diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index bb5aadc8e..5ba99b946 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ version = "0.3.4"
 description = "🤗 LeRobot: State-of-the-art Machine Learning for Real-World Robotics in Pytorch"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = { text = "Apache-2.0" }
-requires-python = ">=3.10"
+requires-python = ">=3.11"
 authors = [
     { name = "Rémi Cadène", email = "re.cadene@gmail.com" },
     { name = "Simon Alibert", email = "alibert.sim@gmail.com" },
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ classifiers = [
     "Intended Audience :: Education",
     "Intended Audience :: Science/Research",
     "License :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software License",
-    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10",
+    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11",
     "Topic :: Software Development :: Build Tools",
     "Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Artificial Intelligence",
 ]
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ default.extend-ignore-identifiers-re = [
 # paths = ["src/lerobot"]
 
 # [tool.mypy]
-# python_version = "3.10"
+# python_version = "3.11"
 # warn_return_any = true
 # warn_unused_configs = true
 # ignore_missing_imports = false
diff --git a/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/modeling_pi05openpi.py b/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/modeling_pi05openpi.py
index 39281204e..9ff71152a 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/modeling_pi05openpi.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/modeling_pi05openpi.py
@@ -517,6 +517,19 @@ class PI05Pytorch(nn.Module):  # see openpi `PI0Pytorch`
             torch.set_float32_matmul_precision("high")
             self.sample_actions = torch.compile(self.sample_actions, mode=config.compile_mode)
 
+        msg = """transformers_replace is not installed correctly.
+Please install it with `pip install transformers==4.53.2`
+and `cp -r ./src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/* \
+$(python -c "import transformers, os; print(os.path.dirname(transformers.__file__))")`"""
+
+        try:
+            from transformers.models.siglip import check
+
+            if not check.check_whether_transformers_replace_is_installed_correctly():
+                raise ValueError(msg)
+        except ImportError:
+            raise ValueError(msg) from None
+
     def gradient_checkpointing_enable(self):
         """Enable gradient checkpointing for memory optimization."""
         self.gradient_checkpointing_enabled = True
@@ -851,41 +864,35 @@ class PI05OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
 
     @classmethod
     def from_pretrained(
-        cls, *args, **kwargs
+        cls, pretrained_name_or_path: str, strict: bool = True, *args, **kwargs
     ):  # TODO(pepijn): modify this back so we do not have to add model. prefix to all keys in the state dict
         """Override the from_pretrained method to handle key remapping and display important disclaimer."""
         print(
-            "⚠️  DISCLAIMER: The PI05OpenPI model is a direct PyTorch port of the OpenPI implementation. \n"
+            "⚠️  DISCLAIMER: The PI0OpenPI model is a direct PyTorch port of the OpenPI implementation. \n"
             "   This implementation follows the original OpenPI structure for compatibility. \n"
             "   Original implementation: https://github.com/Physical-Intelligence/openpi"
         )
+        if pretrained_name_or_path is None:
+            raise ValueError("pretrained_name_or_path is required")
 
-        # Store original strict mode
-        original_strict = kwargs.get("strict", True)
-        # Temporarily set strict=False to avoid loading issues, we'll handle it manually
-        kwargs["strict"] = False
+        # Create default config
+        config = cls.config_class()
 
-        # Call parent from_pretrained with strict=False
-        model = super().from_pretrained(*args, **kwargs)
-
-        # Extract the pretrained_model_name_or_path from args or kwargs for remapping
-        if len(args) > 0:
-            pretrained_model_name_or_path = args[0]
-        elif "pretrained_model_name_or_path" in kwargs:
-            pretrained_model_name_or_path = kwargs["pretrained_model_name_or_path"]
-        else:
-            return model
+        # Initialize model without loading weights
+        # Check if dataset_stats were provided in kwargs
+        dataset_stats = kwargs.get("dataset_stats")
+        model = cls(config=config, dataset_stats=dataset_stats)
 
         # Now manually load and remap the state dict
         try:
-            from transformers.utils import cached_file
-
             # Try to load the pytorch_model.bin or model.safetensors file
-            print(f"Loading model from: {pretrained_model_name_or_path}")
+            print(f"Loading model from: {pretrained_name_or_path}")
             try:
+                from transformers.utils import cached_file
+
                 # Try safetensors first
                 resolved_file = cached_file(
-                    pretrained_model_name_or_path,
+                    pretrained_name_or_path,
                     "model.safetensors",
                     cache_dir=kwargs.get("cache_dir"),
                     force_download=kwargs.get("force_download", False),
@@ -901,9 +908,10 @@ class PI05OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
                 print("✓ Loaded state dict from model.safetensors")
             except Exception as e:
                 print(f"Could not load state dict from remote files: {e}")
+                print("Returning model without loading pretrained weights")
                 return model
 
-            # First, fix any key differences # see openpi `model.py, _fix_pytorch_state_dict_keys`
+            # First, fix any pi key differences # see openpi `model.py, _fix_pytorch_state_dict_keys`
             fixed_state_dict = model._fix_pytorch_state_dict_keys(original_state_dict, model.config)
 
