UV Package Manager Skill

Master UV for blazing-fast Python package management, virtual environment creation, and modern Python project workflows.

When to Use This Skill

Use UV package manager when you need:

Fast dependency installation - 10-100x faster than pip
Virtual environment management - Create and manage venvs effortlessly
Project initialization - Start new Python projects quickly
Dependency resolution - Reliable, reproducible dependency trees
Lock file management - Ensure consistent environments across machines
Python version management - Install and switch Python versions

Avoid when:

Legacy systems requiring pip compatibility (rare)
Conda-based scientific computing environments
Docker images with pre-installed pip workflows

Installation

# Linux/macOS
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Windows (PowerShell)
powershell -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

# Homebrew
brew install uv

# pip (if needed)
pip install uv

Core Capabilities

1. Project Initialization

Create a new Python project:

# Initialize new project with pyproject.toml
uv init my-project
cd my-project

# Initialize in current directory
uv init

# Initialize with specific Python version
uv init --python 3.11

Project structure created:

my-project/
├── .python-version      # Python version lock
├── pyproject.toml       # Project configuration
├── README.md            # Project readme
└── src/
    └── my_project/
        └── __init__.py

2. Virtual Environment Management

Create and activate virtual environments:

# Create venv (default .venv directory)
uv venv

# Create with specific Python version
uv venv --python 3.11

# Create with custom name
uv venv .venv-test

# Activate (Linux/macOS)
source .venv/bin/activate

# Activate (Windows)
.venv\Scripts\activate

# Activate (Git Bash on Windows)
source .venv/Scripts/activate

List available Python versions:

# List installed Python versions
uv python list

# Install specific Python version
uv python install 3.12

# Pin Python version for project
uv python pin 3.11

3. Dependency Management

Add dependencies:

# Add a single package
uv add pandas

# Add multiple packages
uv add numpy scipy matplotlib

# Add with version constraints
uv add "pandas>=2.0,<3.0"

# Add development dependencies
uv add --dev pytest pytest-cov ruff

# Add optional dependencies
uv add --optional ml tensorflow torch

# Add from git repository
uv add git+https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Add local package in editable mode
uv add --editable ../my-local-package

Remove dependencies:

# Remove a package
uv remove pandas

# Remove dev dependency
uv remove --dev pytest

Sync dependencies:

# Install all dependencies from pyproject.toml
uv sync

# Sync including dev dependencies
uv sync --dev

# Sync with optional dependencies
uv sync --extra ml

# Sync all extras
uv sync --all-extras

4. Lock File Management

Understanding uv.lock:

# Lock file is auto-generated on uv add/sync
# Contains exact versions for reproducibility

# Regenerate lock file
uv lock

# Lock with specific Python version
uv lock --python 3.11

# Update all dependencies to latest
uv lock --upgrade

# Update specific package
uv lock --upgrade-package pandas

Lock file structure:

# uv.lock (auto-generated, do not edit manually)
version = 1
requires-python = ">=3.9"

[[package]]
name = "pandas"
version = "2.2.0"
source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
dependencies = [
    { name = "numpy" },
    { name = "python-dateutil" },
    { name = "pytz" },
]

5. Running Scripts and Commands

Run Python scripts:

# Run script with project dependencies
uv run python script.py

# Run module
uv run python -m pytest

# Run with specific Python version
uv run --python 3.11 python script.py

Run tools:

# Run pytest
uv run pytest tests/

# Run ruff for linting
uv run ruff check src/

# Run black for formatting
uv run black src/

# Run any CLI tool
uv run mypy src/

6. pip Compatibility Mode

Use UV as a pip replacement:

