feat: Make the image field optional in DGDRs (#6557)

Signed-off-by: Jont828 <jt572@cornell.edu>
Signed-off-by: Hannah Zhang <hannahz@nvidia.com>
Signed-off-by: hongkuanz <hongkuanz@nvidia.com>
Co-authored-by: Jont828 <jt572@cornell.edu>
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Hongkuan Zhou <tedzhouhk@gmail.com>

deploy/helm/charts/platform/components/operator/templates/webhook-ca-inject-job.yaml

@@ -247,13 +247,20 @@ spec:
             ]"
 
           echo "📝 Patching MutatingWebhookConfiguration..."
-          # Patch mutating webhook (DynamoGraphDeployment defaulting)
+          # Patch all mutating webhooks:
+          #   0: mdynamographdeployment.kb.io (DGD defaulting)
+          #   1: mdynamographdeploymentrequestv1beta1.kb.io (DGDR defaulting)
           kubectl patch mutatingwebhookconfiguration ${MUTATING_WEBHOOK_NAME} \
             --type='json' -p="[
               {
                 \"op\": \"add\",
                 \"path\": \"/webhooks/0/clientConfig/caBundle\",
                 \"value\": \"${CA_BUNDLE}\"
+              },
+              {
+                \"op\": \"add\",
+                \"path\": \"/webhooks/1/clientConfig/caBundle\",
+                \"value\": \"${CA_BUNDLE}\"
               }
             ]"
 

deploy/helm/charts/platform/components/operator/templates/webhook-configuration.yaml

@@ -221,4 +221,37 @@ webhooks:
     - dynamographdeployments
   sideEffects: None
   timeoutSeconds: {{ .Values.webhook.timeoutSeconds }}
+- admissionReviewVersions:
+  - v1
+  clientConfig:
+    {{- if and (not .Values.webhook.certManager.enabled) .Values.webhook.certificateSecret.external }}
+    {{- if .Values.webhook.caBundle }}
+    caBundle: {{ .Values.webhook.caBundle }}
+    {{- end }}
+    {{- end }}
+    service:
+      name: {{ include "dynamo-operator.fullname" . }}-webhook-service
+      namespace: {{ .Release.Namespace }}
+      path: /mutate-nvidia-com-v1beta1-dynamographdeploymentrequest
+  failurePolicy: {{ .Values.webhook.failurePolicy }}
+  name: mdynamographdeploymentrequestv1beta1.kb.io
+  {{- if .Values.webhook.namespaceSelector }}
+  namespaceSelector:
+    {{- toYaml .Values.webhook.namespaceSelector | nindent 4 }}
+  {{- else if .Values.namespaceRestriction.enabled }}
+  namespaceSelector:
+    matchLabels:
+      kubernetes.io/metadata.name: {{ .Release.Namespace }}
+  {{- end }}
+  rules:
+  - apiGroups:
+    - nvidia.com
+    apiVersions:
+    - v1beta1
+    operations:
+    - CREATE
+    resources:
+    - dynamographdeploymentrequests
+  sideEffects: None
+  timeoutSeconds: {{ .Values.webhook.timeoutSeconds }}
 

deploy/operator/api/v1beta1/dynamographdeploymentrequest_types.go

@@ -538,6 +538,13 @@ func (d *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest) GetPhase() DGDRPhase {
 	return d.Status.Phase
 }
 
+// GetState implements the observability.StateProvider interface, returning the
+// phase as a string so v1beta1 DGDRs can be counted by the resource counter
+// without registering a v1alpha1 cache informer.
+func (d *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest) GetState() string {
+	return string(d.Status.Phase)
+}
+
 // SetProfilingPhase updates the profiling sub-phase.
 func (d *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest) SetProfilingPhase(phase ProfilingPhase) {
 	d.Status.ProfilingPhase = phase

