CoreML diagnostics - model load failures, slow inference, memory issues, compression accuracy loss, compute unit problems, conversion errors.
| Symptom | First Check | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Model won't load | Deployment target | 1a-1c |
| Slow first load | Cache miss | 2a |
| Slow inference | Compute units | 2b-2c |
| High memory | Concurrent predictions | 3a-3b |
| Bad accuracy after compression | Granularity | 4a-4c |
| Conversion fails | Operation support | 5a-5b |
CoreML issue
├─ Load failure?
│ ├─ "Unsupported model version" → 1a
│ ├─ "Failed to create compute plan" → 1b
│ └─ Other load error → 1c
├─ Performance issue?
│ ├─ First load slow, subsequent fast? → 2a
│ ├─ All predictions slow? → 2b
│ └─ Slow only on specific device? → 2c
├─ Memory issue?
│ ├─ Memory grows during predictions? → 3a
│ └─ Out of memory on load? → 3b
├─ Accuracy degraded?
│ ├─ After palettization? → 4a
│ ├─ After quantization? → 4b
│ └─ After pruning? → 4c
└─ Conversion issue?
├─ Operation not supported? → 5a
└─ Wrong output? → 5b
Symptom: Model fails to load with version error.
Cause: Model compiled for newer OS than device supports.
Diagnosis:
# Check model's minimum deployment target
import coremltools as ct
model = ct.models.MLModel("Model.mlpackage")
print(model.get_spec().specificationVersion)
| Spec Version | Minimum iOS |
|---|---|
| 4 | iOS 13 |
| 5 | iOS 14 |
| 6 | iOS 15 |
| 7 | iOS 16 |
| 8 | iOS 17 |
| 9 | iOS 18 |
Fix: Re-convert with lower deployment target:
mlmodel = ct.convert(
traced,
minimum_deployment_target=ct.target.iOS16 # Lower target
)
Tradeoff: Loses newer optimizations (SDPA fusion, per-block quantization, MLTensor).
Symptom: Model loads on some devices but not others.
Cause: Unsupported operations for target compute unit.
Diagnosis:
Fix:
// Force CPU-only to bypass unsupported GPU/NE operations
let config = MLModelConfiguration()
config.computeUnits = .cpuOnly
let model = try MLModel(contentsOf: url, configuration: config)
Better fix: Update model precision or operations during conversion:
# Float16 often better supported
mlmodel = ct.convert(traced, compute_precision=ct.precision.FLOAT16)
Symptom: Model fails to load with unclear error.
Checklist:
.mlmodelc)// Debug logging
let config = MLModelConfiguration()
config.parameters = [.reporter: { print($0) }] // iOS 17+
Symptom: First prediction after install/update is slow, subsequent are fast.
Cause: Device specialization not cached.
Diagnosis:
Why cache misses:
Mitigation:
// Warm cache in background at app launch
Task.detached(priority: .background) {
_ = try? await MLModel.load(contentsOf: modelURL)
}
Note: Cache is tied to (model path + configuration + device). Different configs = different cache entries.
Symptom: Predictions consistently slow, not just first one.
Diagnosis:
Common causes:
| Cause | Fix |
|---|---|
| Running on CPU when GPU/NE available | Check computeUnits config |
| Model too large for Neural Engine | Compress model |
| Frequent CPU↔GPU↔NE transfers | Adjust segmentation |
| Dynamic shapes recompiling | Use fixed/enumerated shapes |
Profile compute unit usage:
let plan = try await MLComputePlan.load(contentsOf: modelURL)
for op in plan.modelStructure.operations {
let info = plan.computeDeviceInfo(for: op)
print("\(op.name): \(info.preferredDevice)")
}
Symptom: Fast on Mac, slow on iPhone (or vice versa).
Cause: Different hardware characteristics.
Diagnosis:
// Check available compute
let devices = MLModel.availableComputeDevices
print(devices) // Different per device
Common issues:
| Scenario | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Fast on M-series Mac, slow on iPhone | Model optimized for GPU | Use palettization (Neural Engine) |
| Fast on iPhone, slow on Intel Mac | No Neural Engine | Use quantization (GPU) |
| Slow on older devices | Less compute power | Use more aggressive compression |
Recommendation: Profile on target devices, not just development Mac.
