RF-DETR
A detection transformer that predicts a fixed set of objects instead of a dense grid, so it needs no NMS at inference. LibreYOLO supports it for four tasks.
- Tasks
- detection, instance segmentation, pose, oriented boxes
- Sizes
- n, s, m, l for detection, pose and oriented boxes; n through xx for segmentation
- Install
pip install "libreyolo[rfdetr]"- Support tier
- Flagship, since v1.0.0. Features are designed and fully GPU-validated here first.
- Licenses
- Code MIT, weights Apache-2.0. Commercial use
Install
RF-DETR needs its own extra, which pulls in transformers for the backbone.
pip install "libreyolo[rfdetr]"Predict
Weights download from Hugging Face on first use and are cached locally.
from libreyolo import LibreYOLO, SAMPLE_IMAGE model = LibreYOLO("LibreRFDETRs.pt")result = model(SAMPLE_IMAGE, save=True) for box in result.boxes: print(box.cls, box.conf, box.xyxy)libreyolo predict model=LibreRFDETRs.pt source=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LibreYOLO/libreyolo/release/libreyolo/assets/parkour.jpg save=Truefrom libreyolo import LibreYOLO model = LibreYOLO("LibreRFDETRs.pt") # Any source the library accepts: file, folder, URL, webcam index,# RTSP stream, or a .streams listfor result in model.predict("clip.mp4", stream=True, save=True): print(len(result.boxes))The returned Results object is the one every family returns, so swapping in a
different detector is a one line change. conf and max_det filter the query
selection; there is no NMS step to tune. See
prediction for sources, streaming and result handling.
Variants
Four sizes, and four tasks that share one architecture: segmentation, pose and oriented boxes reuse the detection decoder with a different head, so they take the same arguments. The sizes carry similar parameter counts and differ mainly in input resolution.
| Checkpoint | Input (px) | mAP 50-95 | Params (M) |
|---|---|---|---|
| LibreRFDETRn | 384 | 51.4 | 30.47 |
| LibreRFDETRs | 512 | 55.1 | 32.11 |
| LibreRFDETRm | 576 | 57.4 | 33.69 |
| LibreRFDETRl | 704 | 58.6 | 33.93 |
COCO val2017, 500 images. Measured by the LibreYOLO benchmark harness and published on Vision Analysis, where latency across hardware and runtimes is compared and the full run records live.
Train
Training starts from a published checkpoint, for all four tasks. RF-DETR lists
pretrained among the arguments its native trainer ignores, so passing
pretrained=False does not give you a randomly initialized model here.
from libreyolo import LibreYOLO model = LibreYOLO("LibreRFDETRs.pt")model.train(data="my-dataset.yaml", epochs=50, imgsz=512, batch=8, lr0=1e-4)libreyolo train model=LibreRFDETRs.pt data=my-dataset.yaml \ epochs=50 imgsz=512 batch=8 lr0=1e-4from libreyolo import LibreYOLO model = LibreYOLO("LibreRFDETRs.pt")model.train(data="my-dataset.yaml", epochs=50, lora=True)libreyolo train model=LibreRFDETRs.pt data=my-dataset.yaml \ epochs=50 device=0,1 batch=-1Two arguments matter more here than on a CNN detector. Keep lr0 at or below
1e-4, since transformer detectors diverge at learning rates a YOLO model
tolerates. Leave imgsz at the checkpoint's native resolution unless you have a
reason to change it. The input must divide evenly by the backbone patch size
times the window count; LibreYOLO checks this before the run starts and names
the nearest valid sizes.
See training for datasets, augmentation, multi-GPU and loggers.
Validate
val() returns a dictionary of metrics/ keys covering precision, recall,
mAP 50 and mAP 50-95, measured against any dataset in the format you trained on.
