---
id: check-wheel-contents
version: "0.6.3"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# check-wheel-contents — Check your wheels have the right contents

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 501.0K/mo

## What it is and what it does

check-wheel-contents is a command-line linter that inspects wheel archives for common packaging mistakes before they reach PyPI. It detects issues like compiled bytecode files (.pyc/.pyo), cache directories, test files, and mismatched top-level module declarations—problems that are easy to miss during manual review but break installations or bloat packages for end users.

The tool works by analyzing wheel contents against a configurable set of checks, each identified by a code (W001, W002, etc.). You point it at one or more wheels or directories, and it reports failures with specific file paths and guidance on fixes. Configuration can be read from pyproject.toml, setup.cfg, tox.ini, or a dedicated config file, allowing integration into build pipelines and project workflows.

Use it for:

- Pre-upload validation in CI/CD to catch wheel defects before publishing to PyPI
- Local wheel inspection during development to verify packaging setup is correct
- Batch checking of wheels in a monorepo or multi-package project
- Enforcing consistent wheel structure across a team or organization
- Debugging why a published wheel contains unexpected files or missing modules

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Validates wheel file contents before publishing, detecting common packaging errors like bytecode files, cache directories, and missing or unexpected top-level modules.

Yes. This is a focused, well-maintained tool that solves a real problem in Python packaging—preventing subtle but common mistakes from reaching production. Low install friction, permissive license, no security vulnerabilities, and active maintenance make it a safe addition to any packaging workflow. Install it if you publish wheels to PyPI or maintain strict wheel quality standards.

## Install

pip install check-wheel-contents
uv add check-wheel-contents
poetry add check-wheel-contents

## Installing check-wheel-contents

Before you install: Low install friction with seven straightforward dependencies. Actively maintained with recent commits; last release was 377 days ago and the repository shows ongoing activity.

License in practice: MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for both open-source and commercial projects.

Quickstart:

pip install check-wheel-contents

check-wheel-contents path/to/wheel.whl

# With configuration file:
check-wheel-contents --config pyproject.toml path/to/wheel.whl

Requires Python 3.10 or higher.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the tool integrates with common CI/CD platforms or build systems beyond manual invocation
- Performance characteristics when checking large numbers of wheels or very large wheel files

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 501.0K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

wheel validation tool, check wheel contents, detect packaging errors, wheel linter, pypi wheel checker, validate wheel files, wheel quality assurance, packaging-validation, wheel-linter, ci-cd-tool

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/check-wheel-contents) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/check-wheel-contents/)