rehearsal 0.1.2

Unified framework for rehearsal-learning research code.

Rehearsal

Rehearsal learning was proposed by Professor Zhi-Hua Zhou from Nanjing University, aiming to discern influence relations, a type of relation tailored for decision-making. Rehearsal learning is introduced to address AUF tasks: given an observed context $\mathbf{X}$ and a predicted undesired outcome $\mathbf{Y}$ ($\mathbf{Y}$ falls outside a pre-specified desired region $\mathcal{S}$), the goal is to determine the decision to steer $\mathbf{Y}$ toward $\mathcal{S}$. See the reference PDF here.

The rehearsal package provides a unified interface for methods migrated from recent progress: shared task contracts, structural-model interfaces, method adapters, optimizers, metrics, influence measures, datasets, and seeded experiment runners for comparing rehearsal methods under one CLI shape.

Implemented Method Provenance

This table covers the currently registered rehearsal-run --method adapters and standalone measure demos. Values of the form --method ... are stable method-registry names; InP is a measure API with standalone example CLIs rather than a RehearsalMethod adapter.

Registry	Venue	Paper	Example configs	Setting
qwz23	2023 NeurIPS	Rehearsal Learning for Avoiding Undesired Future	examples/qwz23/	Interaction-based with Explicit Graphs
micns	2024 NeurIPS	Avoiding Undesired Future with Minimal Cost in Non-Stationary Environments	examples/micns/	Interaction-free with Explicit Graphs
grad-rh	2025 AAAI	Gradient-Based Nonlinear Rehearsal Learning with Multivariate Alterations	examples/grad_rh/	Interaction-free with Explicit Graphs
care	2025 ICML	Enabling Optimal Decisions in Rehearsal Learning under CARE Condition	examples/care/	Interaction-free with Explicit Graphs
msr	2025 IJCAI	Avoiding Undesired Future with Sequential Decisions	examples/msr/	Interaction-free with Explicit Graphs
cme-rh	arXiv 2026	Non-Parametric Rehearsal Learning via Conditional Mean Embeddings	examples/cme/	Interaction-free without Explicit Graphs
olem-rh	arXiv 2026	Order-Based Rehearsal Learning	examples/olem_rh/	Interaction-free without Explicit Graphs
InP measure demos	2026 ICLR	On Measuring Influence in Avoiding Undesired Future	examples/inp/	Influence measure

These methods do not share exactly the same original setting. The examples below place them in one Bermuda scenario for runnable side-by-side reference outputs, but the methods themselves were proposed to solve different variants of the AUF decision problem.

Bermuda Example

Bermuda is a standardized continuous SEM for an AUF task: Light, Temp, and Sal are observed context variables; DIC, TA, Omega, Chla, and Nutrients_PC1 are bounded alterable variables; NEC is the outcome; and success means placing NEC in the desired interval with high probability under the true simulator.

Each seeded method example samples a Bermuda context, learns a structural model from n_data=2000 observational samples, selects bounded alterations, and evaluates the selected action with eval_samples=1000. The observed Bermuda context is sampled inside each seeded experiment config. Do not pass observed variables through --params; use --seeds to make sampled observations reproducible.

Measure And Method CLI Examples

Run these commands from the repository root. They generate the tracked Bermuda reference outputs under outputs/.

InP / ICLR 2026 measure example:

env PYTHONPATH=src python examples/inp/bermuda_inp_example.py \
  --n-data 2000 \
  --num-samples 1500 \
  --n-bins 3 \
  --start-node TA \
  --output outputs/inp_bermuda_measures.json \
  --quiet

QWZ23 / NeurIPS 2023:

env PYTHONPATH=src python -m rehearsal.experiments.run examples/qwz23/bermuda_example.py \
  --method qwz23 \
  --seeds 3 \
  --params n_data=2000 \
  --eval-samples 1000 \
  --output outputs/qwz23_bermuda_seed3.json \
  --compact

MICNS / NeurIPS 2024:

env PYTHONPATH=src python -m rehearsal.experiments.run examples/micns/bermuda_example.py \
  --method micns \
  --seeds 3 \
  --params n_data=2000 \
  --eval-samples 1000 \
  --output outputs/micns_bermuda_seed3.json \
  --compact

Grad-Rh / AAAI 2025:

env PYTHONPATH=src python -m rehearsal.experiments.run examples/grad_rh/bermuda_example.py \
  --method grad-rh \
  --seeds 3 \
  --params n_data=2000 \
  --eval-samples 1000 \
  --output outputs/grad_rh_bermuda_seed3.json \
  --compact