from libreyolo import LibreYOLO model = LibreYOLO("LibreRFDETRs.pt") # val() returns a plain dict, not an objectmetrics = model.val(data="my-dataset.yaml", imgsz=512) print(metrics["metrics/mAP50-95"])print(metrics["metrics/mAP50"])print(metrics["metrics/precision"], metrics["metrics/recall"])libreyolo val model=LibreRFDETRs.pt data=my-dataset.yaml imgsz=512# The bundled COCO yaml carries an embedded download script, so it# needs explicit permission unless the dataset is already local.libreyolo val model=LibreRFDETRn.pt data=coco.yaml imgsz=384 \ allow_download_scripts=TrueExport
| Task | ONNX | TorchScript | ExecuTorch | TensorRT | OpenVINO | Paddle | MNN | RKNN | ncnn | TFLite | CoreML | Core AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detection | Detection to ONNX: supported. | Detection to TorchScript: supported. | Detection to ExecuTorch: supported. | Detection to TensorRT: supported. Runtime parity coverage lives in tests/e2e/test_tensorrt.py. | Detection to OpenVINO: supported. Runtime parity coverage lives in tests/e2e/test_openvino.py. | Detection to Paddle: not supported | Detection to MNN: supported. | Detection to RKNN: not supported | Detection to ncnn: not supported | Detection to TFLite: not supported | Detection to CoreML: supported. Conversion is available, but runtime parity requires a macOS runner. | Detection to Core AI: supported. |
| Instance segmentation | Instance segmentation to ONNX: supported. | Instance segmentation to TorchScript: supported. | Instance segmentation to ExecuTorch: supported. | Instance segmentation to TensorRT: supported. A published Apache-2.0 trained segmentation checkpoint exports and reloads, but public top-k class membership changes. | Instance segmentation to OpenVINO: supported. After Hungarian query alignment, the converted-runtime element match rate is 69.0%, below the validation bar. | Instance segmentation to Paddle: not supported | Instance segmentation to MNN: not supported | Instance segmentation to RKNN: not supported | Instance segmentation to ncnn: not supported | Instance segmentation to TFLite: not supported | Instance segmentation to CoreML: not supported | Instance segmentation to Core AI: not supported |
| Pose | Pose to ONNX: supported. | Pose to TorchScript: supported. | Pose to ExecuTorch: supported. | Pose to TensorRT: supported. A published Apache-2.0 trained pose checkpoint exports and reloads, but matched public boxes fall to 0.704 IoU with 41.4-pixel coordinate drift. | Pose to OpenVINO: supported. After Hungarian query alignment, the converted-runtime element match rate is 72.75%, below the validation bar. | Pose to Paddle: not supported | Pose to MNN: not supported | Pose to RKNN: not supported | Pose to ncnn: not supported | Pose to TFLite: not supported | Pose to CoreML: not supported | Pose to Core AI: not supported |
| Oriented boxes | Oriented boxes to ONNX: supported. | Oriented boxes to TorchScript: supported. | Oriented boxes to ExecuTorch: supported. | Oriented boxes to TensorRT: supported. A deterministic synthetic OBB fixture exports and reloads, but public top-k class membership changes. | Oriented boxes to OpenVINO: supported. After Hungarian query alignment, the converted-runtime element match rate is 91.25%, below the validation bar. | Oriented boxes to Paddle: not supported | Oriented boxes to MNN: not supported | Oriented boxes to RKNN: not supported | Oriented boxes to ncnn: not supported | Oriented boxes to TFLite: not supported | Oriented boxes to CoreML: not supported | Oriented boxes to Core AI: not supported |
An exported artifact loads back through LibreYOLO() on its file suffix, so a
.onnx or .engine file behaves like a checkpoint and returns the same
Results. Running the graph in a bare runtime, with no LibreYOLO installed, is
also supported, but then preprocessing and postprocessing are yours to write.
