ESP-DL Operator Development Skill

Project Layout

esp-dl/esp-dl/
├── dl/module/include/dl_module_<op>.hpp   # Module layer: interface, shape inference, forward dispatch
├── dl/module/include/dl_module_creator.hpp # Operator registry
├── dl/base/dl_base_<op>.hpp/.cpp          # Base layer: C reference impl + ISA dispatch
├── dl/base/isa/tie728/dl_tie728_*.S       # TIE728 SIMD (ESP32-S3)
├── dl/base/isa/esp32p4/dl_esp32p4_*.S     # ESP32-P4 SIMD (RISC-V PIE)
esp-dl/tools/ops_test/
├── config/op_cfg.toml                      # Test configurations per operator
├── torch_ops_test.py                       # PyTorch-based test model builders
├── onnx_ops_test.py                        # ONNX-based test model builders
├── gen_test_cases.py                       # Generates quantized .espdl test models
esp-dl/test_apps/esp-dl/                    # Test application (builds + runs on hardware)

esp-ppq/esp_ppq/
├── quantization/quantizer/EspdlQuantizer.py  # Quantization config per op type
├── parser/espdl/espdl_typedef.py              # Op set classifications
├── parser/espdl/export_patterns.py            # Export pattern rules (LUT, layout, fusion)
├── IR/base/opdef.py                           # OpSocket definitions for dispatch
├── executor/op/torch/espdl.py                 # LUT computation backend

Phase 1: Research & Classify the Operator

Before writing any code, understand what you're building.

1.1 Read the ONNX Specification

Look up the operator at https://onnx.ai/onnx/operators/onnx__<OpName>.html. Understand its inputs, outputs, attributes, broadcasting rules, and edge cases.

1.2 Classify the Operator

The classification determines which templates and patterns to follow:

Read 2-3 reference implementations from the same category. The references directory at references/esp-dl-templates.md has annotated templates for each category.

1.3 Determine Scope

Decide which data types to support: int8, int16, float32.

Default rule: ALL operators MUST implement float32 unless technically impossible. Float32 serves as the high-precision inference path — it preserves full model accuracy without quantization loss and is the baseline for correctness validation. Every operator that can accept float inputs and produce float outputs should support float32, regardless of whether it is "compute-heavy" or "typically run quantized". Conv, ConvTranspose, MatMul, Linear, and all other operators should include float32 support.

When float32 is appropriate (the vast majority of operators):

• Elementwise ops (Add, Sub, Mul, Relu, Sigmoid, etc.) — always
• Reduce ops (ReduceSum, ReduceMean, etc.) — always
• Shape ops (Reshape, Transpose, etc.) — always (dtype-agnostic)
• Activation/LUT ops (HardSwish, Tanh, etc.) — always (float uses direct computation, not LUT)
• Conv, ConvTranspose, MatMul, Linear — always (float32 preserves high-precision inference)
• Pooling ops (AveragePool, MaxPool, etc.) — always
• Sequence/RNN ops (GRU, LSTM, etc.) — always

The only exceptions where float32 may be omitted:

• Comparison ops (Greater, Equal, Less) — output is boolean, not a numeric tensor
• Ops whose output dtype is inherently non-float (e.g., ArgMax returns indices)

If you are unsure whether an operator should support float32, the answer is yes, it should. Only omit float32 when the operator's semantics make float input/output meaningless.

Float32 implementation is generally simpler than quantized: no scale/rescale, no truncation, no exponent handling, and no SIMD optimization needed.

Phase 2: Implement esp-dl Module Layer

Create esp-dl/dl/module/include/dl_module_<op_snake>.hpp where <op_snake> is the snake_case version of the ONNX operator name (e.g., HardSwish → hard_swish).

2.1 Module Class Structure

Every operator module must:

1. Inherit from Module (defined in dl_module_base.hpp)
2. Implement get_output_shape() — compute output shape from input shapes
3. Implement forward() — dispatch to the correct typed forward_template<T>()
4. Implement forward_template<T>() — get tensors from context, prepare args, call base layer
5. Implement static deserialize() — reconstruct from FlatBuffers model
6. Optionally implement forward_args() — for dual-core dispatch support
7. Optionally implement print() — debug info

Key conventions:

• Use #pragma once as header guard
• Namespace: dl::module
• Constructor takes name, inplace, quant_type at minimum
• Additional ONNX attributes become constructor parameters and class members
• quant_type dispatches to QUANT_TYPE_SYMM_8BIT, QUANT_TYPE_SYMM_16BIT, QUANT_TYPE_FLOAT32

See references/esp-dl-templates.md for full annotated templates.

