editables
Editable installations
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Editables is a lightweight, stable, and actively maintained library with no dependencies and a clear, narrow purpose. Install it if you are building a wheel builder or setuptools plugin that needs to generate editable installations; otherwise, you likely don't need it directly—it is typically used by build backends, not end-user code.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.7 or later; this library does not build wheels directly—it generates metadata and .pth files for a wheel builder to consume.
- Low friction: pure Python wheel with no runtime dependencies.
- Actively maintained with recent commits and production-stable status.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — MIT license (permissive) allows use in most projects without restriction.
last release 2026-04-14 (122 days) · last repo commit 2026-07-23 · 43 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 350,389,743 downloads/mo, #118 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
from editables import EditableProject
my_project = EditableProject("foo", "/path/to/foo")
my_project.add_to_path("src")
for name, content in my_project.files():
wheel.add_file(name, content)- Whether the library works with PyPy3 in practice (noted as untested in the description).
What it is and what it does
Editables is a utility library for wheel builders that need to create editable installations. It generates the metadata and .pth files necessary to expose a local package directory on sys.path, so that changes to source code take effect immediately without reinstalling. The library itself does not build wheels; instead, it provides an API that build tools (like setuptools or build backends) call to generate the files and metadata that go into an editable wheel.
The typical workflow is: a build tool creates an EditableProject instance, adds source directories to it, then iterates over the files and dependencies that editables generates and adds them to the wheel being built. When that wheel is installed, the .pth file points Python to the original source directory, making the package editable.
Use it for
- Build backends and setuptools plugins that need to generate editable wheels for local development.
- Package maintainers creating wheels that allow developers to edit source in place during development.
- Build tools that need to generate .pth files and metadata for editable package installations.
- Projects with src-layout or complex directory structures that want to support editable installs.
- Wheel builders that need to manage runtime dependencies for editable installations.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Editables is a lightweight, stable, and actively maintained library with no dependencies and a clear, narrow purpose. Install it if you are building a wheel builder or setuptools plugin that needs to generate editable installations; otherwise, you likely don't need it directly—it is typically used by build backends, not end-user code.
Install
editables on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction: pure Python wheel with no runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with recent commits and production-stable status.
Requires Python 3.7 or later; this library does not build wheels directly—it generates metadata and .pth files for a wheel builder to consume.
License in practice
MIT license (permissive) allows use in most projects without restriction.
Quickstart
from editables import EditableProject
my_project = EditableProject("foo", "/path/to/foo")
my_project.add_to_path("src")
for name, content in my_project.files():
wheel.add_file(name, content)Verify before relying
- Whether the library works with PyPy3 in practice (noted as untested in the description).
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 122 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 350,389,743 / month, #118 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Software Development :: LibrariesTopic :: UtilitiesTyping :: Typed |
Evidence: editables-0.6-py3-none-any.whl
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See also delvewheel · auditwheel · cmeel · setuptools-dso · PyQt6-Qt6 · locate · change-wheel-version · nodejs-wheel-binaries · check-wheel-contents · rootpath