Agent skill

Ray Data for ML Pipelines

by Orchestra-Research in Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs

Uses Ray Data to read, transform and write large datasets across a cluster for ML training and batch inference, with streaming execution and optional GPU steps.

MITAuto-check passedData & Analytics

Install Ray Data for ML Pipelines

skills CLI
$ npx skills add Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs --skill ray-data -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs ray-data --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/05-data-processing/ray-data .claude/skills/ray-data && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
ray-data
GitHub stars
13k
Used in
3 other repos
Token cost
~1.8k tokens
SKILL.md length
268 words
Files
3 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
96
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Uses Ray Data to read, transform and write large datasets across a cluster for ML training and batch inference, with streaming execution and optional GPU steps.

  • Preprocessing a dataset too big for one machine before model training
  • SKILL.md covers When to use Ray Data, Quick start, Reading data and Transformations, plus 9 more sections
  • Calls pip
  • Building a batch inference pipeline over images, audio or video

What it does

Ray Data is a distributed data library for machine learning workloads, and this skill shows how to use it after installing the ray[data] extra. It covers reading Parquet, CSV, JSON, image and other data from cloud storage or from Python objects, then transforming it with vectorized batch maps, row-by-row maps, filters and group-by aggregations. Streaming execution lets it process data larger than memory.

Further sections cover GPU-accelerated preprocessing, writing results back out as Parquet, repartitioning to control parallelism, and tuning batch size. A worked example passes a dataset into Ray Train's TorchTrainer, and reference files go deeper on integration and transformations. The skill points to Pandas for small single-machine data, Dask for tabular and SQL-like work, and Spark for enterprise ETL.

When your agent uses it

  • Preprocessing a dataset too big for one machine before model training
  • Building a batch inference pipeline over images, audio or video
  • Moving a data-prep script from a laptop to a cluster
  • Feeding a Ray Train job from Parquet files in cloud storage

Example prompts

  • “Read these Parquet files from S3 with Ray Data, filter out empty rows and write the result back.”
  • “Convert my pandas preprocessing function into a Ray Data map_batches step that uses the GPU.”
  • “Pass a Ray Data dataset into a TorchTrainer so training streams the batches.”
  • “Our dataset is much larger than memory; set up streaming preprocessing for image classification.”

Requirements

  • Python with `ray[data]`
  • A Ray cluster for distributed runs

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 773a529. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • pip

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):

    • docs.ray.io
    • github.com

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Ray Data for ML Pipelines loads about 1.8k tokens when it runs, and up to ~2.7k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 79 tokens; SKILL.md has 268 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~79
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.8k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~2.7k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs at commit 773a529, republished under its MIT licence (© Orchestra-Research). 268 words, ~1,826 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/ray-data/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 2 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
ray-data
description
Scalable data processing for ML workloads. Streaming execution across CPU/GPU, supports Parquet/CSV/JSON/images. Integrates with Ray Train, PyTorch, TensorFlow. Scales from single machine to 100s of nodes. Use for batch inference, data preprocessing, multi-modal data loading, or distributed ETL pipelines.
version
1.0.0
author
Orchestra Research
license
MIT
tags
Data Processing, Ray Data, Distributed Computing, ML Pipelines, Batch Inference, ETL, Scalable, Ray, PyTorch, TensorFlow
dependencies
ray[data], pyarrow, pandas

Ray Data - Scalable ML Data Processing

Distributed data processing library for ML and AI workloads.

When to use Ray Data

Use Ray Data when:

  • Processing large datasets (>100GB) for ML training
  • Need distributed data preprocessing across cluster
  • Building batch inference pipelines
  • Loading multi-modal data (images, audio, video)
  • Scaling data processing from laptop to cluster

Key features:

  • Streaming execution: Process data larger than memory
  • GPU support: Accelerate transforms with GPUs
  • Framework integration: PyTorch, TensorFlow, HuggingFace
  • Multi-modal: Images, Parquet, CSV, JSON, audio, video

Use alternatives instead:

  • Pandas: Small data (<1GB) on single machine
  • Dask: Tabular data, SQL-like operations
  • Spark: Enterprise ETL, SQL queries