2.2 Deserialization

The deserialize() static method reads attributes from FlatBuffers:

static Module *deserialize(fbs::FbsModel *fbs_model, std::string node_name)
{
    Module *op = nullptr;
    quant_type_t quant_type;
    fbs_model->get_operation_attribute(node_name, "quant_type", quant_type);

    // Read operator-specific attributes
    int some_attr;
    fbs_model->get_operation_attribute(node_name, "some_attr", some_attr);

    op = new MyOp(node_name.c_str(), MODULE_NON_INPLACE, quant_type, some_attr);
    return op;
}

2.3 Register in Creator

Add the operator to dl_module_creator.hpp in the register_dl_modules() method:

this->register_module("MyOp", MyOp::deserialize);

Also add the #include "dl_module_<op_snake>.hpp" at the top of the creator header.

→ Continue to Phase 3 if a base layer is needed, or skip to Phase 4 (esp-ppq) if this is a shape-only op. After all code phases are done, proceed directly to Phase 6 for testing.

Phase 3: Implement esp-dl Base Layer (C Reference)

The base layer provides the actual computation kernel. Create:

• esp-dl/dl/base/dl_base_<op_snake>.hpp — declarations
• esp-dl/dl/base/dl_base_<op_snake>.cpp — C reference implementation

3.1 Architecture

Module::forward_template<T>()
    → prepares ArgsType / elemwiseArgsType
    → calls base::<op_function>(args)
        → selects ISA-optimized or C reference impl
        → executes the kernel

For elementwise binary ops, use elemwiseArgsType<T> and the elemwise_loop_*d() helpers. For unary ops, use ArgsType<T> and the activation_shell() helper. For other ops, define a custom args struct.

3.2 ISA Dispatch Pattern

In the .cpp file, the implementation selection follows this pattern:

#if CONFIG_ESP32P4_BOOST
    impl_func = dl_esp32p4_s8_<op>_11c;  // P4 SIMD
#elif CONFIG_TIE728_BOOST
    impl_func = dl_tie728_s8_<op>_11c;   // S3 SIMD
#else
    impl_func = c_impl_<op>;             // C reference (always present)
#endif

The C reference implementation is the fallback and must always exist. SIMD implementations are added as a later optimization step.

3.3 Float32 Implementation Differences

Float32 kernels are fundamentally simpler than int8/int16 quantized kernels because there is no quantization overhead. Here are the key differences:

Two patterns for float implementation:

Pattern A — Base layer with float specialization (recommended for binary/complex ops): The base layer .cpp provides a template<> ... <float> specialization that does direct arithmetic. The module calls the same base::op(args) function for all types. This pattern keeps the module layer clean and uniform. See dl_base_add.cpp for example.

Pattern B — Module-level inline implementation (acceptable for simple unary ops): Some simple unary ops (like ReLU) implement float32 directly in the module's forward() method without calling the base layer. This avoids creating a base-layer float overload for trivial operations. The float path is a simple loop over elements.

// Pattern B example: float implemented directly in forward()
void forward(ModelContext *context, runtime_mode_t mode)
{
    if (quant_type == QUANT_TYPE_SYMM_8BIT) {
        forward_template<int8_t>(context, mode);
    } else if (quant_type == QUANT_TYPE_SYMM_16BIT) {
        forward_template<int16_t>(context, mode);
    } else if (quant_type == QUANT_TYPE_FLOAT32) {
        TensorBase *input = context->get_tensor(m_inputs_index[0]);
        TensorBase *output = context->get_tensor(m_outputs_index[0]);
        float *input_ptr = (float *)input->get_element_ptr();
        float *output_ptr = (float *)output->get_element_ptr();
        for (size_t i = 0; i < input->size; i++) {
            output_ptr[i] = /* direct float operation on input_ptr[i] */;
        }
    }
}

Use Pattern A when the operation has multiple broadcast variants, multi-dimensional looping, or dual-core dispatch. Use Pattern B only for straightforward element-by-element operations with a single input.

