Files
voicebox/backend/backends/mlx_backend.py
T
JnyRoadandcapy-ai-staging[bot] 19f8f51408 fix(backend): release memory when unloading MLX models
Unloading a TTS/Whisper/LLM model on the MLX backend only dropped the
Python reference (`del self.model`). MLX keeps freed array buffers in
its own allocator pool for reuse instead of returning them to the OS,
so the process's memory footprint never actually shrank after unload
on Apple Silicon (the default backend there) until the process exited.

Add empty_mlx_cache() (backend/backends/base.py), wrapping
mx.clear_cache(), and call it from the three MLX unload_model()
implementations: MLXTTSBackend, MLXSTTBackend, MLXQwenLLMBackend.

Separately, the voice-clone prompt cache (backend/utils/cache.py) is a
process-lifetime dict populated by create_voice_prompt() across every
TTS engine, but nothing ever cleared it on model unload — only the
unrelated /tasks/clear-cache endpoint touched it. Add
clear_voice_prompt_memory_cache() (memory only, disk cache untouched
so a later generation still reloads the prompt instead of recomputing
it) and wire it into every TTS unload path (services/tts.py and the
qwen_custom_voice / generic branches of unload_model_by_config).
Whisper and the LLM backends never produce voice prompts, so their
unload paths are left alone.

Testing:
- New unit tests: backend/tests/test_mlx_unload_clears_cache.py,
  backend/tests/test_voice_prompt_cache_unload.py (8 tests, all pass).
- Verified end-to-end on Apple Silicon against real cached models
  (Qwen TTS 1.7B, Whisper Turbo, Qwen3 0.6B): loaded each via the
  running app, unloaded via the real /models/{name}/unload endpoint,
  and confirmed via mx.get_cache_memory()/get_active_memory() that the
  MLX allocator's cache drops to 0 on every cycle. Ran a real
  voice-clone generation end to end and confirmed the in-memory prompt
  cache goes from 1 entry to 0 on unload while the on-disk .prompt
  file is left intact.
2026-10-04 00:25:53 +00:00

448 lines
17 KiB
Python

"""
MLX backend implementation for TTS and STT using mlx-audio.
"""
from typing import Optional, List, Tuple
import asyncio
import logging
import numpy as np
from pathlib import Path
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
# MLX's Metal backend keeps a per-thread stream registry. Loading a model on
# one worker thread (via asyncio.to_thread, which round-robins across the
# default executor's pool) and then generating on a different worker thread
# raises "There is no Stream(gpu, N) in current thread." All MLX calls in
# this module must therefore run on the SAME OS thread for the process
# lifetime — route them through this single-worker executor instead of
# asyncio.to_thread's shared multi-worker pool.
_mlx_executor = ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=1, thread_name_prefix="mlx-worker")
def _run_on_mlx_thread(func, *args):
loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
return loop.run_in_executor(_mlx_executor, func, *args)
# PATCH: Import and apply offline patch BEFORE any huggingface_hub usage
# This prevents mlx_audio from making network requests when models are cached
from ..utils.hf_offline_patch import patch_huggingface_hub_offline, ensure_original_qwen_config_cached
patch_huggingface_hub_offline()
ensure_original_qwen_config_cached()
from . import TTSBackend, STTBackend, LANGUAGE_CODE_TO_NAME, WHISPER_HF_REPOS
from .base import (
is_model_cached,
combine_voice_prompts as _combine_voice_prompts,
model_load_progress,
empty_mlx_cache,
)
from ..utils.cache import get_cache_key, get_cached_voice_prompt, cache_voice_prompt
class MLXTTSBackend:
"""MLX-based TTS backend using mlx-audio."""
def __init__(self, model_size: str = "1.7B"):
self.model = None
self.model_size = model_size
self._current_model_size = None
# Guards the whole load-then-use sequence in generate()/create_voice_prompt()
# so a concurrent request for a different model_size can't swap self.model
# out from under an in-flight request between its load and its inference.
self._op_lock = asyncio.Lock()
def is_loaded(self) -> bool:
"""Check if model is loaded."""
return self.model is not None
def _get_model_path(self, model_size: str) -> str:
"""
Get the MLX model path.
