chore: restore adding_benchmarks + test_dispatch, drop env_processor changes

- Restore docs/source/adding_benchmarks.mdx (belongs in this PR)
- Restore tests/envs/test_dispatch.py (belongs in this PR)
- Revert docs/source/env_processor.mdx to main (out of scope for this PR)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Pepijn
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# Adding a New Benchmark
This guide walks you through adding a new simulation benchmark to LeRobot. Follow the steps in order and use the existing benchmarks as templates.
A benchmark in LeRobot is a set of [Gymnasium](https://gymnasium.farama.org/) environments that wrap a third-party simulator (like LIBERO or Meta-World) behind a standard `gym.Env` interface. The `lerobot-eval` CLI then runs evaluation uniformly across all benchmarks.
## Existing benchmarks at a glance
Before diving in, here is what is already integrated:
| Benchmark | Env file | Config class | Tasks | Action dim | Processor |
| -------------- | ------------------- | ------------------ | ------------------- | ------------ | ---------------------------- |
| LIBERO | `envs/libero.py` | `LiberoEnv` | 130 across 5 suites | 7 | `LiberoProcessorStep` |
| Meta-World | `envs/metaworld.py` | `MetaworldEnv` | 50 (MT50) | 4 | None |
| IsaacLab Arena | Hub-hosted | `IsaaclabArenaEnv` | Configurable | Configurable | `IsaaclabArenaProcessorStep` |
Use `src/lerobot/envs/libero.py` and `src/lerobot/envs/metaworld.py` as reference implementations.
## How it all fits together
### Data flow
During evaluation, data moves through four stages:
```
1. gym.Env ──→ raw observations (numpy dicts)
2. Preprocessing ──→ standard LeRobot keys + task description
(preprocess_observation in envs/utils.py, env.call("task_description"))
3. Processors ──→ env-specific then policy-specific transforms
(env_preprocessor, policy_preprocessor)
4. Policy ──→ select_action() ──→ action tensor
then reverse: policy_postprocessor → env_postprocessor → numpy action → env.step()
```
Most benchmarks only need to care about stage 1 (producing observations in the right format) and optionally stage 3 (if env-specific transforms are needed).
### Environment structure
`make_env()` returns a nested dict of vectorized environments:
```python
dict[str, dict[int, gym.vector.VectorEnv]]
# ^suite ^task_id
```
A single-task env (e.g. PushT) looks like `{"pusht": {0: vec_env}}`.
A multi-task benchmark (e.g. LIBERO) looks like `{"libero_spatial": {0: vec0, 1: vec1, ...}, ...}`.
### How evaluation runs
All benchmarks are evaluated the same way by `lerobot-eval`:
1. `make_env()` builds the nested `{suite: {task_id: VectorEnv}}` dict.
2. `eval_policy_all()` iterates over every suite and task.
3. For each task, it runs `n_episodes` rollouts via `rollout()`.
4. Results are aggregated hierarchically: episode, task, suite, overall.
5. Metrics include `pc_success` (success rate), `avg_sum_reward`, and `avg_max_reward`.
The critical piece: your env must return `info["is_success"]` on every `step()` call. This is how the eval loop knows whether a task was completed.
## What your environment must provide
LeRobot does not enforce a strict observation schema. Instead it relies on a set of conventions that all benchmarks follow.
