Pva Spec
NVIDIAOfficialCreated by Venkat BalanDistributed by NVIDIA
- Skill
- Workflow
- Software development
- Apache-2.0
- Medium risk
- Has scripts
AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
The pva-spec skill provides a structured workflow for defining the behavior contract of NVIDIA PVA operators. It guides users through collecting requirements, designing a comprehensive test matrix, and documenting evidence to ensure a deterministic handoff to the OpGen tool. The process requires a valid Doctor report and strictly adheres to predefined JSON templates for specifications, test matrices, and evidence, ensuring all requirements are linked to tests and all conflicts are resolved before finalization.
What it does
- Generates operator specifications, test matrices, and evidence manifests based on requirements.
- Validates inputs against a Doctor report to ensure reference consistency.
- Enforces a strict precedence for resolving conflicting requirements.
- Automates the finalization of OpGen inputs through a validation script.
- Produces a configuration report summarizing the operator status and blocking issues.
When to use it
- After running the Doctor skill for new PVA operators, changes, or repairs.
- When you need to define a formal behavior contract before implementation.
- When preparing operator specifications and test matrices for OpGen.
- When you need to reconcile conflicting requirements or reference implementations.
Advantages
- Ensures deterministic and consistent handoffs to OpGen.
- Provides a clear, auditable trail of requirements and evidence.
- Prevents implementation of ambiguous or conflicting operator behavior.
- Standardizes the specification and testing process across different operators.
Usage examples
- “Create a new PVA operator specification for a custom convolution operator using the provided requirements file.”
- The agent initializes the workspace, validates the Doctor report, and generates the operator-spec.json, test-matrix.json, and evidence.json templates for the user to populate.
- “Finalize the OpGen inputs for the updated image-resize operator.”
- The agent runs the finalizer script to validate the JSON files against the Doctor report and project root, returning a status of CONFIGURED if all checks pass.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/nvidia/pva-spec/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip pva-spec.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Venkat Balan
<!-- SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved. -->
Specify a PVA operator
Define behavior before implementation. Spec owns the behavior contract and test matrix. It does not implement the operator or invoke OpGen.
Inputs
Accept one or more of these sources:
A plain-language description or local requirements file.
A public requirements URL.
A partial or complete specification.
A local or public reference implementation.
An existing operator name or path.
Resolve:
Task mode:
new,change, orrepair.PVA generation:
GEN2,GEN3, or both.PVA SDK version and PVA Solutions version, when used.
Host API: C, C++, or both.
EMU policy:
optionalby default orrequiredby user request.Work directory (
WORK_DIR) and project root (PROJECT_ROOT).A Doctor report that is ready for
spec, or accepted limitations.
Default WORK_DIR to ./pva-operator/<operator-name>/. Resolve it and
user-supplied relative paths against the invocation directory before changing
directories. PROJECT_ROOT is the absolute supplied project directory. Work
directly in that project. Do not overwrite an existing configuration.
SKILL_ROOT is the absolute directory containing this skill's SKILL.md,
after resolving symlinks. Bundled files are relative to that directory. All
command paths below use these absolute roots.
Verify references
Require Doctor's public-reference-corpus check to be PASS. Set
SDK_REFERENCES to the report's absolute sdk_reference_root. Require a readable
index.md and reference-lock.json, a lock SHA-256 matching the report's
sdk_reference_lock_sha256, and the reported SDK version matching this task.
If these fields are absent or no longer match, return BLOCKED and request a
fresh Doctor report. Do not fall back to an installed package or CWD path. Read the
pva-spec route in $SDK_REFERENCES/index.md.
Before reading Markdown, check its SHA-256 against the lock
outputs entry; return BLOCKED on a mismatch. Resolve links relative to each
generated file.
Use rg to select only relevant API, requirement, architecture, and
data-movement Markdown. Do not fetch the same NVIDIA product documentation.
For each product fact, record the SDK documentation root, local Markdown path,
packaged source path, source SHA-256, version, and section or PDF page.
Do not inspect the VPU ISA instruction-by-instruction reference during Spec (the Programmer's Guide chapter titled "Instruction Set Reference"). The architecture overview remains available for defining platform constraints.
Collect requirements
Inspect supplied implementations within the user's authorized scope and their license terms.
Use this precedence:
Explicit user requirements.
An approved supplied specification.
The public API and independent CPU reference.
Correctness tests, workloads, fixtures, and expected results.
Public operator API documentation.
Public algorithm and format documentation.
Public SDK constraints.
An assumption that the user must approve.
For a URL, record its title, URL, access date, license when available, and SHA-256 for downloaded source. Follow only links that resolve the contract.