             # Then add "model." prefix for all keys that don't already have it
@@ -926,10 +934,10 @@ class PI05OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
             print(f"Total keys remapped: {remap_count}")
 
             # Load the remapped state dict into the model
-            missing_keys, unexpected_keys = model.load_state_dict(remapped_state_dict, strict=original_strict)
+            missing_keys, unexpected_keys = model.load_state_dict(remapped_state_dict, strict=strict)
 
             if missing_keys:
-                print(f"⚠️  Missing keys when loading state dict: {len(missing_keys)} keys")
+                print(f"Missing keys when loading state dict: {len(missing_keys)} keys")
                 if len(missing_keys) <= 5:
                     for key in missing_keys:
                         print(f"  - {key}")
@@ -939,7 +947,7 @@ class PI05OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
                     print(f"  ... and {len(missing_keys) - 5} more")
 
             if unexpected_keys:
-                print(f"⚠️  Unexpected keys when loading state dict: {len(unexpected_keys)} keys")
+                print(f"Unexpected keys when loading state dict: {len(unexpected_keys)} keys")
                 if len(unexpected_keys) <= 5:
                     for key in unexpected_keys:
                         print(f"  - {key}")
@@ -949,11 +957,10 @@ class PI05OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
                     print(f"  ... and {len(unexpected_keys) - 5} more")
 
             if not missing_keys and not unexpected_keys:
-                print("✅ All keys loaded successfully!")
+                print("All keys loaded successfully!")
 
         except Exception as e:
-            print(f"⚠️  Warning: Could not remap state dict keys: {e}")
-            print("Using default loading behavior")
+            print(f"Warning: Could not remap state dict keys: {e}")
 
         return model
 
@@ -974,14 +981,22 @@ class PI05OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
                 r"paligemma_with_expert\.gemma_expert\.model\.layers\.\d+\.(input_layernorm|post_attention_layernorm)\.weight",
                 key,
             ):
-                # This key structure suggests old model without adaRMS - keep as is or skip
-                logging.warning(f"Skipping old layer norm key (no adaRMS support): {key}")
-                continue
+                # Check if the model actually has adaRMS enabled for the expert
+                expert_uses_adarms = getattr(
+                    self.model.paligemma_with_expert.gemma_expert.config, "use_adarms", False
+                )
+                if expert_uses_adarms:
+                    logging.warning(f"Skipping layer norm key (adaRMS mismatch): {key}")
+                    continue
 
             if re.match(r"paligemma_with_expert\.gemma_expert\.model\.norm\.weight", key):
-                # Skip old norm structure
-                logging.warning(f"Skipping old norm key (no adaRMS support): {key}")
-                continue
+                # Check if the model actually has adaRMS enabled for the expert
+                expert_uses_adarms = getattr(
+                    self.model.paligemma_with_expert.gemma_expert.config, "use_adarms", False
+                )
+                if expert_uses_adarms:
+                    logging.warning(f"Skipping norm key (adaRMS mismatch): {key}")
+                    continue
 
             # Handle MLP naming changes for pi05
             # pi05 model expects time_mlp_*, but checkpoint might have action_time_mlp_*
@@ -1232,7 +1247,7 @@ class PI05OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
 
         # Action queue logic for n_action_steps > 1
         if len(self._action_queue) == 0:
-            actions = self.predict_action_chunk(batch, train=False)[:, : self.config.n_action_steps]
+            actions = self.predict_action_chunk(batch)[:, : self.config.n_action_steps]
             # Transpose to get shape (n_action_steps, batch_size, action_dim)
             self._action_queue.extend(actions.transpose(0, 1))
 
diff --git a/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/gemma/modeling_gemma.py b/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/gemma/modeling_gemma.py
index a3f6b5325..05066afc5 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/gemma/modeling_gemma.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/gemma/modeling_gemma.py
@@ -374,9 +374,8 @@ class GemmaDecoderLayer(GradientCheckpointingLayer):
         output_attentions: bool | None = False,
         use_cache: bool | None = False,
         cache_position: torch.LongTensor | None = None,
-        position_embeddings: (
-            None | tuple[torch.Tensor, torch.Tensor]
-        ) = None,  # necessary, but kept here for BC
+        position_embeddings: None
+        | (tuple[torch.Tensor, torch.Tensor]) = None,  # necessary, but kept here for BC
         adarms_cond: torch.Tensor | None = None,
         **kwargs: Unpack[FlashAttentionKwargs],
     ) -> tuple[torch.FloatTensor, tuple[torch.FloatTensor, torch.FloatTensor] | None]:
@@ -540,7 +539,7 @@ class GemmaModel(GemmaPreTrainedModel):
         # normalized
         # Gemma downcasts the below to float16, causing sqrt(3072)=55.4256 to become 55.5
         # See https://github.com/huggingface/transformers/pull/29402
-        normalizer = torch.tensor(self.config.hidden_size**0.5, dtype=hidden_states.dtype)  # noqa: F841
+        _normalizer = torch.tensor(self.config.hidden_size**0.5, dtype=hidden_states.dtype)
         # hidden_states = hidden_states * normalizer
 
