Wheel Builder

[myurasov-nv]

Ports the external wheel builder (from the internal GitLab CI/CD repo) into the Isaac Lab, mostly replicating it's functionality, but fixing few issues with it.

Adds a test for Install CI.

This is step 2 (1 - install ci) on the path to resolve our installation bugs. Step 3 will be making project structure compatible with python -m wheel build ., after GA.

Type of change

• New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)

Checklist

• I have read and understood the contribution guidelines
• I have run the pre-commit checks with ./isaaclab.sh --format
• I have made corresponding changes to the documentation
• My changes generate no new warnings
• I have added tests that prove my fix is effective or that my feature works
• I have updated the changelog and the corresponding version in the extension's config/extension.toml file
• I have added my name to the CONTRIBUTORS.md or my name already exists there

[isaaclab-review-bot]

Review: Wheel Builder + Installation CI

Solid infrastructure PR — porting the wheel builder into the monorepo and adding a proper installation test framework is a big step forward for CI/CD hygiene. The test runner (run) is well-designed with Docker/native modes, cache volume reuse, and flexible pytest passthrough. A few things to address below, mostly around security, robustness, and some cleanup from the port.

Summary

• Scope: Adds tools/wheel_builder/ (build scripts, pyproject generator, package manifests), tools/install_ci/ (pytest-based installation tests with Docker runner), a GH Actions workflow, and minor fixups to .gitignore/envs.py
• Architecture: Clean separation between the wheel builder (build.sh + gen_pyproject.py) and the CI test harness (conftest.py + utils.py + test files). The Docker-based test isolation is the right approach.
• Quality: Generally good. Tests cover smoke (env creation, extension install) and heavy (full training loop) scenarios. The UV_Utils mixin pattern keeps test code DRY.

Key Issues

1. build.sh uses pip install --break-system-packages inside the build stage — this modifies the host system Python when run natively (not just in Docker). Consider using a venv or --user install, or at minimum document that native execution is unsafe.
2. res/__init__.py has dead code and uncertainty markers — bootstrap_kernel() is defined but commented out with # ??? and # disable as we probably dont need it. Either remove it or add a proper TODO with context.
3. The .gitignore change from tests/ to /tests/ is a broad scope change that affects the entire repo — worth calling out in the PR description since it could unignore nested tests/ dirs that were previously hidden.
4. python_packages.toml has duplicate entries (numpy>=2, torch>=2.10, protobuf, tensorboard appear multiple times) — the dedup in gen_pyproject.py handles this, but the source file should be clean.
5. Wheel retagging is commented out in build.sh — if this is intentional for the initial port, add a TODO issue reference.

[greptile-apps]

Greptile Summary

This PR ports an internal GitLab wheel builder into the IsaacLab repo and adds an integration test (Test_Wheel_Builder) that builds the wheel, installs it in a fresh uv environment, and verifies key imports and the CLI. Issues flagged in the prior review round (missing main(), duplicate copyright, inconsistent python/python3 calls) have been addressed.

• P1 — Silent constraint loss in gen_pyproject.py: The first-wins deduplication drops packaging<24 (replaced by unconstrained packaging) and the tighter torchvision>=0.25.0 (replaced by >=0.0.25.0). Installing with incompatible versions of these packages can silently break isaaclab_rl at runtime.

Confidence Score: 4/5

Safe to merge after the constraint-deduplication bug in gen_pyproject.py is fixed; remaining findings are non-blocking.

One P1 finding: the first-wins dependency deduplication in gen_pyproject.py silently drops packaging<24 and the tighter torchvision lower bound, which can cause runtime breakage for isaaclab_rl users installing the wheel. All previously flagged issues are resolved. The test infrastructure and build script are otherwise solid.

tools/wheel_builder/gen_pyproject.py (constraint deduplication logic) and tools/wheel_builder/res/python_packages.toml (conflicting constraints + dead inventory section)

Important Files Changed

Filename	Overview
tools/wheel_builder/build.sh	Orchestrates wheel staging and build; Python invocations are now consistently python3, but pip install --break-system-packages remains, modifying the system Python in CI.
tools/wheel_builder/gen_pyproject.py	Generates pyproject.toml from python_packages.toml; first-wins deduplication silently drops version constraints (e.g. packaging<24, torchvision>=0.25.0).
tools/wheel_builder/res/init.py	Custom wheel __init__.py that exposes __version__, extends __path__ for sub-package discovery, and defines main() entry point; issues from previous review are resolved.
tools/wheel_builder/res/main.py	CLI entry point with main() function; duplicate copyright removed; toml import is satisfied by the declared dependency.
tools/wheel_builder/res/python_packages.toml	Consolidated dependency manifest; contains conflicting constraints for packaging and torchvision that the deduplication silently resolves in favor of the first entry, plus a dead inventory section with non-existent paths.
source/isaaclab/test/install_ci/test_wheel_builder.py	New class-scoped integration test that builds the wheel, installs it into a fresh uv environment, and verifies key imports and the CLI; structure and fixtures look correct.
source/isaaclab/test/install_ci/utils.py	Shared test utilities providing run_cmd and UV_Mixin; well-structured with proper streaming, timeout, and cleanup handling.

Flowchart

%%{init: {'theme': 'neutral'}}%%
flowchart TD
    A[build.sh starts] --> B[Copy apps/ and source/ to BUILD_DIR/src/isaaclab/]
    B --> C[Ensure apps/ sub-dirs have __init__.py]
    C --> D[For each isaaclab_* sub-package: promote to top-level src/]
    D --> D1[Copy inner Python package to src/pkg/]
    D1 --> D2[Copy config/ and data/ resource dirs]
    D2 --> D3[Patch EXT_DIR references in __init__.py]
    D3 --> D4[Remove original from isaaclab bundle]
    D4 --> E[Clean __pycache__ / egg-info / .pyc]
    E --> F[Copy res/__init__.py and res/__main__.py]
    F --> G[gen_pyproject.py: read python_packages.toml]
    G --> G1[Deduplicate deps - first-wins]
    G1 --> G2[Write pyproject.toml to BUILD_DIR]
    G2 --> H[python3 -m pip install build wheel]
    H --> I[python3 -m build --wheel]
    I --> J[Wheel written to DIST_DIR/]
    J --> K{Test: Test_Wheel_Builder}
    K --> L[Install wheel into uv venv]
    L --> M[test_import_isaaclab]
    L --> N[test_version_matches_wheel]
    L --> O[test_import_isaaclab_app]
    L --> P[test_import_isaaclab_assets]
    L --> Q[test_cli_help]

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_{Reviews (2): Last reviewed commit: "--format" | Re-trigger Greptile}

[myurasov-nv]

@greptile-apps