chore(skills): move heavy training skills + outlines to optional-skills (#22912)

These skills require heavy GPU/CUDA stacks or are niche enough that they shouldn't
be active by default. Moved to optional-skills/ where users opt-in via
`hermes skills install official/...`.

Moved:
- mlops/training/axolotl
- mlops/training/trl-fine-tuning
- mlops/training/unsloth
- mlops/inference/outlines

Counts: 91 -> 87 built-in, 72 -> 76 optional.

Auto-regenerated docs (per-skill pages + catalogs) reflect the move.
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---
name: fine-tuning-with-trl
description: "TRL: SFT, DPO, PPO, GRPO, reward modeling for LLM RLHF."
version: 1.0.0
author: Orchestra Research
license: MIT
dependencies: [trl, transformers, datasets, peft, accelerate, torch]
platforms: [linux, macos, windows]
metadata:
hermes:
tags: [Post-Training, TRL, Reinforcement Learning, Fine-Tuning, SFT, DPO, PPO, GRPO, RLHF, Preference Alignment, HuggingFace]
---
# TRL - Transformer Reinforcement Learning
## Quick start
TRL provides post-training methods for aligning language models with human preferences.
**Installation**:
```bash
pip install trl transformers datasets peft accelerate
```
**Supervised Fine-Tuning** (instruction tuning):
```python
from trl import SFTTrainer
trainer = SFTTrainer(
model="Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B",
train_dataset=dataset, # Prompt-completion pairs
)
trainer.train()
```
**DPO** (align with preferences):
```python
from trl import DPOTrainer, DPOConfig
config = DPOConfig(output_dir="model-dpo", beta=0.1)
trainer = DPOTrainer(
model=model,
args=config,
train_dataset=preference_dataset, # chosen/rejected pairs
processing_class=tokenizer
)
trainer.train()
```
## Common workflows
### Workflow 1: Full RLHF pipeline (SFT → Reward Model → PPO)
Complete pipeline from base model to human-aligned model.
Copy this checklist:
```
RLHF Training:
- [ ] Step 1: Supervised fine-tuning (SFT)
- [ ] Step 2: Train reward model
- [ ] Step 3: PPO reinforcement learning
- [ ] Step 4: Evaluate aligned model
```
**Step 1: Supervised fine-tuning**
Train base model on instruction-following data:
```python
from transformers import AutoModelForCausalLM, AutoTokenizer
from trl import SFTTrainer, SFTConfig
from datasets import load_dataset
# Load model
model = AutoModelForCausalLM.from_pretrained("Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B")
tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B")
# Load instruction dataset
dataset = load_dataset("trl-lib/Capybara", split="train")
# Configure training
training_args = SFTConfig(
output_dir="Qwen2.5-0.5B-SFT",
per_device_train_batch_size=4,
num_train_epochs=1,
learning_rate=2e-5,
logging_steps=10,
save_strategy="epoch"
)
# Train
trainer = SFTTrainer(
model=model,
args=training_args,
train_dataset=dataset,
tokenizer=tokenizer
)
trainer.train()
trainer.save_model()
```
**Step 2: Train reward model**
Train model to predict human preferences:
```python
from transformers import AutoModelForSequenceClassification
from trl import RewardTrainer, RewardConfig
# Load SFT model as base
model = AutoModelForSequenceClassification.from_pretrained(
"Qwen2.5-0.5B-SFT",
num_labels=1 # Single reward score
)
tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("Qwen2.5-0.5B-SFT")
# Load preference data (chosen/rejected pairs)
dataset = load_dataset("trl-lib/ultrafeedback_binarized", split="train")
# Configure training
training_args = RewardConfig(
output_dir="Qwen2.5-0.5B-Reward",
per_device_train_batch_size=2,
num_train_epochs=1,
learning_rate=1e-5
)
# Train reward model
trainer = RewardTrainer(
model=model,
args=training_args,
processing_class=tokenizer,
train_dataset=dataset
)
trainer.train()
trainer.save_model()
```
**Step 3: PPO reinforcement learning**
Optimize policy using reward model:
```bash
python -m trl.scripts.ppo \
--model_name_or_path Qwen2.5-0.5B-SFT \
--reward_model_path Qwen2.5-0.5B-Reward \
--dataset_name trl-internal-testing/descriptiveness-sentiment-trl-style \
--output_dir Qwen2.5-0.5B-PPO \
--learning_rate 3e-6 \
--per_device_train_batch_size 64 \
--total_episodes 10000
```
**Step 4: Evaluate**
```python
from transformers import pipeline
# Load aligned model
generator = pipeline("text-generation", model="Qwen2.5-0.5B-PPO")
# Test
prompt = "Explain quantum computing to a 10-year-old"
output = generator(prompt, max_length=200)[0]["generated_text"]
print(output)
```
### Workflow 2: Simple preference alignment with DPO
Align model with preferences without reward model.
Copy this checklist:
```
DPO Training:
- [ ] Step 1: Prepare preference dataset
- [ ] Step 2: Configure DPO
- [ ] Step 3: Train with DPOTrainer
- [ ] Step 4: Evaluate alignment
```
**Step 1: Prepare preference dataset**
Dataset format:
```json
{
"prompt": "What is the capital of France?",
"chosen": "The capital of France is Paris.",
"rejected": "I don't know."
