[RELEASE] NeMo-Agent-Toolkit v1.6.0 (#1861)

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## ❄️ Code freeze for `develop` and `v1.6.0` release

### What does this mean?
Only critical/hotfix level issues should be merged into `develop` until
release (merging of this PR).

### What is the purpose of this PR?
- Update documentation
- Allow testing for the new release
- Enable a means to merge `develop` into `main` for the release

Author: AnuradhaKaruppiah

.coderabbit.yaml

@@ -131,6 +131,13 @@ reviews:
       instructions: >-
         This directory contains the core functionality of the toolkit. Changes should prioritize backward compatibility.
 
+    - path: "packages/nvidia_nat_core/src/nat/eval/**/*"
+      instructions: >-
+        - This is a deprecated compatibility shim area and should not grow.
+        - Flag any PR that adds new files under this path as a blocking issue.
+        - New evaluation code should be added under `packages/nvidia_nat_eval/src/nat/plugins/eval/` instead.
+        - Changes in this path should be limited to compatibility-only fixes that are explicitly justified in PR notes.
+
     - path: "packages/**/*"
       instructions: >-
         - This directory contains packages for the toolkit, each should contain a `pyproject.toml` file.
@@ -145,17 +152,31 @@ reviews:
         - `nvidia-nat-test` should likely be listed as an optional dependency in the `test` extra
         - A single dependency should be listed on each line and should always have a version specifier.
         - All dependencies should be listed under the `[tool.setuptools_dynamic_dependencies]` section
-        - Any dependency that is an NVIDIA NeMo Agent Toolkit package should be declared with a version constraint of `== {version}` 
+        - Any dependency that is an NVIDIA NeMo Agent Toolkit package should be declared with a version constraint of `== {version}`
+
+    - path: "packages/nvidia_nat_core/pyproject.toml"
+      instructions: >-
+        - This package is part of the thin-core strategy; default to minimizing direct dependencies.
+        - Treat any new dependency addition as high-risk and require explicit justification in PR review notes.
+        - Prefer moving framework-specific or optional capabilities into non-core plugin packages instead of adding dependencies here.
+        - If a new dependency is unavoidable, confirm it is required by core contracts/runtime and not by optional evaluators, exporters, profiling, or framework integrations.
+
+    - path: "packages/nvidia_nat_eval/pyproject.toml"
+      instructions: >-
+        - This package follows a thin-core eval strategy; prioritize keeping dependencies minimal.
+        - Treat any new dependency addition as high-risk and require explicit justification in PR review notes.
+        - Prefer package-affinity placement (framework/profiler/security/exporter packages) instead of adding dependencies here.
+        - If a new dependency is unavoidable, confirm it supports core harness/contracts only and is not better hosted in optional packages.
 
     - path: "**/tests/**/*.py"
       instructions: >-
         - Ensure that tests are comprehensive, cover edge cases, and validate the functionality of the code.
         - Test functions should be named using the `test_` prefix, using snake_case.
         - Any frequently repeated code should be extracted into pytest fixtures.
         - Pytest fixtures should define the name argument when applying the pytest.fixture decorator. The fixture
-          function being decorated should be named using the `fixture_` prefix, using snake_case. Example:
-            @pytest.fixture(name="my_fixture")
-            def fixture_my_fixture():
+          function being decorated should be named using either a `fixture_` prefix or `_fixture` suffix, using snake_case. Example:
+            @pytest.fixture(name="my_custom_config")
+            def my_custom_config_fixture():
                 pass
         - Do NOT add `@pytest.mark.asyncio` to any test. Async tests are automatically detected and run by the
           async runner - the decorator is unnecessary clutter.

.cursor/rules/general.mdc

@@ -113,11 +113,11 @@ These are the overarching standards that every **source, test, documentation and
   - Test functions should be named using the `test_` prefix, using snake_case.
   - Any frequently repeated code should be extracted into pytest fixtures.
   - Pytest fixtures should define the name argument when applying the pytest.fixture decorator.
-  - The fixture function being decorated should be named using the `fixture_` prefix, using snake_case.
+  - The fixture function being decorated should be named using the `fixture_` prefix or `_fixture` suffix, using snake_case.
   - Example:
     ```python
-    @pytest.fixture(name="my_fixture")
-    def fixture_my_fixture():
+    @pytest.fixture(name="my_custom_config")
+    def my_custom_config_fixture():
         pass
     ```
 - Maintain **≥ 80 %** coverage; add or update tests when introducing changes.

.cursor/rules/nat-tests/general.mdc

@@ -23,11 +23,26 @@ All tests in NeMo Agent Toolkit use pytest. See the general coding guidelines fo
 
 - Use `pytest` for all unit tests
 - Name test files `test_*.py`
-- Use `@pytest.fixture(name="fixture_name")` decorator pattern
 - Mock external services with `pytest_httpserver` or `unittest.mock`
 - Maintain ≥ 80% code coverage
 - Do NOT add `@pytest.mark.asyncio` to any test - async tests are automatically detected and run by the async runner
 
