fix(edit-dataset): align root with LeRobotDataset v2 semantics

AI_POLICY.md

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# AI Usage Policy
+
+The LeRobot project welcomes contributions from everyone, and we have a few guidelines regarding AI usage to ensure high code quality, clear communication, and a healthy open-source ecosystem:
+
+- **Please disclose significant AI assistance.** If you used AI tools (e.g., Copilot, Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT) to generate a substantial portion of your code or text, let us know in your PR description. Transparency helps us review your changes more effectively.
+- **Own your code (The Human-in-the-Loop).** You must fully understand all the changes you are proposing. If you cannot explain what your AI-assisted code does or how it interacts with LeRobot's broader architecture, please take the time to learn and test it before submitting.
+- **Keep issues and discussions focused.** You are welcome to use AI to help draft issues or PR descriptions, but please review and edit them carefully before posting. AI can often be overly verbose; trimming the noise and getting straight to the point helps our maintainers address your needs faster.
+
+Our core maintainers also use AI tools to aid their workflows, but they do so while bringing deep contextual knowledge of the LeRobot codebase to validate the output. We ask all contributors to apply that same level of rigor.
+
+## Remember the Human Maintainers
+
+Please remember that LeRobot is maintained by a dedicated team of humans.
+
+Every discussion, issue, and pull request is read and reviewed by real people. While AI tools can generate thousands of lines of code in seconds, reviewing that code still takes human time and energy. Submitting unverified or low-effort AI output puts an unfair burden on our maintainers.
+
+Today, the quality of the AI output still heavily depends on the developer driving the tool. We ask that you respect our maintainers' time by thoroughly vetting, testing, and refining your submissions.
+
+## AI is Welcome Here
+
+LeRobot operates at the cutting edge of AI and robotics, and many of our maintainers actively embrace AI coding assistants as valuable productivity tools. We are a pro-AI project!
+
+Our reason for having an AI policy is not an anti-AI stance. Rather, it exists to ensure that AI is used to enhance human contributions, not replace them with unverified noise. It's about how the tools are used, not the tools themselves.
+
+We value the unique human insight you bring to the LeRobot community. Let AI empower your workflow, but always let your own judgment take the wheel.

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 Everyone is welcome to contribute, and we value everybody's contribution. Code is not the only way to help the community. Answering questions, helping others, reaching out, and improving the documentation are immensely valuable.
 
-Whichever way you choose to contribute, please be mindful to respect our [code of conduct](./CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).
+Whichever way you choose to contribute, please be mindful to respect our [code of conduct](./CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) and our [AI policy](./AI_POLICY.md).
 
 ## Ways to Contribute
 

pyproject.toml

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ discord = "https://discord.gg/s3KuuzsPFb"
 
 [project]
 name = "lerobot"
-version = "0.4.4"
+version = "0.4.5"
 description = "🤗 LeRobot: State-of-the-art Machine Learning for Real-World Robotics in Pytorch"
 dynamic = ["readme"]
 license = { text = "Apache-2.0" }

src/lerobot/scripts/lerobot_edit_dataset.py

@@ -19,7 +19,9 @@ Edit LeRobot datasets using various transformation tools.
 
 This script allows you to delete episodes, split datasets, merge datasets,
 remove features, modify tasks, and convert image datasets to video format.
-When new_repo_id is specified, creates a new dataset.
+
+Path semantics (v2): --root and --new_root are exact dataset folders containing
+meta/, data/, videos/. When omitted, defaults to $HF_LEROBOT_HOME/{repo_id}.
 
 Usage Examples:
 
@@ -29,10 +31,18 @@ Delete episodes 0, 2, and 5 from a dataset:
         --operation.type delete_episodes \
         --operation.episode_indices "[0, 2, 5]"
 
-Delete episodes and save to a new dataset:
+Delete episodes from a local dataset at a specific path:
+    lerobot-edit-dataset \
+        --repo_id lerobot/pusht \
+        --root /data/lerobot/pusht \
+        --operation.type delete_episodes \
+        --operation.episode_indices "[0, 2, 5]"
+
+Delete episodes and save to a new dataset at a specific path:
     lerobot-edit-dataset \
         --repo_id lerobot/pusht \
         --new_repo_id lerobot/pusht_filtered \
+        --new_root /data/lerobot/pusht_filtered \
         --operation.type delete_episodes \
         --operation.episode_indices "[0, 2, 5]"
 
