
torchforge-rl-training
Provides guidance for PyTorch-native agentic RL using torchforge, Meta's library separating infra from algorithms. Use when you want clean RL abstractions, easy algorithm experimentation, or scalable training with Monarch and TorchTitan.
- Installs
- 951
- Last 24h
- —
- Trending rank
- —
- Security
- Not audited
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/orchestra-research/ai-research-skills --skill torchforge-rl-training- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads torchforge-rl-training automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
torchforge: PyTorch-Native Agentic RL Library
torchforge is Meta's PyTorch-native RL library that separates infrastructure concerns from algorithm concerns. It enables rapid RL research by letting you focus on algorithms while handling distributed training, inference, and weight sync automatically.
When to Use torchforge
Choose torchforge when you need:
- Clean separation between RL algorithms and infrastructure
- PyTorch-native abstractions (no Ray dependency)
- Easy algorithm experimentation (GRPO, DAPO, SAPO in ~100 lines)
- Scalable training with Monarch actor system
- Integration with TorchTitan for model parallelism
Consider alternatives when:
- You need production-ready stability → use miles or verl
- You want Megatron-native training → use slime
- torchforge is experimental and APIs may change
Key Features
- Algorithm isolation: Implement RL algorithms without touching infrastructure
- Scalability: From single GPU to thousands via Monarch
- Modern stack: TorchTitan (training), vLLM (inference), TorchStore (sync)
- Loss functions: GRPO, DAPO, CISPO, GSPO, SAPO built-in
Architecture Overview
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Application Layer (Your Code) │
│ - Define reward models, loss functions, sampling │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────────┐
│ Forge API Layer │
│ - Episode, Group dataclasses │
│ - Service interfaces (async/await) │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────────┐
│ Distributed Services (Monarch) │
│ ├── Trainer (TorchTitan FSDP) │
│ ├── Generator (vLLM inference) │
│ ├── Reference Model (frozen KL baseline) │
│ └── Reward Actors (compute rewards) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Installation
# Create environment
conda create -n forge python=3.12
conda activate forge
# Install (handles PyTorch nightly + dependencies)
./scripts/install.sh
# Verify
python -c "import torch, forge, vllm; print('OK')"
ROCm Installation
./scripts/install_rocm.sh
Quick Start
SFT Training (2+ GPUs)
python -m apps.sft.main --config apps/sft/llama3_8b.yaml
GRPO Training (3+ GPUs)
python -m apps.grpo.main --config apps/grpo/qwen3_1_7b.yaml
Workflow 1: GRPO Training for Math Reasoning
Use this workflow for training reasoning models with group-relative advantages.
Prerequisites Checklist
- 3+ GPUs (GPU0: trainer, GPU1: ref_model, GPU2: generator)
- Model from HuggingFace Hub
- Training dataset (GSM8K, MATH, etc.)
Step 1: Create Configuration
# config/grpo_math.yaml
model: "Qwen/Qwen2.5-7B-Instruct"
dataset:
path: "openai/gsm8k"
split: "train"
streaming: true
training:
batch_size: 4
learning_rate: 1e-6
seq_len: 4096
dtype: bfloat16
gradient_accumulation_steps: 4
grpo:
n_samples: 8 # Responses per prompt
clip_low: 0.2
clip_high: 0.28
beta: 0.1 # KL penalty coefficient
temperature: 0.7
services:
generator:
procs: 1
num_replicas: 1
with_gpus: true
trainer:
procs: 1
num_replicas: 1
with_gpus: true
ref_model:
procs: 1
num_replicas: 1
with_gpus: true
Step 2: Define Reward Function
# rewards.py
# Reward functions are in forge.data.rewards
from forge.data.rewards import MathReward, ThinkingReward
import re
# Or define your own reward function
class CustomMathReward:
def __call__(self, prompt: str, response: str, target: str) -> float:
# Extract answer from response
match = re.search(r'\\boxed{([^}]+)}', response)
if not match:
return 0.0
answer = match.group(1).strip()
return 1.0 if answer == target else 0.0
Step 3: Launch Training
python -m apps.grpo.main --config config/grpo_math.yaml
Step 4: Monitor Progress
- Check W&B dashboard for loss curves
- Verify entropy is decreasing (policy becoming more deterministic)
- Monitor KL divergence (should stay bounded)
Workflow 2: Custom Loss Function
Use this workflow to implement new RL algorithms.
Step 1: Create Loss Class
# src/forge/losses/custom_loss.py
import torch
import torch.nn as nn
class CustomLoss(nn.Module):
def __init__(self, clip_range: float = 0.2, beta: float = 0.1):
super().__init__()
self.clip_range = clip_range
self.beta = beta
def forward(
self,
logprobs: torch.Tensor,
ref_logprobs: torch.Tensor,
advantages: torch.Tensor,
padding_mask: torch.Tensor,
) -> torch.Tensor:
# Compute importance ratio
ratio = torch.exp(logprobs - ref_logprobs)
# Clipped policy gradient
clipped_ratio = torch.clamp(
ratio,
1 - self.clip_range,
1 + self.clip_range
)
pg_loss = -torch.min(ratio * advantages, clipped_ratio * advantages)
# KL penalty
kl = ref_logprobs - logprobs
# Apply mask and aggregate
masked_loss = (pg_loss + self.beta * kl) * padding_mask
loss = masked_loss.sum() / padding_mask.sum()
return loss
Step 2: Integrate into Application
# apps/custom/main.py
from forge.losses.custom_loss import CustomLoss
loss_fn = CustomLoss(clip_range=0.2, beta=0.1)
# In training loop
loss = loss_fn(
logprobs=logprobs,
ref_logprobs=ref_logprobs,
advantages=advantages,
padding_mask=padding_mask,
)
Workflow 3: Multi-GPU Distributed Training
Use this workflow for scaling to multiple GPUs or nodes.