Args:
model_size: Model size (1.7B or 0.6B)
Returns:
HuggingFace Hub model ID for MLX
"""
mlx_model_map = {
"1.7B": "mlx-community/Qwen3-TTS-12Hz-1.7B-Base-bf16",
"0.6B": "mlx-community/Qwen3-TTS-12Hz-0.6B-Base-bf16",
}
if model_size not in mlx_model_map:
raise ValueError(f"Unknown model size: {model_size}")
hf_model_id = mlx_model_map[model_size]
logger.info("Will download MLX model from HuggingFace Hub: %s", hf_model_id)
return hf_model_id
def _is_model_cached(self, model_size: str) -> bool:
return is_model_cached(
self._get_model_path(model_size),
weight_extensions=(".safetensors", ".bin", ".npz"),
)
async def load_model_async(self, model_size: Optional[str] = None):
"""
Lazy load the MLX TTS model.
Args:
model_size: Model size to load (1.7B or 0.6B)
"""
if model_size is None:
model_size = self.model_size
# If already loaded with correct size, return
if self.model is not None and self._current_model_size == model_size:
return
# Unload (if needed) and load as ONE callable on the MLX worker thread.
# Doing this as two separate _run_on_mlx_thread calls would run the
# unload on whichever thread issues the second call — usually still
# correct, but a caller-side await gap between them would let another
# coroutine slip a conflicting load in between. One callable removes
# the gap.
await _run_on_mlx_thread(self._reload_sync, model_size)
# Alias for compatibility
load_model = load_model_async
def _reload_sync(self, model_size: str):
"""Unload a mismatched model and load the requested one, in one MLX-thread op."""
if self.model is not None and self._current_model_size != model_size:
self._unload_model_sync()
self._load_model_sync(model_size)
def _load_model_sync(self, model_size: str):
"""Synchronous model loading."""
model_path = self._get_model_path(model_size)
model_name = f"qwen-tts-{model_size}"
is_cached = self._is_model_cached(model_size)
with model_load_progress(model_name, is_cached):
from mlx_audio.tts import load
logger.info("Loading MLX TTS model %s...", model_size)
self.model = load(model_path)
self._current_model_size = model_size
self.model_size = model_size
logger.info("MLX TTS model %s loaded successfully", model_size)
def unload_model(self):
"""Unload the model to free memory.
Runs inline on the calling thread rather than on the MLX worker:
dropping the Python reference is thread-safe (MLX frees buffers
through its global allocator, no stream needed), and routing it
through the single worker would block the caller — usually the
FastAPI event loop, via /models/unload — until any in-flight
generation on that worker finishes. A generation still running bound
the model to a local before it started, so it completes normally and
the next generate() reloads via _reload_and_generate_sync.
"""
self._unload_model_sync()
def _unload_model_sync(self):
if self.model is not None:
del self.model
self.model = None
self._current_model_size = None
empty_mlx_cache()
logger.info("MLX TTS model unloaded")
async def create_voice_prompt(
self,
audio_path: str,
reference_text: str,
use_cache: bool = True,
) -> Tuple[dict, bool]:
"""
Create voice prompt from reference audio.
MLX backend stores voice prompt as a dict with audio path and text.
The actual voice prompt processing happens during generation.