See references/esp-dl-templates.md for complete float32 template examples.

→ Continue to Phase 4 (esp-ppq checks). Do not stop here — esp-ppq modifications and test configuration (Phases 4–5) are prerequisites for testing.

Phase 4: Determine esp-ppq Modifications

Every new operator needs at least TWO checks in esp-ppq, because the export pipeline has two independent systems that must both recognize the operator:

1. Quantization system — quant_operation_types determines if an op gets quantized
2. Layout system — layout_patterns in layout_patterns.py handles NCHW→NHWC transformation. Every operator in the graph MUST be in one of the layout pattern op sets, otherwise reset_graph_layout() will error with "Can not reset {op_type} layout"

Important: Float32 and esp-ppq. When float=True is passed to the quantization API, the entire graph uses TargetPlatform.FP32 and skips quantization entirely — the model is loaded from ONNX and exported directly without calling EspdlQuantizer. This means:

• The two checks below are only relevant for int8/int16 quantized exports
• Float32 export still runs the layout patterns and export patterns, but InsertQuantTypePattern sets quant_type = EspQuantType.F32 for all ops, and patterns like ResetParamLayoutPattern and AddLUTPattern short-circuit when they see quant_type == F32
• You do NOT need to modify esp-ppq specifically for float32 support — it's handled automatically
• However, the operator still needs to be in a layout op set, because reset_graph_layout() runs for both quantized and float32 exports

4.1 Check #1: Quantization Registration

Check EspdlQuantizer.quant_operation_types in esp-ppq/esp_ppq/quantization/quantizer/EspdlQuantizer.py.

If the operator is NOT listed → add it.

4.2 Check #2: Layout Pattern Op Set (ALWAYS required)

Check esp-ppq/esp_ppq/parser/espdl/espdl_typedef.py — the operator MUST be in one of these op sets, which map to layout transformation patterns in layout_patterns.py:

The BypassAddLikePattern is particularly important for binary elementwise ops: it ensures that when the two inputs have different permutations (due to upstream layout changes), the pattern either propagates the permutation consistently or inserts a transpose to fix the mismatch. Without this, binary ops will produce incorrect results after layout transformation.

If the operator is NOT in any op set → add it to the correct one. Even if the operator is already in quant_operation_types, a missing op set entry will cause export failure.

4.3 Does it need special quantization rules?

Most operators use the default quantization config. Special rules are needed when:

• Bias input exists (like Conv/Gemm) → set bias to 32-bit, PASSIVE_INIT
• Output should stay FP32 (like Softmax) → set output state to FP32
• Multiple hidden states (like GRU/LSTM) → custom per-input config
• LUT-based activation → ensure it's in ACTIVATION_OP_SET in espdl_typedef.py and AddLUTPattern in export_patterns.py handles it

4.4 Does it need a custom OpSocket?

Most operators use DEFAULT_SOCKET_CREATOR. Custom sockets are needed when inputs have different platform requirements (e.g., Gather's index input stays FP32). Check DEFAULT_SOCKET_TABLE in esp-ppq/esp_ppq/IR/base/opdef.py.

4.5 Does it need additional export pattern changes?

Beyond the layout patterns above, check export_patterns.py for:

• Weight repacking (Conv-like ops)
• LUT generation (activation ops)
• Node fusion (e.g., Conv+Relu via FuseReluLikePattern)

Summary: What to Check for Every New Operator

Quick Category → Op Set Mapping

→ Continue to Phase 5 to configure test cases. Test configuration is the last step before the actual build & test pipeline.

Phase 5: Configure Test Cases

5.1 Add Test Model Builder

If PyTorch has the operator, add a test class in tools/ops_test/torch_ops_test.py:

class MYOP_TEST(nn.Module):
    def __init__(self, config):
        super().__init__()
        self.config = config
        # Initialize PyTorch op from config params

    def forward(self, *inputs):
        # Compute forward pass
        return output

If PyTorch doesn't have it (or ONNX-only), add a function in tools/ops_test/onnx_ops_test.py:

def MYOP_TEST(config) -> onnx.ModelProto:
    # Build ONNX graph using onnx.helper
    return model

5.2 Add Test Configuration

Add to tools/ops_test/config/op_cfg.toml:

[ops_test.MyOp]
test_func = "MYOP_TEST"
quant_bits = ["int8", "int16", "float32"]
package = "torch_ops_test"           # or "onnx_ops_test"
targets = ["esp32s3", "esp32p4"]

    [[ops_test.MyOp.cfg]]
    input_shape = [1, 16, 32, 32]
    export_name_prefix = "myop_basic_test"
    # operator-specific parameters...