deploy/operator/cmd/main.go

@@ -552,6 +552,7 @@ func main() {
 
 	if err = (&controller.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestReconciler{
 		Client:        mgr.GetClient(),
+		APIReader:     mgr.GetAPIReader(),
 		Recorder:      mgr.GetEventRecorderFor("dynamographdeploymentrequest"),
 		Config:        operatorCfg,
 		RuntimeConfig: runtimeConfig,
@@ -622,8 +623,9 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
+	// Register the DGDR conversion webhook using the hub version (v1beta1).
 	if err = ctrl.NewWebhookManagedBy(mgr).
-		For(&nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest{}).
+		For(&nvidiacomv1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest{}).
 		Complete(); err != nil {
 		setupLog.Error(err, "unable to register conversion webhook", "webhook", "DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest-conversion")
 		os.Exit(1)
@@ -640,6 +642,12 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
+	dgdrDefaulter := webhookdefaulting.NewDGDRDefaulter(operatorVersion)
+	if err = dgdrDefaulter.RegisterWithManager(mgr); err != nil {
+		setupLog.Error(err, "unable to register webhook", "webhook", "DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest-defaulting")
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+
 	setupLog.Info("Defaulting webhooks registered successfully")
 	//+kubebuilder:scaffold:builder
 

deploy/operator/internal/controller/dynamographdeploymentrequest_controller.go

@@ -92,8 +92,7 @@ const (
 
 	// Volume paths
 	ProfilingOutputPath        = "/data"
-	ProfilingOutputFile        = "config_with_planner.yaml"
-	ProfilingOutputFileMocker  = "mocker_config_with_planner.yaml"
+	ProfilingOutputFile        = "final_config.yaml"
 	ProfilingConfigMountPath   = "/config"
 	ProfilingConfigDefaultKey  = "disagg.yaml"
 	DefaultModelCacheMountPath = "/opt/model-cache"
@@ -111,7 +110,7 @@ const (
 	MessageAICProfilingJobCreated    = "AIC profiling job created"
 	MessageProfilingInProgress       = "Profiling is in progress"
 	MessageSpecGenerated             = "DynamoGraphDeployment spec generated successfully"
-	MessageSpecAvailable             = "Generated spec is available in status.generatedDeployment"
+	MessageSpecAvailable             = "Generated spec is available in annotation nvidia.com/generated-dgd-spec"
 	MessageDeploymentCreated         = "DynamoGraphDeployment %s created successfully"
 	MessageDeploymentReady           = "DynamoGraphDeployment %s is ready"
 	MessageDeploymentDegraded        = "DynamoGraphDeployment %s degraded from Ready to %s"
@@ -222,13 +221,6 @@ data:
 EOF
 sed 's/^/    /' {{.OutputPath}}/{{.OutputFile}} >> /tmp/cm.yaml
 
-# Add mocker config (profiler always generates both real and mocker configs)
-if [ -f {{.OutputPath}}/{{.MockerOutputFile}} ]; then
-  echo "  {{.MockerOutputFile}}: |" >> /tmp/cm.yaml
-  sed 's/^/    /' {{.OutputPath}}/{{.MockerOutputFile}} >> /tmp/cm.yaml
-  echo "Added mocker config to ConfigMap"
-fi
-
 # Add profiler status file for debugging
 if [ -f {{.OutputPath}}/profiler_status.yaml ]; then
   echo "  profiler_status.yaml: |" >> /tmp/cm.yaml
@@ -245,6 +237,7 @@ echo "Saved profiling output to ConfigMap {{.ConfigMapName}}"
 // DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestReconciler reconciles a DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest object
 type DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestReconciler struct {
 	client.Client
+	APIReader     client.Reader
 	Recorder      record.EventRecorder
 	Config        *configv1alpha1.OperatorConfiguration
 	RuntimeConfig *commonController.RuntimeConfig
@@ -794,14 +787,7 @@ func isOnlineProfiling(_ *nvidiacomv1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest) bool {
 func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestReconciler) validateSpec(ctx context.Context, dgdr *nvidiacomv1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest) error {
 	var errs []error
 
-	// Validate image is specified (required for the profiling job container).
-	// Mirrors the webhook admission check so controller-side writes cannot bypass it.
-	if dgdr.Spec.Image == "" {
-		errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("spec.image is required"))
-	}
-
 	// Disallow searchStrategy: thorough with backend: auto.
-	// Mirrors the webhook admission check so controller-side writes cannot bypass it.
 	if dgdr.Spec.SearchStrategy == nvidiacomv1beta1.SearchStrategyThorough &&
 		dgdr.Spec.Backend == nvidiacomv1beta1.BackendTypeAuto {
 		errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf(
@@ -850,7 +836,7 @@ func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestReconciler) validateGPUHardwareInfo(ctx con
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	_, err := gpu.DiscoverGPUs(ctx, r.Client)
+	_, err := gpu.DiscoverGPUs(ctx, r.APIReader)
 	if err == nil {
 		// GPU discovery is available, validation passes
 		return nil
@@ -996,10 +982,15 @@ func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestReconciler) createProfilingJob(ctx context.
 		}
 
