uv

name

uv

description

Use this skill when working with Python projects, packages, scripts, environments, or dependencies using uv. Activates on mentions of uv, uv add, uv sync, uv run, uv lock, uv init, uv build, uv publish, uv export, uv python, uvx, uv tool, uv pip, uv venv, uv workspace, uv audit, uv version, pyproject.toml dependencies, Python package management, Python project setup, dependency lockfile, or virtual environments.

uv: Python Package & Project Manager

uv replaces pip, pip-tools, pipx, pyenv, virtualenv, and poetry. Written in Rust, 10-100x faster than alternatives. It is stable production software; minor versions can contain breaking changes, while patch releases are intended to be non-breaking.

Snapshot: v0.11.11, May 2026. The installed binary outranks this file. Run uv --version first, and uv <command> --help whenever a flag here doesn't land. The local install is often behind, and commands documented below (notably uv audit, preview-gated since 0.10) may simply not exist yet.

Workflow Decision Tree

What are you doing?
├─ Running a standalone script? ──────────────────── Scripts workflow
│  (single .py file, no project context needed)
├─ Working in a project with pyproject.toml? ─────── Projects workflow
│  (adding deps, running commands, building)
├─ Running a CLI tool (ruff, ty, pytest)? ────────── Tools workflow
│  (one-off execution, not project-scoped)
├─ Managing Python versions? ─────────────────────── Python workflow
│  (installing, pinning, upgrading interpreters)
├─ Legacy requirements.txt workflow? ─────────────── Pip interface
│  (no pyproject.toml, existing req files)
└─ Building/publishing a package? ────────────────── Build/Publish workflow
   (sdist, wheel, PyPI upload)

Critical rule: If pyproject.toml exists, use project commands (uv add, uv sync, uv run). Never uv pip install in a project, it bypasses the lockfile.

Projects

Initialization

uv init                              # App (main.py, no build system)
uv init --lib                        # Library (src/ layout, uv_build backend, py.typed)
uv init --package                    # Packaged app (src/ layout, entry points)
uv init --build-backend uv_build     # Explicit backend choice
uv init --build-backend maturin      # Rust extension module
uv init --python 3.13                # Specific Python version
uv init --bare                       # pyproject.toml only

Dependency Management

uv add httpx                         # Add to project.dependencies
uv add httpx --dev                   # Add to dependency-groups.dev
uv add httpx --group lint            # Add to dependency-groups.lint
uv add httpx --optional network      # Add to project.optional-dependencies.network
uv add -r requirements.txt           # Import from requirements file
uv remove httpx                      # Remove dependency

# Version bounds (configurable default via add-bounds setting)
uv add 'httpx>=0.27'                 # Lower bound (default behavior)
uv add 'httpx~=0.27.0'              # Compatible release

Dependency Groups (PEP 735)

[dependency-groups]
dev = ["pytest>=8", "ruff"]
lint = ["ruff"]
test = ["pytest", {include-group = "lint"}]  # Nest groups

[tool.uv]
default-groups = ["dev", "lint"]  # Synced by default

Sync & Run

uv sync                              # Install from lockfile
uv sync --locked                     # Error if lockfile stale (use in CI)
uv sync --frozen                     # Use lockfile as-is, no update
uv sync --no-dev                     # Skip dev dependencies
uv sync --all-extras                 # All optional dependencies
uv sync --all-groups                 # All dependency groups
uv sync --group lint                 # Include specific group
uv sync --no-install-project         # Deps only (Docker layer caching)
uv sync --inexact                    # Don't remove extraneous packages

uv run pytest                        # Run in project environment
uv run --with hypothesis pytest      # Ad-hoc extra dependency
uv run -p 3.12 pytest                # Specific Python version

Locking

uv lock                              # Resolve and lock dependencies
uv lock --upgrade                    # Upgrade all to latest compatible
uv lock --upgrade-package httpx      # Upgrade specific package
uv lock --check                      # Verify lockfile current (CI)
uv lock --resolution lowest          # Minimum compatible versions

Export

uv export --format requirements-txt  # requirements.txt
uv export --format pylock-toml       # PEP 751 (preview)

Scripts (PEP 723)

Single-file scripts with inline dependency metadata. Scripts with metadata run in complete isolation, project dependencies are ignored even inside a project directory.

#!/usr/bin/env -S uv run --script
# /// script
# requires-python = ">=3.12"
# dependencies = ["httpx", "rich>=13"]
# [tool.uv]
# exclude-newer = "2026-03-01T00:00:00Z"
# ///

import httpx

uv run script.py                     # Run with inline deps
uv add --script script.py 'click'    # Add dep to script metadata
uv lock --script script.py           # Create script.py.lock
uv init --script example.py          # Create script with metadata template
echo 'print("hi")' | uv run -       # Read from stdin

Tools

uvx ruff check .                     # Run tool in isolated env
uvx ruff@0.15.12 check .            # Specific version
uvx --from 'httpie' http             # Package name differs from command
uvx --python 3.12 ruff              # With specific Python

uv tool install ruff                 # Persistent install to PATH
uv tool upgrade --all                # Upgrade all installed tools
uv tool list --outdated              # Show available updates (0.10.10+)

Key distinction: uvx creates isolated environments, tools are CLI-only, not importable. For tools needing project context (pytest, mypy), use uv run inside a project.