### Env attributes
Your `gym.Env` must set these attributes:
| Attribute | Type | Why |
| -------------------- | ----- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| `_max_episode_steps` | `int` | `rollout()` uses this to cap episode length |
| `task_description` | `str` | Passed to VLA policies as a language instruction |
| `task` | `str` | Fallback identifier if `task_description` is not set |
### Success reporting
Your `step()` and `reset()` must include `"is_success"` in the `info` dict:
```python
info = {"is_success": True} # or False
return observation, reward, terminated, truncated, info
```
### Observations
The simplest approach is to map your simulator's outputs to the standard keys that `preprocess_observation()` already understands. Do this inside your `gym.Env` (e.g. in a `_format_raw_obs()` helper):
| Your env should output | LeRobot maps it to | What it is |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| `"pixels"` (single array) | `observation.image` | Single camera image, HWC uint8 |
| `"pixels"` (dict) | `observation.images.<cam>` | Multiple cameras, each HWC uint8 |
| `"agent_pos"` | `observation.state` | Proprioceptive state vector |
| `"environment_state"` | `observation.env_state` | Full environment state (e.g. PushT) |
| `"robot_state"` | `observation.robot_state` | Nested robot state dict (e.g. LIBERO) |
If your simulator uses different key names, you have two options:
1. **Recommended:** Rename them to the standard keys inside your `gym.Env` wrapper.
2. **Alternative:** Write an env processor to transform observations after `preprocess_observation()` runs (see step 4 below).
### Actions
Actions are continuous numpy arrays in a `gym.spaces.Box`. The dimensionality depends on your benchmark (7 for LIBERO, 4 for Meta-World, etc.). Policies adapt to different action dimensions through their `input_features` / `output_features` config.
### Feature declaration
Each `EnvConfig` subclass declares two dicts that tell the policy what to expect:
- `features` — maps feature names to `PolicyFeature(type, shape)` (e.g. action dim, image shape).
- `features_map` — maps raw observation keys to LeRobot convention keys (e.g. `"agent_pos"` to `"observation.state"`).
## Step by step
<Tip>
At minimum, you need two files: a **gym.Env wrapper** and an **EnvConfig
subclass** with a `create_envs()` override. Everything else is optional or
documentation. No changes to `factory.py` are needed.
</Tip>
### Checklist
| File | Required | Why |
| ----------------------------------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `src/lerobot/envs/<benchmark>.py` | Yes | Wraps the simulator as a standard gym.Env |
| `src/lerobot/envs/configs.py` | Yes | Registers your benchmark and its `create_envs()` for the CLI |
| `src/lerobot/processor/env_processor.py` | Optional | Custom observation/action transforms |
| `src/lerobot/envs/utils.py` | Optional | Only if you need new raw observation keys |
| `pyproject.toml` | Yes | Declares benchmark-specific dependencies |
| `docs/source/<benchmark>.mdx` | Yes | User-facing documentation page |
| `docs/source/_toctree.yml` | Yes | Adds your page to the docs sidebar |
| `docker/Dockerfile.benchmark.<benchmark>` | Yes | Isolated Docker image for CI smoke tests |
| `.github/workflows/benchmark_tests.yml` | Yes | CI job that builds the image and runs a 1-episode smoke eval |
### 1. The gym.Env wrapper (`src/lerobot/envs/<benchmark>.py`)
Create a `gym.Env` subclass that wraps the third-party simulator:
```python
class MyBenchmarkEnv(gym.Env):
metadata = {"render_modes": ["rgb_array"], "render_fps": <fps>}
def __init__(self, task_suite, task_id, ...):
super().__init__()
self.task = <task_name_string>
self.task_description = <natural_language_instruction>
self._max_episode_steps = <max_steps>
self.observation_space = spaces.Dict({...})
self.action_space = spaces.Box(low=..., high=..., shape=(...,), dtype=np.float32)
def reset(self, seed=None, **kwargs):
... # return (observation, info) — info must contain {"is_success": False}
def step(self, action: np.ndarray):
... # return (obs, reward, terminated, truncated, info) — info must contain {"is_success": <bool>}
def render(self):
... # return RGB image as numpy array
def close(self):
...
```
**GPU-based simulators (e.g. MuJoCo with EGL rendering):** If your simulator allocates GPU/EGL contexts during `__init__`, defer that allocation to a `_ensure_env()` helper called on first `reset()`/`step()`. This avoids inheriting stale GPU handles when `AsyncVectorEnv` spawns worker processes. See `LiberoEnv._ensure_env()` for the pattern.