Args:
audio_path: Path to reference audio file
reference_text: Transcript of reference audio
use_cache: Whether to use cached prompt if available
Returns:
Tuple of (voice_prompt_dict, was_cached)
"""
async with self._op_lock:
await self.load_model_async(None)
# Check cache if enabled
if use_cache:
cache_key = get_cache_key(audio_path, reference_text)
cached_prompt = get_cached_voice_prompt(cache_key)
if cached_prompt is not None:
# Return cached prompt (should be dict format)
if isinstance(cached_prompt, dict):
# Validate that the cached audio file still exists
cached_audio_path = cached_prompt.get("ref_audio") or cached_prompt.get("ref_audio_path")
if cached_audio_path and Path(cached_audio_path).exists():
return cached_prompt, True
else:
# Cached file no longer exists, invalidate cache
logger.warning("Cached audio file not found: %s, regenerating prompt", cached_audio_path)
# MLX voice prompt format - store audio path and text
# The model will process this during generation
voice_prompt_items = {
"ref_audio": str(audio_path),
"ref_text": reference_text,
}
# Cache if enabled
if use_cache:
cache_key = get_cache_key(audio_path, reference_text)
cache_voice_prompt(cache_key, voice_prompt_items)
return voice_prompt_items, False
async def combine_voice_prompts(self, audio_paths, reference_texts):
return await _combine_voice_prompts(audio_paths, reference_texts)
async def generate(
self,
text: str,
voice_prompt: dict,
language: str = "en",
seed: Optional[int] = None,
instruct: Optional[str] = None,
) -> Tuple[np.ndarray, int]:
"""
Generate audio from text using voice prompt.
Args:
text: Text to synthesize
voice_prompt: Voice prompt dictionary with ref_audio and ref_text
language: Language code (en or zh) - may not be fully supported by MLX
seed: Random seed for reproducibility
instruct: Natural language instruction (may not be supported by MLX)
Returns:
Tuple of (audio_array, sample_rate)
"""
logger.info("Generating audio for text: %s", text)
def _generate_sync():
"""Run synchronous generation in thread pool."""
# Bind the model once so an inline unload_model() from another
# thread mid-generation cannot turn a later self.model read into
# None (the fallback path below runs seconds into a request).
model = self.model
# MLX generate() returns a generator yielding GenerationResult objects
audio_chunks = []
sample_rate = 24000
lang = LANGUAGE_CODE_TO_NAME.get(language, "auto")
# Set seed if provided (MLX uses numpy random)
if seed is not None:
import mlx.core as mx
np.random.seed(seed)
mx.random.seed(seed)
# Extract voice prompt info
ref_audio = voice_prompt.get("ref_audio") or voice_prompt.get("ref_audio_path")
ref_text = voice_prompt.get("ref_text", "")
# Validate that the audio file exists
if ref_audio and not Path(ref_audio).exists():
logger.warning("Audio file not found: %s", ref_audio)
logger.warning("This may be due to a cached voice prompt referencing a deleted temp file.")
logger.warning("Regenerating without voice prompt.")
ref_audio = None
# Inference runs with the process's default HF_HUB_OFFLINE
# state. Forcing offline here (previously used to avoid lazy
# mlx_audio lookups hanging when the network drops mid-inference,
# issue #462) regressed online users because libraries make
# legitimate metadata calls during generation.
try:
if ref_audio:
# Check if generate accepts ref_audio parameter
import inspect
sig = inspect.signature(model.generate)
if "ref_audio" in sig.parameters:
# Generate with voice cloning
for result in model.generate(text, ref_audio=ref_audio, ref_text=ref_text, lang_code=lang):
audio_chunks.append(np.array(result.audio))
sample_rate = result.sample_rate
else:
# Fallback: generate without voice cloning
for result in model.generate(text, lang_code=lang):
audio_chunks.append(np.array(result.audio))
sample_rate = result.sample_rate
else:
# No voice prompt, generate normally
for result in model.generate(text, lang_code=lang):
audio_chunks.append(np.array(result.audio))
sample_rate = result.sample_rate
except Exception as e:
# If voice cloning fails, try without it
logger.warning("Voice cloning failed, generating without voice prompt: %s", e)
for result in model.generate(text, lang_code=lang):
audio_chunks.append(np.array(result.audio))
sample_rate = result.sample_rate
# Concatenate all chunks
if audio_chunks:
audio = np.concatenate([np.asarray(chunk, dtype=np.float32) for chunk in audio_chunks])
else:
# Fallback: empty audio
audio = np.array([], dtype=np.float32)
return audio, sample_rate
def _reload_and_generate_sync():
"""Ensure the configured model is loaded, then generate — as ONE
MLX-worker submission. Two separate submissions (load, then
generate) leave a gap after the load future resolves and before
the generate future is submitted; an unload_model() call from
another thread could land in that gap and tear down the model
this call is about to use. Folding both into one callable closes
the gap: the executor's own FIFO ordering is the only guarantee
this needs, and the reload check here is self-healing even if an
unload happened to run just before this callable started.