+### Fixtures
+- Use `@pytest.fixture(name="fixture_name")` decorator pattern
+- Fixtures that are used in multiple tests should be defined in the `packages/nvidia_nat_test/src/nat/test/plugin.py` file, fixtures specific to a single package should be defined in a `conftest.py` file in the `tests` directory of the package, and fixtures that are specific to a single test can be defined in the test file itself.
+
+#### Available Fixtures
+
+**API Keys**: `nvidia_api_key`, `openai_api_key`, `tavily_api_key`, `mem0_api_key`
+
+**Services**: `milvus_uri`, `redis_url`, `mysql_connection_info`, `phoenix_url`
+
+**Directories**: `root_repo_dir`, `examples_dir` (NAT repo only)
+
+**Mocked Objects**: `mock_httpx_async_client`, `mock_httpx_sync_client`, `mock_builder`
+
+There are many more fixtures available, refer to the [plugin.py](mdc:packages/nvidia_nat_test/src/nat/test/plugin.py) file and any `conftest.py` files defined in the file hierarchy of the current test file for the complete list.
+
 ### Integration Tests
 
 For workflows that require actual LLM services or external services, follow the integration testing guidelines:
@@ -94,14 +109,6 @@ pytest --run_slow --run_integration packages/nvidia_nat_langchain
 - `run_workflow(config_file, question, expected_answer)` - Run and validate workflows
 - `load_config(config_file)` - Load configuration objects
 
-### Available Fixtures
-
-**API Keys**: `nvidia_api_key`, `openai_api_key`, `tavily_api_key`, `mem0_api_key`
-
-**Services**: `milvus_uri`, `redis_url`, `mysql_connection_info`, `phoenix_url`
-
-**Directories**: `root_repo_dir`, `examples_dir` (NAT repo only)
-
 ### Test LLM
 
 - `_type: nat_test_llm` - Use in YAML configs to stub LLM responses

.github/workflows/ci_pipe.yml

@@ -209,6 +209,15 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: ./nat/ci/scripts/github/build_wheel.sh
 
+      - name: Upload Package Reports
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v6
+        if: ${{ always() }}
+        with:
+          name: "package_listings"
+          path: "${{ github.workspace }}/tmp/package_listings.tar.bz2"
+          if-no-files-found: error
+          compression-level: 0
+
       - name: Upload Wheels
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v6
         with:

.pre-commit-config.yaml

@@ -26,39 +26,25 @@ repos:
       # Run the linter.
       - id: ruff-check
         args: [ --fix ]
-
-  - repo: https://github.com/astral-sh/uv-pre-commit
-    rev: 0.9.28
+  - repo: local
     hooks:
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock", files: "pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-a2a", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_a2a], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_a2a/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-adk", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_adk], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_adk/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-agno", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_agno], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_agno/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-autogen", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_autogen], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_autogen/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-core", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_core], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_core/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-crewai", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_crewai], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_crewai/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-data_flywheel", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_data_flywheel], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_data_flywheel/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-eval", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_eval], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_eval/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-fastmcp", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_fastmcp], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_fastmcp/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-langchain", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_langchain], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_langchain/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-llama_index", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_llama_index], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_llama_index/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-mcp", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_mcp], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_mcp/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-mem0ai", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_mem0ai], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_mem0ai/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-mysql", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_mysql], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_mysql/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-nemo_customizer", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_nemo_customizer], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_nemo_customizer/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-openpipe_art", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_openpipe_art], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_openpipe_art/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-opentelemetry", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_opentelemetry], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_opentelemetry/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-phoenix", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_phoenix], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_phoenix/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-rag", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_rag], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_rag/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-ragaai", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_ragaai], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_ragaai/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-redis", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_redis], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_redis/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-s3", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_s3], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_s3/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-semantic_kernel", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_semantic_kernel], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_semantic_kernel/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-strands", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_strands], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_strands/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-test", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_test], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_test/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-vanna", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_vanna], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_vanna/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-weave", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_weave], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_weave/pyproject.toml" }
-      - { id: uv-lock, name: "uv-lock-zep_cloud", args: [--project, packages/nvidia_nat_zep_cloud], files: "packages/nvidia_nat_zep_cloud/pyproject.toml" }
+      - id: uv-lock-all-pyprojects
+        name: Ensure `uv lock` is run for all pyproject.toml files
+        entry: >-
+          bash -ec '
+            status=0
+            while IFS= read -r -d "" pyproject; do
+              (
+                echo "Locking $(dirname "$pyproject")" &&
+                cd "$(dirname "$pyproject")" &&
+                uv lock
+              ) || status=$?
+            done < <(find . -name pyproject.toml -not -path "*/.*/*" -print0)
+            exit "$status"
+          '
+        language: system
+        files: "pyproject\\.toml$"
+        pass_filenames: false
   - repo: local
     hooks:
       - id: clear-notebook-output-cells
@@ -73,7 +59,7 @@ repos:
     hooks:
       - id: markdown-link-check
         args: ["-q", "--config", "ci/markdown-link-check-config.json"]
-        exclude: "^(src/nat/meta/pypi\\.md|CHANGELOG\\.md)$"
+        exclude: "^(packages/nvidia_nat_core/src/nat/meta/pypi\\.md|CHANGELOG\\.md)$"
 
 default_language_version:
   python: python3

.pytest.ini

@@ -13,9 +13,6 @@ markers =
     integration: Integration tests which do not use mocks and may require external services
     requires_cache: Tests that require a reverse-proxy cache to be running
     slow: Slow tests
-filterwarnings =
-    # Work-around for a warning emitted by strands https://github.com/strands-agents/sdk-python/issues/1236
-    ignore:^These events have been moved to production.*strands:DeprecationWarning
 asyncio_mode = auto
 asyncio_default_fixture_loop_scope = session