}
```
Load dataset:
```python
from datasets import load_dataset
dataset = load_dataset("trl-lib/ultrafeedback_binarized", split="train")
# Or load your own
# dataset = load_dataset("json", data_files="preferences.json")
```
**Step 2: Configure DPO**
```python
from trl import DPOConfig
config = DPOConfig(
output_dir="Qwen2.5-0.5B-DPO",
per_device_train_batch_size=4,
num_train_epochs=1,
learning_rate=5e-7,
beta=0.1, # KL penalty strength
max_prompt_length=512,
max_length=1024,
logging_steps=10
)
```
**Step 3: Train with DPOTrainer**
```python
from transformers import AutoModelForCausalLM, AutoTokenizer
from trl import DPOTrainer
model = AutoModelForCausalLM.from_pretrained("Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct")
tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct")
trainer = DPOTrainer(
model=model,
args=config,
train_dataset=dataset,
processing_class=tokenizer
)
trainer.train()
trainer.save_model()
```
**CLI alternative**:
```bash
trl dpo \
--model_name_or_path Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct \
--dataset_name argilla/Capybara-Preferences \
--output_dir Qwen2.5-0.5B-DPO \
--per_device_train_batch_size 4 \
--learning_rate 5e-7 \
--beta 0.1
```
### Workflow 3: Memory-efficient online RL with GRPO
Train with reinforcement learning using minimal memory.
For in-depth GRPO guidance — reward function design, critical training insights (loss behavior, mode collapse, tuning), and advanced multi-stage patterns — see **[references/grpo-training.md](references/grpo-training.md)**. A production-ready training script is in **[templates/basic_grpo_training.py](templates/basic_grpo_training.py)**.
Copy this checklist:
```
GRPO Training:
- [ ] Step 1: Define reward function
- [ ] Step 2: Configure GRPO
- [ ] Step 3: Train with GRPOTrainer
```
**Step 1: Define reward function**
```python
def reward_function(completions, **kwargs):
"""
Compute rewards for completions.
Args:
completions: List of generated texts
Returns:
List of reward scores (floats)
"""
rewards = []
for completion in completions:
# Example: reward based on length and unique words
score = len(completion.split()) # Favor longer responses
score += len(set(completion.lower().split())) # Reward unique words
rewards.append(score)
return rewards
```
Or use a reward model:
```python
from transformers import pipeline
reward_model = pipeline("text-classification", model="reward-model-path")
def reward_from_model(completions, prompts, **kwargs):
# Combine prompt + completion
full_texts = [p + c for p, c in zip(prompts, completions)]
# Get reward scores
results = reward_model(full_texts)
return [r["score"] for r in results]
```
**Step 2: Configure GRPO**
```python
from trl import GRPOConfig
config = GRPOConfig(
output_dir="Qwen2-GRPO",
per_device_train_batch_size=4,
num_train_epochs=1,
learning_rate=1e-5,
num_generations=4, # Generate 4 completions per prompt
max_new_tokens=128
)
```
**Step 3: Train with GRPOTrainer**
```python
from datasets import load_dataset
from trl import GRPOTrainer
# Load prompt-only dataset
dataset = load_dataset("trl-lib/tldr", split="train")
trainer = GRPOTrainer(
model="Qwen/Qwen2-0.5B-Instruct",
reward_funcs=reward_function, # Your reward function
args=config,
train_dataset=dataset
)
trainer.train()
```
**CLI**:
```bash
trl grpo \
--model_name_or_path Qwen/Qwen2-0.5B-Instruct \
--dataset_name trl-lib/tldr \
--output_dir Qwen2-GRPO \
--num_generations 4
```
## When to use vs alternatives
**Use TRL when:**
- Need to align model with human preferences
- Have preference data (chosen/rejected pairs)
- Want to use reinforcement learning (PPO, GRPO)
- Need reward model training
- Doing RLHF (full pipeline)
**Method selection**:
- **SFT**: Have prompt-completion pairs, want basic instruction following
- **DPO**: Have preferences, want simple alignment (no reward model needed)
- **PPO**: Have reward model, need maximum control over RL
- **GRPO**: Memory-constrained, want online RL
- **Reward Model**: Building RLHF pipeline, need to score generations
**Use alternatives instead:**
- **HuggingFace Trainer**: Basic fine-tuning without RL
- **Axolotl**: YAML-based training configuration
- **LitGPT**: Educational, minimal fine-tuning
- **Unsloth**: Fast LoRA training
## Common issues
**Issue: OOM during DPO training**
Reduce batch size and sequence length:
```python
config = DPOConfig(
per_device_train_batch_size=1, # Reduce from 4
max_length=512, # Reduce from 1024
gradient_accumulation_steps=8 # Maintain effective batch
)
```
Or use gradient checkpointing:
```python
model.gradient_checkpointing_enable()
```
**Issue: Poor alignment quality**
Tune beta parameter:
```python
# Higher beta = more conservative (stays closer to reference)
config = DPOConfig(beta=0.5) # Default 0.1
# Lower beta = more aggressive alignment
config = DPOConfig(beta=0.01)
```
**Issue: Reward model not learning**
Check loss type and learning rate:
```python
config = RewardConfig(
learning_rate=1e-5, # Try different LR
num_train_epochs=3 # Train longer
)
```
Ensure preference dataset has clear winners:
```python
# Verify dataset
print(dataset[0])
# Should have clear chosen > rejected
```
**Issue: PPO training unstable**
Adjust KL coefficient:
```python
config = PPOConfig(
kl_coef=0.1, # Increase from 0.05
cliprange=0.1 # Reduce from 0.2
)
```
## Advanced topics
**SFT training guide**: See [references/sft-training.md](references/sft-training.md) for dataset formats, chat templates, packing strategies, and multi-GPU training.
**DPO variants**: See [references/dpo-variants.md](references/dpo-variants.md) for IPO, cDPO, RPO, and other DPO loss functions with recommended hyperparameters.
**Reward modeling**: See [references/reward-modeling.md](references/reward-modeling.md) for outcome vs process rewards, Bradley-Terry loss, and reward model evaluation.
**Online RL methods**: See [references/online-rl.md](references/online-rl.md) for PPO, GRPO, RLOO, and OnlineDPO with detailed configurations.
**GRPO deep dive**: See [references/grpo-training.md](references/grpo-training.md) for expert-level GRPO patterns — reward function design philosophy, training insights (why loss increases, mode collapse detection), hyperparameter tuning, multi-stage training, and troubleshooting. Production-ready template in [templates/basic_grpo_training.py](templates/basic_grpo_training.py).
