impl-jit-kernel

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Guide for implementing CUDA or CPU JIT kernels in mllm-kernel. Use when the user asks to create, add, or implement a new kernel in mllm-kernel.

UbiquitousLearning By UbiquitousLearning schedule Updated 3/2/2026
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name: impl-jit-kernel description: Guide for implementing CUDA or CPU JIT kernels in mllm-kernel. Use when the user asks to create, add, or implement a new kernel in mllm-kernel.

Implementing a JIT Kernel in mllm-kernel

Overview

mllm-kernel uses a JIT (Just-In-Time) compilation system built on tvm_ffi. Kernels are written in C++20 (.cuh for CUDA, .cpp for CPU), validated at runtime via TensorMatcher, and exposed to Python through a @jit decorator. No pre-compilation is needed -- kernels compile on first call and are cached at ~/.cache/mllm_kernel/.

File Layout

For a kernel named my_kernel:

mllm-kernel/
  mllm_kernel/
    cuda/
      csrc/my_kernel.cuh          # CUDA kernel implementation
      jit/my_kernel.py            # Python JIT wrapper
      jit/__init__.py             # Add export here
    cpu/
      csrc/my_kernel.cpp          # CPU kernel implementation (Highway SIMD)
      include/mllm_kernel/cpu/
        my_kernel.hpp             # CPU SIMD body (NO #pragma once)
      jit/my_kernel.py            # Python JIT wrapper
      jit/__init__.py             # Add export here
  tests/test_my_kernel.py         # Pytest correctness tests
  benchmarks/bench_my_kernel.py   # Profiler benchmark vs PyTorch reference

CUDA Kernel Walkthrough

Step 1: Write the .cuh kernel

Create mllm_kernel/cuda/csrc/my_kernel.cuh:

#pragma once

#include <mllm_kernel/tensor.hpp>   // TensorMatcher, SymbolicSize, SymbolicDevice, SymbolicDType
#include <mllm_kernel/utils.hpp>    // RuntimeCheck, Panic, div_ceil
#include <mllm_kernel/utils.cuh>    // LaunchKernel, fp16_t, bf16_t, PDL helpers

#include <dlpack/dlpack.h>
#include <tvm/ffi/container/tensor.h>

#include <cstdint>

namespace {

// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// 1. Parameter struct (trivially copyable, passed to kernel by value)
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
struct MyKernelParams {
  const float* __restrict__ input;
  float*       __restrict__ output;
  int32_t num_elements;
};

// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// 2. CUDA kernel
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
__global__ void my_kernel(const MyKernelParams params) {
  const int idx = blockIdx.x * blockDim.x + threadIdx.x;
  if (idx >= params.num_elements) return;
  params.output[idx] = params.input[idx] * 2.0f;
}

// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// 3. Host-side launcher (entry point for TVM FFI binding)
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
struct MyKernel {
  static void run(tvm::ffi::TensorView input, tvm::ffi::TensorView output) {
    using namespace mllm_kernel::host;

    // --- Validate tensors ---
    SymbolicSize N{"num_elements"};
    SymbolicDevice device;

    (void)TensorMatcher({N})
        .with_dtype<float>()
        .with_device<kDLCUDA>(device)
        .verify(input);

    (void)TensorMatcher({N})
        .with_dtype<float>()
        .with_device(device)
        .verify(output);

    const int64_t n = N.unwrap();
    RuntimeCheck(n > 0, "num_elements must be positive, got ", n);

    // --- Build params ---
    MyKernelParams params{
        .input  = static_cast<const float*>(input.data_ptr()),
        .output = static_cast<float*>(output.data_ptr()),
        .num_elements = static_cast<int32_t>(n),
    };

    // --- Launch ---
    constexpr int kBlock = 256;
    const int grid = static_cast<int>(div_ceil(n, kBlock));
    LaunchKernel(grid, kBlock, device.unwrap())(my_kernel, params);
  }
};

}  // namespace

Key rules:

  • Always wrap in namespace {} (anonymous namespace).
  • Entry point is a static void run(tvm::ffi::TensorView ...) method.
  • Validate every tensor with TensorMatcher before reading .data_ptr().
  • Never dereference device pointers on host -- data_ptr() returns a GPU pointer.
  • Use LaunchKernel to launch -- it handles stream resolution and error checking.

