[Core] Prototype diffusion attention execution contracts with FA4 (#7379)

docs/design/feature/attention_backend_selection.md

@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@ This document defines the selection and extension contract for diffusion
 attention backends. User-facing backend choices, installation, and tuning are
 in the [attention backend guides](../../user_guide/diffusion/attention_backends.md).
 
+The [execution contract PoC](attention_execution_contract_poc.md) describes the
+experimental post-selection capability and lifecycle contract from RFC #7226.
+
 ## Scope
 
 The contract applies to DiT and other diffusion attention layers. It is

docs/design/feature/attention_execution_contract_poc.md

@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+# Diffusion attention execution contract PoC
+
+This prototype accompanies [RFC #7226](https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm-omni/issues/7226)
+and extends the [attention selection design](attention_backend_selection.md).
+It demonstrates path-specific capabilities with dense BF16 FA4, NPU/ROCm
+routing examples, and tensor-state lifetime with a test-only attention module.
+
+## Execution contract
+
+`ExecutionContext` describes the requested execution path. `ExecutionPathResult`
+reports its identity, support status and reason, and compilation mode.
+`AttentionBackend.resolve_capabilities()` provides conservative pre-construction
+results. After initialization, `Attention.resolve_execution_path()` supplies the
+active parallel, paged-KV, and HSDP context; the backend combines it with the
+selected kernel and normalized metadata.
+
+Resolution runs outside compiled execution. FA4 reports `SUPPORTED` and
+`CUSTOM_OP` for dense, noncausal BF16 without parallel or HSDP boundaries when
+its kernel accepts the head dimensions. Dimension validation delegates to FA4's
+architecture-specific rules through `backends/utils/fa.py`. Kernel rejections
+report `UNSUPPORTED` with an actionable reason. Missing private validators and
+other unmigrated paths report `UNMIGRATED` with advisory `EAGER_ONLY` defaults.
+`requested_support()` checks a fullgraph request; it does not enforce selection
+or change existing execution.
+
+FA4 execution uses an opaque custom op. Its fake output preserves Q's batch,
+sequence, and head count and uses V's head dimension. Output is contiguous even
+when Q is noncontiguous. Metadata normalization is
+shared with dispatch. Producers must update published mask semantics when masks
+change; unpublished masks remain runtime-dependent to avoid synchronization.
+Callers resolve again when execution metadata changes.
+
+## NPU and ROCm worked examples
+
+The same `FLASH_ATTN` backend resolves MindIE paths on NPU and AITER paths on
+ROCm. Both examples report `UNMIGRATED`: their route is inspected, while hardware
+correctness and compilation remain unvalidated. `EAGER_ONLY` is an advisory
+default, not a measured compiler limitation. Existing execution is unchanged.
+
+| Input | NPU / MindIE | ROCm / AITER |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| Dense | `npu_dense` | `rocm_dense` |
+| Padding mask | `npu_masked`: expand the key mask to `[B, 1, Q, K]` | `rocm_masked_varlen`: unpad, call varlen attention, then restore rows |
+| Packed inputs | Opt-in `[real, pad]` contract; choose varlen or prefix-KV slicing from the environment | Forward complete packed-document boundaries to varlen attention |
+| Incomplete packing | Rebuild a mask when possible; otherwise reject before the kernel | Shared CUDA-like normalization rejects incomplete metadata |
+| Unpublished mask semantics | Route to the masked wrapper | Keep resolution runtime-dependent without reading mask values |
+
+NPU resolution reuses `_resolve_packed_seq_npu`; ROCm reuses the metadata
+normalization used by dispatch. AITER identity comes from initialization rather
+than caller-provided context. Quantized, paged, piecewise, and parallel paths
+remain outside these worked examples.
+
+The new L1 tests use CPU tensors and replace only vendor kernel calls. They
+check path identity, forwarded masks/boundaries, fallback rejection, and
+conservative fullgraph-request handling. They do not test vendor numerics or
+compiler support. Existing L1 CI already collects this test file.
+
+```bash
+python -m pytest tests/diffusion/attention/test_flash_attn.py \
+  -k 'npu_contract or rocm_contract' -m 'core_model and cpu' -q
+```
+
+### Hardware validation required before migration
