mirror of https://github.com/astral-sh/uv
115 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
115 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
# Tools
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Tools are Python packages that provide command-line interfaces. Tools can be invoked without installation using `uvx`, in which case their dependencies are installed in a temporary virtual environment isolated from the current project. Alternatively, tools can be installed with `uv tool install`, in which case their executables are placed in the `PATH` — an isolated virtual environment is still used but it is not treated as disposable.
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!!! note
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See the [tools guide](./guides/tools.md) for an introduction to working with the tools interface — this document discusses details of tool management.
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## Tool environments
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Tools are installed into virtual environments which are created in the uv tools directory. When running tools with `uvx` or `uv tool run`, the virtual environments are stored in the uv cache directory and are treated as disposable.
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### Tools directory
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By default, the uv tools directory is named `tools` and is in the uv application state directory, e.g., `~/.local/share/uv/tools`. The location may be customized with the `UV_TOOL_DIR` environment variable.
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To display the path to the tool installation directory:
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```console
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$ uv tool dir
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```
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Tool environments are placed in a directory with the same name as the tool package, e.g., `.../tools/<name>`.
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### Mutating tool environments
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Tool environments are _not_ intended to be mutated directly. It is strongly recommended never to mutate a tool environment manually with a `pip` operation.
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Tool environments may be either mutated or re-created by subsequent `uv tool install` operations.
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To upgrade a single package in a tool environment:
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```console
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$ uv tool install black --upgrade-package click
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```
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To upgrade all packages in a tool environment
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```console
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$ uv tool install black --upgrade
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```
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To reinstall a single package in a tool environment:
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```console
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$ uv tool install black --reinstall-package click
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```
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To reinstall all packages in a tool environment
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```console
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$ uv tool install black --reinstall
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```
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All tool environment mutations will reinstall the tool executables, even if they have not changed.
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### Including additional dependencies
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Additional packages can be included during tool invocations and installations:
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```console
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$ uvx --with <extra-package> <tool-package>
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```
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```console
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$ uv tool install --with <extra-package> <tool-package>
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```
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The `--with` option can be provided multiple times to include additional packages.
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The `--with` option supports package specifications, so a specific version can be requested:
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```console
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$ uvx --with <extra-package>==<version> <tool-package>
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```
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If the requested version conflicts with the requirements of the tool package, package resolution will fail and the command will error.
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## Tool executables
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Tool executables are all console entry points, script entry points, and binary scripts provided by a Python package. Tool executables are symlinked into the `bin` directory on Unix and copied on Windows.
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### `bin` directory
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Executables are installed into the user's `bin` directory following the XDG standard, e.g., `~/.local/bin`. Unlike other directory schemes in uv, the XDG standard is used on _all platforms_ notably including Windows and macOS — there is no clear alternative location to place executables on these platforms. The installation directory is determined from the first available environment variable:
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- `$XDG_BIN_HOME`
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- `$XDG_DATA_HOME/../bin`
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- `$HOME/.local/bin`
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Executables provided by dependencies of tool packages are not installed.
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### The `PATH`
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The `bin` directory must be in the `PATH` variable for tool executables to be available from the shell. If it is not in the `PATH`, a warning will be displayed. The `uv tool update-shell` command can be used to add the `bin` directory to the `PATH` in common shell configuration files.
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### Overriding executables
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Installation of tools will not overwrite executables in the `bin` directory that were not previously installed by uv. For example, if `pipx` has been used to install a tool, `uv tool install` will fail. The `--force` flag can be used to override this behavior.
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## `uv tool run` vs `uv run`
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The invocation `uv tool run <name>` is nearly equivalent to:
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```console
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$ uv run --isolated --with <name> -- <name>
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```
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However, there are a couple notable differences when using uv's tool interface:
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- The `--with` option is not needed — the required package is inferred from the command name.
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- The temporary environment is cached in a dedicated location.
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- The `--isolated` flag is not needed — tools are always run isolated from the project.
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- If a tool is already installed, `uv tool run` will use the installed version but `uv run` will not.
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