CARE / ICML 2025:

env PYTHONPATH=src python -m rehearsal.experiments.run examples/care/care_bermuda_example.py \
  --method care \
  --seeds 3 \
  --params n_data=2000 \
  --eval-samples 1000 \
  --output outputs/care_bermuda_seed3.json \
  --compact

MSR / IJCAI 2025, registered as msr:

env PYTHONPATH=src python -m rehearsal.experiments.run examples/msr/bermuda_example.py \
  --method msr \
  --seeds 3 \
  --params n_data=2000 \
  --eval-samples 1000 \
  --output outputs/msr_bermuda_seed3.json \
  --compact

CME / arXiv 2026:

env PYTHONPATH=src python -m rehearsal.experiments.run examples/cme/cme_bermuda_example.py \
  --method cme-rh \
  --seeds 3 \
  --params n_data=2000 \
  --eval-samples 1000 \
  --output outputs/cme_bermuda_seed3.json \
  --compact

OLEM-Rh / arXiv 2026:

env PYTHONPATH=src python -m rehearsal.experiments.run examples/olem_rh/bermuda_example.py \
  --method olem-rh \
  --seeds 3 \
  --params n_data=2000 \
  --eval-samples 1000 \
  --output outputs/olem_rh_bermuda_seed3.json \
  --compact

Rehearsal Learning Results

The tracked method outputs are single-seed Bermuda references with seed 3. The table reports the true AUF probability measured by each example's true simulator.

Method	Venue	Output	True AUF probability
qwz23	2023 NeurIPS	outputs/qwz23_bermuda_seed3.json	0.833
micns	2024 NeurIPS	outputs/micns_bermuda_seed3.json	0.837
grad-rh	2025 AAAI	outputs/grad_rh_bermuda_seed3.json	0.827
care	2025 ICML	outputs/care_bermuda_seed3.json	0.840
msr	2025 IJCAI	outputs/msr_bermuda_seed3.json	0.830
cme-rh	arXiv 2026	outputs/cme_bermuda_seed3.json	0.831
olem-rh	arXiv 2026	outputs/olem_rh_bermuda_seed3.json	0.808

Order Learning And Variable InP

The Bermuda measure example learns a variable order from continuous observational data, discretizes every variable into 3 bins for the recursive MEP / InP calculation, and evaluates InP for every alterable variable that lies on the active path from the chosen start_node to NEC.

The tracked outputs/inp_bermuda_measures.json run uses n_data=2000, num_samples=1500, n_bins=3, and start_node=TA. The learned order is Temp -> pHsw -> TA -> DIC -> CO2 -> Sal -> Light -> Omega -> NEC -> Nutrients_PC1 -> Chla; under that order, the evaluated variables have these values:

Variable	InP	MEP-alter	MEP-observe
DIC	0.469	0.650	0.181
TA	0.322	0.982	0.659
Omega	0.186	0.190	0.004

The partial-order demo selects a compatible Bermuda order with best MEP 0.980 for start node TA; under that order, DIC, TA, and Omega have InP values 0.473, 0.346, and 0.174, respectively.

Project Structure

• src/rehearsal/: installable Python package. It contains the shared task contracts, model interfaces, method adapters, measure APIs, optimizers, metrics, datasets, and experiment runners.
• tests/: focused regression and contract tests for the package.
• examples/: runnable method and measure examples used by the README commands.
• docs/: architecture notes and method-porting guidance.
• previous_works/: read-only historical code, paper sources, data, and PDFs used as reference material while migrating methods into the unified package.
• ExecPlan.md, OnGoing.md, code_idea.md: project planning and remaining porting tasks.
• outputs/: example experiment result JSON files generated by README-style commands and tracked as reproducible reference outputs.

Files intentionally kept out of Git include Python bytecode, pytest/cache directories, OS metadata such as .DS_Store, local agent/editor state, packaging/build artifacts, LaTeX auxiliary files, and local runtime artifacts.

The current implementation includes the measure APIs and method adapters listed in the provenance table above while keeping shared model, task, optimizer, and experiment-runner interfaces reusable across papers.

