[Python] UnslothGKDTrainer SyntaxError with Gemma 3: Missing unsloth_zoo Directory

UnslothGKDTrainer SyntaxError with Gemma 3: Missing unsloth_zoo Directory


I'm trying to fine tune Gemma 3 models (egodfred/gemma-3-finetune-text_to_sql, nadmozg/gemma-3-12b-it-sql-finetuned, google/gemma-3-4b-it) for SQL generation using Unsloth in a Conda environment, but I keep encountering a SyntaxError related to UnslothGKDTrainer.py. The file and its parent directory unsloth_zoo are missing, preventing me from importing unsloth.FastLanguageModel. I've tried multiple solutions, but none have resolved the issue. Any help or insights would be greatly appreciated!

Environment

• OS: Ubuntu 22.04
• Python: 3.10
• PyTorch: 2.5.1+cu121
• Transformers: 4.51.3
• Unsloth: 2025.5.4 (commit 17c976c)
• Other Dependencies: bitsandbytes==0.45.5, peft==0.13.0, accelerate==1.0.1, trl==0.11.4, pandas, tqdm, python-dotenv, openai
• Hardware: NVIDIA RTX 4090 (24GB VRAM)
• NVIDIA Driver: 566.24, CUDA 12.7

Error Messages


When running:

from unsloth import FastLanguageModel
print('Unsloth imported successfully')


I get:

Unsloth: Will patch your computer to enable 2x faster free finetuning.
Unsloth Zoo will now patch everything to make training faster!
Standard import failed for UnslothGKDTrainer: non-default argument follows default argument (UnslothGKDTrainer.py, line 621). Using tempfile instead!
Standard import failed for UnslothGKDTrainer: non-default argument follows default argument (UnslothGKDTrainer.py, line 621). Using spec.loader.exec_module instead!
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/home/ubuntu2022/miniconda/envs/cu121torch251/lib/python3.10/site-packages/unsloth_zoo/compiler.py", line 391, in create_new_function
new_module, old_path = import_module(compile_folder, name)
File "/home/ubuntu2022/miniconda/envs/cu121torch251/lib/python3.10/site-packages/unsloth_zoo/compiler.py", line 386, in import_module
new_module = importlib.import_module(name)
...
File "/home/ubuntu2022/unsloth_compiled_cache/UnslothGKDTrainer.py", line 621
sft_args,
^^^^^^^^
SyntaxError: non-default argument follows default argument

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:
...
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
File "/home/ubuntu2022/miniconda/envs/cu121torch251/lib/python3.10/site-packages/unsloth/__init__.py", line 247, in <module>
from .models import *
...
File "/home/ubuntu2022/miniconda/envs/cu121torch251/lib/python3.10/site-packages/unsloth_zoo/compiler.py", line 418, in create_new_function
raise RuntimeError(f"Direct module loading failed for {name}: {e}")
RuntimeError: Direct module loading failed for UnslothGKDTrainer: non-default argument follows default argument (UnslothGKDTrainer.py, line 621)

Problem Details

• The error suggests a syntax issue in UnslothGKDTrainer.py (line 621), likely a function (e.g., __init__) with a non-default argument (sft_args) following a default argument (model=None).
• The file UnslothGKDTrainer.py is missing from ~/miniconda/envs/cu121torch251/lib/python3.10/site-packages/unsloth_zoo/.
• The entire unsloth_zoo directory is missing in both the installed package and the cloned repository (~/unsloth_repo/unsloth).
• The error references cached files (/home/ubuntu2022/unsloth_compiled_cache/UnslothGKDTrainer.py), but these are inaccessible or dynamically generated.

Solutions Tried

1. 
   Reinstalled Unsloth Multiple Times:
   
   • Command:
     pip install --no-cache-dir "unsloth[colab-new] @ git+https://github.com/unslothai/unsloth.git"
   • Result: Always resolves to commit 17c976c (~March 2025), installs unsloth-2025.5.4 and unsloth_zoo-2025.5.6, but unsloth_zoo directory is missing.
2. 
   Cleared Caches and Package Files:
   
   • Commands:
     rm -rf ~/unsloth_compiled_cache
     rm -rf /tmp/unsloth_compiled_cache
     rm -rf ~/miniconda/envs/cu121torch251/lib/python3.10/site-packages/unsloth*
     rm -rf ~/miniconda/envs/cu121torch251/lib/python3.10/site-packages/unsloth_zoo*
   • Result: Removed cached files, but reinstalling Unsloth still lacks unsloth_zoo.
3. 
   Recreated Conda Environment:
   
   • Removed cu127torch251 and created cu121torch251:
     conda env remove -n cu127torch251
     conda create -n cu121torch251 python=3.10 -y
     pip install torch==2.5.1+cu121 torchvision==0.20.1+cu121 torchaudio==2.5.1+cu121 --index-url https://download.pytorch.org/whl/cu121
     pip install --no-cache-dir "unsloth[colab-new] @ git+https://github.com/unslothai/unsloth.git" transformers==4.51.3 bitsandbytes==0.45.5 peft==0.13.0 accelerate==1.0.1 trl==0.11.4 pandas tqdm python-dotenv openai
   • Result: Fresh environment, but unsloth_zoo still missing.
4. 
   Cloned Unsloth Repository:
   
   • Command:
     git clone https://github.com/unslothai/unsloth.git ~/unsloth_repo/unsloth
     cd ~/unsloth_repo/unsloth
     ls unsloth_zoo/
   • Result: No such file or directory. Top-level structure:
     CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md CONTRIBUTING.md LICENSE README.md images/ pyproject.toml tests/ unsloth/ unsloth-cli.py
   • No unsloth_zoo or UnslothGKDTrainer.py.
5. 
   Checked for Alternative Files:
   
   • Command:
     find . -name "UnslothGKDTrainer.py" -o -name "*GKDTrainer.py" -o -name "*Trainer.py"
   • Result: No matching files in the repository.
6. 
   Tried Patching (Not Possible):
   
   • Planned to patch UnslothGKDTrainer.py to reorder arguments, but the file is missing.

Questions

• Has unsloth_zoo been removed or relocated in Unsloth (v2025.5.4 or main branch)? If so, how can I resolve the SyntaxError?
• Are there specific commits post-March 2025 (post-17c976c) that restore unsloth_zoo or fix the SyntaxError?
• I’ve checked Unsloth issues on GitHub, but no recent reports match this exact problem.

Any suggestions, fixes, or pointers to relevant commits would be greatly appreciated! I can share more details (e.g., script snippets) if needed.

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