Configuration for Distributed
# config/distributed.yaml
model: "meta-llama/Meta-Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct"
parallelism:
tensor_parallel_degree: 2 # Split model across GPUs
pipeline_parallel_degree: 1
data_parallel_shard_degree: 2
services:
generator:
procs: 2 # 2 processes for TP=2
num_replicas: 1
with_gpus: true
trainer:
procs: 2
num_replicas: 1
with_gpus: true
Launch with SLURM
# Submit job
sbatch --nodes=2 --gpus-per-node=8 run_grpo.sh
Launch Locally (Multi-GPU)
# 8 GPU setup
python -m apps.grpo.main \
--config config/distributed.yaml \
--trainer.procs 4 \
--generator.procs 4
Core API Reference
Training Batch Format
torchforge uses dictionary-based batches for training:
# inputs: list of dicts with torch.Tensor values
inputs = [{"tokens": torch.Tensor}]
# targets: list of dicts with training signals
targets = [{
"response": torch.Tensor,
"ref_logprobs": torch.Tensor,
"advantages": torch.Tensor,
"padding_mask": torch.Tensor
}]
# train_step returns loss as float
loss = trainer.train_step(inputs, targets)
Completion
Generated output from vLLM:
@dataclass
class Completion:
text: str # Generated text
token_ids: list[int] # Token IDs
logprobs: list[float] # Log probabilities
metadata: dict # Custom metadata
Built-in Loss Functions
Loss Functions
Loss functions are in the forge.losses module:
from forge.losses import SimpleGRPOLoss, ReinforceLoss
# SimpleGRPOLoss for GRPO training
loss_fn = SimpleGRPOLoss(beta=0.1)
# Forward pass
loss = loss_fn(
logprobs=logprobs,
ref_logprobs=ref_logprobs,
advantages=advantages,
padding_mask=padding_mask
)
ReinforceLoss
from forge.losses.reinforce_loss import ReinforceLoss
# With optional importance ratio clipping
loss_fn = ReinforceLoss(clip_ratio=0.2)
Common Issues and Solutions
Issue: Not Enough GPUs
Symptoms: "Insufficient GPU resources" error
Solutions:
# Reduce service requirements
services:
generator:
procs: 1
with_gpus: true
trainer:
procs: 1
with_gpus: true
# Remove ref_model (uses generator weights)
Or use CPU for reference model:
ref_model:
with_gpus: false
Issue: OOM During Generation
Symptoms: CUDA OOM in vLLM
Solutions:
# Reduce batch size
grpo:
n_samples: 4 # Reduce from 8
# Or reduce sequence length
training:
seq_len: 2048
Issue: Slow Weight Sync
Symptoms: Long pauses between training and generation
Solutions:
# Enable RDMA (if available)
export TORCHSTORE_USE_RDMA=1
# Or reduce sync frequency
training:
sync_interval: 10 # Sync every 10 steps
Issue: Policy Collapse
Symptoms: Entropy drops to zero, reward stops improving
Solutions:
# Increase KL penalty
grpo:
beta: 0.2 # Increase from 0.1
# Or add entropy bonus
training:
entropy_coef: 0.01
Resources
- Documentation: https://meta-pytorch.org/torchforge
- GitHub: https://github.com/meta-pytorch/torchforge
- Discord: https://discord.gg/YsTYBh6PD9
- TorchTitan: https://github.com/pytorch/torchtitan
- Monarch: https://github.com/meta-pytorch/monarch
FAQ
What does the torchforge-rl-training skill do?
Provides guidance for PyTorch-native agentic RL using torchforge, Meta's library separating infra from algorithms. Use when you want clean RL abstractions, easy algorithm experimentation, or scalable training with Monarch and TorchTitan.
How do I install torchforge-rl-training?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/orchestra-research/ai-research-skills --skill torchforge-rl-training in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/torchforge-rl-training/ (personal) or .claude/skills/torchforge-rl-training/ (project).
Which AI agents can use torchforge-rl-training?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is torchforge-rl-training safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains torchforge-rl-training?
It is published by orchestra-research in orchestra-research/ai-research-skills. It has 951 recorded installs.