         # decoder layers
diff --git a/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/paligemma/modeling_paligemma.py b/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/paligemma/modeling_paligemma.py
index feb709b5b..b2a36b5ca 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/paligemma/modeling_paligemma.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/paligemma/modeling_paligemma.py
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ class PaliGemmaModel(PaliGemmaPreTrainedModel):
 
         is_training = token_type_ids is not None and labels is not None
 
-        # Replace image id worth PAD if the image token if OOV, to avoid index-errors
+        # Replace image id with PAD if the image token if OOV, to avoid index-errors
         if input_ids is not None and self.config.image_token_id >= self.vocab_size:
             special_image_mask = input_ids == self.config.image_token_id
             llm_input_ids = input_ids.clone()
@@ -450,7 +450,7 @@ class PaliGemmaForConditionalGeneration(PaliGemmaPreTrainedModel, GenerationMixi
     def get_image_features(self, pixel_values):
         return self.model.get_image_features(pixel_values)
 
-    # Make modules available  conditional class for BC
+    # Make modules available through conditional class for BC
     @property
     def language_model(self):
         return self.model.language_model
diff --git a/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/check.py b/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/check.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d899dc1b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/check.py
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+import transformers
+
+
+def check_whether_transformers_replace_is_installed_correctly():
+    return transformers.__version__ == "4.53.2"
diff --git a/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/modeling_siglip.py b/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/modeling_siglip.py
index d0e634472..0fc0bba0f 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/modeling_siglip.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/policies/pi05_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/modeling_siglip.py
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ def _trunc_normal_(tensor, mean, std, a, b):
 
     # Uniformly fill tensor with values from [l, u], then translate to
     # [2l-1, 2u-1].
-    tensor.uniform_(2 * l - 1, 2 * u - 1)
+    tensor.uniform_(2 * l - 1, 2 * u - 1)  # noqa: E741
 
     # Use inverse cdf transform for normal distribution to get truncated
     # standard normal
diff --git a/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/modeling_pi0openpi.py b/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/modeling_pi0openpi.py
index 35c6f7c9a..549dc0a9b 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/modeling_pi0openpi.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/modeling_pi0openpi.py
@@ -517,6 +517,21 @@ class PI0Pytorch(nn.Module):  # see openpi `PI0Pytorch`
         if config.compile_model:
             torch.set_float32_matmul_precision("high")
             self.sample_actions = torch.compile(self.sample_actions, mode=config.compile_mode)
+            # Also compile the main forward pass used during training
+            self.forward = torch.compile(self.forward, mode=config.compile_mode)
+
+        msg = """transformers_replace is not installed correctly.
+Please install it with `pip install transformers==4.53.2`
+and `cp -r ./src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/* \
+$(python -c "import transformers, os; print(os.path.dirname(transformers.__file__))")`"""
+
+        try:
+            from transformers.models.siglip import check
+
+            if not check.check_whether_transformers_replace_is_installed_correctly():
+                raise ValueError(msg)
+        except ImportError:
+            raise ValueError(msg) from None
 
     def gradient_checkpointing_enable(self):
         """Enable gradient checkpointing for memory optimization."""
@@ -868,7 +883,7 @@ class PI0OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
 
     @classmethod
     def from_pretrained(
-        cls, *args, **kwargs
+        cls, pretrained_name_or_path: str, strict: bool = True, *args, **kwargs
     ):  # TODO(pepijn): modify this back so we do not have to add model. prefix to all keys in the state dict
         """Override the from_pretrained method to handle key remapping and display important disclaimer."""
         print(
@@ -876,33 +891,27 @@ class PI0OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
             "   This implementation follows the original OpenPI structure for compatibility. \n"
             "   Original implementation: https://github.com/Physical-Intelligence/openpi"
         )
+        if pretrained_name_or_path is None:
+            raise ValueError("pretrained_name_or_path is required")
 
-        # Store original strict mode
-        original_strict = kwargs.get("strict", True)
-        # Temporarily set strict=False to avoid loading issues, we'll handle it manually
-        kwargs["strict"] = False
+        # Create default config
+        config = cls.config_class()
 
-        # Call parent from_pretrained with strict=False
-        model = super().from_pretrained(*args, **kwargs)
-
-        # Extract the pretrained_model_name_or_path from args or kwargs for remapping
-        if len(args) > 0:
-            pretrained_model_name_or_path = args[0]
-        elif "pretrained_model_name_or_path" in kwargs:
-            pretrained_model_name_or_path = kwargs["pretrained_model_name_or_path"]
-        else:
-            return model
+        # Initialize model without loading weights
+        # Check if dataset_stats were provided in kwargs
+        dataset_stats = kwargs.get("dataset_stats")
+        model = cls(config=config, dataset_stats=dataset_stats)
 