For a change or repair, reconcile the existing API, CPU reference, tests, workloads, KPI cases, benchmark cases, and build wiring. Record each conflict. Do not silently select one conflicting source.
Do not copy source into the output. Do not use an example as proof for an unspecified case.
Write the three model outputs
Copy these templates into $WORK_DIR/configure/ and fill them according to
the handoff requirements:
operator-spec-template.json as
operator-spec.json.test-matrix-template.json as
test-matrix.json.evidence-template.json as
evidence.json.
The templates own the field names. Write strict JSON. Do not write comments,
duplicate keys, trailing commas, NaN, or infinity tokens. Use null for an
unknown optional value.
Before finalizing, set the spec's status to CONFIGURED only when no blocking
requirement remains. Set the matrix's operator to the spec's operator.name.
Both coverage.uncovered_requirement_ids and coverage.unresolved_cases must
be empty; resolve outstanding cases before creating the handoff.
For each requirement:
Assign a stable ID.
State the source and authority:
public_nvidia,user_input,skill_workflow, orassumption.Define the observable API, resource, parameter, arithmetic, border, aliasing, execution, error, safety, and interoperability behavior that applies.
Add an unresolved item when a missing value can change behavior.
Mark the item as blocking only when implementation cannot proceed safely.
Record design constraints, not implementation choices. Mark a possible
dataflow, tile, VMEM layout, vector-tail method, address generator, lookup
method, or L2 use as candidate unless the contract requires it.
Define the test matrix
Require at least one correctness case with an independent expected result. Each requirement must have a test. Link every test to one or more requirement IDs. Include the cases that apply:
Each supported type, format, plane, and parameter family.
Minimum, maximum, odd, partial-tile, and vector-tail dimensions.
Tight and padded pitch.
Each border mode and corner.
Rounding, saturation, overflow, NaN, and infinity rules.
Structured and seeded-random input.
Valid and invalid aliasing.
Repeated submission and asynchronous execution.
Invalid resources, formats, dimensions, pitches, and parameters.
Required hardware correctness.
Set execution_policy.hardware to required. Set
execution_policy.emulator to the selected EMU policy. Use the same approved
correctness cases, inputs, references, and tolerances on EMU and hardware when
EMU runs. EMU execution is an early aid. It is not hardware verification.
Add performance cases only when the user or source contract requires them. For each performance case, define the workload, metric, warm-up count, at least 1000 hardware samples, target conditions, and acceptance rule when one exists. Do not turn a public benchmark into a universal threshold. Do not derive a Speed-of-Light target from the implementation under test.
A missing performance target does not block correctness configuration. Use
not_set for performance acceptance.
Record evidence
evidence.json records where requirements came from and which files support
them. See the field purposes in
the handoff requirements.
In evidence.json, record each used source once. For a project file, record
only its category, path relative to PROJECT_ROOT, requirement IDs, and use.
Do not calculate a hash, size, or absolute path. The finalizer calculates those
values.
Record assumptions and conflicts in their named lists.
Create and check the handoff
| Script | Command | Inputs | Outputs | Exit codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| finalize_opgen_inputs.py | python3 "$SKILL_ROOT/scripts/finalize_opgen_inputs.py" --operator-spec "$WORK_DIR/configure/operator-spec.json" --test-matrix "$WORK_DIR/configure/test-matrix.json" --evidence "$WORK_DIR/configure/evidence.json" --doctor-report "$DOCTOR_REPORT" --workspace "$PROJECT_ROOT" --output "$WORK_DIR/configure/opgen-inputs.json" | Spec, test matrix, evidence, Doctor report, and project root. | opgen-inputs.json and a JSON validation summary. | 0: valid; 1: failed; 2: invalid command arguments. |
| finalize_opgen_inputs.py | python3 "$SKILL_ROOT/scripts/finalize_opgen_inputs.py" --check "$WORK_DIR/configure/opgen-inputs.json" | Finalized handoff and its recorded inputs. | JSON validation summary; read-only check. | 0: valid; 1: failed; 2: invalid command arguments. |
After the three JSON files are final, resolve DOCTOR_REPORT to the absolute
path of the supplied Doctor report and run:
python3 "$SKILL_ROOT/scripts/finalize_opgen_inputs.py" \
--operator-spec "$WORK_DIR/configure/operator-spec.json" \
--test-matrix "$WORK_DIR/configure/test-matrix.json" \
--evidence "$WORK_DIR/configure/evidence.json" \
--doctor-report "$DOCTOR_REPORT" \
--workspace "$PROJECT_ROOT" \
--output "$WORK_DIR/configure/opgen-inputs.json"Do not create opgen-inputs.json with the model.
