Python Project Setup

Python Project Setup with uv for Windows 11

When setting up a new Python project, use uv for fast, reliable package management. This skill includes helper scripts in the scripts/ directory.

1. Check and Install uv

Use the provided script to check if uv is installed:

# Check if uv is installed, install if missing
python scripts/check_uv.py

Or manually:

# Install uv using pip
pip install uv

2. Quick Setup with Script

For a complete automated setup:

# Run the setup script with project name
.\scripts\setup_project.ps1 -ProjectName "my-new-project"

3. Manual Setup Steps

Create Virtual Environment with uv

# uv creates and manages virtual environments automatically
uv venv

Activate Virtual Environment

# PowerShell activation
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

If you get an execution policy error, run:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Create pyproject.toml

Use the template script or create manually:

# Generate pyproject.toml from template
python scripts/create_pyproject.py --name "your-project-name" --python-version "3.10"

Or manually create with this structure:

[project]
name = "your-project-name"
version = "0.1.0"
requires-python = ">=3.10"
dependencies = []

[project.optional-dependencies]
dev = [
    "pytest>=7.0.0",
    "black>=23.0.0",
    "ruff>=0.1.0",
]

Install Dependencies with uv

# Install project dependencies (much faster than pip)
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"

4. Project Structure

The scripts will create this structure:

project-name/
├── .venv/          # Virtual environment (don't commit)
├── src/            # Source code
│   └── __init__.py
├── tests/          # Test files
│   └── __init__.py
├── .gitignore      # Includes .venv, __pycache__, *.pyc
├── README.md       # Project documentation
└── pyproject.toml  # Modern Python project file

5. .gitignore Configuration

Always exclude:

.venv/
__pycache__/
*.pyc
*.pyo
.pytest_cache/
.ruff_cache/
dist/
build/
*.egg-info/

Helper Scripts Reference

scripts/check_uv.py

Checks if uv is installed and installs it if missing.

scripts/setup_project.ps1

Complete project setup automation:

• Creates project directory structure
• Initializes virtual environment with uv
• Generates pyproject.toml
• Creates .gitignore
• Sets up basic README.md

scripts/create_pyproject.py

Generates a pyproject.toml file with common configurations.

Why This Matters

• uv is 10-100x faster than pip for package installation
• Uses modern pyproject.toml instead of legacy requirements.txt
• Helper scripts automate repetitive setup tasks
• Ensures consistent setup across all team members
• Prevents common Windows-specific Python issues
• Follows best practices automatically