from libreyolo import LibreYOLO model = LibreYOLO("LibreRFDETRs.pt")model.export(format="onnx", imgsz=512)model.export(format="tensorrt", imgsz=512, half=True) # Arguments accepted for every format:## format "onnx" | "torchscript" | "executorch" | "tensorrt"# | "openvino" | "paddle" | "mnn" | "rknn" | "ncnn"# | "tflite" | "coreml" | "coreai".# "engine" is an alias for tensorrt, "litert" for tflite.# imgsz int, or (height, width). Defaults to the checkpoint's# native resolution.# batch int, default 1.# half bool, export in FP16. Default False.# int8 bool, export in INT8. Default False. Needs `data`.# data path to a dataset YAML, used to calibrate int8.# fraction float, share of that calibration set to use. Default 1.0.# dynamic bool, dynamic axes. Default True.# simplify bool, run ONNX graph simplification. Default True.# opset int, ONNX opset. Chosen per family when not given.# device str, device to trace on. Defaults to the model's device.# output_path str, defaults to a name derived from the checkpoint.# verbose bool, default False.# allow_download_scripts bool, default False. Permits embedded# Python in a dataset YAML that has to be downloaded.## A few formats take extra arguments of their own, such as an RKNN# target platform. Those are documented on each format's page.libreyolo export model=LibreRFDETRs.pt format=onnx imgsz=512libreyolo export model=LibreRFDETRs.pt format=tensorrt imgsz=512 half=Truefrom libreyolo import LibreYOLO # The factory routes on the file suffix, so an exported artifact loads# like any checkpoint and returns the same Results object.model = LibreYOLO("LibreRFDETRs.onnx")result = model(SAMPLE_IMAGE) print(result.boxes.xyxy)import numpy as npimport onnxruntime as ort # Running the graph directly means doing your own preprocessing and# postprocessing. Inspect the signature before wiring anything up.session = ort.InferenceSession("LibreRFDETRs.onnx")name = session.get_inputs()[0].nameoutputs = session.run(None, {name: np.zeros((1, 3, 512, 512), dtype=np.float32)}) for meta, array in zip(session.get_outputs(), outputs): print(meta.name, array.shape)Checkpoints
Every published weight file for this family.
| File | Input (px) | Weights license |
|---|---|---|
| Detection | ||
| LibreRFDETRl.pt | 704 | apache-2.0 |
| LibreRFDETRm.pt | 576 | apache-2.0 |
| LibreRFDETRn.pt | 384 | apache-2.0 |
| LibreRFDETRs.pt | 512 | apache-2.0 |
| Instance segmentation | ||
| LibreRFDETRn-seg.pt | 312 | apache-2.0 |
| LibreRFDETRs-seg.pt | 384 | apache-2.0 |
| LibreRFDETRm-seg.pt | 432 | apache-2.0 |
| LibreRFDETRl-seg.pt | 504 | apache-2.0 |
| LibreRFDETRx-seg.pt | 624 | apache-2.0 |
| LibreRFDETRxx-seg.pt | 768 | apache-2.0 |
| Pose | ||
| LibreRFDETRn-pose.pt | apache-2.0 | |
| LibreRFDETRs-pose.pt | apache-2.0 | |
| LibreRFDETRm-pose.pt | apache-2.0 | |
| LibreRFDETRl-pose.pt | apache-2.0 | |
| LibreRFDETRx-pose.pt | 576 | apache-2.0 |
| Oriented boxes | ||
| LibreRFDETRn-obb.pt | 384 | cc-by-4.0 |
| LibreRFDETRs-obb.pt | 512 | cc-by-4.0 |
| LibreRFDETRm-obb.pt | 576 | cc-by-4.0 |
| LibreRFDETRl-obb.pt | 704 | cc-by-4.0 |
Every file above exists in the LibreYOLO org today and downloads on first use.
Licensing
Check the license on the Hugging Face repository of the specific weights you download. Every checkpoint in the LibreYOLO org carries one, and they are not always the same across a family. That repository is the authoritative source; the summary below describes what applied when this page was last verified.
This is a description of the licenses involved, not legal advice. If the answer matters commercially, read the licenses yourself and take your own counsel.
- Original work
- RF-DETR, Roboflow
- Upstream license
- Apache-2.0
- Upstream source
- github.com/roboflow/rf-detr
- LibreYOLO code
- MIT
- Weights
- Apache-2.0, republished at huggingface.co/LibreYOLO
- Interpretation
- Apache-2.0 is a permissive license, so these weights can be used in commercial and closed-source products. It asks you to keep its license text and attribution notices with any copy of the weights you redistribute, and it grants a patent license. It places no obligation on your own application code, and weights you train yourself on your own data are yours.
Citation
@inproceedings{robinson2026rfdetr,
title = {RF-DETR: Real-Time Detection Transformer},
author = {Robinson, Isaac and Robicheaux, Peter and Popov, Matvei and Ramanan, Deva and Peri, Neehar},
booktitle = {International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR)},
year = {2026},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.09554}
}Copied from the authors' citation block at github.com/roboflow/rf-detr#citation.