    [[ops_test.MyOp.cfg]]
    input_shape = [1, 3, 8, 8]
    export_name_prefix = "myop_edge_case"
    # different parameters for edge cases...

quant_bits field: Controls which quantization types to generate test cases for.

• "int8" → generates *_s8.espdl test models (quantized to 8-bit)
• "int16" → generates *_s16.espdl test models (quantized to 16-bit)
• "float32" → generates *_f32.espdl test models (no quantization, direct float)

All operators should include all three: ["int8", "int16", "float32"]. Only omit "float32" for the rare ops where float output is meaningless (e.g., comparison ops that output boolean).

Create 3-5 test configurations covering:

• Aligned dimensions (multiples of 16 for SIMD)
• Unaligned dimensions
• Small and large tensors
• Different attribute combinations
• Edge cases specific to the operator

→ All code changes are now complete. Proceed IMMEDIATELY to Phase 6 to build and test. Do not stop to ask the user — go straight into the Docker build & test pipeline.

Phase 6: Docker Build & Test

This phase should run automatically after any code modification — do not wait for user confirmation to start. If you just completed Phases 2–5 (or any subset of them), execute the steps below immediately. The user expects code changes to be validated, not left untested.

All build and test commands run inside a Docker container. The Docker image espdl/idf-ppq:latest contains ESP-IDF v5.4.3, PyTorch, and esp-ppq.

6.1 Docker Run Template

Every Docker command uses the same base template. Define these variables first, then use the DOCKER_RUN function for all operations:

# ========== Configuration (set these once) ==========
OP_TYPE="MyOp"                          # ONNX operator name (PascalCase)
TARGET="esp32p4"                        # Target chip: esp32p4, esp32s3, esp32
ESP_DL_ROOT="/path/to/esp-dl"           # esp-dl project root
ESP_PPQ_ROOT="/path/to/esp-ppq"         # esp-ppq root (optional, for editable mode)
ESP_DL_IMAGE="espdl/idf-ppq:latest"     # Docker image name
SKILL_DIR="/path/to/skills/espdl-operator" # Skill base directory (the directory containing SKILL.md).
                                          # The agent should resolve this from its skill load path.

# ========== Auto-build Docker image if missing ==========
# The Dockerfile lives at assets/docker/Dockerfile inside this skill's directory.
# Building takes 20-30 min (downloads ESP-IDF + PyTorch). Only runs once.
if ! docker image inspect "${ESP_DL_IMAGE}" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  echo "Docker image ${ESP_DL_IMAGE} not found. Building (this may take 20-30 minutes)..."
  docker build -t "${ESP_DL_IMAGE}" "${SKILL_DIR}/assets/docker"
  if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
    echo "ERROR: Failed to build Docker image ${ESP_DL_IMAGE}. Fix Dockerfile issues and retry."
    return 1 2>/dev/null || exit 1
  fi
  echo "Docker image ${ESP_DL_IMAGE} built successfully."
fi

# ========== Docker base command builder ==========
DOCKER_BASE="docker run --rm -i -v ${ESP_DL_ROOT}:/esp-dl -w /esp-dl"
if [ -n "${ESP_PPQ_ROOT}" ] && [ -d "${ESP_PPQ_ROOT}" ]; then
  DOCKER_BASE="${DOCKER_BASE} -v ${ESP_PPQ_ROOT}:/esp-ppq"
  PPQ_INSTALL="pip install -e /esp-ppq[cpu] > /dev/null 2>&1"
else
  PPQ_INSTALL="pip install esp-ppq > /dev/null 2>&1"
fi
DOCKER_PREAMBLE=". \$IDF_PATH/export.sh && ${PPQ_INSTALL}"

Important: The auto-build block above MUST be included whenever Phase 6 commands are executed. It is idempotent — if the image already exists, docker image inspect succeeds instantly and the build is skipped. On first run, the build pulls espressif/idf:v5.4.3 as the base image and installs PyTorch + other dependencies, which takes 20-30 minutes. If the build fails (e.g., network issues), the script exits early with an error message so subsequent Docker commands don't fail with a confusing "image not found" error.

