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pipx: Install Python CLI Tools in Isolation

by Tim Hopper

pipx is a command line tool to install and run Python command line applications in isolated environments. Each installed application gets its own virtual environment, preventing dependency conflicts between tools while making their executables available on your PATH.

uv provides equivalent functionality through uv tool install and uvx. If you already use uv, you may not need pipx. See the uv tool management documentation for details.

Usage 

# Install a tool
pipx install ruff

# Run a tool without installing it
pipx run cowsay hello

# Upgrade an installed tool
pipx upgrade ruff

# List installed tools
pipx list

For example, to install the csvkit suite of command line tools, run pipx install csvkit. This installs csvkit in an isolated environment and makes its tools available on your PATH.

pipx is distinct from pip; it uses pip internally to install packages into isolated environments rather than into the global Python environment.

Learn More

Also Mentioned In

  1. uv: A Complete Guide to Python's Fastest Package Manager
  2. Production Experiences with uv
  3. How do uv and Poetry compare?
  4. How to install uv
  5. How to install uv on Linux
  6. How to install uv on macOS
  7. How to install uv on Windows
  8. How to upgrade uv
  9. How to write self-contained Python scripts using PEP 723 inline metadata
  10. pipenv: Python Dependency Manager
  11. Pixi: Multi-Language Package and Workflow Manager
  12. uv: Python Package and Project Manager
  13. What is a .python-version file?
  14. Which Python package manager should I use?
  15. Why You Should Try uv if You Use Python

Related Tools

Homebrew: macOS Package Manager for Python
pip: Python Package Installer
uv: Python Package and Project Manager

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