Skip repeated directories in `PATH` when searching for Python interpreters (#12367)

Closes https://github.com/astral-sh/uv/issues/12302

The change is visible in [this
commit](49be22dad9).

Cargo.lock

@@ -5526,6 +5526,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "reqwest-middleware",
  "reqwest-retry",
  "rmp-serde",
+ "rustc-hash",
  "same-file",
  "schemars",
  "serde",

crates/uv-python/Cargo.toml

@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ reqwest = { workspace = true }
 reqwest-middleware = { workspace = true }
 reqwest-retry = { workspace = true }
 rmp-serde = { workspace = true }
+rustc-hash = { workspace = true }
 same-file = { workspace = true }
 schemars = { workspace = true, optional = true }
 serde = { workspace = true, features = ["derive"] }

crates/uv-python/src/discovery.rs

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 use itertools::{Either, Itertools};
 use regex::Regex;
+use rustc_hash::{FxBuildHasher, FxHashSet};
 use same_file::is_same_file;
 use std::env::consts::EXE_SUFFIX;
 use std::fmt::{self, Debug, Formatter};
@@ -496,6 +497,7 @@ fn python_executables_from_search_path<'a>(
     // check multiple names per directory while respecting the search path order and python names
     // precedence.
     let search_dirs: Vec<_> = env::split_paths(&search_path).collect();
+    let mut seen_dirs = FxHashSet::with_capacity_and_hasher(search_dirs.len(), FxBuildHasher);
     search_dirs
         .into_iter()
         .filter(|dir| dir.is_dir())
@@ -506,6 +508,18 @@ fn python_executables_from_search_path<'a>(
                 "Checking `PATH` directory for interpreters: {}",
                 dir.display()
             );
+            same_file::Handle::from_path(&dir)
+                // Skip directories we've already seen, to avoid inspecting interpreters multiple
+                // times when directories are repeated or symlinked in the `PATH`
+                .map(|handle| seen_dirs.insert(handle))
+                .inspect(|fresh_dir| {
+                    if !fresh_dir {
+                        trace!("Skipping already seen directory: {}", dir.display());
+                    }
+                })
+                // If we cannot determine if the directory is unique, we'll assume it is
+                .unwrap_or(true)
+                .then(|| {
                     possible_names
                         .clone()
                         .into_iter()
@@ -520,7 +534,9 @@ fn python_executables_from_search_path<'a>(
                         })
                         .chain(find_all_minor(implementation, version, &dir_clone))
                         .filter(|path| !is_windows_store_shim(path))
-                .inspect(|path| trace!("Found possible Python executable: {}", path.display()))
+                        .inspect(|path| {
+                            trace!("Found possible Python executable: {}", path.display());
+                        })
                         .chain(
                             // TODO(zanieb): Consider moving `python.bat` into `possible_names` to avoid a chain
                             cfg!(windows)
@@ -534,6 +550,9 @@ fn python_executables_from_search_path<'a>(
                                 .flatten(),
                         )
                 })
+                .into_iter()
+                .flatten()
+        })
 }
 
 /// Find all acceptable `python3.x` minor versions.

crates/uv/tests/it/python_list.rs

@@ -280,3 +280,71 @@ fn python_list_unsupported_version() {
     error: Invalid version request: Python <3.13 does not support free-threading but 3.12t was requested.
     ");
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn python_list_duplicate_path_entries() {
+    let context: TestContext = TestContext::new_with_versions(&["3.11", "3.12"])
+        .with_filtered_python_symlinks()
+        .with_filtered_python_keys();
+
+    // Construct a `PATH` with all entries duplicated
+    let path = std::env::join_paths(
+        std::env::split_paths(&context.python_path())
+            .chain(std::env::split_paths(&context.python_path())),
+    )
+    .unwrap();
+
+    uv_snapshot!(context.filters(), context.python_list().env(EnvVars::UV_TEST_PYTHON_PATH, &path), @r"
+    success: true
+    exit_code: 0
+    ----- stdout -----
+    cpython-3.12.[X]-[PLATFORM]     [PYTHON-3.12]
+    cpython-3.11.[X]-[PLATFORM]    [PYTHON-3.11]
+
+    ----- stderr -----
+    ");
+
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    {
+        // Construct a `PATH` with symlinks
+        let path = std::env::join_paths(std::env::split_paths(&context.python_path()).chain(
+            std::env::split_paths(&context.python_path()).map(|path| {
+                let dst = format!("{}-link", path.display());
+                fs_err::os::unix::fs::symlink(&path, &dst).unwrap();
+                std::path::PathBuf::from(dst)
+            }),
+        ))
+        .unwrap();
+
+        uv_snapshot!(context.filters(), context.python_list().env(EnvVars::UV_TEST_PYTHON_PATH, &path), @r"
+            success: true
+            exit_code: 0
+            ----- stdout -----
+            cpython-3.12.[X]-[PLATFORM]     [PYTHON-3.12]
+            cpython-3.11.[X]-[PLATFORM]    [PYTHON-3.11]
+
+            ----- stderr -----
+            ");
+
+        // Reverse the order so the symlinks are first
+        let path = std::env::join_paths(
+            {
+                let mut paths = std::env::split_paths(&path).collect::<Vec<_>>();
+                paths.reverse();
+                paths
+            }
+            .iter(),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+
+        uv_snapshot!(context.filters(), context.python_list().env(EnvVars::UV_TEST_PYTHON_PATH, &path), @r"
+        success: true
+        exit_code: 0
+        ----- stdout -----
+        cpython-3.12.[X]-[PLATFORM]     [PYTHON-3.12]-link/python3
+        cpython-3.11.[X]-[PLATFORM]    [PYTHON-3.11]-link/python3
+
+        ----- stderr -----
+        ");
+    }
+}