---
name: quark-onnx-model-intake
description: >
  Inspect a target ONNX model and prepare metadata for Quark ONNX PTQ planning. Use when the user
  needs `.onnx` path validation, opset / IR version detection, input/output shape and dtype
  discovery, op-type histogram, quantizable-op counting, deployment-target compatibility checks
  (CPU / CUDA / ROCm / AMD NPU CNN / AMD NPU Transformer), or risk assessment before planning PTQ.
  Trigger for "analyze my ONNX model", "check this onnx model", "what opset is this",
  "can Quark quantize this .onnx", "is my model NPU-compatible", "does my model already have QDQ",
  "is my model larger than 2 GB", or when any ONNX quantization step needs model facts that are
  missing.
layer: l1-atomic
primary_artifact: model_analysis.json
source_knowledge:
  - quark/onnx/__init__.py
  - quark/onnx/quantization/api.py
  - quark/onnx/quantization/config/custom_config.py
  - quark/onnx/quantization/input_check.py
  - quark/onnx/operators/custom_ops/build_custom_ops.py
  - docs/source/onnx/basic_usage_onnx.rst
  - examples/onnx/
---

# quark-onnx-model-intake

## Purpose

Validate the target `.onnx` model and extract the structural facts that an ONNX quant plan needs
to make correct quantization decisions. This step exists because different ONNX models have very
different quantization requirements — a CNN destined for AMD NPU CNN needs NHWC layout and PoF2
scales, an LLM exported to ONNX needs MatMulNBits or SmoothQuant + GPTQ, a >2 GB model needs
external-data handling, and a model that already contains QDQ nodes (or Quark's custom-op domains)
must not be silently re-quantized.

## Inputs

- Model path — a single `.onnx` file, or a directory containing `model.onnx` plus its
  `model.onnx_data` / external-weight blobs
- `env_context.json` for Python and accelerator constraints (CUDA major / ROCm major / NPU
  presence)
- `workspace_context.json` for the validated model path
- `onnx_install_result.json` (optional) — the installed `onnxruntime*` variant determines which
  execution providers are realistic deployment targets

## Outputs: model_analysis.json

Captures the model's graph metadata, op-type coverage, quantizable-op count, deployment-target
compatibility, and risks. Schema is shared with the Torch intake; ONNX-specific fields live under
`model.onnx_specific` and `quantization_targets.onnx_specific`.

Schema: [`model_analysis.schema.json`](../../shared/contracts/model_analysis.schema.json)

```json
{
  "analysis_status": "complete",
  "model": {
    "model_path": "/data/models/resnet50/model.onnx",
    "model_type": "onnx",
    "loading_class": "onnx.load",
    "estimated_size_gb": 0.10,
    "onnx_specific": {
      "ir_version": 8,
      "producer_name": "pytorch",
      "producer_version": "2.5.1",
      "opsets": [{"domain": "ai.onnx", "version": 17}],
      "uses_external_data": false,
      "external_data_files": [],
      "input_layout_guess": "NCHW",
      "inputs": [
        {"name": "input", "dtype": "float32", "shape": [1, 3, 224, 224]}
      ],
      "outputs": [
        {"name": "output", "dtype": "float32", "shape": [1, 1000]}
      ],
      "has_dynamic_dims": false,
      "has_qdq_already": false,
      "has_quark_custom_ops": false,
      "architecture_guess": "cnn"
    }
  },
  "quantization_targets": {
    "linear_layer_count": 53,
    "onnx_specific": {
      "op_counts": {"Conv": 53, "BatchNormalization": 53, "Relu": 49, "MaxPool": 1, "GlobalAveragePool": 1, "Gemm": 1},
      "quantizable_op_counts": {"Conv": 53, "Gemm": 1, "MatMul": 0, "Add": 16, "Mul": 0},
      "preset_candidates": ["XINT8", "A8W8", "INT8_CNN_DEFAULT"],
      "exclude_defaults": []
    }
  },
  "risks": [
    {
      "severity": "low",
      "message": "Inputs are NCHW. AMD NPU CNN target expects NHWC.",
      "recovery_hint": "Run quark.onnx.tools.convert_nchw_to_nhwc before quantization."
    }
  ]
}
```