         # Now manually load and remap the state dict
         try:
-            from transformers.utils import cached_file
-
             # Try to load the pytorch_model.bin or model.safetensors file
-            print(f"Loading model from: {pretrained_model_name_or_path}")
+            print(f"Loading model from: {pretrained_name_or_path}")
             try:
+                from transformers.utils import cached_file
+
                 # Try safetensors first
                 resolved_file = cached_file(
-                    pretrained_model_name_or_path,
+                    pretrained_name_or_path,
                     "model.safetensors",
                     cache_dir=kwargs.get("cache_dir"),
                     force_download=kwargs.get("force_download", False),
@@ -918,6 +927,7 @@ class PI0OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
                 print("✓ Loaded state dict from model.safetensors")
             except Exception as e:
                 print(f"Could not load state dict from remote files: {e}")
+                print("Returning model without loading pretrained weights")
                 return model
 
             # First, fix any pi key differences # see openpi `model.py, _fix_pytorch_state_dict_keys`
@@ -943,10 +953,10 @@ class PI0OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
             print(f"Total keys remapped: {remap_count}")
 
             # Load the remapped state dict into the model
-            missing_keys, unexpected_keys = model.load_state_dict(remapped_state_dict, strict=original_strict)
+            missing_keys, unexpected_keys = model.load_state_dict(remapped_state_dict, strict=strict)
 
             if missing_keys:
-                print(f"⚠️  Missing keys when loading state dict: {len(missing_keys)} keys")
+                print(f"Missing keys when loading state dict: {len(missing_keys)} keys")
                 if len(missing_keys) <= 5:
                     for key in missing_keys:
                         print(f"  - {key}")
@@ -956,7 +966,7 @@ class PI0OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
                     print(f"  ... and {len(missing_keys) - 5} more")
 
             if unexpected_keys:
-                print(f"⚠️  Unexpected keys when loading state dict: {len(unexpected_keys)} keys")
+                print(f"Unexpected keys when loading state dict: {len(unexpected_keys)} keys")
                 if len(unexpected_keys) <= 5:
                     for key in unexpected_keys:
                         print(f"  - {key}")
@@ -966,11 +976,10 @@ class PI0OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
                     print(f"  ... and {len(unexpected_keys) - 5} more")
 
             if not missing_keys and not unexpected_keys:
-                print("✅ All keys loaded successfully!")
+                print("All keys loaded successfully!")
 
         except Exception as e:
-            print(f"⚠️  Warning: Could not remap state dict keys: {e}")
-            print("Using default loading behavior")
+            print(f"Warning: Could not remap state dict keys: {e}")
 
         return model
 
@@ -991,14 +1000,22 @@ class PI0OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
                 r"paligemma_with_expert\.gemma_expert\.model\.layers\.\d+\.(input_layernorm|post_attention_layernorm)\.weight",
                 key,
             ):
-                # This key structure suggests old model without adaRMS - keep as is or skip
-                logging.warning(f"Skipping old layer norm key (no adaRMS support): {key}")
-                continue
+                # Check if the model actually has adaRMS enabled for the expert
+                expert_uses_adarms = getattr(
+                    self.model.paligemma_with_expert.gemma_expert.config, "use_adarms", False
+                )
+                if expert_uses_adarms:
+                    logging.warning(f"Skipping layer norm key (adaRMS mismatch): {key}")
+                    continue
 
             if re.match(r"paligemma_with_expert\.gemma_expert\.model\.norm\.weight", key):
-                # Skip old norm structure
-                logging.warning(f"Skipping old norm key (no adaRMS support): {key}")
-                continue
+                # Check if the model actually has adaRMS enabled for the expert
+                expert_uses_adarms = getattr(
+                    self.model.paligemma_with_expert.gemma_expert.config, "use_adarms", False
+                )
+                if expert_uses_adarms:
+                    logging.warning(f"Skipping norm key (adaRMS mismatch): {key}")
+                    continue
 
             # Handle MLP naming changes for pi0
             # non-pi05 model expects action_time_mlp_*, but checkpoint might have time_mlp_*
@@ -1245,7 +1262,7 @@ class PI0OpenPIPolicy(PreTrainedPolicy):
 
         # Action queue logic for n_action_steps > 1
         if len(self._action_queue) == 0:
-            actions = self.predict_action_chunk(batch, train=False)[:, : self.config.n_action_steps]
+            actions = self.predict_action_chunk(batch)[:, : self.config.n_action_steps]
             # Transpose to get shape (n_action_steps, batch_size, action_dim)
             self._action_queue.extend(actions.transpose(0, 1))
 
diff --git a/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/gemma/modeling_gemma.py b/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/gemma/modeling_gemma.py
index a3f6b5325..05066afc5 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/gemma/modeling_gemma.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/gemma/modeling_gemma.py
@@ -374,9 +374,8 @@ class GemmaDecoderLayer(GradientCheckpointingLayer):
         output_attentions: bool | None = False,
         use_cache: bool | None = False,
         cache_position: torch.LongTensor | None = None,
-        position_embeddings: (
-            None | tuple[torch.Tensor, torch.Tensor]
-        ) = None,  # necessary, but kept here for BC
+        position_embeddings: None
+        | (tuple[torch.Tensor, torch.Tensor]) = None,  # necessary, but kept here for BC
         adarms_cond: torch.Tensor | None = None,
         **kwargs: Unpack[FlashAttentionKwargs],
     ) -> tuple[torch.FloatTensor, tuple[torch.FloatTensor, torch.FloatTensor] | None]:
@@ -540,7 +539,7 @@ class GemmaModel(GemmaPreTrainedModel):
         # normalized
         # Gemma downcasts the below to float16, causing sqrt(3072)=55.4256 to become 55.5
         # See https://github.com/huggingface/transformers/pull/29402
-        normalizer = torch.tensor(self.config.hidden_size**0.5, dtype=hidden_states.dtype)  # noqa: F841
+        _normalizer = torch.tensor(self.config.hidden_size**0.5, dtype=hidden_states.dtype)
         # hidden_states = hidden_states * normalizer
 