If this command reports a missing test for a requirement, add the test or link an existing test that checks the requirement. Run the command again.
Then run:
python3 "$SKILL_ROOT/scripts/finalize_opgen_inputs.py" \
--check "$WORK_DIR/configure/opgen-inputs.json"Do not modify a recorded input after finalization. Return BLOCKED if either
command still fails. Give the files to OpGen only after both commands pass.
Output Format
Write $WORK_DIR/reports/configure-report.md with
the report template.
Return one result:
CONFIGURED: No blocking question remains, and both finalizer commands pass.NEEDS_INPUT: Missing behavior can change the API or required result.INVALID_INPUT: Sources conflict, and no precedence rule resolves them.BLOCKED: A required path, tool, or permission is unavailable.
Return:
Result: CONFIGURED | NEEDS_INPUT | INVALID_INPUT | BLOCKED
Operator: <name>
Task mode: <new | change | repair>
EMU policy: <optional | required>
Requirements: <count>
Correctness cases: <count>
Performance cases: <count>
Blocking questions: <count>
Specification: <absolute path>
Test matrix: <absolute path>
Evidence: <absolute path>
OpGen inputs: <absolute path>
Active workspace: <absolute path>Stop after these outputs. Do not invoke OpGen.
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer922 B
- BENCHMARK.md9.8 KiB
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer11.2 KiB
- README.md7.6 KiB
- SKILL.md10.2 KiB
- agents/openai.yaml425 B
- assets/configure-report-template.md738 B
- assets/evidence-template.json186 B
- assets/operator-spec-template.json1.5 KiB
- assets/test-matrix-template.json377 B
- config/skillspector-baseline.yaml400 B
- evals/EVAL.md1.5 KiB
- evals/config.yml167 B
- evals/evals.json5.0 KiB
- evals/files/approved/doctor-report.md250 B
- evals/files/approved/evidence.json316 B
- evals/files/approved/operator-spec.json2.0 KiB
- evals/files/approved/test-matrix.json940 B
- evals/files/unresolved/doctor-report.md250 B
- evals/files/unresolved/evidence.json316 B
- evals/files/unresolved/operator-spec.json2.0 KiB
- evals/files/unresolved/test-matrix.json1023 B
- references/handoff-requirements.md4.5 KiB
- scripts/finalize_opgen_inputs.pyScript19.5 KiB
- skill-card.md4.8 KiB
- skill.oms.sig9.0 KiB
README.md
<!-- SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved. -->
PVA development skills
Agent skills for creating, changing, or repairing NVIDIA PVA operators in your PVA SDK application or PVA Solutions source tree. They turn requirements into code, verify it on Tegra hardware, and repair failures within a debug budget.
Skills
| Skill | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Doctor | Check the SDK, toolchain, project, target, and SDK references. |
| Setup | Install missing SDK, NVVPU, and L4T runtime components, then rerun Doctor. |
| Spec | Define operator behavior, correctness tests, and the OpGen handoff. |
| OpGen | Generate and integrate the operator, then invoke Build-Test and Debug. |
| Build-Test | Build, verify correctness on hardware, and measure requested performance cases. |
| Debug | Diagnose and repair a reproduced failure. |
Prerequisites
An authenticated coding agent with local skill support and shell/file access. See agent support below.
A development host running regular x86-64 Ubuntu supported by the requested SDK.
An Arm64 Jetson board running compatible Jetson Linux (L4T), with working key-based SSH and a trusted host key.
A matching SDK installation guide (file or URL), access to its installer, and administrative permissions for required installation steps.
A writable project: your PVA SDK application or a PVA Solutions source package or checkout. This is where OpGen adds or changes code. Install Git LFS if the project uses it.
When PVA Solutions is selected, Setup uses
NVIDIA/PVA-Solutions by default and
clones into the supplied project path, or $WORK_DIR/source when omitted.
It reuses an existing source tree and accepts another repository or archive.
Doctor checks the selected source and reports missing required files.
Run the agent and build tools on the development host. PVA_BUILD_MODE=L4T
cross-compiles there for execution on the board. PVA_BUILD_MODE=EMU builds
for emulation on the development host.
Setup installs or reuses the SDK, NVVPU, required build and reference tools, and board runtime. EMU is optional. Setup calls Doctor before making changes and again afterward; no existing Doctor report is required. Setup reads the installer URL from the guide. Supply a separate installer path or URL only when the guide does not provide one. The guide and installer must match the requested SDK release. Setup reads the board's installed BSP and checks SDK compatibility. Supply an expected BSP release only when you want to require a specific release.