6.2 Step 1: Generate Test Cases

Generates .espdl model files with embedded test values:

# Generate int8 test cases (quantized, produces *_s8.espdl)
${DOCKER_BASE} ${ESP_DL_IMAGE} bash -c "${DOCKER_PREAMBLE} && \
  python tools/ops_test/gen_test_cases.py \
    --config tools/ops_test/config/op_cfg.toml \
    --ops ${OP_TYPE} \
    --output-path test_apps/esp-dl/models/${TARGET} \
    --target ${TARGET} \
    --bits 8"

# Generate int16 test cases (quantized, produces *_s16.espdl)
${DOCKER_BASE} ${ESP_DL_IMAGE} bash -c "${DOCKER_PREAMBLE} && \
  python tools/ops_test/gen_test_cases.py \
    --config tools/ops_test/config/op_cfg.toml \
    --ops ${OP_TYPE} \
    --output-path test_apps/esp-dl/models/${TARGET} \
    --target ${TARGET} \
    --bits 16"

# Generate float32 test cases (no quantization, produces *_f32.espdl)
${DOCKER_BASE} ${ESP_DL_IMAGE} bash -c "${DOCKER_PREAMBLE} && \
  python tools/ops_test/gen_test_cases.py \
    --config tools/ops_test/config/op_cfg.toml \
    --ops ${OP_TYPE} \
    --output-path test_apps/esp-dl/models/${TARGET} \
    --target ${TARGET} \
    --float"

Note: --bits 8 and --bits 16 control quantized test generation. The --float flag (not --bits 32) triggers float32 test generation. Float32 test cases are only generated when "float32" is present in the operator's quant_bits in op_cfg.toml.

6.3 Step 2: Build Test Application

Compiles the esp-dl test app with the operator's model data:

${DOCKER_BASE} ${ESP_DL_IMAGE} bash -c "${DOCKER_PREAMBLE} && \
  python test_apps/build_apps.py test_apps/esp-dl \
    -op ${OP_TYPE} -t ${TARGET} -vv"

6.4 Step 3: Generate Pytest Script

Creates the pytest file for the specific operator:

${DOCKER_BASE} ${ESP_DL_IMAGE} bash -c "${DOCKER_PREAMBLE} && \
  python test_apps/esp-dl/gen_op_test.py \
    --target ${TARGET} --env ${TARGET} \
    --op_type ${OP_TYPE} \
    --pytest_file test_apps/esp-dl/pytest_espdl_op.py"

6.5 Step 4: Flash & Run Tests on Hardware

Before flashing, always detect the serial port programmatically — never assume the device is disconnected or ask the user without checking first. Run the detection command below and inspect the output. If it returns one or more device paths (e.g. /dev/ttyUSB0), the device IS connected — proceed directly to flashing. Only if the command returns empty output should you inform the user that no device was found.

# Step A: Detect serial port (ALWAYS run this first, don't skip)
ls /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM* 2>/dev/null

# Step B: Set the port and flash (only after Step A confirms a device exists)
SERIAL_PORT=$(ls /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM* 2>/dev/null | head -1)

${DOCKER_BASE} --device ${SERIAL_PORT} --group-add dialout \
  ${ESP_DL_IMAGE} bash -c "${DOCKER_PREAMBLE} && \
  pytest test_apps/esp-dl/pytest_espdl_op.py \
    --target ${TARGET} --env ${TARGET} \
    --model ${OP_TYPE} -v"

Common device paths on Linux: /dev/ttyUSB0, /dev/ttyUSB1, /dev/ttyACM0. If multiple ports exist, the first one (head -1) is usually correct for single-board setups. For JTAG+UART dual-port setups (common on ESP32-P4 devkits), both /dev/ttyUSB0 and /dev/ttyUSB1 may appear — the higher-numbered port is typically the UART console.