Symptom: Memory increases with each prediction, doesn't release.
Cause: Input/output buffers accumulating from concurrent predictions.
Diagnosis:
Instruments → Allocations + Core ML template
Look for: Many concurrent prediction intervals
Check: MLMultiArray allocations growing
Fix: Limit concurrent predictions:
actor PredictionLimiter {
private let maxConcurrent = 2
private var inFlight = 0
func predict(_ model: MLModel, input: MLFeatureProvider) async throws -> MLFeatureProvider {
while inFlight >= maxConcurrent {
await Task.yield()
}
inFlight += 1
defer { inFlight -= 1 }
return try await model.prediction(from: input)
}
}
Symptom: App crashes or model fails to load on memory-constrained devices.
Cause: Model too large for device memory.
Diagnosis:
# Check model size
ls -lh Model.mlpackage/Data/com.apple.CoreML/weights/
Fix options:
| Approach | Compression | Memory Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 8-bit palettization | 2x smaller | 2x less memory |
| 4-bit palettization | 4x smaller | 4x less memory |
| Pruning (50%) | ~2x smaller | ~2x less memory |
Note: Compressed weights are decompressed just-in-time (iOS 17+), so smaller on-disk = smaller in memory.
Symptom: Model output degraded after palettization.
Diagnosis:
Fix progression:
# Step 1: Try grouped channels (iOS 18+)
config = OpPalettizerConfig(
nbits=4,
granularity="per_grouped_channel",
group_size=16
)
# Step 2: If still bad, try more bits
config = OpPalettizerConfig(nbits=6, ...)
# Step 3: If still need 4-bit, use calibration
from coremltools.optimize.torch.palettization import DKMPalettizer
# ... training-time compression
Key insight: 4-bit per-tensor has only 16 clusters for entire weight matrix. Grouped channels = 16 clusters per 16 channels = much better granularity.
Symptom: Model output degraded after INT8/INT4 quantization.
Diagnosis:
Fix progression:
# Step 1: Use per-block (iOS 18+)
config = OpLinearQuantizerConfig(
dtype="int4",
granularity="per_block",
block_size=32
)
# Step 2: Use calibration data
from coremltools.optimize.torch.quantization import LayerwiseCompressor
compressor = LayerwiseCompressor(model, config)
quantized = compressor.compress(calibration_loader)
Note: INT4 quantization works best on Mac GPU. For Neural Engine, prefer palettization.
Symptom: Model output degraded after weight pruning.
Diagnosis:
Thresholds (model-dependent):
Fix:
# Use calibration-based pruning
from coremltools.optimize.torch.pruning import LayerwiseCompressor
config = MagnitudePrunerConfig(
target_sparsity=0.4,
n_samples=128
)
compressor = LayerwiseCompressor(model, config)
sparse = compressor.compress(calibration_loader)
Symptom: Conversion fails with unsupported operation error.
Diagnosis:
Error: "Op 'custom_op' is not supported for conversion"
Options:
pip install --upgrade coremltools
# Instead of custom_op(x)
# Use: supported_op1(supported_op2(x))
from coremltools.converters.mil import Builder as mb
@mb.register_torch_op
def custom_op(context, node):
# Map to MIL operations
...
Symptom: Model converts but predictions differ from PyTorch.
Diagnosis checklist:
# PyTorch often uses ImageNet normalization
# CoreML may need explicit preprocessing
# Check shapes in conversion
ct.convert(..., inputs=[ct.ImageType(shape=(1, 3, 224, 224))])
# Force Float32 to match PyTorch
ct.convert(..., compute_precision=ct.precision.FLOAT32)
# Ensure eval mode
model.eval()
Debug:
# Compare outputs layer by layer
import numpy as np
torch_output = model(input).detach().numpy()
coreml_output = mlmodel.predict({"input": input.numpy()})["output"]
print(f"Max diff: {np.max(np.abs(torch_output - coreml_output))}")
Wrong approach: Assume simulator bug, ignore.
Right approach:
Wrong approach: Compress to smallest possible size without testing.
Right approach:
When CoreML isn't working:
WWDC: 2023-10047, 2023-10049, 2024-10159, 2024-10161
Docs: /coreml, /coreml/mlmodel
Skills: coreml, coreml-ref