Quick start

Installation
bash
pip install -U 'ray[data]'
Load and transform data
python
import ray

# Read Parquet files
ds = ray.data.read_parquet("s3://bucket/data/*.parquet")

# Transform data (lazy execution)
ds = ds.map_batches(lambda batch: {"processed": batch["text"].str.lower()})

# Consume data
for batch in ds.iter_batches(batch_size=100):
    print(batch)
Integration with Ray Train
python
import ray
from ray.train import ScalingConfig
from ray.train.torch import TorchTrainer

# Create dataset
train_ds = ray.data.read_parquet("s3://bucket/train/*.parquet")

def train_func(config):
    # Access dataset in training
    train_ds = ray.train.get_dataset_shard("train")

    for epoch in range(10):
        for batch in train_ds.iter_batches(batch_size=32):
            # Train on batch
            pass

# Train with Ray
trainer = TorchTrainer(
    train_func,
    datasets={"train": train_ds},
    scaling_config=ScalingConfig(num_workers=4, use_gpu=True)
)
trainer.fit()

Reading data

From cloud storage
python
import ray

# Parquet (recommended for ML)
ds = ray.data.read_parquet("s3://bucket/data/*.parquet")

# CSV
ds = ray.data.read_csv("s3://bucket/data/*.csv")

# JSON
ds = ray.data.read_json("gs://bucket/data/*.json")

# Images
ds = ray.data.read_images("s3://bucket/images/")
From Python objects
python
# From list
ds = ray.data.from_items([{"id": i, "value": i * 2} for i in range(1000)])

# From range
ds = ray.data.range(1000000)  # Synthetic data

# From pandas
import pandas as pd
df = pd.DataFrame({"col1": [1, 2, 3], "col2": [4, 5, 6]})
ds = ray.data.from_pandas(df)

Transformations

Map batches (vectorized)
python
# Batch transformation (fast)
def process_batch(batch):
    batch["doubled"] = batch["value"] * 2
    return batch

ds = ds.map_batches(process_batch, batch_size=1000)
Row transformations
python
# Row-by-row (slower)
def process_row(row):
    row["squared"] = row["value"] ** 2
    return row

ds = ds.map(process_row)
Filter
python
# Filter rows
ds = ds.filter(lambda row: row["value"] > 100)
Group by and aggregate
python
# Group by column
ds = ds.groupby("category").count()

# Custom aggregation
ds = ds.groupby("category").map_groups(lambda group: {"sum": group["value"].sum()})

GPU-accelerated transforms

python
# Use GPU for preprocessing
def preprocess_images_gpu(batch):
    import torch
    images = torch.tensor(batch["image"]).cuda()
    # GPU preprocessing
    processed = images * 255
    return {"processed": processed.cpu().numpy()}

ds = ds.map_batches(
    preprocess_images_gpu,
    batch_size=64,
    num_gpus=1  # Request GPU
)

Writing data

python
# Write to Parquet
ds.write_parquet("s3://bucket/output/")

# Write to CSV
ds.write_csv("output/")

# Write to JSON
ds.write_json("output/")

Performance optimization

Repartition
python
# Control parallelism
ds = ds.repartition(100)  # 100 blocks for 100-core cluster
Batch size tuning
python
# Larger batches = faster vectorized ops
ds.map_batches(process_fn, batch_size=10000)  # vs batch_size=100
Streaming execution
python
# Process data larger than memory
ds = ray.data.read_parquet("s3://huge-dataset/")
for batch in ds.iter_batches(batch_size=1000):
    process(batch)  # Streamed, not loaded to memory

Common patterns

Batch inference
python
import ray

# Load model
def load_model():
    # Load once per worker
    return MyModel()

# Inference function
class BatchInference:
    def __init__(self):
        self.model = load_model()

    def __call__(self, batch):
        predictions = self.model(batch["input"])
        return {"prediction": predictions}

# Run distributed inference
ds = ray.data.read_parquet("s3://data/")
predictions = ds.map_batches(BatchInference, batch_size=32, num_gpus=1)
predictions.write_parquet("s3://output/")
Data preprocessing pipeline
python
# Multi-step pipeline
ds = (
    ray.data.read_parquet("s3://raw/")
    .map_batches(clean_data)
    .map_batches(tokenize)
    .map_batches(augment)
    .write_parquet("s3://processed/")
)