# Install packages (pip syntax)
uv pip install pandas numpy

# Install from requirements.txt
uv pip install -r requirements.txt

# Install in editable mode
uv pip install -e .

# Compile requirements
uv pip compile requirements.in -o requirements.txt

# Sync environment
uv pip sync requirements.txt

# Freeze installed packages
uv pip freeze > requirements.txt

# Show package info
uv pip show pandas

Complete Examples

Example 1: New Project Setup

#!/bin/bash
# setup_project.sh - Initialize a new Python project with UV

PROJECT_NAME=${1:-"my-project"}

# Create and enter project
uv init "$PROJECT_NAME"
cd "$PROJECT_NAME"

# Pin Python version
uv python pin 3.11

# Add core dependencies
uv add pandas numpy pyyaml click

# Add dev dependencies
uv add --dev pytest pytest-cov ruff mypy black isort

# Add visualization (optional)
uv add --optional viz plotly matplotlib

# Create project structure
mkdir -p src/"${PROJECT_NAME//-/_}" tests data docs

# Create __init__.py
touch src/"${PROJECT_NAME//-/_}"/__init__.py

# Create test file
cat > tests/test_example.py << 'EOF'
def test_import():
    """Test that package can be imported."""
    import sys
    assert 'my_project' in sys.modules or True
EOF

# Create .gitignore
cat > .gitignore << 'EOF'
.venv/
__pycache__/
*.pyc
.pytest_cache/
.mypy_cache/
.ruff_cache/
dist/
*.egg-info/
.coverage
htmlcov/
EOF

# Run tests to verify setup
uv run pytest tests/ -v

echo "Project $PROJECT_NAME initialized successfully!"
echo "Activate with: source .venv/bin/activate"

Example 2: Migrate from pip to UV

#!/bin/bash
# migrate_to_uv.sh - Migrate existing project to UV

# Backup existing requirements
cp requirements.txt requirements.txt.bak 2>/dev/null || true

# Initialize UV project (if pyproject.toml doesn't exist)
if [ ! -f pyproject.toml ]; then
    uv init --no-readme
fi

# Add dependencies from requirements.txt
if [ -f requirements.txt ]; then
    echo "Migrating dependencies from requirements.txt..."

    # Parse and add each dependency
    while IFS= read -r line; do
        # Skip comments and empty lines
        [[ "$line" =~ ^#.*$ ]] && continue
        [[ -z "$line" ]] && continue

        # Add dependency
        uv add "$line" 2>/dev/null || echo "Skipped: $line"
    done < requirements.txt
fi

# Add dev dependencies from requirements-dev.txt
if [ -f requirements-dev.txt ]; then
    echo "Migrating dev dependencies..."

    while IFS= read -r line; do
        [[ "$line" =~ ^#.*$ ]] && continue
        [[ -z "$line" ]] && continue
        uv add --dev "$line" 2>/dev/null || echo "Skipped: $line"
    done < requirements-dev.txt
fi

# Sync to ensure everything is installed
uv sync --dev

echo "Migration complete! Review pyproject.toml and uv.lock"

Example 3: CI/CD Pipeline with UV

# .github/workflows/ci.yml
name: CI

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        python-version: ["3.10", "3.11", "3.12"]

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Install UV
        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4
        with:
          version: "latest"

      - name: Set up Python
        run: uv python install ${{ matrix.python-version }}

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: uv sync --dev

      - name: Run linting
        run: uv run ruff check src/

      - name: Run type checking
        run: uv run mypy src/

      - name: Run tests
        run: uv run pytest tests/ --cov=src --cov-report=xml

      - name: Upload coverage
        uses: codecov/codecov-action@v4
        with:
          files: ./coverage.xml

  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    needs: test
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Install UV
        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4

      - name: Build package
        run: uv build

      - name: Upload artifacts
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: dist
          path: dist/

Example 4: Multi-Environment Management

#!/bin/bash
# manage_envs.sh - Manage multiple Python environments

# Function to create environment for specific Python version
create_env() {
    local py_version=$1
    local env_name=".venv-py${py_version//./}"

    echo "Creating environment for Python $py_version..."
    uv venv "$env_name" --python "$py_version"

    # Install dependencies
    source "$env_name/bin/activate"
    uv sync
    deactivate

    echo "Created: $env_name"
}

# Create environments for multiple Python versions
create_env 3.10
create_env 3.11
create_env 3.12

# Run tests across all environments
echo "Running tests across environments..."
for env in .venv-py*; do
    echo "Testing with $env..."
    source "$env/bin/activate"
    uv run pytest tests/ -q
    deactivate
done

Example 5: Workspace-Hub Project Setup

#!/bin/bash
# setup_workspace_project.sh - Setup project following workspace-hub patterns

PROJECT_NAME=${1:-"new-project"}
TEMPLATE_REPO="workspace-hub/pyproject-starter"

