Adding a New Algorithm to Tator¶
This guide will help you get started with a simple RetinaNet Tator-integrated workflow.
To register a new algorithm (workflow) in Tator, follow the steps below.
Algorithms are defined as Argo Workflows and must be registered through the Tator web interface
under the project's Algorithms section. You will need the mldevops user account and access
to the mantis.shore.mbari.org web interface.
How It Works¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Tator Platform │
│ │
│ User selects images → Clicks algorithm in context menu │
└──────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┘
│
│ Launches Argo Workflow with params:
│ - project_id
│ - media_ids (comma-separated image IDs)
│ - host (Tator server URL)
│ - rest_token (API auth)
▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Argo Workflow (K8s) │
│ │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Container: retinanet-tator:latest │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ 1. Read env vars (PROJECT_ID, MEDIA_IDS, etc.) │ │
│ │ 2. Connect to Tator API │ │
│ │ 3. Download images from Tator │ │
│ │ 4. Run Detectron2 inference on each image │ │
│ │ 5. Upload bounding boxes to Tator │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ┘ │
└──────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┘
│
│ Results (localizations)
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Tator Platform │
│ │
│ Images now have bounding box annotations │
│ - Class labels (80 COCO classes) │
│ - Confidence scores │
│ - Per-image detections │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Install an algorithm¶
Open the Project Settings¶
Navigate to your project on mantis.shore.mbari.org and click the ⚙️ Settings icon in the left sidebar to open the project administration panel.
Navigate to the Algorithms Section¶
In the project settings panel, scroll down and select Algorithms from the left-hand navigation menu to view the list of currently registered algorithms. If this is a new project, the list will be empty as shown below.
Click the ➕ Add new button in the Algorithms panel to open the algorithm registration form.
Fill in the required fields for the new algorithm:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | A unique, human-readable name for the algorithm |
| Description | (Optional) Brief description of what the algorithm does |
| Cluster | Select the cluster where the algorithm will be run |
| Files per job | Number of media files processed per workflow job |
Upload the Algorithm Manifest¶
Upload the Argo Workflow manifest for the algorithm, then click Save. That's it!
The algorithm will now be listed in the media.
Note
If you need to update an existing algorithm, click the ✏️ Edit icon next to its name in the Algorithms list and modify the manifest or parameters as needed.
🗓️ Updated: 2026-08-25