         # decoder layers
diff --git a/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/paligemma/modeling_paligemma.py b/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/paligemma/modeling_paligemma.py
index feb709b5b..b2a36b5ca 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/paligemma/modeling_paligemma.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/paligemma/modeling_paligemma.py
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ class PaliGemmaModel(PaliGemmaPreTrainedModel):
 
         is_training = token_type_ids is not None and labels is not None
 
-        # Replace image id worth PAD if the image token if OOV, to avoid index-errors
+        # Replace image id with PAD if the image token if OOV, to avoid index-errors
         if input_ids is not None and self.config.image_token_id >= self.vocab_size:
             special_image_mask = input_ids == self.config.image_token_id
             llm_input_ids = input_ids.clone()
@@ -450,7 +450,7 @@ class PaliGemmaForConditionalGeneration(PaliGemmaPreTrainedModel, GenerationMixi
     def get_image_features(self, pixel_values):
         return self.model.get_image_features(pixel_values)
 
-    # Make modules available  conditional class for BC
+    # Make modules available through conditional class for BC
     @property
     def language_model(self):
         return self.model.language_model
diff --git a/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/check.py b/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/check.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d899dc1b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/check.py
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+import transformers
+
+
+def check_whether_transformers_replace_is_installed_correctly():
+    return transformers.__version__ == "4.53.2"
diff --git a/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/modeling_siglip.py b/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/modeling_siglip.py
index d0e634472..0fc0bba0f 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/modeling_siglip.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/policies/pi0_openpi/transformers_replace/models/siglip/modeling_siglip.py
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ def _trunc_normal_(tensor, mean, std, a, b):
 
     # Uniformly fill tensor with values from [l, u], then translate to
     # [2l-1, 2u-1].
-    tensor.uniform_(2 * l - 1, 2 * u - 1)
+    tensor.uniform_(2 * l - 1, 2 * u - 1)  # noqa: E741
 
