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ADR-0604: Add Renovate customManager for ROCm apt-repo tracking

  • Status: Accepted
  • Date: 2026-05-19
  • Deciders: lusoris, Claude (Anthropic)
  • Tags: build, container, supply-chain, hip, renovate

Context

The user directed a ROCm version bump in dev/Containerfile after observing that ROCm 7.13 exists as AMD's current release. A live audit of repo.radeon.com/rocm/apt/ (2026-05-19) showed:

  • The apt repo tops out at 7.2.3 — the same version already pinned.
  • ROCm 7.13.0 is a technology preview distributed under the "TheRock" architecture, with no apt repo entry. AMD's own documentation states: "For production use, continue to use ROCm 7.2.3."

No version bump is therefore required. However, the audit exposed a gap in automated dependency tracking: Renovate cannot detect new ROCm apt-repo versions because the install uses AMD's custom apt channel (repo.radeon.com/rocm/apt/<version>) which has no built-in Renovate manager. Future stable releases would go unnoticed until a manual audit.

This ADR records the decision to add a Renovate customManager entry so that when AMD eventually promotes a new production release to the apt repo, Renovate opens a PR automatically.

Decision

We will add a customManagers entry and a customDatasources block to renovate.json that:

  1. Matches the ARG ROCM_VER=<version> line and the rocm/apt/<version>/ URL path in dev/Containerfile using customType: "regex".
  2. Queries the AMD apt directory listing at https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/apt/ via format: "html" to detect new versions.
  3. Groups ROCm bumps under a packageRules entry with labels: ["dependencies", "rocm", "manual-review"] and automerge: false — ROCm major-version bumps carry KFD ioctl ABI risk (as documented in ADR-0603) and require human validation before merging.

No version change is made to dev/Containerfile: 7.2.3 remains correct.

Alternatives considered

Option Pros Cons Why not chosen
Bump to ROCm 7.13.0 now Tracks the preview 7.13.0 has no apt packages; would require switching to the "TheRock" distribution channel, an untested install path, and a breaking KFD ABI risk on older kernels Not yet production-stable; no apt repo entry
Leave Renovate unconfigured for ROCm No change needed now Future stable releases go undetected; manual audits required Defeats the purpose of having Renovate
Use Renovate regexManagers on the apt URL only Simpler Only one match string; misses the ARG ROCM_VER= line and therefore may not update it consistently Two match strings ensure both the ARG and the URL stay in sync

Consequences

  • Positive: Future ROCm apt-repo releases (e.g. 7.2.4, 7.3.x, 8.x) will trigger an automatic Renovate PR with manual-review label, eliminating silent staleness.
  • Positive: The Containerfile ARG ROCM_VER and the apt repo URL path are both covered, so they stay in sync across bumps.
  • Negative: The html datasource depends on AMD maintaining the standard directory-listing format of repo.radeon.com/rocm/apt/. If AMD changes the listing structure, the regex match may silently stop working. A future audit check (or Renovate log review) is needed if ROCm PRs stop appearing.
  • Neutral: ROCm 7.13.0 / "TheRock" preview channel requires a separate decision and Containerfile rework before it can be adopted. Tracked as a future follow-up once AMD publishes it as production-stable.

References

  • req: user direction "ROCm is fucking outdated btw. current version is 7.13" (paraphrased: the user identified ROCm as potentially outdated and requested a version bump to what they believed was the current release — 7.13)
  • Live audit: https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/apt/ (2026-05-19) — latest entry is 7.2.3
  • AMD docs banner: https://rocm.docs.amd.com/en/latest/ — "For production use, continue to use ROCm 7.2.3"
  • ADR-0603 — Ubuntu 26.04 fallout, context for ROCm 7.2.3 + noble channel cross-install
  • Research: docs/research/rocm-version-audit-2026-05-19.md