Python Management

uv python install 3.13               # Install latest patch
uv python install 3.13t              # Free-threaded (no GIL)
uv python install pypy               # PyPy implementation
uv python upgrade 3.13               # Upgrade to latest patch (0.10.0+)
uv python pin 3.13                   # Create .python-version
uv python list --only-installed      # Show installed versions

Preference Setting	Behavior
managed (default)	Prefer uv-installed Python
only-managed	Never use system Python
system	Prefer system Python
only-system	Never use managed Python

Workspaces

# Root pyproject.toml
[tool.uv.workspace]
members = ["packages/*"]
exclude = ["packages/experimental"]

[tool.uv.sources]
my-lib = { workspace = true }

Key behaviors:

• Single lockfile across all members
• Single requires-python: intersection of all members
• Workspace members are always editable
• Root tool.uv.sources apply to all members unless overridden
• Config in uv.toml is read only from workspace root, member-level config is ignored

uv workspace dir                     # Print workspace root
uv workspace list                    # List members
uv run --package my-lib pytest       # Run in specific member context
uv build --package my-lib            # Build specific member

Virtual workspaces (no root package):

[tool.uv]
package = false

[tool.uv.workspace]
members = ["packages/*"]

Publishing

uv version                           # Read current version
uv version --bump minor              # 1.0.0 -> 1.1.0
uv version --bump patch --dry-run    # Preview change
uv build                             # Build sdist + wheel
uv build --list                      # Preview included files
uv publish                           # Publish to PyPI
uv publish --token pypi-xxx          # With API token
uv publish --index testpypi          # Custom registry
uv publish --check-url https://pypi.org/simple/  # Skip if exists

Trusted publishing (GitHub Actions, no credentials):

permissions:
  id-token: write
steps:
  - run: uv build && uv publish

Preview Features (0.10+)

Enable with --preview or UV_PREVIEW=1, or selectively with --preview-features:

Feature	Flag	Description
uv audit	--preview	Security vulnerability scanning (OSV database)
uv format	format	Code formatting via Ruff
pylock	pylock	Install from pylock.toml (PEP 751)
native-auth	native-auth	System keychain credentials

uv audit --preview                   # Scan for vulnerabilities

Configuration Quick Reference

Precedence: CLI flags > env vars > project uv.toml > project pyproject.toml [tool.uv] > user ~/.config/uv/uv.toml > system /etc/uv/uv.toml

In a workspace, config search starts at workspace root. uv.toml takes precedence over pyproject.toml in the same directory.

Setting	Default	Purpose
required-version	-	Enforce uv version (PEP 440)
add-bounds	"lower"	Default bounds for uv add
compile-bytecode	false	Compile .pyc on install
fork-strategy	"requires-python"	Resolution fork behavior
exclude-newer	-	Date/duration cutoff for reproducibility
environments	[]	Limit lockfile platforms
torch-backend	-	PyTorch backend (cpu/cu126/auto)
default-groups	["dev"]	Groups installed by default

.env file support: uv run automatically loads .env files. Control with --env-file or UV_NO_ENV_FILE=1.

For full configuration reference, see references/configuration.md. For Docker and CI/CD patterns, see references/docker-ci.md. For dependency resolution deep dive, see references/resolution.md.

Non-Obvious Gotchas

Gotcha	Explanation
uv pip install in a project	Bypasses lockfile and pyproject.toml. Use uv add instead
Scripts with metadata ignore project	Even inside a project dir, PEP 723 scripts run in isolation
--locked vs --frozen	--locked errors on stale lockfile; --frozen silently uses whatever's there
uv venv needs --clear (0.10+)	No longer auto-removes existing venvs
tool.uv.sources stripped on publish	Sources are development-only; published packages use project.dependencies
Workspace config inheritance	Member-level uv.toml is ignored; only workspace root config applies
link-mode in Docker	Must use copy with cache mounts (hardlinks fail across filesystem boundaries)
exclude-newer accepts durations	"30 days", "1 week", "PT24H", not just RFC 3339 timestamps
uv run uses inexact sync	Won't remove extraneous packages by default; use --exact to enforce

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Fix
pip install / python -m pip in uv project	uv add <package> for deps, uv run for commands
python script.py	uv run script.py (ensures correct environment)
python -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate	uv run <command> (auto-manages venv)
Manual requirements.txt for new projects	uv init + uv add + uv.lock
uv pip compile for project deps	uv lock (universal resolution)
uv tool install pytest	uv add --dev pytest + uv run pytest (project-scoped)
uvx for project-scoped tools	uv run <tool> (picks up project context)

What This Skill is NOT

• Not a replacement for reading uv --help for flag discovery
• Not for Poetry/PDM projects (those have their own lock formats)
• Not for building C/Rust extensions (see uv-build skill for backend limitations)
• Not for ruff/ty configuration (see dedicated ruff and ty skills)