     # Use inverse cdf transform for normal distribution to get truncated
     # standard normal
diff --git a/test_pi0_original_vs_lerobot.py b/test_pi0_original_vs_lerobot.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..68b62d110
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_pi0_original_vs_lerobot.py
@@ -0,0 +1,396 @@
+"""Test script to verify PI0OpenPI policy integration with LeRobot vs the original implementation."""
+
+import os
+
+import torch
+from openpi.models_pytorch import preprocessing_pytorch as openpi_preprocessing
+
+# NOTE: Assumes PYTHONPATH is set to include OpenPI src as per instructions.
+from openpi.models_pytorch.pi0_pytorch import PI0Pytorch
+from transformers import AutoTokenizer
+
+from lerobot.policies.pi0_openpi import PI0OpenPIConfig, PI0OpenPIPolicy
+
+DUMMY_ACTION_DIM = 32
+DUMMY_STATE_DIM = 32
+DUMMY_ACTION_HORIZON = 50
+DUMMY_MAX_TOKEN_LEN = 48  # Default for PI0 (non-pi05)
+DEVICE = "cpu"  # Use CPU to avoid memory issues for testing
+
+DUMMY_DATASET_STATS = {
+    "observation.state": {
+        "mean": torch.zeros(DUMMY_STATE_DIM),
+        "std": torch.ones(DUMMY_STATE_DIM),
+    },
+    "action": {
+        "mean": torch.zeros(DUMMY_ACTION_DIM),
+        "std": torch.ones(DUMMY_ACTION_DIM),
+    },
+    "images": {
+        "base_0_rgb": {
+            "mean": torch.zeros(3, 224, 224),
+            "std": torch.ones(3, 224, 224),
+        },
+        "left_wrist_0_rgb": {
+            "mean": torch.zeros(3, 224, 224),
+            "std": torch.ones(3, 224, 224),
+        },
+        "right_wrist_0_rgb": {
+            "mean": torch.zeros(3, 224, 224),
+            "std": torch.ones(3, 224, 224),
+        },
+    },
+}
+
+
+class PI0BaseOriginalConfig:
+    action_dim: int = DUMMY_ACTION_DIM
+    action_horizon: int = DUMMY_ACTION_HORIZON
+    paligemma_variant: str = "gemma_2b"
+    action_expert_variant: str = "gemma_300m"
+    precision: str = "float32"
+    pi05: bool = False
+    dtype: str = "float32"
+
+
+def instantiate_lerobot_pi0(from_pretrained: bool = False):
+    if from_pretrained:
+        # Load the policy first
+        policy = PI0OpenPIPolicy.from_pretrained(
+            pretrained_name_or_path="pepijn223/pi0_base_fp32", strict=True
+        )
+        # Then reinitialize the normalization with proper stats
+        from lerobot.policies.normalize import Normalize, Unnormalize
+
+        policy.normalize_inputs = Normalize(
+            policy.config.input_features, policy.config.normalization_mapping, DUMMY_DATASET_STATS
+        )
+        policy.normalize_targets = Normalize(
+            policy.config.output_features, policy.config.normalization_mapping, DUMMY_DATASET_STATS
+        )
+        policy.unnormalize_outputs = Unnormalize(
+            policy.config.output_features, policy.config.normalization_mapping, DUMMY_DATASET_STATS
+        )
+    else:
+        config = PI0OpenPIConfig(action_dim=DUMMY_ACTION_DIM, state_dim=DUMMY_STATE_DIM, dtype="float32")
+        policy = PI0OpenPIPolicy(config, DUMMY_DATASET_STATS)
+    policy.to(DEVICE)
+    return policy
+
+
+def instantiate_original_pi0(from_pretrained: bool = False, model_path: str = None):
+    config = PI0BaseOriginalConfig()
+    policy = PI0Pytorch(config)
+
+    if from_pretrained:
+        try:
+            print("Loading converted PyTorch weights from HuggingFace Hub (pepijn223/pi0_base_fp32)...")
+
+            # Download the model from HuggingFace Hub
+            import safetensors.torch
+            from huggingface_hub import snapshot_download
+
+            # Download the entire repository
+            if model_path and os.path.exists(model_path):
+                cache_dir = model_path
+                print(f"Using cached model from: {cache_dir}")
+            else:
+                cache_dir = snapshot_download(repo_id="pepijn223/pi0_base_fp32", repo_type="model")
+                print(f"Downloaded model to: {cache_dir}")
+
+            # Try to load safetensors format first
+            model_file = os.path.join(cache_dir, "model.safetensors")
+            if os.path.exists(model_file):
+                state_dict = safetensors.torch.load_file(model_file)
+                print(f"Loaded {len(state_dict)} parameters from safetensors")
+            else:
+                raise FileNotFoundError(f"No safetensors file found in {cache_dir}")
+
+            # Load the state dict into the model
+            missing_keys, unexpected_keys = policy.load_state_dict(state_dict, strict=False)
+
+            if missing_keys:
+                print(f"Missing keys: {len(missing_keys)}")
+                if len(missing_keys) <= 5:
+                    for key in missing_keys:
+                        print(f"    - {key}")
+                else:
+                    for key in missing_keys[:5]:
+                        print(f"    - {key}")
+                    print(f"    ... and {len(missing_keys) - 5} more")
+
+            if unexpected_keys:
+                print(f"Unexpected keys: {len(unexpected_keys)}")
+                if len(unexpected_keys) <= 5:
+                    for key in unexpected_keys:
+                        print(f"    - {key}")
+                else:
+                    for key in unexpected_keys[:5]:
+                        print(f"    - {key}")
+                    print(f"    ... and {len(unexpected_keys) - 5} more")
+
+            if not missing_keys and not unexpected_keys:
+                print("All pretrained weights loaded successfully!")
+            else:
