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Native Erlang/OTP wrapper around llama.cpp with token-exact tiered KV cache; cache more warm state than fits in RAM

Retired package: Renamed - Renamed to barrel_inference: https://github.com/barrel-platform/barrel_inference

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c_src/erllama_safe.cpp

// Copyright (c) 2026 Benoit Chesneau. Licensed under the MIT License.
// See the LICENSE file at the project root.
// erllama_safe: C++-side shims around llama.cpp calls that can throw.
//
// llama.cpp exposes a C ABI but is implemented in C++. Some entry
// points (sampler chain init, token_to_piece, sampler_sample) can
// allocate via `new` or hit unhandled internal exceptions on bad
// inputs (e.g. out-of-vocab token IDs reaching `id_to_token.at(id)`).
// An uncaught exception unwinding through a C frame in the BEAM is
// undefined behaviour and typically aborts the VM.
//
// Each wrapper here is `extern "C"` and `noexcept` so it never
// propagates an exception across the C boundary. The main NIF C file
// calls these shims and treats their negative/null returns as errors.
#include "llama.h"
#include <climits>
#include <cstring>
#include <new>
#include <pthread.h>
#include <stdint.h>
#ifndef ERLLAMA_THREAD_LOCAL
# if defined(__cplusplus) && __cplusplus >= 201103L
# define ERLLAMA_THREAD_LOCAL thread_local
# else
# define ERLLAMA_THREAD_LOCAL __thread
# endif
#endif
// Sentinel returned by erllama_safe_decode on a thrown exception.
// Mirrors the macro in erllama_nif.c; both sides must agree.
#define ERLLAMA_DECODE_EXC_SENTINEL INT_MIN
// Model-load classification. Mirrored in erllama_nif.c; both
// sides must agree on the integer values.
typedef enum {
ERLLAMA_LOAD_OK = 0,
ERLLAMA_LOAD_FAILED = 1, // generic NULL return
ERLLAMA_LOAD_MALFORMED = 2, // captured ASSERT-style log line
ERLLAMA_LOAD_EXCEPTION = 3, // C++ exception caught
} erllama_load_status_t;
// Best-effort capture of the most recent llama log line on the
// calling thread. The _v2 model load wrapper clears the buffer
// immediately before calling llama_model_load_from_file and
// inspects it on a NULL return to classify malformed-GGUF cases.
//
// llama_log_set is process-global, but the capture buffer is
// thread-local: each loader thread reads only what was logged
// on that same thread, so concurrent loads cannot scramble each
// other's classification. A message emitted from a worker thread
// spawned inside llama.cpp will not be visible to the loader,
// in which case the load is reported as FAILED rather than
// MALFORMED -- informational degradation only.
static ERLLAMA_THREAD_LOCAL char t_last_log_line[512] = {0};
static void erllama_log_capture(enum ggml_log_level level,
const char *text, void *user_data) noexcept {
(void) level;
(void) user_data;
if (!text) return;
size_t n = strlen(text);
if (n >= sizeof(t_last_log_line)) n = sizeof(t_last_log_line) - 1;
memcpy(t_last_log_line, text, n);
t_last_log_line[n] = '\0';
}
extern "C" {
struct llama_sampler *
erllama_safe_sampler_chain_init(struct llama_sampler_chain_params p) noexcept {
try {
return llama_sampler_chain_init(p);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
struct llama_sampler *erllama_safe_sampler_init_greedy(void) noexcept {
try {
return llama_sampler_init_greedy();
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
struct llama_sampler *erllama_safe_sampler_init_dist(uint32_t seed) noexcept {
try {
return llama_sampler_init_dist(seed);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
struct llama_sampler *erllama_safe_sampler_init_top_k(int32_t k) noexcept {
try {
return llama_sampler_init_top_k(k);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
struct llama_sampler *erllama_safe_sampler_init_top_p(float p,
size_t min_keep) noexcept {
try {
return llama_sampler_init_top_p(p, min_keep);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
struct llama_sampler *erllama_safe_sampler_init_min_p(float p,
size_t min_keep) noexcept {
try {
return llama_sampler_init_min_p(p, min_keep);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
struct llama_sampler *erllama_safe_sampler_init_temp(float t) noexcept {
try {
return llama_sampler_init_temp(t);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
struct llama_sampler *
erllama_safe_sampler_init_penalties(int32_t last_n, float repeat, float freq,
float present) noexcept {
try {
return llama_sampler_init_penalties(last_n, repeat, freq, present);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
int erllama_safe_sampler_chain_add(struct llama_sampler *chain,
struct llama_sampler *s) noexcept {
try {
llama_sampler_chain_add(chain, s);
return 0;
} catch (...) {
return -1;
}
}
// Returns 0 on success, -1 on a thrown exception. Even the cleanup
// path surfaces the failure so the C caller can map it to an Erlang
// error rather than swallowing it silently.