Set up a workspace
Copy all six PVA skill folders from the public
NVIDIA skills catalog
into $HOME/pva-sdk-skills. Keep each folder's scripts, references, and assets.
The resulting layout is $HOME/pva-sdk-skills/pva-setup/SKILL.md, and the
same layout for the other five skills.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/NVIDIA/skills.git "$HOME/nvidia-skills"
mkdir -p "$HOME/pva-sdk-skills"
for pva_skill in pva-setup pva-doctor pva-spec pva-opgen pva-build-test pva-debug; do
cp -R "$HOME/nvidia-skills/skills/$pva_skill" "$HOME/pva-sdk-skills/"
doneUse a separate workspace for each operator task. Replace the project path below with your writable PVA SDK application or PVA Solutions source directory.
mkdir -p "$HOME/operator_test/my_operator"
cd "$HOME/operator_test/my_operator"
ln -s "/absolute/path/to/your/project" source
pva_skill_dir=.claude/skills # For Codex, use .agents/skills
mkdir -p "$pva_skill_dir"
for pva_skill in "$HOME/pva-sdk-skills"/pva-*; do
ln -s "$pva_skill" "$pva_skill_dir/"
doneReload skills or restart the agent session after creating the links.
source/ points to the project OpGen will modify; the surrounding workspace
holds your inputs, generated configuration, and reports. Each skill carries its
required scripts and templates. Install all six for the full workflow;
OpGen invokes Build-Test and Debug by their installed skill names.
Generated SDK references belong in references/sdk/ in this workspace.
Doctor records their verified absolute location in its report.
Agent support
Claude Code: Used for the recorded operator runs and the commands below.
Codex: Supports local skills in
.agents/skills, invoked with$pva-specor another skill name. These skills includeagents/openai.yamlmetadata. OpGen uses the agent's available skill mechanism for Build-Test and Debug. Without a callable skill tool, it loads the child skill'sSKILL.mdand executes its full workflow before resuming OpGen with the reports and verdict.
Run Setup → Doctor → Spec → OpGen
Create requirements.md in the workspace: operator name/path, task mode (new,
change, or repair), required behavior, supported inputs, API, and performance
requirements. For an existing operator, include relevant source and test paths.
Run these headless Claude Code commands one at a time from the development host's workspace. Replace the guide and board settings below. Setup resolves the SDK release, installer, package names, and installation paths from the guide and package metadata. Package paths are not fixed in the skill. You can provide an explicit SDK release or path override when needed.
export PVA_OPERATOR_MAX_DEBUG_ATTEMPTS=3
# 1. Setup: check and prepare the host and board
claude -p "Run pva-setup for spec, opgen, and build-test.
Installation guide: http://docs.nvidia.com/pva/sdk/installation.html.
Target: user@<board-IP>; PVA generation: <generation for your board>.
Project: $PWD/source; work directory: $PWD."
# 2. Doctor: verify readiness after Setup
claude -p "Run pva-doctor for spec, opgen, and build-test using
$PWD/reports/pva-setup-report.md.
Project: $PWD/source; work directory: $PWD."
# 3. Spec: run after Doctor is ready
# Spec runs its finalizer to create and validate configure/opgen-inputs.json.
claude -p "Invoke pva-spec through the Skill tool using
$PWD/requirements.md and $PWD/reports/doctor-report.md.
Project: $PWD/source; work directory: $PWD."
# 4. OpGen: run after Spec returns CONFIGURED
claude -p "Invoke pva-opgen through the Skill tool using $PWD/configure/opgen-inputs.json."Doctor writes $WORK_DIR/reports/doctor-report.md automatically. The examples
use $PWD as the work directory so Spec and OpGen can use the resulting files.
OpGen runs Build-Test and invokes Debug as needed. Read the final result in
reports/opgen-report.md.
See reference maintenance for SDK-reference regeneration and upgrades.
Maintaining the helpers
Spec owns finalize_opgen_inputs.py. OpGen ships an identical copy so handoff validation works when the skills are installed separately. After changing the Spec helper, update the OpGen copy too. Generated SDK references and operator reports belong in the operator workspace.
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
- Scripts that your agent may run
This skill includes scripts that your agent may run. Read them before you use it.
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
- Venkat Balan
- Publisher
- NVIDIA (Official)
- Distributed by
- NVIDIA
- Source
- NVIDIA/skills · skills/pva-spec · commit fce3cca
- Licence
- Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE-APACHE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Venkat Balan or NVIDIA.
Download ZIP
The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download pva-spec.zip