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Holoscan Install Wheel

NVIDIAOfficialCreated by Holoscan TeamDistributed by NVIDIA

  • Skill
  • Workflow
  • Software development
  • Apache-2.0
  • Medium risk

From the author

Install Holoscan SDK 5.x CUDA 13 Python wheels in an isolated environment, choosing the full stack or version-matched components.
— the description by Holoscan Team

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides a structured procedure for installing Holoscan SDK 5.x Python wheels, specifically designed for CUDA 13 environments. It emphasizes prerequisite validation, including system architecture, glibc versions, and driver compatibility, to ensure a stable installation. The workflow covers selecting the appropriate distribution packages, managing isolated virtual environments, and performing post-installation verification to confirm the SDK is correctly configured for development.

What it does

  • Validates system prerequisites including CUDA 13 driver requirements and glibc versions.
  • Guides the selection of Holoscan SDK 5.x distribution packages such as core, vision, or inference modules.
  • Provides a step-by-step process for setting up an isolated Python virtual environment.
  • Executes dry-run and installation commands for specific SDK versions.
  • Performs post-installation verification checks including dependency validation and basic import tests.
  • Outlines the process for running sample pipelines to confirm runtime functionality.

When to use it

  • When setting up a new development environment for Holoscan SDK 5.x.
  • When upgrading or installing specific Holoscan components in a clean Python environment.
  • When troubleshooting installation issues related to CUDA 13 or library dependencies.
  • When verifying that a Holoscan installation is correctly configured for Python-based applications.

Advantages

  • Ensures environment isolation by mandating the use of virtual environments.
  • Reduces installation errors through explicit prerequisite and compatibility checks.
  • Provides a clear path for verifying both core and optional SDK modules.
  • Standardizes the installation process for consistent development setups.

Usage examples

“Install the full Holoscan 5.x SDK stack in a new virtual environment.”
The agent will guide you through creating a venv, checking for CUDA 13 compatibility, and installing the holoscan package using pip.
“How do I verify my Holoscan 5.x installation?”
The agent will provide commands to run pip check, list installed packages, and execute a Python script to import the holoscan module and verify its version.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/nvidia/holoscan-install-wheel/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip holoscan-install-wheel.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Holoscan Team

Holoscan 5.x Python Wheel Installation

Release and platform checks

This skill targets Holoscan SDK 5.x. Select the requested 5.x release before choosing artifacts. Read its release notes and the matching SDK installation guide. Select the 5.x documentation version; an unversioned page may describe 4.x. For an unreleased checkout, use its docs/sdk_installation.mdx and DEVELOP.md. Early Access binary commands describe planned artifacts, so confirm publication for the exact release before installing. If unavailable, explain that status and offer holoscan-install-source; keep the requested 5.x version.

The 5.0 artifact set targets CUDA 13 and dGPU systems on x86_64 or arm64. Native packages use Ubuntu 24.04; wheels use glibc 2.39 and regular CPython 3.12–3.14. Check the selected release for changes to that matrix. There is no CUDA 12 variant or separate Tegra/iGPU artifact in this set. A driver reporting CUDA 12 support needs a compatibility assessment or driver upgrade before a CUDA 13 installation; the nvidia-smi CUDA field is a driver capability, not the installed toolkit version. Never infer compatibility from that field alone.

Choose a distribution

Wheels contain Python bindings, typing information, and native runtime libraries. C++ headers, CMake files, examples, and sample data are separate. For native C++ development use Debian packages or a source build.

GoalDistribution
Full stackholoscan (selects holoscan-cu13)
Core onlyholoscan-core-cu13
Optional modulesholoscan-vision-cu13, holoscan-visualization-cu13, holoscan-inference-cu13

Inspect the host, python3 --version, and getconf GNU_LIBC_VERSION. Confirm regular CPython 3.12–3.14, glibc 2.39 or newer, a compatible Linux architecture, and the CUDA 13 driver/runtime prerequisites. An active Conda environment does not imply a supported Conda package. Prefer a separate venv for this workflow. If these prerequisites are unmet, report the failed check and stop before installation. Compare the driver version against the selected release's documented CUDA 13 driver requirement; a toolkit version alone is insufficient.

Confirm the exact published 5.x distribution version on PyPI or the selected release's documented index; reserved package names are not installable SDKs. If absent, offer source instead of resolving an unpinned package to 4.x. Keep all components on the same SDK version.

Install and verify

If an installation or verification command fails, stop and report the failing command and output. Do not continue to the example or report success after a failed prerequisite, package-index, dry-run, install, dependency, or import check.

Choose a fresh venv path, or reuse an environment the user selected after checking its contents. Explain the chosen packages before installing:

python3 -m venv ~/holoscan/venv-5x
source ~/holoscan/venv-5x/bin/activate
# SDK_VERSION is the exact published Python distribution version for 5.x.
python -m pip index versions holoscan
python -m pip install --dry-run "holoscan==${SDK_VERSION}"
python -m pip install "holoscan==${SDK_VERSION}"
python -m pip check
python -m pip list --format=freeze
python -c 'import holoscan as hs; print(hs.__version__); print(hs.RealtimeClock); print(len(hs.registry.operators()))'

For Core-only use holoscan-core-cu13 in the index, dry-run, and install commands. Add optional component wheels at the exact matching SDK version. Vision resolves CV-CUDA and NPP Python dependencies. The host supplies the driver and CUDA 13 runtime; Inference expects TensorRT 10 in the application environment. Verify optional providers separately when selected: holoscan_vision, holoscan_visualization, and holoscan_inference.

For execution coverage, obtain examples/first_pipeline/python/first_pipeline.py from the source ref corresponding to this release. Inspect it before execution and run it in the venv; it is bounded and needs no RacerX data or display. Prefer an existing matching checkout. Do not construct a Git tag from a Python version string: Early Access packaging versions and source refs can differ. The 4.x hello_world.py, tensor_interop, and video_replayer smoke sequence does not describe the 5.x Python examples.

Report the Python, SDK, and component versions; import, dependency, and graph checks; and any skipped module tests. An import check alone is not full runtime qualification. Missing runtime libraries should be traced to the selected component's prerequisites before changing unrelated system paths.

Files

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Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs Python

Security

What our scanner noticed· Medium risk

  • Large base64-encoded blobs
  • Instructions that use the network

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Created by
Holoscan Team
Publisher
NVIDIA (Official)
Distributed by
NVIDIA
Source
NVIDIA/skills · skills/holoscan-install-wheel · commit fce3cca
Licence
Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE-APACHE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced

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Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download holoscan-install-wheel.zip