# Initialize with UV
uv init "$PROJECT_NAME"
cd "$PROJECT_NAME"

# Pin Python version (match workspace-hub standard)
uv python pin 3.11

# Add workspace-hub standard dependencies
uv add \
    pyyaml \
    pandas \
    numpy \
    plotly \
    click

# Add standard dev dependencies
uv add --dev \
    pytest \
    pytest-cov \
    ruff \
    mypy \
    black \
    isort \
    deepdiff

# Create workspace-hub directory structure
mkdir -p \
    src/"${PROJECT_NAME//-/_}" \
    tests \
    docs \
    data/raw \
    data/processed \
    data/results \
    reports \
    config \
    scripts

# Create standard files
touch src/"${PROJECT_NAME//-/_}"/__init__.py

# Create conftest.py for pytest
cat > tests/conftest.py << 'EOF'
"""Pytest configuration and fixtures."""
import pytest
from pathlib import Path

@pytest.fixture
def project_root():
    """Return project root directory."""
    return Path(__file__).parent.parent

@pytest.fixture
def data_dir(project_root):
    """Return data directory."""
    return project_root / "data"

@pytest.fixture
def test_data_dir(project_root):
    """Return test data directory."""
    return project_root / "tests" / "data"
EOF

# Create CLAUDE.md for AI development
cat > CLAUDE.md << 'EOF'
# Project Configuration

## Development Commands

```bash
# Install dependencies
uv sync --dev

# Run tests
uv run pytest tests/ -v

# Run linting
uv run ruff check src/

# Run formatting
uv run black src/ tests/
uv run isort src/ tests/

# Run type checking
uv run mypy src/

Project Structure

src/ - Source code
tests/ - Test files
docs/ - Documentation
data/ - Data files (raw, processed, results)
reports/ - Generated HTML reports
config/ - Configuration files EOF

echo "Project $PROJECT_NAME created with workspace-hub patterns!"


## Best Practices

### 1. Version Pinning

```bash
# Always pin Python version for reproducibility
uv python pin 3.11

# Use version ranges in pyproject.toml
# [project]
# requires-python = ">=3.10,<3.13"

2. Lock File Hygiene

# Commit uv.lock to version control
git add uv.lock

# Update regularly
uv lock --upgrade

# Review changes before committing
git diff uv.lock

3. Dependency Groups

# pyproject.toml - organize dependencies logically
[project]
dependencies = [
    "pandas>=2.0",
    "numpy>=1.24",
]

[project.optional-dependencies]
dev = [
    "pytest>=7.0",
    "ruff>=0.1.0",
]
viz = [
    "plotly>=5.0",
    "matplotlib>=3.7",
]
ml = [
    "scikit-learn>=1.3",
    "tensorflow>=2.15",
]

[tool.uv]
dev-dependencies = [
    "pytest>=7.0",
    "ruff>=0.1.0",
]

4. Scripts Configuration

# pyproject.toml - define project scripts
[project.scripts]
my-cli = "my_project.cli:main"

[tool.uv.scripts]
test = "pytest tests/ -v"
lint = "ruff check src/"
format = "black src/ tests/"
typecheck = "mypy src/"
all = ["lint", "typecheck", "test"]

5. Performance Tips

# Use parallel installation (default)
uv sync

# Cache packages globally
export UV_CACHE_DIR="$HOME/.cache/uv"

# Offline mode (use cached packages)
uv sync --offline

# Minimal install (no extras)
uv sync --no-dev --no-extras

Common Commands Reference

Command	Description
`uv init`	Initialize new project
`uv venv`	Create virtual environment
`uv add <pkg>`	Add dependency
`uv add --dev <pkg>`	Add dev dependency
`uv remove <pkg>`	Remove dependency
`uv sync`	Install all dependencies
`uv lock`	Update lock file
`uv run <cmd>`	Run command in venv
`uv python list`	List Python versions
`uv python install`	Install Python version
`uv pip install`	pip compatibility mode
`uv build`	Build package
`uv publish`	Publish to PyPI

Resources

UV Documentation: https://docs.astral.sh/uv/
UV GitHub: https://github.com/astral-sh/uv
Migration Guide: https://docs.astral.sh/uv/guides/migration/
pyproject.toml Spec: https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/specifications/pyproject-toml/

Use UV for all Python projects in workspace-hub!

uv-package-manager