---
id: editables
version: "0.6"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# editables — Editable installations

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Popularity: top 1,000 on PyPI

## Install

pip install editables
uv add editables
poetry add editables

## Description

# A Python library for creating "editable wheels"

This library supports the building of wheels which, when installed, will
expose packages in a local directory on `sys.path` in "editable mode". In
other words, changes to the package source will be  reflected in the package
visible to Python, without needing a reinstall.

## Usage

Suppose you want to build a wheel for your project `foo`. Your project is
located in the directory `/path/to/foo`. Under that directory, you have a
`src` directory containing your project, which is a package called `foo`
and a Python module called `bar.py`. So your directory structure looks like
this:

```
/path/to/foo
|
+-- src
|   +-- foo
|   |   +-- __init__.py
|   +-- bar.py
|
+-- setup.py
+-- other files
```

Build your wheel as follows:

```python
from editables import EditableProject

my_project = EditableProject("foo", "/path/to/foo")
my_project.add_to_path("src")

# Build a wheel however you prefer...
wheel = BuildAWheel()

# Add files to the wheel
for name, content in my_project.files():
    wheel.add_file(name, content)

# Record any runtime dependencies
for dep in my_project.dependencies():...

## AI interpretation — verify before relying

Builds editable wheels that expose local package source on sys.path, allowing live code changes without reinstall during development.

Verdict: Production-ready library for wheel builders needing editable installation support. No dependencies, MIT license, active maintenance, and zero known vulnerabilities make it a low-risk choice for build tooling.

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