Step 2: Write the Python JIT wrapper

Create mllm_kernel/cuda/jit/my_kernel.py:

"""JIT wrapper for my_kernel CUDA kernel."""

import torch
from mllm_kernel.jit_utils import jit


@jit(
    args=[],
    device="cuda",
    cuda_files=["my_kernel.cuh"],
    cpp_wrappers=[],
    cuda_wrappers=[("my_kernel", "MyKernel::run")],
    func_name="my_kernel",
)
def _kernel(compiled_module, input: torch.Tensor, output: torch.Tensor) -> None:
    compiled_module.my_kernel(input, output)


def my_kernel(input: torch.Tensor) -> torch.Tensor:
    """Double every element in *input*.

    Parameters
    ----------
    input : torch.Tensor
        1-D float32 tensor on CUDA.

    Returns
    -------
    torch.Tensor
        Same shape and dtype as *input*.
    """
    output = torch.empty_like(input)
    _kernel(input, output)
    return output

Step 3: Export in __init__.py

Edit mllm_kernel/cuda/jit/__init__.py and add:

from mllm_kernel.cuda.jit.my_kernel import my_kernel

Step 4: Clear JIT cache after editing .cuh

Any time you modify the .cuh file, delete the cached .so:

rm -rf ~/.cache/mllm_kernel/cuda_my_kernel*

The next Python call will trigger recompilation automatically.

Template-Parameterized CUDA Kernels

When the kernel takes compile-time constants (e.g. block size, dtype), use make_cpp_args:

from mllm_kernel.jit_utils import jit, make_cpp_args

def _make_kernel(block_size: int, use_pdl: bool):
    cpp_args = make_cpp_args(block_size, use_pdl)  # -> "256, true"

    @jit(
        args=[block_size, use_pdl],
        device="cuda",
        cuda_files=["my_kernel.cuh"],
        cpp_wrappers=[],
        cuda_wrappers=[("my_kernel", f"MyKernel<{cpp_args}>::run")],
        func_name="my_kernel",
    )
    def _kernel(compiled_module, input, output):
        compiled_module.my_kernel(input, output)
    return _kernel

make_cpp_args converts Python types to C++ literals:

  • int/float -> string literal
  • bool -> "true" / "false"
  • torch.dtype -> C++ type (torch.float32 -> "fp32_t", torch.float16 -> "fp16_t", torch.bfloat16 -> "bf16_t", torch.int32 -> "int32_t", etc.)

CPU Kernel Walkthrough

CPU kernels use Google Highway for portable SIMD. The key difference: the .hpp body is included multiple times by Highway's foreach_target dispatch, so it must NOT have #pragma once.

Step 1: Write the SIMD body (.hpp)

Create mllm_kernel/cpu/include/mllm_kernel/cpu/my_kernel.hpp:

// NOTE: NO #pragma once -- this file is included multiple times by Highway.

#include <hwy/highway.h>

HWY_BEFORE_NAMESPACE();
namespace mllm_kernel::cpu {
namespace HWY_NAMESPACE {
namespace hn = hwy::HWY_NAMESPACE;

template <int Constant>
inline void my_kernel_impl(float* HWY_RESTRICT dst,
                           const float* HWY_RESTRICT src,
                           size_t count) {
  const hn::ScalableTag<float> d;
  const size_t lanes = hn::Lanes(d);
  const auto vc = hn::Set(d, static_cast<float>(Constant));
  size_t i = 0;
  for (; i + lanes <= count; i += lanes) {
    const auto v = hn::Load(d, src + i);
    hn::Store(hn::Add(v, vc), d, dst + i);
  }
  for (; i < count; ++i) {
    dst[i] = src[i] + static_cast<float>(Constant);
  }
}

// Named entry points for HWY_EXPORT
static HWY_NOINLINE HWY_MAYBE_UNUSED void my_kernel_1(float* d, const float* s, size_t n) {
  my_kernel_impl<1>(d, s, n);
}