 		// Profiler args: pass the DGDR spec as JSON via --config
-		profilerArgs := []string{"--config", specJSON}
+		// --output-dir must match ProfilingOutputPath so the sidecar can find profiler_status.yaml
+		profilerArgs := []string{"--config", specJSON, "--output-dir", ProfilingOutputPath}
 
-		// Use image from spec
+		// Use image from spec; the defaulting webhook fills this in for production builds.
+		// Guard against empty image in case the webhook didn't run (e.g. local dev builds).
 		imageName := dgdr.Spec.Image
+		if imageName == "" {
+			return nil, false, fmt.Errorf("spec.image is required but not set; ensure the defaulting webhook ran or set spec.image explicitly")
+		}
 		logger.Info("Using profiler image", "image", imageName)
 
 		profilerContainer := corev1.Container{
@@ -1009,6 +1000,7 @@ func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestReconciler) createProfilingJob(ctx context.
 			Args:         profilerArgs,
 			Env:          profilerEnv,
 			VolumeMounts: volumeMounts,
+			WorkingDir:   "/workspace",
 		}
 
 		// Generate sidecar script from template
@@ -1021,7 +1013,6 @@ func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestReconciler) createProfilingJob(ctx context.
 		err = tmpl.Execute(&scriptBuf, map[string]string{
 			"OutputPath":    ProfilingOutputPath,
 			"OutputFile":    ProfilingOutputFile,
-			"MockerOutputFile": ProfilingOutputFileMocker,
 			"ConfigMapName": outputConfigMapName,
 			"Namespace":     dgdr.Namespace,
 			"DGDRName":      dgdr.Name,
@@ -1222,7 +1213,7 @@ func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestReconciler) enrichHardwareFromDiscovery(ctx
 		return nil // all fields already set by user
 	}
 
-	gpuInfo, err := gpu.DiscoverGPUs(ctx, r.Client)
+	gpuInfo, err := gpu.DiscoverGPUs(ctx, r.APIReader)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -1392,14 +1383,8 @@ func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestReconciler) generateDGDSpec(ctx context.Con
 	}
 
 	// Select the right config file based on mocker feature flag
-	// Profiler always generates both real and mocker configs
-	var outputFile string
-	if dgdr.Spec.Features != nil && dgdr.Spec.Features.Mocker != nil && dgdr.Spec.Features.Mocker.Enabled {
-		outputFile = ProfilingOutputFileMocker
-		logger.Info("Using mocker deployment config")
-	} else {
-		outputFile = ProfilingOutputFile
-	}
+	// Profiler writes the selected config (real or mocker) to a single output file
+	outputFile := ProfilingOutputFile
 
 	// Get YAML content from ConfigMap
 	yamlContent, exists := cm.Data[outputFile]

deploy/operator/internal/controller/dynamographdeploymentrequest_controller_test.go

@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ var _ = Describe("DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest Controller", func() {
 					Model:     "test-model",
 					Backend:   "vllm",
 					Image:     "test-profiler:latest",
+					AutoApply: true,
 					Hardware: &nvidiacomv1beta1.HardwareSpec{
 						NumGPUsPerNode: ptr.To[int32](8),
 						GPUSKU:         "H100-SXM5-80GB",
@@ -1061,6 +1062,7 @@ var _ = Describe("DGDR Error Handling", func() {
 		recorder = record.NewFakeRecorder(100)
 		reconciler = &DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestReconciler{
 			Client:    k8sClient,
+			APIReader: k8sClient,
 			Recorder:  recorder,
 			Config: &configv1alpha1.OperatorConfiguration{
 				Namespace: configv1alpha1.NamespaceConfiguration{
@@ -1862,6 +1864,7 @@ spec:
 					Model:     "test-model",
 					Backend:   "vllm",
 					Image:     "test-profiler:latest",
+					AutoApply: true,
 					Hardware: &nvidiacomv1beta1.HardwareSpec{
 						NumGPUsPerNode: ptr.To[int32](8),
 						GPUSKU:         "H100-SXM5-80GB",
@@ -1922,7 +1925,7 @@ spec:
 					Namespace: namespace,
 				},
 				Data: map[string]string{
-					ProfilingOutputFileMocker: dgdYAML,
+					ProfilingOutputFile: dgdYAML,
 				},
 			}
 			Expect(k8sClient.Create(ctx, cm)).Should(Succeed())