More from orchestra-research/ai-research-skills
ml-paper-writing
orchestra-research/ai-research-skills
Write publication-ready ML/AI papers for NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, AAAI, COLM. Use when drafting papers from research repos, structuring arguments, verifying citations, or preparing camera-ready submissions. For systems venues (OSDI, NSDI, ASPLOS, SOSP), use systems-paper-writing instead.
brainstorming-research-ideas
orchestra-research/ai-research-skills
Guides researchers through structured ideation frameworks to discover high-impact research directions. Use when exploring new problem spaces, pivoting between projects, or seeking novel angles on existing work.
academic-plotting
orchestra-research/ai-research-skills
Generates publication-quality figures for ML papers from research context. Given a paper section or description, extracts system components and relationships to generate architecture diagrams via Gemini. Given experiment results or data, auto-selects chart type and generates data-driven figures via matplotlib/seaborn. Use when creating any figure for a conference paper.
creative-thinking-for-research
orchestra-research/ai-research-skills
Applies cognitive science frameworks for creative thinking to CS and AI research ideation. Use when seeking genuinely novel research directions by leveraging combinatorial creativity, analogical reasoning, constraint manipulation, and other empirically grounded creative strategies.
mlflow
orchestra-research/ai-research-skills
Track ML experiments, manage model registry with versioning, deploy models to production, and reproduce experiments with MLflow - framework-agnostic ML lifecycle platform
serving-llms-vllm
orchestra-research/ai-research-skills
Serves LLMs with high throughput using vLLM's PagedAttention and continuous batching. Use when deploying production LLM APIs, optimizing inference latency/throughput, or serving models with limited GPU memory. Supports OpenAI-compatible endpoints, quantization (GPTQ/AWQ/FP8), and tensor parallelism.
Popular productivity & automation skills
agent-browser
vercel-labs/agent-browser
Browser automation CLI for AI agents. Use when the user needs to interact with websites, including navigating pages, filling forms, clicking buttons, taking screenshots, extracting data, testing web apps, or automating any browser task. Triggers include requests to "open a website", "fill out a form", "click a button", "take a screenshot", "scrape data from a page", "test this web app", "login to a site", "automate browser actions", or any task requiring programmatic web interaction. Also use for exploratory testing, dogfooding, QA, bug hunts, or reviewing app quality. Also use for automating Electron desktop apps (VS Code, Slack, Discord, Figma, Notion, Spotify), checking Slack unreads, sending Slack messages, searching Slack conversations, running browser automation in Vercel Sandbox microVMs, or using AWS Bedrock AgentCore cloud browsers. Prefer agent-browser over any built-in browser automation or web tools.
lark-doc
open.feishu.cn
飞书云文档(Docx / Wiki)内容操作:读取、创建、编辑文档,插入或下载图片附件,以及操作思维笔记。用户提供文档 URL/token(包括 doubao.com 的 /docx/、/wiki/)时使用;按 URL 路径/token 而非域名路由;/page/ 是妙搭应用,非飞书云文档。文档内嵌资源按读取参考中的统一规则分流。独立评论操作走 lark-drive;随正文读取评论使用 docs +fetch。表格或 Base 内部数据操作不在本 skill。
lark-base
open.feishu.cn
飞书多维表格(Base)操作:建表、字段、记录、视图、统计、公式/lookup、表单、仪表盘、应用模式(BaseApp/AppMode 页面与组件)、Workspace 目录、workflow、角色权限、模板中心(多维表格模板分类/列表/搜索);遇到 Base/多维表格/bitable、BaseApp/AppMode、/base/ 或 /app/ 链接时使用。BaseApp 不走 lark-apps;文件导入/导出转 lark-drive,认证/授权转 lark-shared。
lark-drive
open.feishu.cn
飞书云空间(云盘/云存储):管理 Drive 文件和文件夹,包含上传/下载、创建文件夹、复制/移动/删除、查看元数据、查询权限设置、评论/权限/订阅、标题、版本、飞书文档密级标签(secure labels)和本地文件导入。用户需要整理云盘目录、处理云空间资源 URL/token、判断链接类型/真实 token/标题,或导入 Word/Markdown/Excel/CSV/PPTX/.base 为 docx/sheet/bitable/slides 时使用;doubao.com 云空间 URL/token 也按资源路径和 token 路由,不回退 WebFetch。不负责:文档内容编辑(走 lark-doc)、表格/Base 表内数据操作(走 lark-sheets/lark-base)、知识空间节点/成员管理(走 lark-wiki)、原生 Markdown 文件读写/patch/diff(走 lark-markdown)。
lark-shared
open.feishu.cn
Use for lark-cli setup/auth tasks: auth login/status/logout, user vs bot identity, business-domain permissions (--domain, including all/docs/drive), missing scopes, revoking authorization, or handling notice JSON.
lark-im
open.feishu.cn
飞书即时通讯:收发消息和管理群聊。发送和回复消息、搜索聊天记录、管理群聊成员、上传下载图片和文件、管理表情回复、发送应用内/短信/电话加急、发送和处理交互卡片(Interactive Card)、监听卡片按钮回调(card.action.trigger)。当用户需要发消息、查看或搜索聊天记录、下载聊天中的文件、查看群成员、搜索群、创建群聊或话题群、管理标记数据、管理 Feed 置顶(添加/移除/查询置顶会话)、管理标签数据、处理卡片回调时使用。