@@ -42,6 +52,13 @@ Split dataset by fractions:
         --operation.type split \
         --operation.splits '{"train": 0.8, "val": 0.2}'
 
+Split dataset by fractions with custom output base directory:
+    lerobot-edit-dataset \
+        --repo_id lerobot/pusht \
+        --new_root /data/splits \
+        --operation.type split \
+        --operation.splits '{"train": 0.8, "val": 0.2}'
+
 Split dataset by episode indices:
     lerobot-edit-dataset \
         --repo_id lerobot/pusht \
@@ -54,12 +71,27 @@ Split into more than two splits:
         --operation.type split \
         --operation.splits '{"train": 0.6, "val": 0.2, "test": 0.2}'
 
-Merge multiple datasets:
+Merge multiple datasets (from Hub or default cache):
     lerobot-edit-dataset \
         --repo_id lerobot/pusht_merged \
         --operation.type merge \
         --operation.repo_ids "['lerobot/pusht_train', 'lerobot/pusht_val']"
 
+Merge local datasets with explicit paths:
+    lerobot-edit-dataset \
+        --repo_id lerobot/pusht_merged \
+        --operation.type merge \
+        --operation.repo_ids "['lerobot/pusht_train', 'lerobot/pusht_val']" \
+        --operation.roots "['/data/pusht_train', '/data/pusht_val']"
+
+Merge local datasets with custom output path:
+    lerobot-edit-dataset \
+        --repo_id lerobot/pusht_merged \
+        --new_root /output/merged \
+        --operation.type merge \
+        --operation.repo_ids "['lerobot/pusht_train', 'lerobot/pusht_val']" \
+        --operation.roots "['/data/pusht_train', '/data/pusht_val']"
+
 Remove camera feature:
     lerobot-edit-dataset \
         --repo_id lerobot/pusht \
@@ -88,8 +120,8 @@ Modify tasks - set default task with overrides for specific episodes (WARNING: m
 Convert image dataset to video format and save locally:
     lerobot-edit-dataset \
         --repo_id lerobot/pusht_image \
-        --operation.type convert_image_to_video \
-        --operation.output_dir /path/to/output/pusht_video
+        --new_root /path/to/output/pusht_video \
+        --operation.type convert_image_to_video
 
 Convert image dataset to video format and save with new repo_id:
     lerobot-edit-dataset \
@@ -167,6 +199,8 @@ class SplitConfig(OperationConfig):
 @dataclass
 class MergeConfig(OperationConfig):
     repo_ids: list[str] | None = None
+    # Per-dataset exact folder paths. Must match repo_ids length when provided.
+    roots: list[str] | None = None
 
 
 @OperationConfig.register_subclass("remove_feature")
@@ -208,26 +242,35 @@ class InfoConfig(OperationConfig):
 class EditDatasetConfig:
     repo_id: str
     operation: OperationConfig
+    # Exact dataset folder (containing meta/, data/, videos/). If None, defaults to HF_LEROBOT_HOME/{repo_id}.
     root: str | None = None
     new_repo_id: str | None = None
+    # Exact output dataset folder. If None, derived from new_repo_id or in-place.
+    new_root: str | None = None
     push_to_hub: bool = False
 
 
-def get_output_path(repo_id: str, new_repo_id: str | None, root: Path | None) -> tuple[str, Path]:
-    if new_repo_id:
+def get_output_path(
+    input_root: Path,
+    new_repo_id: str | None,
+    new_root: Path | None,
+    default_repo_id: str,
+) -> tuple[str, Path]:
+    if new_root:
+        output_repo_id = new_repo_id or default_repo_id
+        output_dir = new_root
+    elif new_repo_id:
         output_repo_id = new_repo_id
-        output_dir = root / new_repo_id if root else HF_LEROBOT_HOME / new_repo_id
+        output_dir = HF_LEROBOT_HOME / new_repo_id
     else:
-        output_repo_id = repo_id
-        dataset_path = root / repo_id if root else HF_LEROBOT_HOME / repo_id
-        old_path = Path(str(dataset_path) + "_old")
+        output_repo_id = default_repo_id
+        output_dir = input_root
+        backup_path = input_root.with_name(input_root.name + "_old")
 