deploy/operator/internal/gpu/discovery.go

@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ type GPUInfo struct {
 //
 // This function requires cluster-wide node read permissions and expects nodes
 // to have GFD labels. If no nodes with GPU labels are found, it returns an error.
-func DiscoverGPUs(ctx context.Context, k8sClient client.Client) (*GPUInfo, error) {
+func DiscoverGPUs(ctx context.Context, k8sClient client.Reader) (*GPUInfo, error) {
 	logger := log.FromContext(ctx)
 	logger.Info("Starting GPU discovery from cluster nodes")
 

deploy/operator/internal/observability/resource_counter.go

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
 
 	"github.com/ai-dynamo/dynamo/deploy/operator/api/v1alpha1"
+	"github.com/ai-dynamo/dynamo/deploy/operator/api/v1beta1"
 	"github.com/ai-dynamo/dynamo/deploy/operator/internal/consts"
 )
 
@@ -159,7 +160,7 @@ func updateDynamoModelCounts(ctx context.Context, c client.Client, excludedNames
 }
 
 func updateDynamoGraphDeploymentRequestCounts(ctx context.Context, c client.Client, excludedNamespaces ExcludedNamespaces, logger logr.Logger) {
-	dgdrList := &v1alpha1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestList{}
+	dgdrList := &v1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestList{}
 	if err := c.List(ctx, dgdrList); err != nil {
 		logger.Error(err, "failed to list DynamoGraphDeploymentRequests")
 		return
@@ -168,7 +169,7 @@ func updateDynamoGraphDeploymentRequestCounts(ctx context.Context, c client.Clie
 		dgdrList.Items,
 		excludedNamespaces,
 		consts.ResourceTypeDynamoGraphDeploymentRequest,
-		func(d *v1alpha1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest) *v1alpha1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest { return d },
+		func(d *v1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest) *v1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest { return d },
 	)
 }
 

deploy/operator/internal/webhook/defaulting/dynamographdeploymentrequest_handler.go

+/*
+ * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2025-2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package defaulting
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+
+	nvidiacomv1beta1 "github.com/ai-dynamo/dynamo/deploy/operator/api/v1beta1"
+	admissionv1 "k8s.io/api/admission/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/manager"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/webhook/admission"
+)
+
+const (
+	dgdrDefaultingWebhookName = "dynamographdeploymentrequest-defaulting-webhook"
+	dgdrDefaultingWebhookPath = "/mutate-nvidia-com-v1beta1-dynamographdeploymentrequest"
+
+	// defaultImage is the default profiler image used when spec.image is not set.
+	// Default image derivation is only supported for public release versions (1.0.0+).
+	defaultImage = "nvcr.io/nvidia/ai-dynamo/dynamo-frontend"
+)
+
+// DGDRDefaulter is a mutating webhook handler that fills in default values for
+// DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest resources on CREATE.
+//
+// If spec.image is not set, it is derived as:
+//
+//	nvcr.io/nvidia/ai-dynamo/dynamo-frontend:<operatorVersion>
+//
+// Defaulting requires a known operator version and is only supported for
+// operator versions 1.0.0 and later.
+type DGDRDefaulter struct {
+	OperatorVersion string
+}
+
+// NewDGDRDefaulter creates a new DGDRDefaulter with the given operator version.
+func NewDGDRDefaulter(operatorVersion string) *DGDRDefaulter {
+	return &DGDRDefaulter{OperatorVersion: operatorVersion}
+}
+
+// Default implements admission.CustomDefaulter.
+// Only called on CREATE (the webhook is not registered for UPDATE).
+// If spec.image is not set, derives a default image from the backend and operator version.
+func (d *DGDRDefaulter) Default(ctx context.Context, obj runtime.Object) error {
+	logger := log.FromContext(ctx).WithName(dgdrDefaultingWebhookName)
+
+	dgdr, ok := obj.(*nvidiacomv1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest)
+	if !ok {
+		return fmt.Errorf("expected DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest but got %T", obj)
+	}
+
+	req, err := admission.RequestFromContext(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		logger.Error(err, "failed to get admission request from context, skipping defaulting")
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	if req.Operation == admissionv1.Create && dgdr.Spec.Image == "" {
+		if img := d.defaultImageFor(); img != "" {
+			dgdr.Spec.Image = img
+			logger.Info("defaulted spec.image from operator version",
+				"name", dgdr.Name,
+				"namespace", dgdr.Namespace,
+				"image", img,
+			)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// defaultImageFor returns the default image, or empty string when the operator version
+// is unknown (e.g. local dev builds), in which case the user must provide spec.image explicitly.
+func (d *DGDRDefaulter) defaultImageFor() string {
+	if d.OperatorVersion == "" || d.OperatorVersion == "unknown" {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", defaultImage, d.OperatorVersion)
+}
+
+// RegisterWithManager registers the DGDR defaulting webhook with the manager.
+func (d *DGDRDefaulter) RegisterWithManager(mgr manager.Manager) error {
+	webhook := admission.
+		WithCustomDefaulter(mgr.GetScheme(), &nvidiacomv1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest{}, d).
+		WithRecoverPanic(true)
+	mgr.GetWebhookServer().Register(dgdrDefaultingWebhookPath, webhook)
+	return nil
+}

