---
id: coherent-licensed
version: "0.5.2"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# coherent.licensed — License management tooling for Coherent System and skeleton projects

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 120.9K/mo

## What it is and what it does

coherent-licensed is a Setuptools plugin designed to automate license file management during the Python package build process. It reads the License Expression declared in a package's metadata and automatically generates and injects the corresponding license file into the build artifacts, eliminating manual license file management.

The plugin is specifically built for coherent.build and skeleton projects. It operates only during builds and should not be installed to shared environments except temporarily; if it is, it emits a warning that can be suppressed via the COHERENT_LICENSED_UNUSED_ACTION environment variable. It has no runtime dependencies and requires Python 3.9 or later.

Use it for:

- Automatically inject license files into Python packages during CI/CD builds to ensure license compliance
- Maintain consistency between declared License Expression and actual license files in build artifacts
- Reduce manual license file management in skeleton-based or coherent.build projects
- Ensure license declarations are reflected in distributed wheels and source distributions

## Worth the install?

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

A Setuptools plugin that automatically injects a license file into Python packages at build time, reflecting the license declared in the package's License Expression.

Yes, if you are building packages with coherent.build or skeleton and need automated license file injection. Install only as a build requirement in your build-system configuration, not as a runtime or development dependency. The low friction and active maintenance make it safe for this specific use case.

## Install

pip install coherent-licensed
uv add coherent-licensed
poetry add coherent-licensed

## Installing coherent.licensed

Before you install: Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. Active maintenance as of July 2026. Intended only as a temporary build requirement; installing to a shared environment triggers a warning unless explicitly suppressed via environment variable.

License in practice: MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions. Suitable for projects with permissive licensing requirements.

Quickstart:

# Install as build requirement in pyproject.toml
[build-system]
requires = ["setuptools", "coherent-licensed"]

# The plugin activates automatically during build
# License file is injected based on License Expression in metadata

Requires Python 3.9 or later. Intended for use during build only; not a runtime dependency.

Verify before relying:

- How the plugin determines which license file format or location to use when injecting
- Whether the plugin works with all License Expression formats or has limitations
- Integration compatibility with build backends other than Setuptools

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 120.9K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

setuptools license injection plugin, license file generation build time, coherent build license management, automated license declaration, build-time license tooling, license expression to file, setuptools license plugin, build-automation, license-management

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