Package Layout

• rehearsal.core: AUF task objects, desired regions, alteration domains, result contracts, and validation.
• rehearsal.models: structural-learning models. LinearGaussianSRM and LinearGaussianSRMLearner are shared components for CARE and future NeurIPS 2023 / NeurIPS 2024 adapters.
• rehearsal.optimizers: rehearsal-stage optimizers over fitted structural models.
• rehearsal.methods: thin method adapters exposing fit, suggest, and evaluate.
• rehearsal.measures: InP, MEP, ACE, CACE, and partial-order utilities for evaluating influence properties of fitted rehearsal models.
• rehearsal.datasets: reusable dataset and SEM factories, including generic Bermuda and Manage dataset modules shared across methods.
• rehearsal.experiments: command-line runners for seeded experiment batches.

Installation And Packaged Demo

After the package is published, install the base package with:

python -m pip install rehearsal

The base install includes the NumPy-backed core APIs, method adapters, experiment runner, and an installed toy demo. Bermuda .mat loading needs SciPy, which is exposed as an optional extra:

python -m pip install "rehearsal[bermuda]"

QWZ23 uses sampled multivariate maximization. It runs with a NumPy random-search fallback, and installs SciPy for the preferred MILP optimizer via:

python -m pip install "rehearsal[qwz23]"

For publishing from a local checkout, install the release tools extra:

python -m pip install "rehearsal[publish]"

The package ships a self-contained smoke demo that does not require the repository's examples/ directory:

rehearsal-demo \
  --seed 3 \
  --n-samples 40 \
  --eval-samples 6 \
  --max-iters 5 \
  --output outputs/care_demo_from_package.json \
  --compact

The same demo can be imported and run from Python:

from rehearsal.experiments.demo import run_demo

result = run_demo(seed=3, n_samples=40, eval_samples=6, max_iters=5)
print(result["name"], result["method"], result["n_runs"])
print(result["runs"][0]["evaluation"])

Runner Contract

The generic runner has one execution shape: a seeded batch. There is no separate single-seed output mode. If you want one seed, pass a one-element seed list:

--seeds 3

The output always contains runs and summary. With one seed, summary still contains mean, std, min, and max; the standard deviation is 0.0.

An experiment config should define:

def build_experiment(params, seed):
    # seed is supplied only by rehearsal-run --seeds.
    # Build task, generated training data, and the observed individual here.
    return {
        "name": "my_experiment",
        "task": task,
        "data": data_for_this_seed,
        "observation": observation_for_this_seed,
        "method_params": {"pgd_steps": 60},
        "default_eval_samples": 500,
        "evaluate": evaluate_true_auf,
        "metadata": {"n_samples": n_samples},
    }

Do not pass seed through --params, --method-params, or method_params returned by the config. The seed list is the single source of run randomness. The runner passes each seed to the config and to the method constructor.

data and observation are not meant to be global constants. In the provided demos, n_samples=100 means: for each seed, generate 100 training samples inside build_experiment(params, seed), then return that generated dictionary as data. The observed individual is also sampled inside the same seeded factory.

CLI Parameters

Use these forms only:

Argument	Meaning
--seeds 3,4,5	Required. The exact run seeds. --seeds 3 is a one-seed batch.
--method NAME	Method registry name. Currently registered: care, cme-rh, grad-rh, micns, msr, olem-rh, qwz23.
--params KEY=VALUE	Experiment config parameters passed to build_experiment(params, seed).
--method-params KEY=VALUE	Method constructor parameters. Do not put seed here.
--fit-params KEY=VALUE	Extra options passed to method.fit(...); rarely needed.
--eval-samples N	True AUF Monte Carlo samples used by the config's evaluator.
--output path.json	Optional JSON output path.
--compact	Print compact JSON.

When --output is provided, the full JSON payload is written to that file and the runner prints a short completion line such as wrote outputs/cme_bermuda_seed3.json (n_runs=1, method=cme-rh).

The removed singular aliases --param, --method-param, and --fit-param are intentionally rejected.

Output Shape

A one-seed run still returns a batch:

{
  "name": "cme_bermuda",
  "method": "cme-rh",
  "seeds": [3],
  "n_runs": 1,
  "runs": [
    {
      "seed": 3,
      "observation": {"Light": 0.01, "Temp": -0.02, "Sal": 0.03},
      "structural_learning": {
        "runtime_seconds": 0.004
      },
      "decision": {
        "alterations": {"DIC": 0.2, "TA": 0.1},
        "estimated_success_probability": 0.8,
        "cost": 0.3,
        "runtime_seconds": 0.001
      },
      "evaluation": {
        "true_auf_success_rate": 0.82,
        "no_action_true_auf_success_rate": 0.12,
        "eval_samples": 1000
      }
    }
  ],
  "summary": {
    "structural_learning.runtime_seconds": {
      "mean": 0.004,
      "std": 0.0,
      "min": 0.004,
      "max": 0.004
    },
    "decision.runtime_seconds": {
      "mean": 0.001,
      "std": 0.0,
      "min": 0.001,
      "max": 0.001
    },
    "evaluation.true_auf_success_rate": {
      "mean": 0.82,
      "std": 0.0,
      "min": 0.82,
      "max": 0.82
    },
    "evaluation.no_action_true_auf_success_rate": {
      "mean": 0.12,
      "std": 0.0,
      "min": 0.12,
      "max": 0.12
    }
  }
}