## Hardware requirements
- **GPU**: NVIDIA (CUDA required)
- **VRAM**: Depends on model and method
- SFT 7B: 16GB (with LoRA)
- DPO 7B: 24GB (stores reference model)
- PPO 7B: 40GB (policy + reward model)
- GRPO 7B: 24GB (more memory efficient)
- **Multi-GPU**: Supported via `accelerate`
- **Mixed precision**: BF16 recommended (A100/H100)
**Memory optimization**:
- Use LoRA/QLoRA for all methods
- Enable gradient checkpointing
- Use smaller batch sizes with gradient accumulation
## Resources
- Docs: https://huggingface.co/docs/trl/
- GitHub: https://github.com/huggingface/trl
- Papers:
- "Training language models to follow instructions with human feedback" (InstructGPT, 2022)
- "Direct Preference Optimization: Your Language Model is Secretly a Reward Model" (DPO, 2023)
- "Group Relative Policy Optimization" (GRPO, 2024)
- Examples: https://github.com/huggingface/trl/tree/main/examples/scripts

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# DPO Variants
Complete guide to Direct Preference Optimization loss variants in TRL.
## Overview
DPO optimizes models using preference data (chosen/rejected pairs). TRL supports 10+ loss variants for different scenarios.
## Loss Types
### 1. Sigmoid (Standard DPO)
**Formula**: `-log(sigmoid(β * logits))`
**When to use**: Default choice, general preference alignment
**Config**:
```python
DPOConfig(
loss_type="sigmoid",
beta=0.1, # KL penalty
per_device_train_batch_size=64,
learning_rate=1e-6
)
```
### 2. IPO (Identity Policy Optimization)
**Formula**: `(logits - 1/(2β))²`
**When to use**: Better theoretical foundation, reduce overfitting
**Config**:
```python
DPOConfig(
loss_type="ipo",
beta=0.1,
per_device_train_batch_size=90,
learning_rate=1e-2
)
```
### 3. Hinge (SLiC)
**Formula**: `ReLU(1 - β * logits)`
**When to use**: Margin-based objective
**Config**:
```python
DPOConfig(
loss_type="hinge",
beta=0.1,
per_device_train_batch_size=512,
learning_rate=1e-4
)
```
### 4. Robust DPO
**Formula**: Sigmoid with label smoothing for noise robustness
**When to use**: Noisy preference labels
**Config**:
```python
DPOConfig(
loss_type="robust",
beta=0.01,
label_smoothing=0.1, # Noise probability
per_device_train_batch_size=16,
learning_rate=1e-3,
max_prompt_length=128,
max_length=512
)
```
### 5. BCO Pair (Binary Classification)
**Formula**: Train binary classifier (chosen=1, rejected=0)
**When to use**: Pairwise preference data
**Config**:
```python
DPOConfig(
loss_type="bco_pair",
beta=0.01,
per_device_train_batch_size=128,
learning_rate=5e-7,
max_prompt_length=1536,
max_completion_length=512
)
```
### 6. SPPO Hard
**Formula**: Push chosen→0.5, rejected→-0.5
**When to use**: Nash equilibrium, sparse data
**Config**:
```python
DPOConfig(
loss_type="sppo_hard",
beta=0.1
)
```
### 7. DiscoPOP
**Formula**: Log-Ratio Modulated Loss
**When to use**: Automated loss discovery
**Config**:
```python
DPOConfig(
loss_type="discopop",
beta=0.05,
discopop_tau=0.05,
per_device_train_batch_size=64,
learning_rate=5e-7
)
```
### 8. APO Zero
**Formula**: Increase chosen, decrease rejected likelihood
**When to use**: Model worse than winning outputs
**Config**:
```python
DPOConfig(
loss_type="apo_zero",
beta=0.1,
per_device_train_batch_size=64,
learning_rate=2e-7,
max_prompt_length=512,
max_completion_length=512
)
```
### 9. APO Down
**Formula**: Decrease both, emphasize rejected reduction
**When to use**: Model better than winning outputs
**Config**:
```python
DPOConfig(
loss_type="apo_down",
beta=0.1,
# Same hyperparameters as apo_zero
)
```
### 10. AOT & AOT Pair
**Formula**: Distributional alignment via stochastic dominance
**When to use**:
- `aot_pair`: Paired preference data
- `aot`: Unpaired data
**Config**:
```python
DPOConfig(
loss_type="aot_pair", # or "aot"
beta=0.1,
label_smoothing=0.0
)
```
## Multi-Loss Training
Combine multiple losses:
```python
DPOConfig(
loss_type=["sigmoid", "ipo"],
loss_weights=[0.7, 0.3], # Weighted combination
beta=0.1
)
```
## Key Parameters
### Beta (β)
Controls deviation from reference model:
- **Higher** (0.5): More conservative, stays close to reference
- **Lower** (0.01): More aggressive alignment
- **Default**: 0.1
### Label Smoothing
For robust DPO:
- **0.0**: No smoothing (default)
- **0.1-0.3**: Moderate noise robustness
- **0.5**: Maximum noise tolerance
### Max Lengths
- `max_prompt_length`: 128-1536
- `max_completion_length`: 128-512
- `max_length`: Total sequence (1024-2048)
## Comparison Table
| Loss | Speed | Stability | Best For |
|------|-------|-----------|----------|
| Sigmoid | Fast | Good | **General use** |
| IPO | Fast | Better | Overfitting issues |
| Hinge | Fast | Good | Margin objectives |
| Robust | Fast | Best | Noisy data |
| BCO | Medium | Good | Binary classification |
| DiscoPOP | Fast | Good | New architectures |
| APO | Fast | Good | Model quality matching |
## References
- DPO paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.18290
- IPO paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.12036
- TRL docs: https://huggingface.co/docs/trl/dpo_trainer

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# GRPO (Group Relative Policy Optimization) — Deep Guide
Expert-level patterns, critical insights, and production-ready workflows for fine-tuning language models with custom reward functions using TRL's `GRPOTrainer`. This is the deep reference for the GRPO workflow summarized in the main skill.