6.6 Quick One-Liner (All Steps)

For convenience, you can chain Steps 1-3 in a single Docker run (excluding hardware test which needs device access):

${DOCKER_BASE} ${ESP_DL_IMAGE} bash -c "${DOCKER_PREAMBLE} && \
  python tools/ops_test/gen_test_cases.py \
    --config tools/ops_test/config/op_cfg.toml \
    --ops ${OP_TYPE} \
    --output-path test_apps/esp-dl/models/${TARGET} \
    --target ${TARGET} --bits 8 && \
  python tools/ops_test/gen_test_cases.py \
    --config tools/ops_test/config/op_cfg.toml \
    --ops ${OP_TYPE} \
    --output-path test_apps/esp-dl/models/${TARGET} \
    --target ${TARGET} --bits 16 && \
  python tools/ops_test/gen_test_cases.py \
    --config tools/ops_test/config/op_cfg.toml \
    --ops ${OP_TYPE} \
    --output-path test_apps/esp-dl/models/${TARGET} \
    --target ${TARGET} --float && \
  python test_apps/build_apps.py test_apps/esp-dl \
    -op ${OP_TYPE} -t ${TARGET} -vv"

6.7 Interpreting Test Results

The test framework works by:

1. esp-ppq generates .espdl models with export_test_values=True
2. Test inputs and expected outputs (from esp-ppq's forward pass) are embedded in .espdl
3. esp-dl loads the model, runs inference with test inputs, compares against expected outputs
4. Comparison uses equal(output, expected, tolerance=2e-5), int16 allows ±1 error

Differences by quantization type:

Float32 tests are the easiest to debug because there's no quantization involved — if a float32 test fails, the issue is almost certainly in the computation logic itself or the data layout, not in scale/exponent handling. Start debugging with float32 tests first.

When all tests pass on all targets: proceed to Phase 9 to update operator_support_state.md. This is not optional — the operator documentation must stay in sync with the test config. Do not consider the task complete until Phase 9 is done.

If tests fail, check:

• Quantization config alignment (scale, zero-point, exponents) — int8/int16 only
• Data layout (NCHW vs NHWC) handling — all types
• Rounding behavior differences — int8/int16 only
• Off-by-one in dimension calculations — all types
• Missing float template specialization — float32 only

Phase 7: SIMD Optimization (Optional)

After the C reference implementation passes all tests, you can add SIMD-optimized kernels. This is optional and should only be done when performance matters.

7.1 When to Add SIMD

SIMD optimization is worthwhile for:

• Operators called frequently in inference (Conv, Add, Mul, Relu)
• Operators with data-parallel computation patterns
• Operators processing large tensors

Skip SIMD for:

• Shape manipulation ops (Reshape, Transpose) — no computation
• Operators that are rarely the bottleneck
• Operators with complex control flow

7.2 SIMD Architecture Overview

• ESP32-S3 (TIE728): Xtensa SIMD with 128-bit SIMD registers (Q registers), instructions like EE.VLD.128.IP, EE.VRELU.S8, EE.VSMULAS.S8.QACC
• ESP32-P4: RISC-V with PIE vector extension, similar 128-bit operations

Assembly files go in:

• dl/base/isa/tie728/dl_tie728_<dtype>_<op>.S
• dl/base/isa/esp32p4/dl_esp32p4_<dtype>_<op>.S

7.3 SIMD Implementation Steps

1. Study a similar operator's SIMD code from the same category
2. Write the assembly function with the naming convention:
   • dl_tie728_s8_<op>_11c — aligned, int8, TIE728
   • dl_tie728_s8_unaligned_<op>_11c — unaligned variant
   • dl_esp32p4_s8_<op>_11c — aligned, int8, ESP32-P4
3. Declare the function in the base layer header with extern "C"
4. Update the ISA dispatch in dl_base_<op>.cpp to use the SIMD function
5. Rerun all tests to ensure correctness

7.4 Important SIMD Conventions

• Do NOT use .section .iram1 — this forces the function into IRAM which is a scarce resource on ESP chips. IRAM is needed for interrupt handlers and critical system code. Let the linker place functions in flash by default; use .text section only. (You may see .section .iram1 in some older files, but it's being phased out.)
• Register conventions: a2=output_ptr, a3=input_ptr, a4=args_struct
• Args struct offsets must match the C struct definition exactly
• Always handle both aligned and unaligned cases
• Include loop unrolling for performance-critical paths

See references/esp-dl-templates.md for SIMD template examples.