Also provide a factory function that returns the nested dict structure:
```python
def create_mybenchmark_envs(
task: str,
n_envs: int,
gym_kwargs: dict | None = None,
env_cls: type | None = None,
) -> dict[str, dict[int, Any]]:
"""Create {suite_name: {task_id: VectorEnv}} for MyBenchmark."""
...
```
See `create_libero_envs()` (multi-suite, multi-task) and `create_metaworld_envs()` (difficulty-grouped tasks) for reference.
### 2. The config (`src/lerobot/envs/configs.py`)
Register a config dataclass so users can select your benchmark with `--env.type=<name>`. Each config owns its environment creation and processor logic via two methods:
- **`create_envs(n_envs, use_async_envs)`** — Returns `{suite: {task_id: VectorEnv}}`. The base class default uses `gym.make()` for single-task envs. Multi-task benchmarks override this.
- **`get_env_processors()`** — Returns `(preprocessor, postprocessor)`. The base class default returns identity (no-op) pipelines. Override if your benchmark needs observation/action transforms.
```python
@EnvConfig.register_subclass("<benchmark_name>")
@dataclass
class MyBenchmarkEnvConfig(EnvConfig):
task: str = "<default_task>"
fps: int = <fps>
obs_type: str = "pixels_agent_pos"
features: dict[str, PolicyFeature] = field(default_factory=lambda: {
ACTION: PolicyFeature(type=FeatureType.ACTION, shape=(<action_dim>,)),
})
features_map: dict[str, str] = field(default_factory=lambda: {
ACTION: ACTION,
"agent_pos": OBS_STATE,
"pixels": OBS_IMAGE,
})
def __post_init__(self):
... # populate features based on obs_type
@property
def gym_kwargs(self) -> dict:
return {"obs_type": self.obs_type, "render_mode": self.render_mode}
def create_envs(self, n_envs: int, use_async_envs: bool = True):
"""Override for multi-task benchmarks or custom env creation."""
from lerobot.envs.<benchmark> import create_<benchmark>_envs
return create_<benchmark>_envs(task=self.task, n_envs=n_envs, ...)
def get_env_processors(self):
"""Override if your benchmark needs observation/action transforms."""
from lerobot.processor.pipeline import PolicyProcessorPipeline
from lerobot.processor.env_processor import MyBenchmarkProcessorStep
return (
PolicyProcessorPipeline(steps=[MyBenchmarkProcessorStep()]),
PolicyProcessorPipeline(steps=[]),
)
```
Key points:
- The `register_subclass` name is what users pass on the CLI (`--env.type=<name>`).
- `features` tells the policy what the environment produces.
- `features_map` maps raw observation keys to LeRobot convention keys.
- **No changes to `factory.py` needed** — the factory delegates to `cfg.create_envs()` and `cfg.get_env_processors()` automatically.
### 3. Env processor (optional — `src/lerobot/processor/env_processor.py`)
Only needed if your benchmark requires observation transforms beyond what `preprocess_observation()` handles (e.g. image flipping, coordinate conversion). Define the processor step here and return it from `get_env_processors()` in your config (see step 2):
```python
@dataclass
@ProcessorStepRegistry.register(name="<benchmark>_processor")
class MyBenchmarkProcessorStep(ObservationProcessorStep):
def _process_observation(self, observation):
processed = observation.copy()
# your transforms here
return processed
def transform_features(self, features):
return features # update if shapes change
def observation(self, observation):
return self._process_observation(observation)
```
See `LiberoProcessorStep` for a full example (image rotation, quaternion-to-axis-angle conversion).
### 4. Dependencies (`pyproject.toml`)
Add a new optional-dependency group:
```toml
mybenchmark = ["my-benchmark-pkg==1.2.3", "lerobot[scipy-dep]"]
```
Pinning rules:
- **Always pin** benchmark packages to exact versions for reproducibility (e.g. `metaworld==3.0.0`).
- **Add platform markers** when needed (e.g. `; sys_platform == 'linux'`).
