bitsandbytes runtime-load regression evidence example

[MLPulse]

Hi bitsandbytes maintainers,

I work on InvarLock, a verification/evidence tool for comparing an edited or runtime-modified subject model against a fixed baseline. We have a small optional bitsandbytes integration example and would appreciate a quick sanity check on whether the runtime-load boundary is described correctly.

Version / scope:

• InvarLock tag: v0.12.1
• InvarLock optional dependency floor: bitsandbytes>=0.41
• Example type: small deterministic runtime-load evidence, not a benchmark
• Generated runtime artifacts capture backend versions, runtime manifest, verifier result, and command lines

Example:

https://github.com/invarlock/invarlock/tree/v0.12.1/examples/integrations/hf_bnb

What the example does:

• creates a tiny deterministic local Llama-style Hugging Face checkpoint
• treats that checkpoint as the dense baseline through a normal HF causal load path
• treats the same checkpoint as the subject when loaded through bitsandbytes 8-bit runtime quantization
• runs an InvarLock baseline-vs-subject comparison
• writes verifier/report artifacts plus backend_inventory.json

The important boundary is that this is not a newly published quantized checkpoint directory. It is runtime-load evidence for the path "load this checkpoint through bitsandbytes and compare the resulting subject."

Questions:

1. Is that the right way to describe the bitsandbytes integration boundary?
2. Is a tiny runtime-load check a reasonable compatibility/evidence example, or would you prefer a different minimal path?
3. Are there specific bitsandbytes backend details we should capture in backend_inventory.json beyond version/module inventory/smoke results?

What InvarLock is not claiming:

• not a bitsandbytes benchmark
• not speedup validation
• not a production quantization recommendation
• not upstream endorsement

The intended claim is only: "the subject was loaded through the bitsandbytes runtime path, compared against the baseline, and packaged with regression evidence."

Happy to adjust any wording that reads like endorsement or over-claiming.