## Supported Domains and Preset Families

Quark ONNX ships a large `DefaultConfigMapping` of named presets in
`quark/onnx/quantization/config/custom_config.py`. The intake should narrow the candidate set
based on what the model actually looks like:

| Category | Representative presets | When to suggest |
|----------|------------------------|-----------------|
| **AMD NPU CNN (XINT8 family)** | `XINT8`, `XINT8_ADAROUND`, `XINT8_ADAQUANT`, `XINT8_WEIGHTSONLY_ADAROUND` | Model is Conv-heavy (CNN), inputs are 4D, deployment target is `npu_cnn`; requires PoF2 scales and (usually) NHWC layout |
| **AMD NPU Transformer (INT16 transformer)** | `INT16_TRANSFORMER_DEFAULT`, `INT16_TRANSFORMER_ACCURATE` | Model is MatMul/Gemm-heavy, deployment target is `npu_transformer` |
| **General CPU/GPU INT8** | `A8W8`, `A8W8_ADAROUND`, `A8W8_ADAQUANT`, `INT8_CNN_DEFAULT`, `INT8_CNN_ACCURATE` | Generic INT8 deployment on CPU/CUDA/ROCm |
| **A16W8 / wide activations** | `A16W8`, `A16W8_ADAROUND`, `A16W8_ADAQUANT` | Activations need 16-bit headroom (outlier-heavy models) |
| **Block formats (custom-ops required)** | `BFP16`, `BFP16_ADAQUANT`, `MX4`, `MX6`, `MX9`, `MXFP4`, `MXFP6`, `MXFP8`, `BF16_MIXED_BFP16`, `BF16_MIXED_MXINT8` | Modern AMD accelerators with `quark.onnx.operators.custom_ops` available |
| **Float fallbacks** | `FP16`, `BF16`, `FP16_ADAQUANT`, `BF16_ADAQUANT` | Accuracy-first; no INT quant |

`preset_candidates` in `model_analysis.json` should list the 1–3 presets that are realistic given
architecture + deployment target; never list all of them.

## What to Extract

### From the ONNX model proto (without loading weights)

- **IR version**: `model.ir_version`
- **Producer**: `model.producer_name`, `model.producer_version`
- **Opsets**: `[(opset.domain or 'ai.onnx', opset.version) for opset in model.opset_import]` —
  for QDQ insertion, `ai.onnx` opset must be ≥ 13 (≥ 19 recommended for full INT4/FP8 support)
- **Custom domains**: presence of `com.amd.quark` or `com.microsoft` indicates the model has
  already been processed by Quark or ORT and should not be naively re-quantized
- **External data**: `os.path.exists(model_path + '_data')` or any tensor with
  `tensor.data_location == TensorProto.EXTERNAL`; total file size > 2 GB without external data is
  invalid
- **Inputs / outputs**: name, dtype (from `type.tensor_type.elem_type`), shape (dim_value or
  symbolic `dim_param`)
- **Dynamic dims**: any `dim_param` or `dim_value == 0` in inputs → flag as risk for NPU targets
- **Input layout guess**: 4D float input with channel dim == 3 or small power-of-2 → likely NCHW
  (channel-first) or NHWC (channel-last); use the convention of the producer
- **Architecture guess**: histogram of op types — Conv-dominated → CNN; MatMul/Gemm + softmax →
  Transformer; LSTM / GRU / RNN → recurrent; mix of Conv + MatMul + Attention → hybrid

### Quantization Targets

- **Quantizable op counts**: count `Conv`, `Gemm`, `MatMul`, `ConvTranspose`, `Add`, `Mul`,
  `BatchNormalization` (will be folded into Conv during pre-processing)
- **`linear_layer_count`**: sum of `MatMul` + `Gemm` + `Conv` (the canonical "linear ops" in
  ONNX)
- **`exclude_defaults`**: usually empty for ONNX (Quark doesn't have a `lm_head`-equivalent
  default), but flag the final classifier `Gemm`/`MatMul` if accuracy is at risk
- **Already-quantized check**: presence of `QuantizeLinear` / `DequantizeLinear` /
  `BFPQuantizeDequantize` / `MXQuantizeDequantize` / `ExtendedQuantizeLinear` → set
  `model.onnx_specific.has_qdq_already = true` or `has_quark_custom_ops = true`

### Deployment-Target Compatibility

Cross-reference op types against the chosen target:

- **NPU CNN** (`enable_npu_cnn=True`, XINT8): expects NHWC, PoF2 scales, per-tensor symmetric
  INT8, no MatMul-based attention. Flag NCHW inputs, dynamic dims, MatMul-heavy graphs.
- **NPU Transformer** (`enable_npu_transformer=True`): QDQ on Gemm/MatMul only; flag heavy use
  of unsupported ops (e.g. custom attention kernels).
- **CPU/CUDA/ROCm general**: largely permissive; flag custom-domain ops that require
  matching custom-ops library at inference.
- **Block formats (BFP16 / MX / MXFP*)**: require Quark's custom-ops library compiled for the
  target EP. If `onnx_install_result.json` shows the custom-ops compile failed, suppress these
  presets from `preset_candidates` and emit a risk.

