January 2026 monthly summary for ROCm/aiter focusing on stabilizing runtime dependencies to improve import reliability and cross-environment consistency. Implemented a runtime dependency fix by declaring 'packaging' in install_requires in setup.py to address ModuleNotFoundError when packaging isn't pre-installed. The change follows Issue-1830 and corresponds to commit 1b1e589ffaf3b8c06af45cb0ca107cf839024525, which patches setup.py to include runtime packaging.

December 2025: Consolidated reliability of Python executable detection in the ONNX build system. Addressed a critical bug in get_python_execute that could select the system Python instead of the active runtime Python in virtual environments and containerized builds, causing build and packaging failures when Python versions diverged. Implemented a robust detection sequence that prioritizes sys.executable when valid, with a safe fallback to include-path-based search. Added a clear docstring to explain behavior and edge cases, reducing the risk of regressions. The change was delivered in a focused commit and aligns with the ongoing effort to improve cross-environment compatibility across virtual environments, containers, and custom Python installations.