+                print("Pretrained weights loaded with some missing/unexpected keys (this may be normal)")
+
+        except Exception as e:
+            print(f"Failed to load pretrained weights: {e}")
+            print("   Using randomly initialized weights...")
+            import traceback
+
+            traceback.print_exc()
+
+    policy.to(DEVICE)
+    return policy
+
+
+def create_dummy_data():
+    batch_size = 2  # Reduce batch size for testing
+    device = DEVICE
+
+    # Use the exact same prompt for both implementations
+    prompt = "Pick up the red block and place it in the bin"
+
+    batch = {
+        "observation.state": torch.randn(batch_size, DUMMY_STATE_DIM, dtype=torch.float32, device=device),
+        "action": torch.randn(
+            batch_size, DUMMY_ACTION_HORIZON, DUMMY_ACTION_DIM, dtype=torch.float32, device=device
+        ),
+        # Create images in [0, 1] range as expected by LeRobot (will be converted to [-1, 1] internally)
+        "observation.images.base_0_rgb": torch.rand(
+            batch_size, 3, 224, 224, dtype=torch.float32, device=device
+        ),
+        "observation.images.left_wrist_0_rgb": torch.rand(
+            batch_size, 3, 224, 224, dtype=torch.float32, device=device
+        ),
+        "observation.images.right_wrist_0_rgb": torch.rand(
+            batch_size, 3, 224, 224, dtype=torch.float32, device=device
+        ),
+        # Add the task prompt for LeRobot - provide as list with single element to trigger expansion
+        "task": [prompt],
+    }
+    return batch
+
+
+def extract_lerobot_processed_inputs(lerobot_pi0, batch):
+    """Extract the exact same processed inputs that LeRobot uses internally."""
+    # Get the tokenized language from LeRobot's internal method
+    lang_tokens, lang_masks = lerobot_pi0._tokenize_language(batch)
+
+    # Get the preprocessed images from LeRobot's internal method
+    images, img_masks = lerobot_pi0._preprocess_images(batch, train=False)
+
+    # Create dummy token_ar_mask and token_loss_mask for original implementation
+    token_ar_mask = torch.zeros_like(lang_tokens, dtype=torch.int32)
+    token_loss_mask = torch.ones_like(lang_masks, dtype=torch.bool)
+
+    return images, img_masks, lang_tokens, lang_masks, token_ar_mask, token_loss_mask
+
+
+class PI0Observation:
+    """Observation class that matches the original OpenPI format."""
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        state,
+        images,
+        image_masks,
+        tokenized_prompt,
+        tokenized_prompt_mask,
+        token_ar_mask,
+        token_loss_mask,
+    ):
+        self.state = state
+        self.images = images
+        self.image_masks = image_masks
+        self.tokenized_prompt = tokenized_prompt
+        self.tokenized_prompt_mask = tokenized_prompt_mask
+        self.token_ar_mask = token_ar_mask
+        self.token_loss_mask = token_loss_mask
+
+
+def create_original_observation_with_openpi_preprocessing(batch):
+    """Create observation object for OpenPI using OpenPI's own preprocessing."""
+    batch_size = batch["observation.state"].shape[0]
+    device = batch["observation.state"].device
+
+    # Create tokenizer for OpenPI (same as LeRobot uses)
+    tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("google/paligemma-3b-pt-224")
+
+    # Get task description
+    if "task" in batch:
+        tasks = batch["task"]
+        if isinstance(tasks, str):
+            tasks = [tasks]
+        elif isinstance(tasks, list) and len(tasks) == 1:
+            # Expand to batch size
+            tasks = tasks * batch_size
+    else:
+        # Default task if not provided
+        tasks = ["Pick up the object"] * batch_size
+
+    # Tokenize with max_length padding to match OpenPI's expected format
+    tokenized = tokenizer(
+        tasks,
+        padding="max_length",
+        padding_side="right",
+        truncation=True,
+        max_length=DUMMY_MAX_TOKEN_LEN,
+        return_tensors="pt",
+    )
+
+    lang_tokens = tokenized["input_ids"].to(device)
+    lang_masks = tokenized["attention_mask"].to(device, dtype=torch.bool)
+
+    # Create dummy token_ar_mask and token_loss_mask for OpenPI
+    token_ar_mask = torch.zeros_like(lang_tokens, dtype=torch.int32)
+    token_loss_mask = torch.ones_like(lang_masks, dtype=torch.bool)
+
+    # Convert LeRobot images format to OpenPI format (convert [0,1] to [-1,1] range)
+    image_dict = {
+        "base_0_rgb": batch["observation.images.base_0_rgb"] * 2.0 - 1.0,
+        "left_wrist_0_rgb": batch["observation.images.left_wrist_0_rgb"] * 2.0 - 1.0,
+        "right_wrist_0_rgb": batch["observation.images.right_wrist_0_rgb"] * 2.0 - 1.0,
+    }
+
+    # Create image masks (all ones for real images)
+    image_masks_dict = {}
+    for key in image_dict:
+        image_masks_dict[key] = torch.ones(batch_size, dtype=torch.bool, device=device)
+
+    # Create raw observation object (before preprocessing)
+    raw_observation = PI0Observation(
+        state=batch["observation.state"],
+        images=image_dict,
+        image_masks=image_masks_dict,
+        tokenized_prompt=lang_tokens,
+        tokenized_prompt_mask=lang_masks,
+        token_ar_mask=token_ar_mask,
+        token_loss_mask=token_loss_mask,
+    )
+
+    # Now use OpenPI's preprocessing
+    processed_obs = openpi_preprocessing.preprocess_observation_pytorch(raw_observation, train=False)
+
+    return processed_obs
+
+
+def create_original_observation_from_lerobot(lerobot_pi0, batch):