### Calibration Data Considerations

Surface what the user must prepare separately:

- Input names + dtypes + shapes — the `CalibrationDataReader` must yield batches keyed by these
  names with these dtypes
- Suggested sample count: 64–512 for CV; 128–1024 for LLM; reduce if `optimize_mem=True` is
  needed
- Flag dynamic batch / seq dims that the data reader must concretize

### Risks

Flag anything that could cause failures downstream:

- Model file > 2 GB **without** external data → ProtoBuf serialization will fail
- Opset < 13 → QDQ insertion may fail; suggest `onnx.version_converter.convert_version(model, 13+)`
- Dynamic dims in input shape → NPU targets and many post-processing steps don't tolerate
  unconcretized dims; recommend `quark.onnx.tools.fix_shapes`
- NCHW inputs for an NPU CNN target → recommend `quark.onnx.tools.convert_nchw_to_nhwc`
- FP16-only model → some calibrators expect FP32; recommend
  `quark.onnx.tools.convert_fp16_to_fp32` first
- Model already contains QDQ or Quark custom ops → do not re-quantize; suggest
  `quark.onnx.tools.remove_qdq` or treat as a no-op
- Custom-domain ops present (`com.microsoft`, third-party) → flag, may require
  `op_types_to_quantize` curation
- Unusual loading requirements (encrypted / crypto mode) → require the user to pass an
  `onnx.ModelProto` rather than a path (see `input_check.py:137`)

## Concrete Actions

### Action 1: Read model metadata (NEVER load external weights)

```bash
python3 - <<'PY'
import json, os, sys, collections
import onnx
from onnx import TensorProto

MODEL_PATH = "<MODEL_PATH>"

# load_external_data=False so we never pull the >GB tensors into memory
model = onnx.load(MODEL_PATH, load_external_data=False)

# basic metadata
opsets = [{"domain": o.domain or "ai.onnx", "version": o.version} for o in model.opset_import]
producer = {"name": model.producer_name, "version": model.producer_version, "ir_version": model.ir_version}

def fmt_shape(t):
    return [(d.dim_value if d.dim_value else (d.dim_param or "?")) for d in t.type.tensor_type.shape.dim]

dtype_map = {v: k for k, v in TensorProto.DataType.items()}
def fmt_dtype(t):
    return dtype_map.get(t.type.tensor_type.elem_type, "UNKNOWN")

inputs = [{"name": i.name, "dtype": fmt_dtype(i), "shape": fmt_shape(i)} for i in model.graph.input]
outputs = [{"name": o.name, "dtype": fmt_dtype(o), "shape": fmt_shape(o)} for o in model.graph.output]

# op-type histogram
op_counts = collections.Counter(n.op_type for n in model.graph.node)

# external data check
file_size_bytes = os.path.getsize(MODEL_PATH)
uses_external = any(init.data_location == TensorProto.EXTERNAL for init in model.graph.initializer)

# already-quantized check
qdq_ops = {"QuantizeLinear", "DequantizeLinear"}
quark_ops = {"BFPQuantizeDequantize", "MXQuantizeDequantize",
             "ExtendedQuantizeLinear", "ExtendedDequantizeLinear"}
has_qdq = any(n.op_type in qdq_ops for n in model.graph.node)
has_quark_custom = any(n.op_type in quark_ops for n in model.graph.node)

# dynamic dim check
has_dynamic = any(isinstance(d, str) or d == "?" for inp in inputs for d in inp["shape"])

# architecture guess (very rough)
arch = "unknown"
if op_counts.get("Conv", 0) > 5 * op_counts.get("MatMul", 0):
    arch = "cnn"
elif op_counts.get("MatMul", 0) + op_counts.get("Gemm", 0) > 5 * op_counts.get("Conv", 0):
    arch = "transformer"
elif {"LSTM", "GRU", "RNN"} & set(op_counts):
    arch = "recurrent"
elif op_counts.get("Conv", 0) and op_counts.get("MatMul", 0):
    arch = "hybrid"

info = {
    "ir_version": producer["ir_version"],
    "producer_name": producer["name"],
    "producer_version": producer["version"],
    "opsets": opsets,
    "file_size_bytes": file_size_bytes,
    "uses_external_data": uses_external,
    "inputs": inputs,
    "outputs": outputs,
    "has_dynamic_dims": has_dynamic,
    "has_qdq_already": has_qdq,
    "has_quark_custom_ops": has_quark_custom,
    "architecture_guess": arch,
    "op_counts": dict(op_counts.most_common(30)),
    "quantizable_op_counts": {k: op_counts.get(k, 0) for k in ("Conv", "Gemm", "MatMul", "ConvTranspose", "Add", "Mul", "BatchNormalization")},
}
print(json.dumps(info, indent=2))
PY
```

### Action 2: Optional — run schema and shape-inference checks

```bash
python3 - <<'PY'
import onnx
MODEL_PATH = "<MODEL_PATH>"
model = onnx.load(MODEL_PATH, load_external_data=False)
onnx.checker.check_model(model, full_check=False)   # raises on schema errors
inferred = onnx.shape_inference.infer_shapes(model)  # may reveal shape issues
print("checker: OK, shapes inferred")
PY
```