## When to use GRPO
Use GRPO when you need to:
- **Enforce specific output formats** (XML tags, JSON, structured reasoning)
- **Teach verifiable tasks** with objective correctness metrics (math, coding, fact-checking)
- **Improve reasoning capabilities** by rewarding chain-of-thought patterns
- **Align models to domain-specific behaviors** without labeled preference data
- **Optimize for multiple objectives** simultaneously (format + correctness + style)
**Do NOT use GRPO for:**
- Simple supervised fine-tuning tasks → use SFT
- Tasks without clear reward signals
- When you already have high-quality preference pairs → use DPO/PPO
## Core concepts
### 1. GRPO algorithm fundamentals
**Key mechanism:**
- Generates **multiple completions** per prompt (group size: 416)
- Compares completions within each group using reward functions
- Updates policy to favor higher-rewarded responses relative to the group
**Critical differences from PPO:**
- No separate reward model needed
- More sample-efficient (learns from within-group comparisons)
- Simpler to implement and debug
**Mathematical intuition:**
```
For each prompt p:
1. Generate N completions: {c₁, c₂, ..., cₙ}
2. Compute rewards: {r₁, r₂, ..., rₙ}
3. Learn to increase probability of high-reward completions
relative to low-reward ones in the same group
```
### 2. Reward function design philosophy
**Golden rules:**
1. **Compose multiple reward functions** — each handles one aspect (format, correctness, style)
2. **Scale rewards appropriately** — higher weight = stronger signal
3. **Use incremental rewards** — partial credit for partial compliance
4. **Test rewards independently** — debug each reward function in isolation
**Reward function types:**
| Type | Use Case | Example Weight |
|------|----------|----------------|
| **Correctness** | Verifiable tasks (math, code) | 2.0 (highest) |
| **Format** | Strict structure enforcement | 0.51.0 |
| **Length** | Encourage verbosity/conciseness | 0.10.5 |
| **Style** | Penalize unwanted patterns | 0.5 to 0.5 |
## Implementation workflow
### Step 1: Dataset preparation
**Critical requirements:**
- Prompts in chat format (list of dicts with `role` and `content`)
- Include system prompts to set expectations
- For verifiable tasks, include ground truth answers as additional columns
```python
from datasets import load_dataset, Dataset
SYSTEM_PROMPT = """
Respond in the following format:
<reasoning>
[Your step-by-step thinking]
</reasoning>
<answer>
[Final answer]
</answer>
"""
def prepare_dataset(raw_data):
"""Transform raw data into GRPO-compatible format.
Returns: Dataset with columns:
- 'prompt': List[Dict] with role/content (system + user messages)
- 'answer': str (ground truth, optional but recommended)
"""
return raw_data.map(lambda x: {
'prompt': [
{'role': 'system', 'content': SYSTEM_PROMPT},
{'role': 'user', 'content': x['question']}
],
'answer': extract_answer(x['raw_answer'])
})
```
**Pro tips:**
- Use one-shot or few-shot examples in the system prompt for complex formats
- Keep prompts concise (max_prompt_length: 256512 tokens)
- Validate data quality before training (garbage in = garbage out)
### Step 2: Reward function implementation
**Template structure:**
```python
def reward_function_name(
prompts, # List[List[Dict]]: Original prompts
completions, # List[List[Dict]]: Model generations
answer=None, # Optional: Ground truth from dataset
**kwargs # Additional dataset columns
) -> list[float]:
"""Evaluate completions and return rewards (one per completion)."""
responses = [comp[0]['content'] for comp in completions]
rewards = []
for response in responses:
score = compute_score(response)
rewards.append(score)
return rewards
```
**Example 1: correctness reward (math/coding)**
```python
def correctness_reward(prompts, completions, answer, **kwargs):
"""Reward correct answers with high score."""
responses = [comp[0]['content'] for comp in completions]
extracted = [extract_final_answer(r) for r in responses]
return [2.0 if ans == gt else 0.0
for ans, gt in zip(extracted, answer)]
```
**Example 2: format reward (structured output)**
```python
import re
def format_reward(completions, **kwargs):
"""Reward XML-like structured format."""
pattern = r'<reasoning>.*?</reasoning>\s*<answer>.*?</answer>'
responses = [comp[0]['content'] for comp in completions]
return [1.0 if re.search(pattern, r, re.DOTALL) else 0.0
for r in responses]
```
**Example 3: incremental format reward (partial credit)**
```python
def incremental_format_reward(completions, **kwargs):
"""Award partial credit for format compliance."""
responses = [comp[0]['content'] for comp in completions]
rewards = []
for r in responses:
score = 0.0
if '<reasoning>' in r: score += 0.25
if '</reasoning>' in r: score += 0.25
if '<answer>' in r: score += 0.25
if '</answer>' in r: score += 0.25
# Penalize extra text after closing tag
if r.count('</answer>') == 1:
extra_text = r.split('</answer>')[-1].strip()
score -= len(extra_text) * 0.001
rewards.append(score)