int erllama_safe_sampler_free(struct llama_sampler *s) noexcept {
if (!s) return 0;
try {
llama_sampler_free(s);
return 0;
} catch (...) {
return -1;
}
}
// Returns the sampled token, or -1 on exception. Callers must verify
// against the vocabulary size since -1 is a meaningful signal here.
llama_token erllama_safe_sampler_sample(struct llama_sampler *s,
struct llama_context *ctx,
int32_t idx) noexcept {
try {
return llama_sampler_sample(s, ctx, idx);
} catch (...) {
return (llama_token) -1;
}
}
int erllama_safe_sampler_accept(struct llama_sampler *s,
llama_token tok) noexcept {
try {
llama_sampler_accept(s, tok);
return 0;
} catch (...) {
return -1;
}
}
// Returns bytes written, negative needed-size (matching llama's API)
// when the buffer is too small, or INT32_MIN on a thrown exception
// (which the C caller treats as "invalid token" / hard failure).
int32_t erllama_safe_token_to_piece(const struct llama_vocab *vocab,
llama_token tok, char *buf,
int32_t buf_size,
int32_t lstrip,
bool special) noexcept {
try {
return llama_token_to_piece(vocab, tok, buf, buf_size, lstrip, special);
} catch (...) {
return INT32_MIN;
}
}
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Backend lifecycle
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
int erllama_safe_backend_init(void) noexcept {
try {
llama_backend_init();
return 0;
} catch (...) {
return -1;
}
}
// Lazy-init wrapper: backend_init runs at most once across the
// process. The NIF load path no longer eagerly invokes it; instead,
// the first model load triggers this helper. This keeps cache-only
// workloads (and unit tests that never touch llama) free of the
// ggml_backend_load_all side effects, which on some platforms
// (notably FreeBSD when paired with another NIF that registers
// resources or signal handlers) can perturb process state in ways
// that break unrelated code.
int erllama_safe_backend_init_once(void) noexcept {
static pthread_once_t once = PTHREAD_ONCE_INIT;
static int rc = 0;
pthread_once(&once, []() noexcept {
try {
llama_backend_init();
// Best-effort log capture for malformed-GGUF
// classification. See erllama_log_capture comment.
llama_log_set(erllama_log_capture, nullptr);
rc = 0;
} catch (...) {
rc = -1;
}
});
return rc;
}
int erllama_safe_backend_free(void) noexcept {
try {
llama_backend_free();
return 0;
} catch (...) {
return -1;
}
}
// Clear the process-global log callback so a NIF unload cannot
// leave llama.cpp pointing at a function in a soon-to-be-unmapped
// shared object. Called from the NIF unload path.
void erllama_safe_log_unset(void) noexcept {
try {
llama_log_set(nullptr, nullptr);
} catch (...) {
}
}
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Model / context lifecycle
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
struct llama_model *
erllama_safe_model_load_from_file(const char *path,
struct llama_model_params params) noexcept {
try {
return llama_model_load_from_file(path, params);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
// _v2 returns the model and writes a status to *out_status. Status
// is the source of truth; the model pointer is NULL on every
// non-OK status. The captured log buffer is cleared before the
// call so a stale GGML_ASSERT line from a prior load cannot
// mis-classify an unrelated NULL return as MALFORMED.
