh --force

If the image needs a conda/venv activation, a non-default oneAPI path, or any other setup before python3 -c "import torch" works, pass --image-command '<shell command>' to supply the full probe.

Image preflight uses Docker bridge networking by default. This avoids masking container-network issues with host networking. If the target runtime will intentionally use another Docker network mode, pass --image-network <mode> so the preflight matches that run.

Reporting

In final answers, report:

• target host and GPU ID
• verdict
• PASS/WARN/FAIL counts
• first blocker and hard blockers
• the next skill to use for each blocker
• the output artifact paths

Do not claim container readiness from host checks alone when the next step uses a container image; run the optional --image preflight for that image.