return rewards
```
**Critical insight:** Combine 35 reward functions for robust training. Order matters less than diversity of signals.
### Step 3: Training configuration
**Memory-optimized config (small GPU)**
```python
from trl import GRPOConfig
training_args = GRPOConfig(
output_dir="outputs/grpo-model",
# Learning rate
learning_rate=5e-6, # Lower = more stable
adam_beta1=0.9,
adam_beta2=0.99,
weight_decay=0.1,
warmup_ratio=0.1,
lr_scheduler_type='cosine',
# Batch settings
per_device_train_batch_size=1,
gradient_accumulation_steps=4, # Effective batch = 4
# GRPO-specific
num_generations=8, # Group size: 816 recommended
max_prompt_length=256,
max_completion_length=512,
# Training duration
num_train_epochs=1,
max_steps=None,
# Optimization
bf16=True, # Faster on A100/H100
optim="adamw_8bit", # Memory-efficient optimizer
max_grad_norm=0.1,
# Logging
logging_steps=1,
save_steps=100,
report_to="wandb",
)
```
**High-performance config (large GPU)**
```python
training_args = GRPOConfig(
output_dir="outputs/grpo-model",
learning_rate=1e-5,
per_device_train_batch_size=4,
gradient_accumulation_steps=2,
num_generations=16, # Larger groups = better signal
max_prompt_length=512,
max_completion_length=1024,
num_train_epochs=1,
bf16=True,
use_vllm=True, # Fast generation with vLLM
logging_steps=10,
)
```
**Critical hyperparameters:**
| Parameter | Impact | Tuning Advice |
|-----------|--------|---------------|
| `num_generations` | Group size for comparison | Start 8, increase to 16 if GPU allows |
| `learning_rate` | Convergence speed/stability | 5e-6 (safe), 1e-5 (faster, riskier) |
| `max_completion_length` | Output verbosity | Match your task (512 reasoning, 256 short answers) |
| `gradient_accumulation_steps` | Effective batch size | Increase if GPU memory limited |
### Step 4: Model setup and training
**Standard setup (Transformers + TRL)**
```python
import torch
from transformers import AutoModelForCausalLM, AutoTokenizer
from peft import LoraConfig
from trl import GRPOTrainer
model_name = "Qwen/Qwen2.5-1.5B-Instruct"
model = AutoModelForCausalLM.from_pretrained(
model_name,
torch_dtype=torch.bfloat16,
attn_implementation="flash_attention_2", # 23× faster
device_map="auto",
)
tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained(model_name)
tokenizer.pad_token = tokenizer.eos_token
# Optional: LoRA for parameter-efficient training
peft_config = LoraConfig(
r=16,
lora_alpha=32,
target_modules=[
"q_proj", "k_proj", "v_proj", "o_proj",
"gate_proj", "up_proj", "down_proj",
],
task_type="CAUSAL_LM",
lora_dropout=0.05,
)
trainer = GRPOTrainer(
model=model,
processing_class=tokenizer,
reward_funcs=[
incremental_format_reward,
format_reward,
correctness_reward,
],
args=training_args,
train_dataset=dataset,
peft_config=peft_config, # Remove for full fine-tuning
)
trainer.train()
trainer.save_model("final_model")
```
**Unsloth setup (23× faster)**
```python
from unsloth import FastLanguageModel
model, tokenizer = FastLanguageModel.from_pretrained(
model_name="google/gemma-3-1b-it",
max_seq_length=1024,
load_in_4bit=True,
fast_inference=True,
max_lora_rank=32,
)
model = FastLanguageModel.get_peft_model(
model,
r=32,
target_modules=["q_proj", "k_proj", "v_proj", "o_proj",
"gate_proj", "up_proj", "down_proj"],
lora_alpha=32,
use_gradient_checkpointing="unsloth",
)
# Rest is identical to the standard setup
trainer = GRPOTrainer(model=model, ...)
trainer.train()
```
## Critical training insights
### 1. Loss behavior (EXPECTED pattern)
- **Loss starts near 0 and INCREASES during training** — this is CORRECT
- Loss measures KL divergence from initial policy; the model is learning (diverging from original behavior to optimize rewards)
- **Monitor reward metrics, not loss, for progress**
### 2. Reward tracking
Key metrics to watch:
- `reward` — average across all completions
- `reward_std` — diversity within groups (should remain > 0)
- `kl` — KL divergence from reference (should grow moderately)
**Healthy pattern:**
```
Step Reward Reward_Std KL
100 0.5 0.3 0.02
200 0.8 0.25 0.05
300 1.2 0.2 0.08 ← Good progression
400 1.5 0.15 0.12
```
**Warning signs:**
- `reward_std` → 0 (model collapsing to a single response)
- `kl` exploding (> 0.5) — diverging too much, reduce LR
- Reward stuck — reward functions too harsh or model capacity issue
### 3. Common pitfalls and solutions
| Problem | Symptom | Solution |
|---------|---------|----------|
| **Mode collapse** | All completions identical | Increase `num_generations`, add diversity penalty |
| **No learning** | Flat rewards | Check reward function logic, increase LR |
| **OOM errors** | GPU memory exceeded | Reduce `num_generations`, enable gradient checkpointing |
| **Slow training** | < 1 it/s | Enable `use_vllm=True`, use Unsloth, reduce seq length |
| **Format ignored** | Model doesn't follow structure | Increase format reward weight, add incremental rewards |
## Advanced patterns
### 1. Multi-stage training
For complex tasks, train in stages:
```python
# Stage 1: Format compliance
trainer_stage1 = GRPOTrainer(
model=model,
reward_funcs=[incremental_format_reward, format_reward],
...
)
trainer_stage1.train()
# Stage 2: Correctness
trainer_stage2 = GRPOTrainer(
model=model,
reward_funcs=[format_reward, correctness_reward],
...
