Frequently asked questions
What the registry measures, what it does not, and how to read a model record.
What does a readiness band mean?
It is a structural verdict, not a quality judgement. A model is reachable from a transaction core if its mathematics is a static graph; it is out of scope if it needs a Python interpreter at inference time. The bands run from "Already ONNX" through "Directly exportable" and "Exportable with care" to formats that are not computation graphs at all: GGUF, MLX and single-file weights.
What do patterns 01, 02 and 03 mean?
They are the three ways a model can reach a transaction: 01 is a co-located in-memory call under 2 ms with zero egress; 02 is an API gateway at 15–50 ms with tokenized egress; 03 is a message queue for asynchronous batch scoring. Latency class selects the pattern.
Are the numbers on a model card measured?
Downloads, likes, parameter counts and licences come from the upstream hub and carry the source and the date observed. Readiness, pattern and licence verdicts are ours and carry the version of the tool that produced them. Anything else — a scripted inference response, for example — is labelled illustrative. Promotion gates read "Not run" until an export harness posts evidence for that exact revision.
Why does a licence show as unverified?
Because we could not read the licence text. Either the repository ships no licence file, or it is gated behind an agreement our ingestion account has not accepted. A declared licence with no text to check is reported as unverified rather than trusted.
Why is a card empty for some models?
Gated repositories do not serve their README to us until the ingestion account accepts the upstream terms. The record says so rather than claiming the model has no card.
Can I run a model here?
Not yet. The registry describes and screens models; it does not serve inference. The playground and the inference widget show scripted responses and are labelled as such.
How do I screen my own repository?
Sign in and use Screen a repository. Paste a Hugging Face model URL and you get the readiness verdict, the recommended pattern, licence findings and the generated copybook contract. Re-screening an unchanged revision returns an identical verdict.
What is the copybook for?
It is the interface contract between the model and a COBOL program: generated, versioned and never hand-edited, so the record layout on the host and the struct in the bridge cannot drift apart.
How do API keys work?
Create one in your profile. The secret is shown once and only its hash is stored. A key authenticates as you on the same endpoints, and cannot create further keys. Revoke it from the same screen.
Who can see the governance screens?
The audit trail, monitoring and override capture require the reviewer role; serving controls such as the kill switch require admin. Ask an administrator to raise your role.