Phase 8: Alignment Verification

The alignment between esp-dl and esp-ppq is verified through the test framework:

1. esp-ppq side: export_test_values=True in gen_test_cases.py causes the quantized forward pass results to be embedded in the .espdl model file
2. esp-dl side: Model::test() in dl_model_base.cpp loads these values, runs inference, and compares outputs

If alignment fails after all individual steps pass:

• Check that espdl_typedef.py op set classification matches esp-dl's behavior
• Verify quantization exponent calculation matches esp-dl's requantize logic
• For LUT ops, ensure the LUT computation in executor/op/torch/espdl.py matches
• Check layout annotations in the export process

Phase 9: Update Operator Support State (REQUIRED)

This phase is mandatory — execute it immediately after all tests pass. The operator is not considered fully delivered until operator_support_state.md reflects the new operator. Skipping this step leaves the public documentation out of sync with the actual capabilities.

The script tools/ops_test/gen_ops_markdown.py reads op_cfg.toml and produces a markdown table listing each operator with its supported quantization types and restrictions. The generated file operator_support_state.md lives in the esp-dl root directory and serves as the public reference for which operators are available.

Run from the esp-dl project root (this can run outside Docker — it only reads op_cfg.toml):

cd ${ESP_DL_ROOT}
uv run --with toml --with tabulate \
  python tools/ops_test/gen_ops_markdown.py \
    -c tools/ops_test/config/op_cfg.toml \
    -o .

After running, verify the diff looks correct — the new operator should appear in the table with the right quantization type checkmarks and any restrictions you configured in op_cfg.toml. Show the user the relevant diff so they can confirm the documentation update.

Quick Reference: Complete Checklist

For a new operator MyOp:

esp-dl files to create/modify:

• esp-dl/dl/module/include/dl_module_<op>.hpp — Module class (NEW)
• esp-dl/dl/base/dl_base_<op>.hpp — Base layer header (NEW, if computation needed)
• esp-dl/dl/base/dl_base_<op>.cpp — Base layer impl (NEW, if computation needed)
• esp-dl/dl/module/include/dl_module_creator.hpp — Register deserialize (MODIFY)
• tools/ops_test/torch_ops_test.py or onnx_ops_test.py — Test builder (MODIFY)
• tools/ops_test/config/op_cfg.toml — Test config (MODIFY)

esp-ppq files to verify/modify (Phase 4 checks — ALWAYS do both):

• esp_ppq/quantization/quantizer/EspdlQuantizer.py — Verify op is in quant_operation_types (add if missing)
• esp_ppq/parser/espdl/espdl_typedef.py — Verify op is in correct layout op set (add if missing — export WILL fail otherwise)
• esp_ppq/quantization/quantizer/EspdlQuantizer.py — Special quant rules in create_espdl_quant_config() (if needed)
• esp_ppq/parser/espdl/export_patterns.py — Export patterns: LUT, fusion, weight layout (if needed)
• esp_ppq/IR/base/opdef.py — Custom OpSocket (if needed)

SIMD files (optional optimization):

• esp-dl/dl/base/isa/tie728/dl_tie728_<dtype>_<op>.S — TIE728 assembly
• esp-dl/dl/base/isa/esp32p4/dl_esp32p4_<dtype>_<op>.S — P4 assembly
• esp-dl/dl/base/dl_base_<op>.cpp — Update ISA dispatch

Validation:

• Docker: generate int8 test cases (--bits 8)
• Docker: generate int16 test cases (--bits 16)
• Docker: generate float32 test cases (--float)
• Docker: build test app (build_apps.py)
• Docker: flash and run tests (pytest)
• All test cases pass for all target platforms and all quantization types (int8, int16, float32)

Documentation (REQUIRED — do not skip):

• Run gen_ops_markdown.py to regenerate operator_support_state.md (uv run --with toml --with tabulate python tools/ops_test/gen_ops_markdown.py -c tools/ops_test/config/op_cfg.toml -o .)
• Verify the diff shows the new operator with correct quantization type checkmarks