The batch summary intentionally includes only true AUF Monte Carlo success metrics plus structural-learning and decision-stage runtimes. It does not summarize decision cost, method-internal estimates, or eval_samples.

The provided examples report these per-run evaluation fields:

• true_auf_success_rate: success rate after the suggested alteration under the true data-generating process supplied by the experiment config.
• no_action_true_auf_success_rate: success rate for the same observation with no alteration under the same true data-generating process.
• eval_samples: the Monte Carlo count from --eval-samples or the example's default_eval_samples.
• structural_learning.runtime_seconds: per-run wall-clock time spent in method.fit(...) for that seed's training data.
• decision.runtime_seconds: per-run wall-clock time spent in the method's suggest(...) decision step. It does not include structural fitting or true AUF Monte Carlo evaluation time.

Method Registry

--method ... is resolved by rehearsal.methods.registry. The registry lets the runner instantiate methods by a stable CLI name without every experiment config importing and constructing the adapter itself.

"grad-rh": GradRhRehearsal
"care": ICML2025CARERehearsal
"micns": MICNSRehearsal
"msr": MSRRehearsal
"olem-rh": OLEMRhRehearsal
"qwz23": QWZ23Rehearsal
"cme-rh": CMERehearsal

There are no legacy method-name aliases beyond the stable registry names listed above.

Collaboration Guidelines

This repository is a research-code migration project. Keep changes small, reviewable, and aligned with the shared src/rehearsal/ package interfaces rather than adding new one-off experiment scripts.

Commit Prefixes

Use a short, bracketed prefix at the start of every commit subject:

Prefix	Use for
[ENH]	New features, method adapters, experiment runners, or supported capabilities.
[FIX]	Bug fixes, numerical corrections, CLI contract fixes, or broken-test repairs.
[DOC]	README, architecture notes, method-porting notes, comments, or examples that do not change behavior.
[TST]	New or updated tests, fixtures, smoke checks, or regression coverage.
[REF]	Refactors that preserve behavior while improving structure or readability.
[EXP]	Reproducible experiment configs, result JSON files, or benchmark-output updates.
[DATA]	Dataset loaders, small tracked data fixtures, or metadata changes.
[DEP]	Dependency, packaging, or environment changes. Production dependencies require prior confirmation.
[CHORE]	Repository maintenance, formatting-only changes, or cleanup with no user-facing behavior change.

Commit subjects should be imperative and specific, for example [ENH] Add CME Bermuda batch runner or [FIX] Preserve one-seed batch summary shape.

Branches And Reviews

• Use branch names such as enh/cme-runner, fix/seed-summary, doc/collaboration-guidelines, or exp/care-bermuda-smoke.
• Keep each pull request focused on one method, runner contract, dataset, or documentation topic.
• For complex features or significant refactors, write or update an ExecPlan before implementation and keep the plan current as the work changes.
• Treat previous_works/ as read-only historical reference material. Port behavior into src/rehearsal/, add focused tests in tests/, and document method-specific notes under docs/.

Testing And Verification

• After Python package, example, or test changes, run:

  env PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=1 PYTHONPATH=src python -m pytest -q -p no:cacheprovider tests
  

• After modifying JavaScript files, run npm test.

• When changing CLI behavior, include or update a regression test in tests/test_experiment_runner.py.

• When changing numerical methods, prefer deterministic toy tests with fixed seeds before adding larger experiment outputs.

• Keep tracked outputs/ files reproducible from README-style commands and avoid committing local cache, temporary, or exploratory artifacts.

Dependencies And Data

• Keep runtime dependencies minimal. Ask for confirmation before adding any new production dependency.
• Prefer optional imports for heavy research dependencies and keep CPU smoke tests runnable without historical data downloads.
• Prefer pnpm when installing JavaScript dependencies.
• Track only small, necessary data fixtures. Large generated artifacts should stay outside Git unless they are explicitly accepted as reproducibility references.

Verification

Run the pytest command listed in Testing And Verification.