}  // namespace HWY_NAMESPACE
}  // namespace mllm_kernel::cpu
HWY_AFTER_NAMESPACE();

Step 2: Write the .cpp source

Create mllm_kernel/cpu/csrc/my_kernel.cpp:

#include <mllm_kernel/tensor.hpp>
#include <mllm_kernel/utils.hpp>
#include <tvm/ffi/container/tensor.h>

#undef HWY_TARGET_INCLUDE
#define HWY_TARGET_INCLUDE "../csrc/my_kernel.cpp"
#include <hwy/foreach_target.h>

#include <mllm_kernel/cpu/my_kernel.hpp>

#if HWY_ONCE
#include <hwy/targets.cc>
#endif

namespace mllm_kernel::cpu {
#if HWY_ONCE

HWY_EXPORT(my_kernel_1);

template <int Constant>
void my_kernel(tvm::ffi::TensorView dst, tvm::ffi::TensorView src) {
  using namespace mllm_kernel::host;
  SymbolicSize N{"num_elements"};
  SymbolicDevice device_;
  (void)TensorMatcher({N})
      .with_dtype<float>()
      .with_device<kDLCPU>(device_)
      .verify(dst)
      .verify(src);
  const size_t n = N.unwrap();
  auto* dst_ptr = static_cast<float*>(dst.data_ptr());
  const auto* src_ptr = static_cast<const float*>(src.data_ptr());
  HWY_DYNAMIC_DISPATCH(my_kernel_1)(dst_ptr, src_ptr, n);
}

// Explicit instantiation
template void my_kernel<1>(tvm::ffi::TensorView, tvm::ffi::TensorView);

#endif
}  // namespace mllm_kernel::cpu

Step 3: Write the Python JIT wrapper

Create mllm_kernel/cpu/jit/my_kernel.py:

import torch
from mllm_kernel.jit_utils import jit

@jit(
    args=1,
    device="cpu",
    cpp_files=["my_kernel.cpp"],
    cpp_wrappers=[("my_kernel", "mllm_kernel::cpu::my_kernel<1>")],
    func_name="my_kernel",
)
def _kernel_1(compiled_module, dst, src):
    compiled_module.my_kernel(dst, src)

def my_kernel(src: torch.Tensor) -> torch.Tensor:
    dst = torch.empty_like(src)
    _kernel_1(dst, src)
    return dst

Key CPU differences from CUDA:

Aspect CUDA CPU
Source file .cuh in cuda/csrc/ .cpp + .hpp in cpu/csrc/ and cpu/include/
Namespace Anonymous namespace {} mllm_kernel::cpu
Device check with_device<kDLCUDA> with_device<kDLCPU>
Launch LaunchKernel(grid, block, device)(...) Direct function call via HWY_DYNAMIC_DISPATCH
SIMD CUDA warps Highway ScalableTag<T>
Wrapper fields cuda_files, cuda_wrappers cpp_files, cpp_wrappers
Wrapper name "MyKernel::run" "mllm_kernel::cpu::my_kernel<1>" (fully qualified)

TensorMatcher Reference

TensorMatcher validates shape, dtype, device, and strides of tvm::ffi::TensorView arguments.

using namespace mllm_kernel::host;

// Symbolic dimensions -- bind on first .verify(), check consistency on subsequent calls
SymbolicSize B{"batch"}, N{"seq_len"}, D{"dim"};
SymbolicSize Stride0{"stride0"};
SymbolicDType dtype;
SymbolicDevice device;

// Shape [B, N, D], contiguous, float32, on CUDA
(void)TensorMatcher({B, N, D})
    .with_dtype<float>(dtype)
    .with_device<kDLCUDA>(device)
    .verify(tensor_a);

// Shape [B, N, D], same dtype and device (already bound)
(void)TensorMatcher({B, N, D})
    .with_dtype(dtype)
    .with_device(device)
    .verify(tensor_b);

// Shape [B, D] with explicit strides (non-contiguous OK)
(void)TensorMatcher({B, D})
    .with_strides({Stride0, 1})
    .with_dtype<int32_t>()
    .with_device(device)
    .verify(indices);