+    """Create observation object compatible with original OpenPI using the exact same inputs as LeRobot."""
+    _batch_size = batch["observation.state"].shape[0]
+    _device = batch["observation.state"].device
+
+    # Extract the exact same processed inputs that LeRobot uses
+    images, img_masks, lang_tokens, lang_masks, token_ar_mask, token_loss_mask = (
+        extract_lerobot_processed_inputs(lerobot_pi0, batch)
+    )
+
+    # Convert images list to dict with original OpenPI keys
+    image_dict = {
+        "base_0_rgb": images[0],
+        "left_wrist_0_rgb": images[1],
+        "right_wrist_0_rgb": images[2],
+    }
+
+    # Convert image masks list to dict with original OpenPI keys
+    image_masks_dict = {
+        "base_0_rgb": img_masks[0],
+        "left_wrist_0_rgb": img_masks[1],
+        "right_wrist_0_rgb": img_masks[2],
+    }
+
+    return PI0Observation(
+        state=batch["observation.state"],
+        images=image_dict,
+        image_masks=image_masks_dict,
+        tokenized_prompt=lang_tokens,
+        tokenized_prompt_mask=lang_masks,
+        token_ar_mask=token_ar_mask,
+        token_loss_mask=token_loss_mask,
+    )
+
+
+def main():
+    print("Initializing models...")
+    lerobot_pi0 = instantiate_lerobot_pi0(from_pretrained=True)  # Load pretrained LeRobot model
+    original_pi0 = instantiate_original_pi0(
+        from_pretrained=True
+    )  # Load pretrained OpenPI model from HuggingFace Hub
+
+    print("Creating dummy data...")
+    batch = create_dummy_data()
+
+    # Test 1: Each model with its own preprocessing (more realistic end-to-end test)
+    print("\n=== TEST 1: Each model with its own preprocessing ===")
+    print("Creating observation for OpenPI using OpenPI's own preprocessing...")
+    pi0_obs_openpi = create_original_observation_with_openpi_preprocessing(batch)
+
+    print(f"Task prompt: '{batch['task'][0]}'")
+    print(f"OpenPI tokenized prompt shape: {pi0_obs_openpi.tokenized_prompt.shape}")
+    print(f"OpenPI image shapes: {[img.shape for img in pi0_obs_openpi.images.values()]}")
+    print(f"OpenPI state shape: {pi0_obs_openpi.state.shape}")
+
+    print("Testing OpenPI with own preprocessing...")
+    original_pi0.eval()
+    torch.manual_seed(42)  # Set seed for reproducibility
+    batch_size = batch["observation.state"].shape[0]
+    noise_shape = (batch_size, DUMMY_ACTION_HORIZON, DUMMY_ACTION_DIM)
+    fixed_noise = torch.randn(noise_shape, dtype=torch.float32, device=DEVICE)
+
+    with torch.no_grad():
+        openpi_actions = original_pi0.sample_actions(
+            device=DEVICE, observation=pi0_obs_openpi, noise=fixed_noise, num_steps=10
+        )
+    print(f"OpenPI (own preprocessing) Actions shape: {openpi_actions.shape}")
+    print(f"OpenPI (own preprocessing) Actions mean: {openpi_actions.mean().item():.6f}")
+    print(f"OpenPI (own preprocessing) Actions std: {openpi_actions.std().item():.6f}")
+
+    print("Testing LeRobot with own preprocessing...")
+    lerobot_pi0.eval()
+    torch.manual_seed(42)  # Set the same seed
+    with torch.no_grad():
+        lerobot_actions_own = lerobot_pi0.predict_action_chunk(batch)
+    print(f"LeRobot (own preprocessing) Actions shape: {lerobot_actions_own.shape}")
+    print(f"LeRobot (own preprocessing) Actions mean: {lerobot_actions_own.mean().item():.6f}")
+    print(f"LeRobot (own preprocessing) Actions std: {lerobot_actions_own.std().item():.6f}")
+
+    print("\nComparing end-to-end implementations:")
+    print(f"Actions close (atol=1e-4): {torch.allclose(lerobot_actions_own, openpi_actions, atol=1e-4)}")
+    print(f"Actions close (atol=1e-2): {torch.allclose(lerobot_actions_own, openpi_actions, atol=1e-2)}")
+    print(f"Max absolute difference: {torch.abs(lerobot_actions_own - openpi_actions).max().item():.6f}")
+
+    # Test 2: Both models with LeRobot preprocessing (isolates model differences)
+    print("\n=== TEST 2: Both models with LeRobot preprocessing (model comparison) ===")
+    print("Creating observation for OpenPI using LeRobot's preprocessing...")
+    pi0_obs_lerobot = create_original_observation_from_lerobot(lerobot_pi0, batch)
+
+    print("Testing OpenPI with LeRobot preprocessing...")
+    torch.manual_seed(42)  # Set seed for reproducibility
+    with torch.no_grad():
+        openpi_actions_lerobot_preproc = original_pi0.sample_actions(
+            device=DEVICE, observation=pi0_obs_lerobot, noise=fixed_noise, num_steps=10
+        )
+    print(f"OpenPI (LeRobot preprocessing) Actions shape: {openpi_actions_lerobot_preproc.shape}")
+    print(f"OpenPI (LeRobot preprocessing) Actions mean: {openpi_actions_lerobot_preproc.mean().item():.6f}")
+    print(f"OpenPI (LeRobot preprocessing) Actions std: {openpi_actions_lerobot_preproc.std().item():.6f}")
+
+    print("\nComparing models with same preprocessing:")
+    print(
+        f"Actions close (atol=1e-4): {torch.allclose(lerobot_actions_own, openpi_actions_lerobot_preproc, atol=1e-4)}"
+    )
+    print(
+        f"Actions close (atol=1e-2): {torch.allclose(lerobot_actions_own, openpi_actions_lerobot_preproc, atol=1e-2)}"
+    )
+    print(
+        f"Max absolute difference: {torch.abs(lerobot_actions_own - openpi_actions_lerobot_preproc).max().item():.6f}"
+    )
+
+    print("\n=== SUMMARY ===")
+    print("Test 1 compares end-to-end pipelines (each model with its own preprocessing)")
+    print("Test 2 isolates model differences (both models with LeRobot preprocessing)")
+    print("Both tests completed successfully!")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()