Update TileLang: upgrade, nightly builds and rollback

TileLang updates take three routes: upgrade a release with pip install -U tilelang (pip install -U tilelang-ascend on Ascend), switch to the nightly index with pip install tilelang -f https://tile-ai.github.io/whl/nightly for new features, and roll back by pinning a version and clearing ~/.tilelang/cache.

This article goes upgrade → nightly → rollback. Updating only settles the version question; putting TileLang into an environment is covered in Install TileLang.

How do I upgrade TileLang to a new release?

Upgrading TileLang is a pip upgrade: pip install -U tilelang on NVIDIA and pip install -U tilelang-ascend on Ascend, both installing the newest release on PyPI (source). Do it in this order:

1. Read the current version. Run pip show tilelang or python -c "import tilelang; print(tilelang.__version__)". Expect the installed version, which becomes your pre-upgrade baseline (source).
2. List what you can upgrade to. Run pip index versions tilelang. Expect the versions the index offers, confirming your target exists.
3. Run the upgrade. NVIDIA: pip install -U tilelang. Ascend: pip install -U tilelang-ascend. Expect pip to install a newer release and report Successfully installed (source).
4. Recheck afterwards. Repeat step 1. Expect the version to have changed; if it has not, the package probably went to another Python environment, so align which python with pip -V.

To pin a channel instead of auto-upgrading, download the wheel for a specific version from GitHub Releases as described in Download TileLang.

How do I install a TileLang nightly for new features?

TileLang nightlies come from the official preview index: pip install tilelang -f https://tile-ai.github.io/whl/nightly installs the preview build generated from main that day (source).

1. Install the nightly. Run pip install tilelang -f https://tile-ai.github.io/whl/nightly. Expect pip to pull the package from the nightly index, usually with a preview marker in the version.
2. Accept the trade-off. Nightlies carry the latest changes with no release-grade stability guarantee (source). Expect them to suit validating a fix or trying a feature, not production.
3. Go back to a release when done. Run pip install --force-reinstall tilelang without the nightly index. Expect a release from PyPI, leaving the nightly channel.

Nightlies and releases switch with the same command, differing only in where -f points; recheck the version after either switch.

How do I roll back TileLang after a problem upgrade?

Rollbacks pin a version and reinstall: pip install tilelang==<old version>, then clear ~/.tilelang/cache so artifacts compiled during the upgrade do not linger (source).

1. Confirm the target version. Use pip index versions tilelang or the Releases page to find the version number. Expect a concrete version such as 0.1.6 (source).
2. Pin and reinstall. Run pip install tilelang==0.1.6 (or tilelang-ascend==<version> on Ascend). Expect that exact version, with pip show reporting the version you pinned.
3. Clear the compile cache. Run rm -rf ~/.tilelang/cache. Expect the next compile to regenerate artifacts, ruling out inconsistent results from mixed versions (source).
4. Verify the rollback. Repeat the version check and run the GEMM example once. Expect the old version number and Kernel Output Match! from the example.

TileLang update notes

1. Do not put nightlies in production. Their value is being early; the price is instability. Long-running work belongs on a release.
2. Clear the cache on both upgrade and rollback. ~/.tilelang/cache is the easiest thing to forget and the easiest cause of "the code did not change but the result did".
3. Record versions before you move. Note the current version and a rollback target up front so you never have to guess.
4. Update only what needs updating. Upgrading tilelang-ascend on Ascend should not drag CANN or torch-npu along; their requirements are in Install TileLang.

If an upgrade leaves you rebuilding the environment, the full removal steps — including not deleting CANN or torch-npu — are in Uninstall TileLang, and the commands you will use next are in TileLang command cheatsheet.

Sources: TileLang Installation Guide, tilelang · PyPI, tile-ai/tilelang Releases