deploy/operator/internal/webhook/defaulting/dynamographdeploymentrequest_handler_test.go

+/*
+ * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2025-2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package defaulting
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+
+	nvidiacomv1beta1 "github.com/ai-dynamo/dynamo/deploy/operator/api/v1beta1"
+	admissionv1 "k8s.io/api/admission/v1"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/webhook/admission"
+)
+
+func TestDGDRDefaulter_defaultImageFor(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name            string
+		operatorVersion string
+		expectedImage   string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:            "known version produces default image",
+			operatorVersion: "1.0.0",
+			expectedImage:   "nvcr.io/nvidia/ai-dynamo/dynamo-frontend:1.0.0",
+		},
+		{
+			name:            "pre-release version is valid",
+			operatorVersion: "1.0.0-rc1",
+			expectedImage:   "nvcr.io/nvidia/ai-dynamo/dynamo-frontend:1.0.0-rc1",
+		},
+		{
+			name:            "unknown operator version cannot be defaulted",
+			operatorVersion: "unknown",
+			expectedImage:   "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:            "empty operator version cannot be defaulted",
+			operatorVersion: "",
+			expectedImage:   "",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			d := NewDGDRDefaulter(tt.operatorVersion)
+			got := d.defaultImageFor()
+			if got != tt.expectedImage {
+				t.Errorf("defaultImageFor() = %q, want %q", got, tt.expectedImage)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func makeAdmissionCtx(op admissionv1.Operation) context.Context {
+	req := admission.Request{
+		AdmissionRequest: admissionv1.AdmissionRequest{
+			Operation: op,
+		},
+	}
+	return admission.NewContextWithRequest(context.Background(), req)
+}
+
+func TestDGDRDefaulter_Default(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name          string
+		version       string
+		operation     admissionv1.Operation
+		initialImage  string
+		expectedImage string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:          "CREATE with empty image defaults to operator version",
+			version:       "1.0.0",
+			operation:     admissionv1.Create,
+			initialImage:  "",
+			expectedImage: "nvcr.io/nvidia/ai-dynamo/dynamo-frontend:1.0.0",
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "CREATE with preset image is not overwritten",
+			version:       "1.0.0",
+			operation:     admissionv1.Create,
+			initialImage:  "my-registry/my-image:custom",
+			expectedImage: "my-registry/my-image:custom",
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "CREATE with unknown operator version leaves image empty",
+			version:       "unknown",
+			operation:     admissionv1.Create,
+			initialImage:  "",
+			expectedImage: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "UPDATE does not default image",
+			version:       "1.0.0",
+			operation:     admissionv1.Update,
+			initialImage:  "",
+			expectedImage: "",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			d := NewDGDRDefaulter(tt.version)
+			dgdr := &nvidiacomv1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "test", Namespace: "default"},
+				Spec:       nvidiacomv1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestSpec{Image: tt.initialImage},
+			}
+			ctx := makeAdmissionCtx(tt.operation)
+			if err := d.Default(ctx, dgdr); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("Default() unexpected error: %v", err)
+			}
+			if dgdr.Spec.Image != tt.expectedImage {
+				t.Errorf("after Default(): spec.image = %q, want %q", dgdr.Spec.Image, tt.expectedImage)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}