struct llama_model *
erllama_safe_model_load_from_file_v2(const char *path,
struct llama_model_params params,
erllama_load_status_t *out_status) noexcept {
if (out_status) *out_status = ERLLAMA_LOAD_FAILED;
t_last_log_line[0] = '\0';
struct llama_model *m = nullptr;
try {
m = llama_model_load_from_file(path, params);
} catch (...) {
if (out_status) *out_status = ERLLAMA_LOAD_EXCEPTION;
return nullptr;
}
if (m) {
if (out_status) *out_status = ERLLAMA_LOAD_OK;
return m;
}
bool malformed = strstr(t_last_log_line, "GGML_ASSERT") != nullptr;
if (out_status) {
*out_status = malformed ? ERLLAMA_LOAD_MALFORMED : ERLLAMA_LOAD_FAILED;
}
return nullptr;
}
int erllama_safe_model_free(struct llama_model *m) noexcept {
if (!m) return 0;
try {
llama_model_free(m);
return 0;
} catch (...) {
return -1;
}
}
struct llama_context *
erllama_safe_init_from_model(struct llama_model *m,
struct llama_context_params params) noexcept {
try {
return llama_init_from_model(m, params);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
int erllama_safe_free(struct llama_context *c) noexcept {
if (!c) return 0;
try {
llama_free(c);
return 0;
} catch (...) {
return -1;
}
}
const struct llama_model *
erllama_safe_get_model(const struct llama_context *c) noexcept {
try {
return llama_get_model(c);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
const struct llama_vocab *
erllama_safe_model_get_vocab(const struct llama_model *m) noexcept {
try {
return llama_model_get_vocab(m);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
int32_t erllama_safe_vocab_n_tokens(const struct llama_vocab *v) noexcept {
try {
return llama_vocab_n_tokens(v);
} catch (...) {
return 0;
}
}
// Total byte size of the model on disk, used by list_models to
// derive vram_estimate_b. Returns 0 on exception (caller treats as
// "unknown").
uint64_t erllama_safe_model_size(const struct llama_model *m) noexcept {
try {
return llama_model_size(m);
} catch (...) {
return 0;
}
}
// Total layer count, used to turn n_gpu_layers into a fraction
// for vram_estimate_b. Returns 0 on exception.
int32_t erllama_safe_model_n_layer(const struct llama_model *m) noexcept {
try {
return llama_model_n_layer(m);
} catch (...) {
return 0;
}
}
uint32_t erllama_safe_n_ctx(const struct llama_context *c) noexcept {
try {
return llama_n_ctx(c);
} catch (...) {
return 0;
}
}
uint32_t erllama_safe_n_batch(const struct llama_context *c) noexcept {
try {
return llama_n_batch(c);
} catch (...) {
return 0;
}
}
// Backend device enumeration. Used by nif_vram_info to walk all
// loaded ggml backends and sum free/total memory across non-CPU
// devices. ggml_backend_dev_t is opaque, so we expose only an
// index-based interface across the C ABI rather than passing
// pointers through the NIF boundary.
size_t erllama_safe_backend_dev_count(void) noexcept {
try {
return ggml_backend_dev_count();
} catch (...) {
return 0;
}
}
// Look up the device at `idx` and write its memory + type to the
// out-params. Returns 0 on success, -1 on exception or invalid
// index. On failure the out-params are left untouched.
int erllama_safe_backend_dev_info(size_t idx, size_t *free_b,
size_t *total_b, int *dev_type) noexcept {
try {
ggml_backend_dev_t dev = ggml_backend_dev_get(idx);
if (!dev) return -1;
size_t free_v = 0, total_v = 0;
ggml_backend_dev_memory(dev, &free_v, &total_v);
if (free_b) *free_b = free_v;
if (total_b) *total_b = total_v;
if (dev_type) *dev_type = (int) ggml_backend_dev_type(dev);
return 0;
} catch (...) {
return -1;
}
}
int erllama_safe_vocab_is_eog(const struct llama_vocab *v,
llama_token tok) noexcept {
try {
return llama_vocab_is_eog(v, tok) ? 1 : 0;
} catch (...) {
return 0;
}
}
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Tokenize / decode / state
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Returns same conventions as llama_tokenize; INT32_MIN on thrown
// exception so callers can disambiguate from "needed N more slots".
int32_t erllama_safe_tokenize(const struct llama_vocab *vocab,
const char *text, int32_t text_len,
llama_token *tokens, int32_t n_max,
bool add_special, bool parse_special) noexcept {
try {
return llama_tokenize(vocab, text, text_len, tokens, n_max,
add_special, parse_special);
} catch (...) {
return INT32_MIN;
}
}
// Returns 0 ok, llama's negative error codes on decode failure, or
// ERLLAMA_DECODE_EXC_SENTINEL (INT_MIN) on a thrown exception.