// Multiple acceptable dtypes
SymbolicDType flex_dtype;
(void)TensorMatcher({N})
    .with_dtype<float, __half, __nv_bfloat16>(flex_dtype)
    .with_device(device)
    .verify(mixed_tensor);

// Extract bound values
int64_t batch = B.unwrap();
int64_t dim   = D.unwrap();
DLDevice dev  = device.unwrap();

LaunchKernel Reference

using namespace mllm_kernel::host;

// Basic launch (resolves CUDA stream from DLDevice)
DLDevice dev = device.unwrap();
LaunchKernel(grid_dim, block_dim, dev)(kernel_func, param_struct);

// With shared memory
LaunchKernel(grid, block, dev, shared_mem_bytes)(kernel, params);

// With PDL (Programmatic Dependent Launch, sm_90+)
LaunchKernel(grid, block, dev).enable_pdl(true)(kernel, params);

Utility Reference (mllm_kernel::host)

Function Description
RuntimeCheck(cond, msg...) Throws PanicError if cond is false
Panic(msg...) Always throws (unreachable code)
div_ceil(a, b) Integer ceiling division
dtype_bytes(DLDataType) Byte size of a DLPack dtype

CUDA-only (mllm_kernel::device):

Symbol Value
kWarpThreads 32
kFullMask 0xffffffff
fp16_t __half
bf16_t __nv_bfloat16

Testing Pattern

Create tests/test_my_kernel.py:

import pytest
import torch
from mllm_kernel.cuda.jit.my_kernel import my_kernel

@pytest.mark.skipif(not torch.cuda.is_available(), reason="CUDA required")
@pytest.mark.parametrize("n", [1, 128, 1024, 65536])
def test_my_kernel(n):
    x = torch.randn(n, dtype=torch.float32, device="cuda")
    result = my_kernel(x)
    torch.cuda.synchronize()
    expected = x * 2.0
    assert torch.allclose(result, expected)

Run:

pytest tests/test_my_kernel.py -v

Benchmark Pattern

Create benchmarks/bench_my_kernel.py. Use torch.profiler.profile with ProfilerActivity.CPU and ProfilerActivity.CUDA. Compare the JIT kernel against a naive PyTorch implementation and report speedup.

Run:

python benchmarks/bench_my_kernel.py --num-elements 1000000

Checklist for a New Kernel

  • .cuh / .cpp + .hpp kernel source created
  • TensorMatcher validates all tensor arguments (shape, dtype, device)
  • No host-side dereference of device pointers
  • Python @jit wrapper created with correct cuda_wrappers or cpp_wrappers
  • Public API function added (allocates output, calls internal _kernel)
  • Exported in jit/__init__.py
  • JIT cache cleared after .cuh edits (rm -rf ~/.cache/mllm_kernel/cuda_<name>*)
  • Pytest test with @pytest.mark.parametrize and PyTorch reference
  • Benchmark with torch.profiler (optional but recommended)

Common Pitfalls

  1. Segfault from dereferencing device pointer on host -- tensor.data_ptr() returns a GPU pointer for CUDA tensors. Never read its contents in host code. Use TensorMatcher for validation instead.
  2. Stale JIT cache -- After editing .cuh, delete ~/.cache/mllm_kernel/cuda_<kernel_name>*/. The old .so will be reused otherwise.
  3. Missing #include <hwy/targets.cc> -- CPU kernels must include this inside #if HWY_ONCE to provide GetChosenTarget for the JIT-built module.
  4. #pragma once in Highway .hpp -- Highway's foreach_target includes the file multiple times for different SIMD targets. #pragma once breaks this.
  5. Wrong wrapper name -- CUDA uses short names ("MyKernel::run"); CPU uses fully qualified names ("mllm_kernel::cpu::my_kernel<1>").
  6. Generator device mismatch in tests -- torch.randperm needs a CUDA generator on CUDA; torch.randint only accepts CPU generators. Use separate generators.
Install via CLI
npx skills add https://github.com/UbiquitousLearning/mllm --skill impl-jit-kernel
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