-        if dataset_path.exists():
-            if old_path.exists():
-                shutil.rmtree(old_path)
-            shutil.move(str(dataset_path), str(old_path))
-
-        output_dir = dataset_path
+        if input_root.exists():
+            if backup_path.exists():
+                shutil.rmtree(backup_path)
+            shutil.move(str(input_root), str(backup_path))
 
     return output_repo_id, output_dir
 
@@ -241,11 +284,14 @@ def handle_delete_episodes(cfg: EditDatasetConfig) -> None:
 
     dataset = LeRobotDataset(cfg.repo_id, root=cfg.root)
     output_repo_id, output_dir = get_output_path(
-        cfg.repo_id, cfg.new_repo_id, Path(cfg.root) if cfg.root else None
+        input_root=dataset.root,
+        new_repo_id=cfg.new_repo_id,
+        new_root=Path(cfg.new_root) if cfg.new_root else None,
+        default_repo_id=cfg.repo_id,
     )
 
-    if cfg.new_repo_id is None:
-        dataset.root = Path(str(dataset.root) + "_old")
+    if output_dir == dataset.root:
+        dataset.root = dataset.root.with_name(dataset.root.name + "_old")
 
     logging.info(f"Deleting episodes {cfg.operation.episode_indices} from {cfg.repo_id}")
     new_dataset = delete_episodes(
@@ -275,16 +321,20 @@ def handle_split(cfg: EditDatasetConfig) -> None:
     dataset = LeRobotDataset(cfg.repo_id, root=cfg.root)
 
     logging.info(f"Splitting dataset {cfg.repo_id} with splits: {cfg.operation.splits}")
-    split_datasets = split_dataset(dataset, splits=cfg.operation.splits)
+    split_output_dir = Path(cfg.new_root) if cfg.new_root else None
+    split_datasets = split_dataset(
+        dataset,
+        splits=cfg.operation.splits,
+        output_dir=split_output_dir,
+    )
 
     for split_name, split_ds in split_datasets.items():
-        split_repo_id = f"{cfg.repo_id}_{split_name}"
         logging.info(
             f"{split_name}: {split_ds.meta.total_episodes} episodes, {split_ds.meta.total_frames} frames"
         )
 
         if cfg.push_to_hub:
-            logging.info(f"Pushing {split_name} split to hub as {split_repo_id}")
+            logging.info(f"Pushing {split_name} split to hub as {split_ds.repo_id}")
             LeRobotDataset(split_ds.repo_id, root=split_ds.root).push_to_hub()
 
 
@@ -298,10 +348,19 @@ def handle_merge(cfg: EditDatasetConfig) -> None:
     if not cfg.repo_id:
         raise ValueError("repo_id must be specified as the output repository for merged dataset")
 
-    logging.info(f"Loading {len(cfg.operation.repo_ids)} datasets to merge")
-    datasets = [LeRobotDataset(repo_id, root=cfg.root) for repo_id in cfg.operation.repo_ids]
+    if cfg.operation.roots:
+        if len(cfg.operation.roots) != len(cfg.operation.repo_ids):
+            raise ValueError("operation.roots and operation.repo_ids must have the same length")
+        logging.info(f"Loading {len(cfg.operation.roots)} local datasets to merge")
+        datasets = [
+            LeRobotDataset(repo_id, root=root)
+            for repo_id, root in zip(cfg.operation.repo_ids, cfg.operation.roots, strict=True)
+        ]
+    else:
+        logging.info(f"Loading {len(cfg.operation.repo_ids)} datasets to merge")
+        datasets = [LeRobotDataset(repo_id) for repo_id in cfg.operation.repo_ids]
 