"""
if self.model is None or self._current_model_size != self.model_size:
self._reload_sync(self.model_size)
return _generate_sync()
async with self._op_lock:
audio, sample_rate = await _run_on_mlx_thread(_reload_and_generate_sync)
return audio, sample_rate
class MLXSTTBackend:
"""MLX-based STT backend using mlx-audio Whisper."""
def __init__(self, model_size: str = "base"):
self.model = None
self.model_size = model_size
# See MLXTTSBackend._op_lock — same reason.
self._op_lock = asyncio.Lock()
def is_loaded(self) -> bool:
"""Check if model is loaded."""
return self.model is not None
def _is_model_cached(self, model_size: str) -> bool:
hf_repo = WHISPER_HF_REPOS.get(model_size, f"openai/whisper-{model_size}")
return is_model_cached(hf_repo, weight_extensions=(".safetensors", ".bin", ".npz"))
async def load_model_async(self, model_size: Optional[str] = None):
"""
Lazy load the MLX Whisper model.
Args:
model_size: Model size (tiny, base, small, medium, large)
"""
if model_size is None:
model_size = self.model_size
if self.model is not None and self.model_size == model_size:
return
# Run blocking load in thread pool
await _run_on_mlx_thread(self._load_model_sync, model_size)
# Alias for compatibility
load_model = load_model_async
def _load_model_sync(self, model_size: str):
"""Synchronous model loading."""
progress_model_name = f"whisper-{model_size}"
is_cached = self._is_model_cached(model_size)
with model_load_progress(progress_model_name, is_cached):
from mlx_audio.stt import load
model_name = WHISPER_HF_REPOS.get(model_size, f"openai/whisper-{model_size}")
logger.info("Loading MLX Whisper model %s...", model_size)
self.model = load(model_name)
self.model_size = model_size
logger.info("MLX Whisper model %s loaded successfully", model_size)
def unload_model(self):
"""Unload the model to free memory (inline; see MLXTTSBackend.unload_model)."""
self._unload_model_sync()
def _unload_model_sync(self):
if self.model is not None:
del self.model
self.model = None
empty_mlx_cache()
logger.info("MLX Whisper model unloaded")
async def transcribe(
self,
audio_path: str,
language: Optional[str] = None,
model_size: Optional[str] = None,
) -> str:
"""
Transcribe audio to text.
Args:
audio_path: Path to audio file
language: Optional language hint
model_size: Optional model size override
Returns:
Transcribed text
"""
resolved_size = model_size if model_size is not None else self.model_size
def _transcribe_sync():
"""Run synchronous transcription in thread pool."""
# MLX Whisper transcription using generate method
# The generate method accepts audio path directly
model = self.model
decode_options = {}
if language:
decode_options["language"] = language
# Inference runs with the process's default HF_HUB_OFFLINE
# state — see the comment in MLXTTSBackend.generate for the
# regression this revert fixes (issue #462).
result = model.generate(str(audio_path), **decode_options)
# Extract text from result
if isinstance(result, str):
return result.strip()
elif isinstance(result, dict):
return result.get("text", "").strip()
elif hasattr(result, "text"):
return result.text.strip()
else:
return str(result).strip()
def _reload_and_transcribe_sync():
"""Ensure the requested model is loaded, then transcribe — as ONE
MLX-worker submission. See MLXTTSBackend._reload_and_generate_sync
for why this needs to be a single callable rather than a separate
load-then-transcribe pair.
"""
if self.model is None or self.model_size != resolved_size:
self._load_model_sync(resolved_size)
return _transcribe_sync()
async with self._op_lock:
return await _run_on_mlx_thread(_reload_and_transcribe_sync)