- **Pin fragile transitive deps** if known (e.g. `gymnasium==1.1.0` for Meta-World).
- **Document constraints** in your benchmark doc page.
Users install with:
```bash
pip install -e ".[mybenchmark]"
```
### 5. Documentation (`docs/source/<benchmark>.mdx`)
Write a user-facing page following the template in the next section. See `docs/source/libero.mdx` and `docs/source/metaworld.mdx` for full examples.
### 6. Table of contents (`docs/source/_toctree.yml`)
Add your benchmark to the "Benchmarks" section:
```yaml
- sections:
- local: libero
title: LIBERO
- local: metaworld
title: Meta-World
- local: envhub_isaaclab_arena
title: NVIDIA IsaacLab Arena Environments
- local: <your_benchmark>
title: <Your Benchmark Name>
title: "Benchmarks"
```
### 7. CI smoke test (`docker/` + `.github/workflows/benchmark_tests.yml`)
Each benchmark must have an isolated Docker image and a CI job that runs a 1-episode eval. This catches install-time regressions (broken transitive deps, import errors, interactive prompts) before they reach users.
**Create `docker/Dockerfile.benchmark.<benchmark>`** — copy an existing one and change only the extra name:
```dockerfile
# Isolated benchmark image — installs lerobot[<benchmark>] only.
# Build: docker build -f docker/Dockerfile.benchmark.<benchmark> -t lerobot-benchmark-<benchmark> .
ARG CUDA_VERSION=12.4.1
ARG OS_VERSION=22.04
FROM nvidia/cuda:${CUDA_VERSION}-base-ubuntu${OS_VERSION}
ARG PYTHON_VERSION=3.12
# ... (same system deps as Dockerfile.benchmark.libero) ...
RUN uv sync --locked --extra <benchmark> --no-cache
```
Each benchmark gets its own image so its dependency tree (pinned simulator packages, specific mujoco/scipy versions) cannot conflict with other benchmarks.
**Add a job to `.github/workflows/benchmark_tests.yml`** — copy an existing job block and adjust:
```yaml
<benchmark>-integration-test:
name: <Benchmark> — build image + 1-episode eval
runs-on:
group: aws-g6-4xlarge-plus
env:
HF_USER_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.LEROBOT_HF_USER }}
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
with:
persist-credentials: false
lfs: true
- name: Set up Docker Buildx
uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3 # zizmor: ignore[unpinned-uses]
with:
cache-binary: false
- name: Build <Benchmark> image
uses: docker/build-push-action@v6 # zizmor: ignore[unpinned-uses]
with:
context: .
file: docker/Dockerfile.benchmark.<benchmark>
push: false
load: true
tags: lerobot-benchmark-<benchmark>:ci
cache-from: type=local,src=/tmp/.buildx-cache-<benchmark>
cache-to: type=local,dest=/tmp/.buildx-cache-<benchmark>,mode=max
- name: Run <Benchmark> smoke eval (1 episode)
run: |
docker run --rm --gpus all \
--shm-size=4g \
-e HF_HOME=/tmp/hf \
-e HF_USER_TOKEN="${HF_USER_TOKEN}" \
lerobot-benchmark-<benchmark>:ci \
bash -c "
hf auth login --token \"\$HF_USER_TOKEN\" --add-to-git-credential 2>/dev/null || true
lerobot-eval \
--policy.path=<hub_policy_path> \
--env.type=<benchmark> \
--env.task=<task> \
--eval.batch_size=1 \
--eval.n_episodes=1 \
--eval.use_async_envs=false \
--policy.device=cuda
"
```
**Tips:**
- If the benchmark library prompts for user input on import (like LIBERO asking for a dataset folder), pass the relevant env var in the `docker run` command (e.g. `-e LIBERO_DATA_FOLDER=/tmp/libero_data`).
- The job is scoped to only trigger on changes to `src/lerobot/envs/**`, `src/lerobot/scripts/lerobot_eval.py`, and the Dockerfiles — it won't run on unrelated PRs.
