ROCm
diff --git a/‎src/madengine/core/constants.py‎
Lines changed: 16 additions & 2 deletions b/‎src/madengine/core/constants.py‎
Lines changed: 16 additions & 2 deletions
diff --git a/‎src/madengine/core/context.py‎
Lines changed: 4 additions & 1 deletion b/‎src/madengine/core/context.py‎
Lines changed: 4 additions & 1 deletion
diff --git a/‎src/madengine/deployment/slurm.py‎
Lines changed: 66 additions & 7 deletions b/‎src/madengine/deployment/slurm.py‎
Lines changed: 66 additions & 7 deletions
@@ -26,17 +26,28 @@
 import os
 import json
 import logging
+import sys
 
 
 # Utility function for optional verbose logging of configuration
 def _log_config_info(message: str, force_print: bool = False):
     """Log configuration information either to logger or print if specified."""
+    # Keep --version/--help output clean even if MAD_VERBOSE_CONFIG=true.
+    if any(arg in {"--version", "-V", "--help", "-h"} for arg in sys.argv[1:]):
+        logging.debug(message)
+        return
     if force_print or os.environ.get("MAD_VERBOSE_CONFIG", "").lower() == "true":
         print(message)
     else:
         logging.debug(message)
 
 
+def _is_lightweight_cli_invocation() -> bool:
+    """Return True for metadata/help invocations that should avoid side effects."""
+    lightweight_flags = {"--version", "-V", "--help", "-h"}
+    return any(arg in lightweight_flags for arg in sys.argv[1:])
+
+
 # third-party modules
 from madengine.core.console import Console
 
@@ -65,9 +76,12 @@ def _setup_model_dir():
         _log_config_info(f"Model dir: {MODEL_DIR} copied to current dir: {cwd_abs}")
 
 
-# Only setup model directory if explicitly requested (when not just importing for constants)
+# Only setup model directory if explicitly requested and invocation is not metadata-only.
 if os.environ.get("MAD_SETUP_MODEL_DIR", "").lower() == "true":
-    _setup_model_dir()
+    if _is_lightweight_cli_invocation():
+        _log_config_info("Skipping MODEL_DIR setup for lightweight CLI invocation (--version/--help).")
+    else:
+        _setup_model_dir()
 
 # madengine credentials configuration
 CRED_FILE = "credential.json"
 
@@ -816,7 +816,10 @@ def get_gpu_renderD_nodes(self) -> typing.Optional[typing.List[int]]:
                     json_output = output
 
                 try:
-                    data = json.loads(json_output)
+                    # Use raw_decode so we tolerate any trailing non-JSON
+                    # text (deprecation banners, double-emitted blocks under
+                    # concurrent slurm tasks, stray newlines, etc.).
+                    data, _end = json.JSONDecoder().raw_decode(json_output.lstrip())
                 except json.JSONDecodeError as e:
                     raise ValueError(f"Failed to parse amd-smi JSON output: {e}. Output was: {output[:200]}")
 
 
@@ -1632,6 +1632,60 @@ def _build_common_info_dict(
         flatten_tags(result)
         return result
 
+    def _select_best_multiple_results_csv(self, candidates: List[Path]) -> Optional[Path]:
+        """Pick the CSV with the most non-empty performance entries.
+
+        In multi-node SLURM runs every node copies its local multi-results CSV
+        into job_dir/node_<rank>/. Only some nodes observe the final throughput
+        and populate the performance column; others have the file but with empty
+        values (e.g. master perf empty while a worker has the real numbers).
+        Ranking candidates by the count of non-empty performance rows lets
+        downstream aggregation use the richest data instead of depending on
+        node-0 winning the race or being non-empty. Header/row keys are stripped
+        so a leading space in the CSV header (some Primus configs) still matches.
+        Ties break on total row count; candidates[0] is the ultimate fallback.
+        """
+        if not candidates:
+            return None
+        if len(candidates) == 1:
+            return candidates[0]
+        import csv as _csv
+        best_candidate: Optional[Path] = None
+        best_score = -1
+        best_rows = -1
+        for candidate in candidates:
+            non_empty_perf = 0
+            total_rows = 0
+            has_perf_column = False
+            try:
+                with open(candidate, "r", encoding="utf-8", errors="ignore") as f:
+                    reader = _csv.DictReader(f)
+                    fieldnames = reader.fieldnames or []
+                    stripped_fields = [fn.strip() for fn in fieldnames]
+                    has_perf_column = "performance" in stripped_fields
+                    for row in reader:
+                        total_rows += 1
+                        if has_perf_column:
+                            normalized_row = {(k.strip() if isinstance(k, str) else k): v for k, v in row.items()}
+                            value = (normalized_row.get("performance") or "").strip()
+                            if value:
+                                non_empty_perf += 1
+            except Exception:
+                continue
+            score = non_empty_perf if has_perf_column else 0
+            if score > best_score or (score == best_score and total_rows > best_rows):
+                best_score = score
+                best_rows = total_rows
+                best_candidate = candidate
+        if best_candidate is None:
+            return candidates[0]
+        if best_score > 0:
+            self.console.print(
+                f"[dim]  Selected multiple_results CSV with {best_score} non-empty performance rows: {best_candidate}[/dim]"
+            )
+        return best_candidate
+
+
     def collect_results(self, deployment_id: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         """Collect performance results from SLURM output files.
 
@@ -1775,14 +1829,19 @@ def collect_results(self, deployment_id: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         mult_res = model_info_for_entry.get("multiple_results")
         if mult_res:
             resolved_csv: Optional[Path] = None
+            # Multi-node: gather all node CSVs and pick the one with the most
+            # non-empty performance rows (master CSV may be empty while a worker
+            # holds the real numbers) instead of taking the first node that has
+            # the file.
+            candidates: List[Path] = []
             if (job_dir / mult_res).is_file():
-                resolved_csv = job_dir / mult_res
-            else:
-                for i in range(self.nodes):
-                    candidate = job_dir / f"node_{i}" / mult_res
-                    if candidate.is_file():
-                        resolved_csv = candidate
-                        break
+                candidates.append(job_dir / mult_res)
+            for i in range(self.nodes):
+                per_node_candidate = job_dir / f"node_{i}" / mult_res
+                if per_node_candidate.is_file():
+                    candidates.append(per_node_candidate)
+            if candidates:
+                resolved_csv = self._select_best_multiple_results_csv(candidates)
             if not resolved_csv and Path(mult_res).is_file():
                 resolved_csv = Path(mult_res)
             if not resolved_csv and Path("run_directory", mult_res).is_file():