int erllama_safe_decode(struct llama_context *c,
struct llama_batch batch) noexcept {
try {
return llama_decode(c, batch);
} catch (...) {
return ERLLAMA_DECODE_EXC_SENTINEL;
}
}
// llama_batch_{init,free,get_one} are C++ entry points exported as
// C ABI. Today the vendored implementation uses malloc rather than
// new, but the surface is C++ and may grow throwing call sites
// across vendor bumps. Wrap them so an exception cannot unwind
// into the C NIF frame. On thrown exception the init/get_one
// shims return a zero-initialised batch (.token == nullptr,
// .n_tokens == 0); callers already check .token / .pos / .n_seq_id
// for NULL and treat it as allocation failure.
struct llama_batch erllama_safe_batch_init(int32_t n_tokens, int32_t embd,
int32_t n_seq_max) noexcept {
try {
return llama_batch_init(n_tokens, embd, n_seq_max);
} catch (...) {
struct llama_batch z = {0, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr,
nullptr, nullptr, nullptr};
return z;
}
}
struct llama_batch erllama_safe_batch_get_one(llama_token *tokens,
int32_t n_tokens) noexcept {
try {
return llama_batch_get_one(tokens, n_tokens);
} catch (...) {
struct llama_batch z = {0, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr,
nullptr, nullptr, nullptr};
return z;
}
}
void erllama_safe_batch_free(struct llama_batch batch) noexcept {
try {
llama_batch_free(batch);
} catch (...) {
}
}
// State seq APIs. Return SIZE_MAX on thrown exception (callers treat
// as failure).
size_t erllama_safe_state_seq_get_size(struct llama_context *c,
int seq_id) noexcept {
try {
return llama_state_seq_get_size(c, (llama_seq_id) seq_id);
} catch (...) {
return SIZE_MAX;
}
}
// Returns the number of bytes written, or SIZE_MAX on a thrown
// exception. Distinguishing SIZE_MAX from "wrote zero bytes" lets
// the caller surface a clean exception error.
size_t erllama_safe_state_seq_get_data(struct llama_context *c,
uint8_t *dst, size_t size,
int seq_id) noexcept {
try {
return llama_state_seq_get_data(c, dst, size, (llama_seq_id) seq_id);
} catch (...) {
return SIZE_MAX;
}
}
size_t erllama_safe_state_seq_set_data(struct llama_context *c,
const uint8_t *src, size_t size,
int seq_id) noexcept {
try {
return llama_state_seq_set_data(c, src, size, (llama_seq_id) seq_id);
} catch (...) {
return 0;
}
}
// Memory ops for KV cell removal.
int erllama_safe_memory_seq_rm(struct llama_context *c, int seq_id,
int p0, int p1) noexcept {
try {
llama_memory_t mem = llama_get_memory(c);
if (!mem) return -1;
return llama_memory_seq_rm(mem, (llama_seq_id) seq_id,
(llama_pos) p0, (llama_pos) p1)
? 0
: -1;
} catch (...) {
return -1;
}
}
// Largest position present in the seq_id's KV state, or -1 when
// the sequence is empty (matches llama's own empty-sequence
// sentinel). -2 on exception so callers can disambiguate.
long erllama_safe_memory_seq_pos_max(struct llama_context *c,
int seq_id) noexcept {
try {
llama_memory_t mem = llama_get_memory(c);
if (!mem) return -2;
return (long) llama_memory_seq_pos_max(mem, (llama_seq_id) seq_id);
} catch (...) {
return -2;
}
}
// Speculative-decoding helper. Build a llama_batch with logits[i]=1
// for every position, decode, fill out_argmax[i] with argmax over
// the model vocab at each position. Used by erllama:verify/4.
//
// Sampler state is intentionally untouched: this path goes
// straight through llama_get_logits_ith / argmax and bypasses any
// configured sampler chain, so the caller's c->smpl stays clean.
//
// Returns 0 ok; -1 on llama_decode failure; -2 on batch_init OOM
// or invalid n_tokens; -3 on C++ exception.