### Action 3: Check model size on disk (catches the 2 GB ProtoBuf limit early)

```bash
du -sh /path/to/model.onnx
ls -lh /path/to/model.onnx*       # picks up model.onnx_data
```

### Action 4: Present summary table to user

```text
ONNX Model Analysis:
  Model path:        <path>
  File size:         <human-readable>  external-data: Yes/No
  IR / Opset:        ir=<n>, ai.onnx=<n>  (custom domains: <list or "None">)
  Architecture:      <cnn | transformer | recurrent | hybrid | unknown>
  Inputs:            <name>: <dtype> <shape>
  Outputs:           <name>: <dtype> <shape>
  Quantizable ops:   Conv=<n>, MatMul=<n>, Gemm=<n>  (linear_layer_count=<sum>)
  Already QDQ:       Yes/No   Already Quark custom ops: Yes/No
  Preset candidates: [<top 1–3 from DefaultConfigMapping>]
  Risks:             <list or "None">
```

## Rules

- **Run or reference `quark-workspace-validate` first** to confirm `.onnx` and adjacent
  `.onnx_data` paths are valid before attempting to parse the model.
- **Do not load external data.** Pass `load_external_data=False` to `onnx.load`. The intake reads
  graph metadata only; loading multi-GB tensor blobs is the quantizer's job.
- **Refuse to silently re-quantize.** If `has_qdq_already` or `has_quark_custom_ops` is true,
  emit a high-severity risk and require the user to confirm intent (likely they want
  `quark.onnx.tools.remove_qdq` first, or they meant to quantize a different file).
- **Preserve ambiguity** when a model reference could be a single `.onnx` or a directory of
  external-data shards. Note both possibilities and let the user resolve.
- **Filter `preset_candidates` by deployment target and custom-op availability.** Never suggest
  BFP/MX presets when `onnx_install_result.json` shows the custom-ops library failed to compile.
  Never suggest XINT8 outside an NPU CNN target.
- **Surface new environment constraints** (e.g. model requires opset upgrade, or NHWC conversion
  before NPU CNN) by recording them in `model_analysis.json` under `risks` and asking
  `quark-onnx-router` to add them to `session_context.json`'s `open_questions`. Do not write
  directly to `env_context.json`.
- **Never call `quantize_static` / `ModelQuantizer.quantize_model` here.** Intake is read-only.

## Interaction Flow

1. **Confirm model source**: Is the path a single `.onnx` or a directory? Are there
   `.onnx_data` shards present? Check if `quark-workspace-validate` already confirmed the path.
2. **Read metadata**: Run Action 1 (and optionally Action 2). Capture opsets, inputs, outputs,
   op counts, external-data state, already-QDQ flags.
3. **Classify architecture**: CNN / transformer / recurrent / hybrid based on op histogram.
4. **Cross-reference deployment target**: From `session_context.json.constraints.deployment_target`
   (or ask if missing), narrow `preset_candidates` to viable options.
5. **Identify risks**: NCHW vs NHWC, dynamic dims, > 2 GB without external data, opset too low,
   already-quantized, FP16-only, custom-domain ops, missing custom-ops compile for BFP/MX.
6. **Present summary table** to the user.
7. **Emit**: Write `model_analysis.json`. Surface any new constraints back to `quark-onnx-router`
   so they land in `session_context.json`.

## Recovery

- If `analysis_status: "partial"` — some facts were extracted but the model could not be fully
  inspected. Common causes: external-data files missing, ProtoBuf > 2 GB without external data,
  or `onnx.checker` raised a schema error.
- If `has_qdq_already == true` or `has_quark_custom_ops == true` — do **not** proceed to PTQ
  planning. Recommend `python -m quark.onnx.tools.remove_qdq` (or equivalent) and re-run intake
  on the cleaned model.
- If `opsets[ai.onnx] < 13` — recommend
  `onnx.version_converter.convert_version(model, 13)` (or 19+ for INT4/FP8) and re-run intake.
- If `has_dynamic_dims == true` for an NPU target — recommend
  `python -m quark.onnx.tools.fix_shapes --input model.onnx --output model_fixed.onnx
   --input_shape "input:1,3,224,224"` and re-run intake.
- If `input_layout_guess == "NCHW"` and target is `npu_cnn` — recommend
  `python -m quark.onnx.tools.convert_nchw_to_nhwc` and re-run intake.
- If the model is FP16-only and the chosen calibrator needs FP32 — recommend
  `python -m quark.onnx.tools.convert_fp16_to_fp32` and re-run intake.
- If the architecture is "unknown" — present the op histogram to the user and ask which target
  they intend; do not guess a preset.