deploy/operator/internal/webhook/validation/dynamographdeploymentrequest.go

@@ -50,11 +50,6 @@ func NewDynamoGraphDeploymentRequestValidator(request *nvidiacomv1beta1.DynamoGr
 func (v *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestValidator) Validate() (admission.Warnings, error) {
 	var err error
 
-	// Validate image is specified (required for the profiling job container).
-	if v.request.Spec.Image == "" {
-		err = errors.Join(err, errors.New("spec.image is required"))
-	}
-
 	// Disallow searchStrategy: thorough with backend: auto.
 	// "thorough" sweeps more configurations and requires a concrete backend to be selected;
 	// "auto" defers backend selection and is only compatible with the "rapid" search strategy.
@@ -77,6 +72,7 @@ func (v *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestValidator) Validate() (admission.Warnings,
 
 // validateGPUHardwareInfo ensures GPU hardware information will be available for profiling.
 // Returns an error at admission time if GPU discovery is disabled and no manual hardware config is provided.
+// Also validates consistency of GPU range fields.
 func (v *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestValidator) validateGPUHardwareInfo() error {
 	// Check if manual hardware config is provided via typed spec.hardware fields.
 	var hasManualHardwareConfig bool

deploy/operator/internal/webhook/validation/dynamographdeploymentrequest_handler.go

@@ -94,22 +94,7 @@ func (h *DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestHandler) ValidateUpdate(ctx context.Context
 
 	// Create validator and perform validation
 	validator := NewDynamoGraphDeploymentRequestValidator(newRequest, h.isClusterWideOperator, h.gpuDiscoveryEnabled)
-
-	// Validate stateless rules
-	warnings, err := validator.Validate()
-	if err != nil {
-		return warnings, err
-	}
-
-	// Validate stateful rules (immutability)
-	updateWarnings, err := validator.ValidateUpdate(oldRequest)
-	if err != nil {
-		return updateWarnings, err
-	}
-
-	// Combine warnings
-	warnings = append(warnings, updateWarnings...)
-	return warnings, nil
+	return validator.ValidateUpdate(oldRequest)
 }
 
 // ValidateDelete validates a DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest delete request.

deploy/operator/internal/webhook/validation/dynamographdeploymentrequest_test.go

@@ -49,19 +49,7 @@ func TestDynamoGraphDeploymentRequestValidator_Validate(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			isClusterWide: true,
 		},
-		{
-			name: "missing image",
-			request: &nvidiacomv1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest{
-				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "test-dgdr", Namespace: "default"},
-				Spec: nvidiacomv1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestSpec{
-					Model:   "llama-3-8b",
-					Backend: nvidiacomv1beta1.BackendTypeVllm,
-					Image:   "",
-				},
-			},
-			isClusterWide: true,
-			errMsg:        "spec.image is required",
-		},
+
 		{
 			name: "thorough + auto is invalid",
 			request: &nvidiacomv1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest{
@@ -174,7 +162,7 @@ func TestDynamoGraphDeploymentRequestValidator_Validate(t *testing.T) {
 			errMsg:              "GPU hardware configuration required: GPU discovery is disabled",
 		},
 		{
-			name: "multiple errors (missing image and thorough+auto)",
+			name: "thorough+auto is invalid regardless of image",
 			request: &nvidiacomv1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequest{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "test-dgdr", Namespace: "default"},
 				Spec: nvidiacomv1beta1.DynamoGraphDeploymentRequestSpec{
@@ -185,7 +173,7 @@ func TestDynamoGraphDeploymentRequestValidator_Validate(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			},
 			isClusterWide: true,
-			errMsg:        "spec.image is required\nspec.searchStrategy",
+			errMsg:        "spec.searchStrategy",
 		},
 	}