)
trainer_stage2.train()
```
### 2. Adaptive reward scaling
```python
class AdaptiveReward:
def __init__(self, base_reward_func, initial_weight=1.0):
self.func = base_reward_func
self.weight = initial_weight
def __call__(self, *args, **kwargs):
rewards = self.func(*args, **kwargs)
return [r * self.weight for r in rewards]
def adjust_weight(self, success_rate):
"""Increase weight if model struggling, decrease if succeeding."""
if success_rate < 0.3:
self.weight *= 1.2
elif success_rate > 0.8:
self.weight *= 0.9
```
### 3. Custom dataset integration
```python
def load_custom_knowledge_base(csv_path):
import pandas as pd
df = pd.read_csv(csv_path)
return Dataset.from_pandas(df).map(lambda x: {
'prompt': [
{'role': 'system', 'content': CUSTOM_SYSTEM_PROMPT},
{'role': 'user', 'content': x['question']}
],
'answer': x['expert_answer']
})
```
## Deployment and inference
### Save and merge LoRA
```python
if hasattr(trainer.model, 'merge_and_unload'):
merged_model = trainer.model.merge_and_unload()
merged_model.save_pretrained("production_model")
tokenizer.save_pretrained("production_model")
```
### Inference
```python
from transformers import pipeline
generator = pipeline("text-generation", model="production_model", tokenizer=tokenizer)
result = generator(
[
{'role': 'system', 'content': SYSTEM_PROMPT},
{'role': 'user', 'content': "What is 15 + 27?"},
],
max_new_tokens=256,
do_sample=True,
temperature=0.7,
top_p=0.9,
)
print(result[0]['generated_text'])
```
## Best practices checklist
**Before training:**
- [ ] Validate dataset format (prompts as List[Dict])
- [ ] Test reward functions on sample data
- [ ] Calculate expected `max_prompt_length` from data
- [ ] Choose `num_generations` based on GPU memory
- [ ] Set up logging (wandb recommended)
**During training:**
- [ ] Monitor reward progression (should increase)
- [ ] Check `reward_std` (should stay > 0.1)
- [ ] Watch for OOM errors (reduce batch size if needed)
- [ ] Sample generations every 50100 steps
- [ ] Validate format compliance on holdout set
**After training:**
- [ ] Merge LoRA weights if using PEFT
- [ ] Test on diverse prompts
- [ ] Compare to baseline model
- [ ] Document reward weights and hyperparameters
- [ ] Save reproducibility config
## Troubleshooting
### Debugging workflow
1. **Isolate reward functions** — test each independently
2. **Check data distribution** — ensure diversity in prompts
3. **Reduce complexity** — start with single reward, add gradually
4. **Monitor generations** — print samples every N steps
5. **Validate extraction logic** — ensure answer parsing works
### Quick debug reward
```python
def debug_reward(completions, **kwargs):
responses = [comp[0]['content'] for comp in completions]
for i, r in enumerate(responses[:2]):
print(f"Response {i}: {r[:200]}...")
return [1.0] * len(responses)
# Test without training
trainer = GRPOTrainer(..., reward_funcs=[debug_reward])
trainer.generate_completions(dataset[:1])
```
## Template
A production-ready training script lives at **`../templates/basic_grpo_training.py`**. It uses Qwen 2.5-1.5B-Instruct with LoRA and three reward functions (incremental format, strict format, correctness) on GSM8K. Copy and adapt:
1. `get_dataset()` — swap in your data loader
2. Reward functions — tune to your task
3. `SYSTEM_PROMPT` — match your output format
4. `GRPOConfig` — adjust hyperparameters for your GPU
## References and resources
- TRL GRPO Trainer: https://huggingface.co/docs/trl/grpo_trainer
- GRPO paper (DeepSeek): https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.03300
- DeepSeek R1 paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.12948
- Open R1 implementation: https://github.com/huggingface/open-r1
- TRL examples: https://github.com/huggingface/trl/tree/main/examples
- Unsloth (faster training): https://docs.unsloth.ai/
## Critical reminders
- **Loss goes UP during training** — this is normal (it's KL divergence)
- **Use 35 reward functions** — single rewards often fail
- **Test rewards before training** — debug each function independently
- **Monitor `reward_std`** — should stay > 0.1 (avoid mode collapse)
- **Start with `num_generations=48`** — scale up if GPU allows

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# Online RL Methods
Guide to online reinforcement learning with PPO, GRPO, RLOO, and OnlineDPO.
## Overview
Online RL generates completions during training and optimizes based on rewards.
## PPO (Proximal Policy Optimization)
Classic RL algorithm for LLM alignment.
### Basic Usage
```bash
python -m trl.scripts.ppo \
--model_name_or_path Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct \
--reward_model_path reward-model \
--dataset_name trl-internal-testing/descriptiveness-sentiment-trl-style \
--output_dir model-ppo \
--learning_rate 3e-6 \
--per_device_train_batch_size 64 \
--total_episodes 10000 \
--num_ppo_epochs 4 \
--kl_coef 0.05
```
### Key Parameters
- `kl_coef`: KL penalty (0.05-0.2)
- `num_ppo_epochs`: Epochs per batch (2-4)
- `cliprange`: PPO clip (0.1-0.3)
- `vf_coef`: Value function coef (0.1)
## GRPO (Group Relative Policy Optimization)
Memory-efficient online RL.
### Basic Usage
```python
from trl import GRPOTrainer, GRPOConfig
from datasets import load_dataset
# Define reward function
def reward_func(completions, **kwargs):
return [len(set(c.split())) for c in completions]
config = GRPOConfig(
output_dir="model-grpo",
num_generations=4, # Completions per prompt
max_new_tokens=128
)
trainer = GRPOTrainer(
model="Qwen/Qwen2-0.5B-Instruct",
reward_funcs=reward_func,
args=config,
train_dataset=load_dataset("trl-lib/tldr", split="train")
)
trainer.train()
```
### Key Parameters
- `num_generations`: 2-8 completions
- `max_new_tokens`: 64-256
- Learning rate: 1e-5 to 1e-4
## Memory Comparison
| Method | Memory (7B) | Speed | Use Case |
|--------|-------------|-------|----------|
| PPO | 40GB | Medium | Maximum control |
| GRPO | 24GB | Fast | **Memory-constrained** |
| OnlineDPO | 28GB | Fast | No reward model |
## References
- PPO paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/1707.06347
- GRPO paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.03300
- TRL docs: https://huggingface.co/docs/trl/

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# Reward Modeling
Guide to training reward models with TRL for RLHF pipelines.