## Verifying your integration
After completing the steps above, confirm that everything works:
1. **Install** — `pip install -e ".[mybenchmark]"` and verify the dependency group installs cleanly.
2. **Smoke test env creation** — call `make_env()` with your config in Python, check that the returned dict has the expected `{suite: {task_id: VectorEnv}}` shape, and that `reset()` returns observations with the right keys.
3. **Run a full eval** — `lerobot-eval --env.type=<name> --env.task=<task> --eval.n_episodes=1 --policy.path=<any_compatible_policy>` to exercise the full pipeline end-to-end. (`batch_size` defaults to auto-tuning based on CPU cores; pass `--eval.batch_size=1` to force a single environment.)
4. **Check success detection** — verify that `info["is_success"]` flips to `True` when the task is actually completed. This is what the eval loop uses to compute success rates.
5. **Add CI smoke test** — follow step 7 above to add a Dockerfile and CI job. This ensures the install stays green as dependencies evolve.
## Writing a benchmark doc page
Each benchmark `.mdx` page should include:
- **Title and description** — 1-2 paragraphs on what the benchmark tests and why it matters.
- **Links** — paper, GitHub repo, project website (if available).
- **Overview image or GIF.**
- **Available tasks** — table of task suites with counts and brief descriptions.
- **Installation** — `pip install -e ".[<benchmark>]"` plus any extra steps (env vars, system packages).
- **Evaluation** — recommended `lerobot-eval` command with `n_episodes` for reproducible results. `batch_size` defaults to auto; only specify it if needed. Include single-task and multi-task examples if applicable. See the [Evaluation guide](evaluation) for details.
- **Policy inputs and outputs** — observation keys with shapes, action space description.
- **Recommended evaluation episodes** — how many episodes per task is standard.
- **Training** — example `lerobot-train` command.
- **Reproducing published results** — link to pretrained model, eval command, results table (if available).
See `docs/source/libero.mdx` and `docs/source/metaworld.mdx` for complete examples.
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@@ -25,28 +25,31 @@ raw_observation = env.step(action)
# 2. Convert numpy to torch, normalize images [0,1]
observation = preprocess_observation(raw_observation)
# 3. ENVIRONMENT-SPECIFIC preprocessing (NEW!)
# 3. Add task metadata (for multi-task environments)
observation = add_envs_task(env, observation)
# 4. ENVIRONMENT-SPECIFIC preprocessing (NEW!)
# - Flatten robot states
# - Rotate images to match dataset conventions
# - Handle environment-specific coordinate systems
observation = env_preprocessor(observation)
# 4. POLICY-SPECIFIC preprocessing
# 5. POLICY-SPECIFIC preprocessing
# - Normalize with dataset statistics
# - Add batch dimensions
# - Move to GPU
# - Tokenize language instructions
observation = preprocessor(observation)
# 5. Policy inference
# 6. Policy inference
action = policy.select_action(observation)
# 6. POLICY-SPECIFIC postprocessing
# 7. POLICY-SPECIFIC postprocessing
# - Unnormalize actions
# - Remove batch dimensions
action = postprocessor(action)