int erllama_safe_forward_with_argmax(struct llama_context *c,
const llama_token *tokens,
int32_t n_tokens,
int32_t n_vocab,
long start_pos,
int32_t *out_argmax) noexcept {
if (n_tokens <= 0 || n_vocab <= 0 || !tokens || !out_argmax) {
return -2;
}
try {
struct llama_batch batch = llama_batch_init(n_tokens, 0, 1);
if (!batch.token) {
return -2;
}
for (int32_t i = 0; i < n_tokens; i++) {
batch.token[i] = tokens[i];
batch.pos[i] = (llama_pos)(start_pos + i);
batch.n_seq_id[i] = 1;
batch.seq_id[i][0] = (llama_seq_id) 0;
batch.logits[i] = 1;
}
batch.n_tokens = n_tokens;
int rc = llama_decode(c, batch);
if (rc != 0) {
llama_batch_free(batch);
return -1;
}
for (int32_t i = 0; i < n_tokens; i++) {
float *logits = llama_get_logits_ith(c, i);
int32_t best = 0;
float best_v = logits[0];
for (int32_t v = 1; v < n_vocab; v++) {
if (logits[v] > best_v) {
best_v = logits[v];
best = v;
}
}
out_argmax[i] = best;
}
llama_batch_free(batch);
return 0;
} catch (...) {
return -3;
}
}
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Chat templating (bucket C, C-NIF)
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Returns the GGUF-stored chat template, or nullptr if the model has
// none. Pass `name = nullptr` to get the default template; passing a
// name selects a named alternate (rare).
const char *erllama_safe_model_chat_template(const struct llama_model *m,
const char *name) noexcept {
try {
return llama_model_chat_template(m, name);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
// Renders messages through a chat template. Same return convention
// as llama_chat_apply_template: bytes written, or negative
// needed-size when the buffer is too small. INT32_MIN on a thrown
// exception.
int32_t erllama_safe_chat_apply_template(const char *tmpl,
const struct llama_chat_message *msgs,
size_t n_msgs,
bool add_assistant,
char *buf, int32_t buf_size) noexcept {
try {
return llama_chat_apply_template(tmpl, msgs, n_msgs, add_assistant,
buf, buf_size);
} catch (...) {
return INT32_MIN;
}
}
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Grammar sampler (bucket C, C-NIF)
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Returns a new grammar-aware sampler, or nullptr on a thrown
// exception or invalid grammar.
struct llama_sampler *
erllama_safe_sampler_init_grammar(const struct llama_vocab *vocab,
const char *grammar_str,
const char *grammar_root) noexcept {
try {
return llama_sampler_init_grammar(vocab, grammar_str, grammar_root);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// LoRA adapters
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Load an adapter from a GGUF file. Bound to the model: stays valid
// until the model is freed (or until adapter_lora_free is called).
struct llama_adapter_lora *
erllama_safe_adapter_lora_init(struct llama_model *model,
const char *path) noexcept {
try {
return llama_adapter_lora_init(model, path);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
// Explicit free. Safe to call once at most per adapter; the model
// destructor frees any adapter that wasn't explicitly freed.
void erllama_safe_adapter_lora_free(struct llama_adapter_lora *a) noexcept {
if (!a) return;
try {
llama_adapter_lora_free(a);
} catch (...) {
// swallow; double-free or destructor exception is unrecoverable
// but must not unwind into BEAM.
}
}
// Install a set of adapters with their scales on a context. Passing
// n_adapters = 0 detaches everything.
int erllama_safe_set_adapters_lora(struct llama_context *ctx,
struct llama_adapter_lora **adapters,
size_t n_adapters,
float *scales) noexcept {
try {
return llama_set_adapters_lora(ctx, adapters, n_adapters, scales);
} catch (...) {
return -1;
}
}
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Embeddings (bucket C, C-NIF)
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Per-sequence pooled embedding vector. Returns nullptr if the
// context was not created with embeddings = true, the model has no
// pooling, or on a thrown exception.
float *erllama_safe_get_embeddings_seq(struct llama_context *c,
int seq_id) noexcept {
try {
return llama_get_embeddings_seq(c, (llama_seq_id) seq_id);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
// Last-token (non-pooled) embedding. Used as a fallback for models
// whose pooling_type is NONE.
float *erllama_safe_get_embeddings(struct llama_context *c) noexcept {
try {
return llama_get_embeddings(c);
} catch (...) {
return nullptr;
}
}
// Returns the model's embedding dimension, or 0 on exception.
int32_t erllama_safe_n_embd(const struct llama_model *m) noexcept {
try {
return llama_model_n_embd(m);
} catch (...) {
return 0;
}
}
// Sets the embeddings flag on a live context. Lets a single context
// be flipped to embeddings mode for a single call without
// reallocation. Returns 0 on success, -1 on exception.
int erllama_safe_set_embeddings(struct llama_context *c, bool value) noexcept {
try {
llama_set_embeddings(c, value);
return 0;
} catch (...) {
return -1;
}
}
} // extern "C"