## Overview
Reward models score completions based on human preferences. Used in:
- PPO training (RL feedback)
- GRPO online RL
- Completion ranking
## Basic Training
```python
from transformers import AutoModelForSequenceClassification, AutoTokenizer
from trl import RewardTrainer, RewardConfig
from datasets import load_dataset
# Load model (num_labels=1 for single reward score)
model = AutoModelForSequenceClassification.from_pretrained(
"Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct",
num_labels=1
)
tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct")
# Load preference dataset (chosen/rejected pairs)
dataset = load_dataset("trl-lib/ultrafeedback_binarized", split="train")
# Configure
config = RewardConfig(
output_dir="Qwen2.5-Reward",
per_device_train_batch_size=2,
num_train_epochs=1,
learning_rate=1e-5
)
# Train
trainer = RewardTrainer(
model=model,
args=config,
processing_class=tokenizer,
train_dataset=dataset
)
trainer.train()
```
## Dataset Format
Required fields:
```json
{
"prompt": "Question or instruction",
"chosen": "Better response",
"rejected": "Worse response"
}
```
## Bradley-Terry Loss
Default loss function:
```
loss = -log(sigmoid(reward_chosen - reward_rejected))
```
Learns to score chosen > rejected.
## Using Reward Models
### Inference
```python
from transformers import pipeline
# Load trained reward model
reward_pipe = pipeline("text-classification", model="Qwen2.5-Reward")
# Score completions
texts = ["Good answer", "Bad answer"]
scores = reward_pipe(texts)
print(scores) # Higher score = better
```
### In PPO
```python
from trl import PPOTrainer, PPOConfig
config = PPOConfig(
reward_model_path="Qwen2.5-Reward" # Use trained reward model
)
trainer = PPOTrainer(
model=policy_model,
config=config,
# Reward model loaded automatically
)
```
## Hyperparameters
| Model Size | Learning Rate | Batch Size | Epochs |
|------------|---------------|------------|--------|
| <1B | 2e-5 | 4-8 | 1-2 |
| 1-7B | 1e-5 | 2-4 | 1 |
| 7-13B | 5e-6 | 1-2 | 1 |
## Evaluation
Check reward separation:
```python
# Chosen should score higher than rejected
chosen_rewards = model(**chosen_inputs).logits
rejected_rewards = model(**rejected_inputs).logits
accuracy = (chosen_rewards > rejected_rewards).float().mean()
print(f"Accuracy: {accuracy:.2%}") # Target: >80%
```
## References
- InstructGPT paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.02155
- TRL docs: https://huggingface.co/docs/trl/reward_trainer

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# SFT Training Guide
Complete guide to Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT) with TRL for instruction tuning and task-specific fine-tuning.
## Overview
SFT trains models on input-output pairs to minimize cross-entropy loss. Use for:
- Instruction following
- Task-specific fine-tuning
- Chatbot training
- Domain adaptation
## Dataset Formats
### Format 1: Prompt-Completion
```json
[
{
"prompt": "What is the capital of France?",
"completion": "The capital of France is Paris."
}
]
```
### Format 2: Conversational (ChatML)
```json
[
{
"messages": [
{"role": "user", "content": "What is Python?"},
{"role": "assistant", "content": "Python is a programming language."}
]
}
]
```
### Format 3: Text-only
```json
[
{"text": "User: Hello\nAssistant: Hi! How can I help?"}
]
```
## Basic Training
```python
from trl import SFTTrainer, SFTConfig
from transformers import AutoModelForCausalLM, AutoTokenizer
from datasets import load_dataset
# Load model
model = AutoModelForCausalLM.from_pretrained("Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B")
tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B")
# Load dataset
dataset = load_dataset("trl-lib/Capybara", split="train")
# Configure
config = SFTConfig(
output_dir="Qwen2.5-SFT",
per_device_train_batch_size=4,
num_train_epochs=1,
learning_rate=2e-5,
save_strategy="epoch"
)
# Train
trainer = SFTTrainer(
model=model,
args=config,
train_dataset=dataset,
tokenizer=tokenizer
)
trainer.train()
```
## Chat Templates
Apply chat templates automatically:
```python
trainer = SFTTrainer(
model=model,
args=config,
train_dataset=dataset, # Messages format
tokenizer=tokenizer
# Chat template applied automatically
)
```
Or manually:
```python
def format_chat(example):
messages = example["messages"]
text = tokenizer.apply_chat_template(messages, tokenize=False)
return {"text": text}
dataset = dataset.map(format_chat)
```
## Packing for Efficiency
Pack multiple sequences into one to maximize GPU utilization:
```python
config = SFTConfig(
packing=True, # Enable packing
max_seq_length=2048,
dataset_text_field="text"
)
```
**Benefits**: 2-3× faster training
**Trade-off**: Slightly more complex batching
## Multi-GPU Training
```bash
accelerate launch --num_processes 4 train_sft.py
```
Or with config:
```python
config = SFTConfig(
output_dir="model-sft",
per_device_train_batch_size=4,
gradient_accumulation_steps=4,
num_train_epochs=1
)
```
## LoRA Fine-Tuning
```python
from peft import LoraConfig
lora_config = LoraConfig(
r=16,
lora_alpha=32,
target_modules="all-linear",
lora_dropout=0.05,
task_type="CAUSAL_LM"
)
trainer = SFTTrainer(
model=model,
args=config,
train_dataset=dataset,
peft_config=lora_config # Add LoRA
)
```
## Hyperparameters
| Model Size | Learning Rate | Batch Size | Epochs |
|------------|---------------|------------|--------|
| <1B | 5e-5 | 8-16 | 1-3 |
| 1-7B | 2e-5 | 4-8 | 1-2 |
| 7-13B | 1e-5 | 2-4 | 1 |
| 13B+ | 5e-6 | 1-2 | 1 |
## References
- TRL docs: https://huggingface.co/docs/trl/sft_trainer
- Examples: https://github.com/huggingface/trl/tree/main/examples/scripts

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"""
Basic GRPO Training Template
=============================
A minimal, production-ready template for GRPO training with TRL.