-    output_dir = Path(cfg.root) / cfg.repo_id if cfg.root else HF_LEROBOT_HOME / cfg.repo_id
+    output_dir = Path(cfg.new_root) if cfg.new_root else HF_LEROBOT_HOME / cfg.repo_id
 
     logging.info(f"Merging datasets into {cfg.repo_id}")
     merged_dataset = merge_datasets(
@@ -329,11 +388,14 @@ def handle_remove_feature(cfg: EditDatasetConfig) -> None:
 
     dataset = LeRobotDataset(cfg.repo_id, root=cfg.root)
     output_repo_id, output_dir = get_output_path(
-        cfg.repo_id, cfg.new_repo_id, Path(cfg.root) if cfg.root else None
+        input_root=dataset.root,
+        new_repo_id=cfg.new_repo_id,
+        new_root=Path(cfg.new_root) if cfg.new_root else None,
+        default_repo_id=cfg.repo_id,
     )
 
-    if cfg.new_repo_id is None:
-        dataset.root = Path(str(dataset.root) + "_old")
+    if output_dir == dataset.root:
+        dataset.root = dataset.root.with_name(dataset.root.name + "_old")
 
     logging.info(f"Removing features {cfg.operation.feature_names} from {cfg.repo_id}")
     new_dataset = remove_feature(
@@ -361,9 +423,10 @@ def handle_modify_tasks(cfg: EditDatasetConfig) -> None:
     if new_task is None and episode_tasks_raw is None:
         raise ValueError("Must specify at least one of new_task or episode_tasks for modify_tasks operation")
 
-    # Warn about in-place modification behavior
-    if cfg.new_repo_id is not None:
-        logging.warning("modify_tasks modifies datasets in-place. The --new_repo_id parameter is ignored.")
+    if cfg.new_repo_id is not None or cfg.new_root is not None:
+        logging.warning(
+            "modify_tasks modifies datasets in-place. The --new_repo_id and --new_root parameters are ignored."
+        )
 
     dataset = LeRobotDataset(cfg.repo_id, root=cfg.root)
     logging.warning(f"Modifying dataset in-place at {dataset.root}. Original data will be overwritten.")
@@ -399,31 +462,24 @@ def handle_convert_image_to_video(cfg: EditDatasetConfig) -> None:
     dataset = LeRobotDataset(cfg.repo_id, root=cfg.root)
 
     # Determine output directory and repo_id
-    # Priority: 1) new_repo_id, 2) operation.output_dir, 3) auto-generated name
+    # Priority: 1) new_root, 2) new_repo_id, 3) operation.output_dir, 4) auto-generated name
     output_dir_config = getattr(cfg.operation, "output_dir", None)
 
-    if cfg.new_repo_id:
-        # Use new_repo_id for both local storage and hub push
+    if cfg.new_root:
+        output_dir = Path(cfg.new_root)
+        output_repo_id = cfg.new_repo_id or f"{cfg.repo_id}_video"
+        logging.info(f"Saving to {output_dir} as {output_repo_id}")
+    elif cfg.new_repo_id:
         output_repo_id = cfg.new_repo_id
-        # Place new dataset as a sibling to the original dataset
-        # Get the parent of the actual dataset root (not cfg.root which might be the lerobot cache dir)
-        # Extract just the dataset name (after last slash) for the local directory
-        local_dir_name = cfg.new_repo_id.split("/")[-1]
-        output_dir = dataset.root.parent / local_dir_name
+        output_dir = HF_LEROBOT_HOME / cfg.new_repo_id
         logging.info(f"Saving to new dataset: {cfg.new_repo_id} at {output_dir}")
     elif output_dir_config:
-        # Use custom output directory for local-only storage
         output_dir = Path(output_dir_config)
-        # Extract repo name from output_dir for the dataset
         output_repo_id = output_dir.name
         logging.info(f"Saving to local directory: {output_dir}")
     else:
-        # Auto-generate name: append "_video" to original repo_id
         output_repo_id = f"{cfg.repo_id}_video"
-        # Place new dataset as a sibling to the original dataset
-        # Extract just the dataset name (after last slash) for the local directory
-        local_dir_name = output_repo_id.split("/")[-1]
-        output_dir = dataset.root.parent / local_dir_name
+        output_dir = HF_LEROBOT_HOME / output_repo_id
         logging.info(f"Saving to auto-generated location: {output_dir}")
 
     logging.info(f"Converting dataset {cfg.repo_id} to video format")