+
+On an Ascend/MindIE or ROCm/AITER runner, record device, driver, PyTorch, vendor
+library, and compiler versions, then validate the corresponding rows above:
+
+1. Compare eager outputs with FP32 SDPA for dense and padding-mask inputs,
+   including unequal Q/K lengths. Compare valid query rows; do not assume both
+   platforms define padded-query outputs identically.
+2. Compare packed outputs with separate per-document references. On NPU, cover
+   both varlen and laser prefix-slicing modes, plus mask reconstruction and the
+   missing-mask error. A padding fallback does not establish multi-document
+   isolation. On ROCm, cover multiple real documents.
+3. Check output shape, dtype, device, finite values, and unchanged inputs.
+   Start BF16 comparisons at `atol=rtol=1e-2` and have the platform maintainer
+   confirm the tolerance against its reference tests.
+4. Run `torch.compile(fullgraph=True, dynamic=True)` with the platform's supported
+   compiler over multiple sequence lengths. Record graph breaks and recompiles;
+   choose `TRACEABLE`, `CUSTOM_OP`, or verified `EAGER_ONLY` from that evidence.
+   A custom-op path additionally needs schema/fake checks and repeated replay.
+
+Promote only the paths validated on that platform. These hardware checks have
+not been run locally; ROCm/NPU fullgraph support is not claimed.
+
+## State lifetime example
+
+`test_attention_state_lifetime.py` prepares an owned query-scale tensor eagerly
+and passes it explicitly to an opaque attention op. The compiled module retains
+its state after the caller drops its reference and releases ownership when the
+compiled callable is deleted. Equivalent instances reuse a graph with their own
+state values.
+
+This example tests ownership and release, dynamic replay across instances,
+custom-op schema/fake behavior, and Inductor execution. It adds no production
+backend or state registry. Planning keys, caching, fallback-policy declarations,
+opaque handles, CUDA graph capture, and TRTLLM integration are deferred.
+
+## Validation
+
+```bash
+python -m pytest tests/diffusion/attention/test_flash_attn_compile.py \
+  tests/diffusion/attention/test_flash_attn.py \
+  tests/diffusion/attention/test_attention_capabilities.py \
+  tests/diffusion/attention/test_attention_state_lifetime.py -q -rs
+```
+
+The focused suite covers capability decisions and metadata changes, existing
+padding/mask regressions, tensor-state lifetime, and real FA4 fullgraph execution
+against FP32 SDPA and eager FA4. Representative Q/K and V dimensions are
+(32, 32), (64, 64), (80, 48), (192, 128), and (256, 256), with batches 1 and 2
+and sequence lengths up to 1,024. Invalid dimensions are checked against actual
+kernel errors. These samples exercise the contract rather than define support.
+BF16 comparisons use `atol=rtol=1e-2`; `torch.library.opcheck` checks schema and
+fake-output correctness.
+
+Single-graph reuse is asserted in the tensor-state test. The FA4 numerical tests
+retain compiler caches across shapes within each case but do not require one
+graph across different batch sizes, Q/K length equality, or head dimensions.
+
+Tested environment: GB300, PyTorch `2.13.0+cu130`, FA4 `4.0.0b18`, CUTLASS DSL
+`4.6.2` with CUDA 13 libraries, Quack `0.6.4`, and TVM FFI `0.1.11`.
+Real-kernel tests require CUDA and CuTe FA4; their availability is checked at runtime.
+
+Before the rebase, the focused suite passed all 97 tests without skips, including
+11 CPU NPU/ROCm routing tests. After rebasing onto upstream `e3be42e05`, the
+expanded suite reports 99 passed and 11 failed in the local vLLM 0.28 environment.
+All 11 failures are import errors: upstream now requires `compute_layout_strides`
+from vLLM, which this environment lacks. Both noncontiguous FA4 regression cases
+and real-kernel schema/fake checks pass. The full suite must be rerun with the
+vLLM version required by upstream. NPU/ROCm device numerics and compilation remain
+unvalidated. Pre-commit passes with the CI hook skips. Upstream PyTorch/CUTLASS
+warnings remain.

docs/design/index.md

@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ guides list selectable backends, platform defaults, installation, and tuning.
 The design contracts separate selection mechanics from backend algorithms:
 
 - [Attention Backend Selection](feature/attention_backend_selection.md)
+- [Attention Execution Contract PoC](feature/attention_execution_contract_poc.md)
 - [Skip-Softmax](feature/skip_softmax.md)
 
 #### CPU offloading