Adapt this for your specific task by modifying:
1. Dataset loading (get_dataset function)
2. Reward functions (reward_*_func)
3. System prompt (SYSTEM_PROMPT)
4. Hyperparameters (GRPOConfig)
"""
import torch
import re
from datasets import load_dataset
from transformers import AutoModelForCausalLM, AutoTokenizer
from peft import LoraConfig
from trl import GRPOTrainer, GRPOConfig
# ==================== CONFIGURATION ====================
MODEL_NAME = "Qwen/Qwen2.5-1.5B-Instruct"
OUTPUT_DIR = "outputs/grpo-model"
MAX_PROMPT_LENGTH = 256
MAX_COMPLETION_LENGTH = 512
SYSTEM_PROMPT = """
Respond in the following format:
<reasoning>
[Your step-by-step thinking]
</reasoning>
<answer>
[Final answer]
</answer>
"""
# ==================== DATASET ====================
def get_dataset(split="train"):
"""
Load and prepare your dataset.
Returns: Dataset with columns:
- 'prompt': List[Dict] with role/content
- 'answer': str (ground truth, optional)
"""
# Example: GSM8K math dataset
data = load_dataset('openai/gsm8k', 'main')[split]
def process_example(x):
# Extract ground truth answer
answer = x['answer'].split('####')[1].strip() if '####' in x['answer'] else None
return {
'prompt': [
{'role': 'system', 'content': SYSTEM_PROMPT},
{'role': 'user', 'content': x['question']}
],
'answer': answer
}
return data.map(process_example)
# ==================== HELPER FUNCTIONS ====================
def extract_xml_tag(text: str, tag: str) -> str:
"""Extract content between XML tags."""
pattern = f'<{tag}>(.*?)</{tag}>'
match = re.search(pattern, text, re.DOTALL)
return match.group(1).strip() if match else ""
def extract_answer(text: str) -> str:
"""Extract the final answer from structured output."""
return extract_xml_tag(text, 'answer')
# ==================== REWARD FUNCTIONS ====================
def correctness_reward_func(prompts, completions, answer, **kwargs):
"""
Reward correct answers.
Weight: 2.0 (highest priority)
"""
responses = [comp[0]['content'] for comp in completions]
extracted = [extract_answer(r) for r in responses]
return [2.0 if ans == gt else 0.0 for ans, gt in zip(extracted, answer)]
def format_reward_func(completions, **kwargs):
"""
Reward proper XML format.
Weight: 0.5
"""
pattern = r'<reasoning>.*?</reasoning>\s*<answer>.*?</answer>'
responses = [comp[0]['content'] for comp in completions]
return [0.5 if re.search(pattern, r, re.DOTALL) else 0.0 for r in responses]
def incremental_format_reward_func(completions, **kwargs):
"""
Incremental reward for partial format compliance.
Weight: up to 0.5
"""
responses = [comp[0]['content'] for comp in completions]
rewards = []
for r in responses:
score = 0.0
if '<reasoning>' in r:
score += 0.125
if '</reasoning>' in r:
score += 0.125
if '<answer>' in r:
score += 0.125
if '</answer>' in r:
score += 0.125
# Penalize extra content after closing tag
if '</answer>' in r:
extra = r.split('</answer>')[-1].strip()
score -= len(extra) * 0.001
rewards.append(score)
return rewards
# ==================== MODEL SETUP ====================
def setup_model_and_tokenizer():
"""Load model and tokenizer with optimizations."""
model = AutoModelForCausalLM.from_pretrained(
MODEL_NAME,
torch_dtype=torch.bfloat16,
attn_implementation="flash_attention_2",
device_map="auto"
)
tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained(MODEL_NAME)
tokenizer.pad_token = tokenizer.eos_token
return model, tokenizer
def get_peft_config():
"""LoRA configuration for parameter-efficient training."""
return LoraConfig(
r=16,
lora_alpha=32,
target_modules=[
"q_proj", "k_proj", "v_proj", "o_proj",
"gate_proj", "up_proj", "down_proj"
],
task_type="CAUSAL_LM",
lora_dropout=0.05,
)
# ==================== TRAINING ====================
def main():
"""Main training function."""
# Load data
print("Loading dataset...")
dataset = get_dataset()
print(f"Dataset size: {len(dataset)}")
# Setup model
print("Loading model...")
model, tokenizer = setup_model_and_tokenizer()
# Training configuration
training_args = GRPOConfig(
output_dir=OUTPUT_DIR,
run_name="grpo-training",
# Learning rate
learning_rate=5e-6,
adam_beta1=0.9,
adam_beta2=0.99,
weight_decay=0.1,
warmup_ratio=0.1,
lr_scheduler_type='cosine',
# Batch settings
per_device_train_batch_size=1,
gradient_accumulation_steps=4,
# GRPO specific
num_generations=8,
max_prompt_length=MAX_PROMPT_LENGTH,
max_completion_length=MAX_COMPLETION_LENGTH,
# Training duration
num_train_epochs=1,
# Optimization
bf16=True,
optim="adamw_8bit",
max_grad_norm=0.1,
# Logging
logging_steps=1,
save_steps=100,
report_to="wandb", # Change to "none" to disable logging
)
# Initialize trainer
trainer = GRPOTrainer(
model=model,
processing_class=tokenizer,
reward_funcs=[
incremental_format_reward_func,
format_reward_func,
correctness_reward_func,
],
args=training_args,
train_dataset=dataset,
peft_config=get_peft_config(),
)
# Train
print("Starting training...")
trainer.train()
# Save final model
print(f"Saving model to {OUTPUT_DIR}/final")
trainer.save_model(f"{OUTPUT_DIR}/final")
print("Training complete!")
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()