# 7. ENVIRONMENT-SPECIFIC postprocessing (NEW!)
# 8. ENVIRONMENT-SPECIFIC postprocessing (NEW!)
# - Convert action formats if needed
# - Apply environment-specific constraints
action_transition = {"action": action}
@@ -148,7 +151,7 @@ observation = {
### Factory Function
The `make_env_pre_post_processors` function delegates to `env_cfg.get_env_processors()`:
The `make_env_pre_post_processors` function follows the same pattern as `make_pre_post_processors` for policies:
```python
from lerobot.envs.factory import make_env_pre_post_processors
@@ -156,30 +159,46 @@ from lerobot.envs.configs import LiberoEnv, PushtEnv
# For LIBERO: Returns LiberoProcessorStep in preprocessor
libero_cfg = LiberoEnv(task="libero_spatial", camera_name=["agentview"])
env_preprocessor, env_postprocessor = make_env_pre_post_processors(libero_cfg, policy_cfg)
env_preprocessor, env_postprocessor = make_env_pre_post_processors(libero_cfg)
# For other environments: Returns identity processors (no-op)
pusht_cfg = PushtEnv()
env_preprocessor, env_postprocessor = make_env_pre_post_processors(pusht_cfg, policy_cfg)
env_preprocessor, env_postprocessor = make_env_pre_post_processors(pusht_cfg)
```
### How It Works
Each `EnvConfig` subclass can override `get_env_processors()` to return benchmark-specific
processor pipelines. The base class returns identity (no-op) processors by default.
### Implementation in `envs/factory.py`
```python
# In your EnvConfig subclass:
def get_env_processors(self):
from lerobot.processor.pipeline import PolicyProcessorPipeline
return (
PolicyProcessorPipeline(steps=[MyProcessorStep()]),
PolicyProcessorPipeline(steps=[]),
)
```
def make_env_pre_post_processors(
env_cfg: EnvConfig,
) -> tuple[
PolicyProcessorPipeline[dict[str, Any], dict[str, Any]],
PolicyProcessorPipeline[dict[str, Any], dict[str, Any]],
]:
"""
Create preprocessor and postprocessor pipelines for environment observations.
The factory function `make_env_pre_post_processors` simply delegates to this method,
with a special case for `XVLAConfig` policies which override the env processors entirely.
Args:
env_cfg: The configuration of the environment.
Returns:
A tuple containing:
- preprocessor: Pipeline that processes environment observations
- postprocessor: Pipeline that processes environment outputs
"""
# For LIBERO environments, add the LiberoProcessorStep to preprocessor
if isinstance(env_cfg, LiberoEnv) or "libero" in env_cfg.type:
preprocessor = PolicyProcessorPipeline(steps=[LiberoProcessorStep()])
else:
# For all other environments, return an identity preprocessor
preprocessor = PolicyProcessorPipeline(steps=[])
# Postprocessor is currently identity for all environments
# Future: Could add environment-specific action transformations
postprocessor = PolicyProcessorPipeline(steps=[])
return preprocessor, postprocessor
```
### Integration in Evaluation
@@ -200,10 +219,7 @@ def eval_main(cfg: EvalPipelineConfig):
)
# Create environment processors (NEW!)
env_preprocessor, env_postprocessor = make_env_pre_post_processors(
env_cfg=cfg.env,
policy_cfg=cfg.policy,
)
env_preprocessor, env_postprocessor = make_env_pre_post_processors(env_cfg=cfg.env)
# Run evaluation with both processor types
eval_policy_all(
@@ -310,19 +326,18 @@ class MyEnvProcessorStep(ObservationProcessorStep):
### 2. Update the Factory
```python
# In src/lerobot/envs/configs.py
@EnvConfig.register_subclass("myenv")
@dataclass
class MyEnvConfig(EnvConfig):
# ... task/features/gym kwargs ...
# In src/lerobot/envs/factory.py
def get_env_processors(self):
from lerobot.processor.pipeline import PolicyProcessorPipeline
def make_env_pre_post_processors(env_cfg: EnvConfig):
if isinstance(env_cfg, LiberoEnv) or "libero" in env_cfg.type:
preprocessor = PolicyProcessorPipeline(steps=[LiberoProcessorStep()])
elif isinstance(env_cfg, MyEnvConfig) or "myenv" in env_cfg.type:
preprocessor = PolicyProcessorPipeline(steps=[MyEnvProcessorStep()])
else:
preprocessor = PolicyProcessorPipeline(steps=[])
return (
PolicyProcessorPipeline(steps=[MyEnvProcessorStep()]),
PolicyProcessorPipeline(steps=[]),
)
postprocessor = PolicyProcessorPipeline(steps=[])
return preprocessor, postprocessor
```
### 3. Use in Evaluation