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name: specialized-workflows description: "Route mergekit's first-class specialty commands for raw tensor, MoE, multi-stage, LoRA, tokenizer-transplantation, layer-shuffle, and compatibility workflows with exact inputs, outputs, prerequisites, and safe stop conditions." disable-model-invocation: true metadata: disco-role: operating license: LGPL 3.0

Specialized Workflows

Use this route when the request names a mergekit specialty entry point or asks for raw checkpoint merging, dense-to-MoE conversion, a multi-document merge pipeline, PEFT-compatible LoRA extraction, tokenizer transplantation, random layer assembly, or a legacy compatibility wrapper. This is a command-routing skill, not a replacement for core merge configuration or model loading.

Route quickly

• mergekit-pytorch: merge arbitrary local .pt, pickle, or safetensors tensors from a raw merge YAML. Use --tensor-intersection or --tensor-union; raw configs do not support slices or tokenizer settings.
• mergekit-moe: combine same-family dense models into a Mixtral, DeepSeek, Qwen2, or Qwen3 MoE when the installed transformers and architecture probes support it. Select gate mode deliberately; random gates are a training initialization, not a finished model.
• mergekit-multi: execute YAML documents as a named intermediate dependency graph. Keep names unique and reserve one unnamed document for the final output.
• mergekit-extract-lora: subtract a base checkpoint from a fine-tuned model, decompose the task vectors, and write a PEFT-style adapter.
• mergekit-tokensurgeon: transplant the donor tokenizer and vocabulary into the base model, choosing an approximation method for donor-only tokens.
• mergekit-layershuffle: generate a random passthrough slice configuration; use --dry-run or --write-yaml before allowing an actual merge.
• mergekit-legacy and bakllama: compatibility-only routes. Prefer modern YAML and use these only when an old invocation/config must be preserved and its installed entry point is verified.

Start with cli-reference.md, then open only the workflow reference that matches the route. Use multistage-and-raw-pytorch.md for raw and multi-stage work, moe.md for MoE, and lora-and-tokensurgeon.md for LoRA or tokenizer transplantation. Keep failure recovery in troubleshooting.md.

Operating protocol

1. Record the input paths or Hub references, config path, intended output path, architecture/family, available device, and whether network or credentials are allowed. Resolve local files before constructing a command.
2. Validate the specialty-specific contract without downloading models or running a full merge. Use the bundled safe help/config probe when a command surface or local multi-stage naming graph needs a preflight: python scripts/specialized_cli_probe.py --help-check or --check-multistage CONFIG.
3. Construct the exact command from the reference. Add only justified common performance/output flags. Treat --trust-remote-code, --allow-crimes, remote model resolution, and output-overwrite choices as explicit approvals, not defaults.
4. Stop before execution when a required model, donor, tokenizer, config, optional extra, supported architecture, tensor shape contract, or output safety decision is unresolved. Prefer a tiny local fixture for verification; do not use a full merge as a smoke test.
5. After a permitted run, check the documented output markers and preserve the generated config/card/adapter metadata. Do not claim that a model is usable merely because a writer completed; validate architecture and the downstream loader separately.

Boundaries and links

• Core YAML schema, merge-method semantics, parameter precedence, tokenizer fields, and chat templates belong to merge-configs. Link there rather than explaining ordinary merge configuration here.
• Model references, architecture inference/conversion, checkpoint IO, memory, devices, sharding, and backend debugging belong to model-io-and-architecture.
• Custom methods, graph extensions, and mergekit-evolve belong to extension-and-evolution; cma-blocked evolution is not a specialty workflow in this route.
• For common configuration or model failures, cross-link troubleshooting.md and then hand off to the owning sibling instead of duplicating its contract.

The command surface and caveats in the bundled references are version-bound to the inspected mergekit checkout. They are intentionally self-contained and do not require reopening that checkout.