ff-develop

name	ff-develop
description	Feature development with cross-module impact analysis. Covers trainer hierarchy, model adapters, reward pipeline, config system, sample dataclasses, and distributed training paths. Trigger: 'add feature', 'implement', 'refactor', 'reorganize', 'new capability'.

Feature Development Workflow

Related Topics (read if your change touches these areas)

• Adapter changes -> topics/adapter_conventions.md
• Trainer/scheduler changes -> topics/train_inference_consistency.md
• Trainer optimize() loop, autocast scope, ref/EMA/named param swaps -> topics/autocast_param_swap.md
• Precision changes -> topics/dtype_precision.md

Impact Analysis Checklist

Before implementing features or refactoring, analyze impacts across these areas:

1. Trainer Hierarchy (constraints.md #11)

• Changes to BaseTrainer affect all 9 concrete trainers (grpo, grpo-guard, dppo, nft, awm, dgpo, dpo, crd, diffusion-opd); changed abstract methods must be implemented on every one
• Changes to AdvantageProcessor affect all reward-based trainers (architecture.md "Advantage Computation"; diffusion-opd skips it)
• Check: Does your change alter _initialization(), _init_reward_model(), or _init_dataloader()?

2. Model Adapter Hierarchy (constraints.md #12)

• Changes to BaseAdapter affect ALL model adapters
• Check: Does your change modify component management, LoRA logic, or mode switching?
• Adding a new modality (e.g. audio): prefer non-abstract no-op default + opt-in override (R7 pattern). Don't add @abstractmethod to a new encoder; that forces stub edits on every existing concrete adapter. The 4 abstract methods (load_pipeline, decode_latents, forward, inference) are intentionally minimal — encoders are opt-in by modality.

3. Reward Pipeline (constraints.md #13)

• Changes to BaseRewardModel or RewardProcessor affect all reward models
• Check: Does your change alter the Pointwise/Groupwise dispatch?

4. Configuration System (constraints.md #15–17)

• Check: Did you rename, remove, or add fields? ALL configs in examples/ must be updated

5. Sample Dataclasses (constraints.md #14)

• Changes to BaseSample or its subclasses affect data flow through all 6 stages
• Check: Did you change _shared_fields or add new fields?

6. Distributed Training Paths (constraints.md #9, #18–20)

• Changes may behave differently under Accelerate vs DeepSpeed
• Check: Does your change involve accelerator.prepare(), gradient accumulation, or model sharding?

Refactoring Safety Rules

1. Establish baseline — Run tests before making changes
2. One at a time — ONE structural change → update ALL callers → verify → commit
3. Never combine — Don't combine multiple refactoring steps in one commit

Workflow Steps

1. Understand scope

   • Read relevant abc.py base classes
   • Identify all affected subclasses and callers
   • Read related guidance/ docs

2. Plan changes

   • List all files that need modification
   • Document expected behavior changes
   • Identify test scenarios

3. Implement methodically

   • Make ONE change at a time
   • Update ALL callers/subclasses
   • Run tests after each change

4. Cross-algorithm verification

   • Test with GRPO (coupled paradigm; also covers GRPO-Guard / DPPO variants)
   • Test with NFT or AWM (decoupled paradigm; also DGPO / CRD / DPO)
   • If the change touches the sample/optimize path, also test diffusion-opd (distillation; no reward/advantage stage)
   • Verify with at least two different model adapters

Documentation

Before committing, check if the change requires documentation updates:

• New/changed API -> update relevant guidance/ doc
• New/changed config fields -> update ALL example configs in examples/
• Architecture change -> update .agents/knowledge/architecture.md
• New constraint discovered -> add to .agents/knowledge/constraints.md
• Bug fix experience? -> follow .agents/knowledge/topics/fix_patterns.md archival process

When to Delegate

• Adding a new model → /ff-new-model
• Adding a new reward → /ff-new-reward
• Adding a new algorithm → /ff-new-algorithm
• Debugging a bug → /ff-debug
• Pre-commit review → /ff-review

Pre-Commit Checks

• Impact analysis completed for all 6 areas
• All callers/subclasses updated
• Tests pass
• Code formatted with Black and isort
• YAML configs in examples/ updated: new fields added, renamed fields updated, removed fields cleaned up
• License header present on new files