proteinmpnn-nim

name	proteinmpnn-nim
description	Run ProteinMPNN inverse folding via NVIDIA NIM to design protein sequences for a target backbone. Use for ProteinMPNN, inverse folding, sequence design, backbone redesign, fixed chains/residues, omit_AAs, sampling temperature, soluble model, hosted NVIDIA API, local Docker, PDB input, and multi-FASTA output.
license	Apache-2.0 AND CC-BY-4.0
compatibility	requests>=2.28
allowed-tools	Bash, Read, Write, AskUserQuestion

ProteinMPNN NIM

Design protein sequences for a supplied backbone PDB. Use this SKILL.md for first-pass hosted/local usage; load supplemental files only when needed:

• references/api.md: exact endpoints, schemas, Docker flags, response fields.
• references/science.md: inverse-folding uses, limits, and validation.
• references/parameters.md: design controls, fixed positions, sampling.
• references/validation.md: FASTA, score, and structure checks.
• references/examples.md: compact hosted/local request patterns.

Choose Mode

Honor an explicitly configured runtime before asking. NIM_API_MODE=local selects the local service at PROTEINMPNN_NIM_URL; the URL defaults to http://localhost:8000 for a NIM running in the same host or container. Ask only when neither the environment nor the user's request makes the mode clear:

Hosted NVIDIA API or local Docker NIM?

• Hosted: https://health.api.nvidia.com/v1/biology/ipd/proteinmpnn/predict
• Local: ${PROTEINMPNN_NIM_URL:-http://localhost:8000}/biology/ipd/proteinmpnn/predict

Local inference paths do not include /v1/. Hosted requests use Authorization: Bearer $NGC_API_KEY. Supported local Docker startup uses NGC_API_KEY (or NVIDIA_API_KEY via the preflight) for registry login, entitlement checks, and first-run model downloads; pass it into the container with -e NGC_API_KEY. Local inference requests use no auth header after readiness. Warm-cache key-free startup varies by image/version and should not be assumed.

Local Docker

For local setup, run the full sequence — env preflight, docker login, docker run, readiness loop, then the no-auth localhost request; do not answer with only a localhost Python request. For the exact preflight (.env sourcing, NGC_API_KEY/NVIDIA_API_KEY handling, and the docker run for nvcr.io/nim/ipd/proteinmpnn:latest), copy the command block in references/api.md under Docker Reference verbatim. This NIM's cache mount is /home/nvs/.cache/nim, not /opt/nim/.cache. When PROTEINMPNN_NIM_URL is supplied, the service is already managed elsewhere; use that URL and do not start another Docker container.

Readiness:

proteinmpnn_nim_url="${PROTEINMPNN_NIM_URL:-http://localhost:8000}"
until curl -sf "${proteinmpnn_nim_url%/}/v1/health/ready"; do sleep 5; done

Request Pattern

Read PDB content inline; do not send only a file path.

import os
from pathlib import Path
import requests

HOSTED = os.getenv("NIM_API_MODE", "hosted").strip().lower() != "local"
pdb_content = Path("1R42.pdb").read_text()
nim_url = os.getenv("PROTEINMPNN_NIM_URL", "http://localhost:8000").rstrip("/")
url = (
    "https://health.api.nvidia.com/v1/biology/ipd/proteinmpnn/predict"
    if HOSTED else f"{nim_url}/biology/ipd/proteinmpnn/predict"
)
headers = {"Content-Type": "application/json"}
if HOSTED:
    headers["Authorization"] = f"Bearer {os.environ['NGC_API_KEY']}"

payload = {
    "input_pdb": pdb_content,
    "num_seq_per_target": 10,
    "sampling_temp": [0.1],
    "use_soluble_model": False,
    "ca_only": False,
}
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=payload, timeout=300)
response.raise_for_status()
result = response.json()

Common controls:

• Redesign only chain A: "input_pdb_chains": ["A"].
• Exclude amino acids: "omit_AAs": ["C"] or "omit_AAs": ["M"].
• Diversity: "sampling_temp": [0.1, 0.3, 0.5] (always a list).
• Solubility bias: "use_soluble_model": True.
• Candidate count: num_seq_per_target is 1-100.

Save And Report Output

Save the returned mfasta and pair scores only with designed (non-native/WT) rows, using the snippet in references/examples.md under Save Multi-FASTA. Validate promising designs by predicting structures with Boltz2 or OpenFold3 and comparing them to the target backbone. For FASTA/score sanity checks, read references/validation.md.

Limits And Troubleshooting

• Minimum GPU VRAM: about 3 GB.
• sampling_temp must be a list, even for one value.
• Empty mfasta: check non-empty input_pdb and num_seq_per_target >= 1.
• PDB parse errors: use valid PDB ATOM records.
• Local URL 404 usually means an accidental /v1/ prefix.
• Cache mount error: use /home/nvs/.cache/nim inside the container.