Integration with ML frameworks

PyTorch
python
# Convert to PyTorch
torch_ds = ds.to_torch(label_column="label", batch_size=32)

for batch in torch_ds:
    # batch is dict with tensors
    inputs, labels = batch["features"], batch["label"]
TensorFlow
python
# Convert to TensorFlow
tf_ds = ds.to_tf(feature_columns=["image"], label_column="label", batch_size=32)

for features, labels in tf_ds:
    # Train model
    pass

Supported data formats

FormatReadWriteUse Case
Parquet✅✅ML data (recommended)
CSV✅✅Tabular data
JSON✅✅Semi-structured
Images✅❌Computer vision
NumPy✅✅Arrays
Pandas✅❌DataFrames

Performance benchmarks

Scaling (processing 100GB data):

  • 1 node (16 cores): ~30 minutes
  • 4 nodes (64 cores): ~8 minutes
  • 16 nodes (256 cores): ~2 minutes

GPU acceleration (image preprocessing):

  • CPU only: 1,000 images/sec
  • 1 GPU: 5,000 images/sec
  • 4 GPUs: 18,000 images/sec

Use cases

Production deployments:

  • Pinterest: Last-mile data processing for model training
  • ByteDance: Scaling offline inference with multi-modal LLMs
  • Spotify: ML platform for batch inference

References

Resources

© Orchestra-Research, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 2 other files (references) in 05-data-processing/ray-data of Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs.

  • SKILL.md
  • references/integration.md
  • references/transformations.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 773a529

Used in 3 other repositories

We found 3 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 3 other GitHub owners. This page covers the copy in Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

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Questions about Ray Data for ML Pipelines

What does Ray Data for ML Pipelines do?

Uses Ray Data to read, transform and write large datasets across a cluster for ML training and batch inference, with streaming execution and optional GPU steps. Ray Data is a distributed data library for machine learning workloads, and this skill shows how to use it after installing the ray[data] extra. It covers reading Parquet, CSV, JSON, image and other data from cloud storage or from Python objects, then transforming it with vectorized batch maps, row-by-row maps, filters and group-by aggregations.

When should I use Ray Data for ML Pipelines?

Ray Data for ML Pipelines fits situations like: preprocessing a dataset too big for one machine before model training; building a batch inference pipeline over images, audio or video; moving a data-prep script from a laptop to a cluster; feeding a Ray Train job from Parquet files in cloud storage.

How do I install Ray Data for ML Pipelines in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs --skill ray-data -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (05-data-processing/ray-data in Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs) into .claude/skills/ray-data in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Ray Data for ML Pipelines in Codex?

Run `npx skills add Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs --skill ray-data -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (05-data-processing/ray-data in Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs) into .agents/skills/ray-data in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Ray Data for ML Pipelines in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs --skill ray-data -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/ray-data, .gemini/skills/ray-data, .github/skills/ray-data and .opencode/skills/ray-data in your project.

What does Ray Data for ML Pipelines need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Ray Data for ML Pipelines needs the command-line tools its instructions call (pip). Our summary lists: Python with `ray[data]`; A Ray cluster for distributed runs.

Does Ray Data for ML Pipelines access the network?

SKILL.md names 2 domains. As links in the text: docs.ray.io and github.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Ray Data for ML Pipelines safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Ray Data for ML Pipelines use?

Ray Data for ML Pipelines is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Ray Data for ML Pipelines use?

About 1.8k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 7.3k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 879 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Ray Data for ML Pipelines?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Ray Data for ML Pipelines: SHAP Model Explainability (davila7/claude-code-templates, 32k stars), Technology Selection (dotnet/skills, 5.6k stars), Optimize For GPU (K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills, 48k stars) and ML Model Training (secondsky/claude-skills, 227 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Ray Data for ML Pipelines?

Orchestra-Research (a GitHub organization) maintains it in Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs, which has 13,313 GitHub stars. The repository holds 96 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on June 16, 2026.

Source: Orchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.