enum-tools
Tools to expand Python's enum module.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you use enums in a documented project or need custom enum behavior. The low install friction, active maintenance, and lack of known vulnerabilities make it safe to adopt. The copyleft license (LGPL-3.0-or-later) is a consideration for proprietary code but not a barrier for open-source projects. Install it when Sphinx documentation or member docstrings would improve your codebase clarity.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.7 or later; Sphinx extension use requires Sphinx to be installed separately in your documentation build environment.
- Low install friction with only two lightweight runtime dependencies (pygments and typing-extensions).
- Actively maintained with recent commits and a stable Beta status.
License · maintenance · safety
LGPL-3.0-or-later (copyleft) — Licensed under LGPL-3.0-or-later (copyleft). Derivative works and distributions must preserve the license and source availability; suitable for open-source projects but requires careful review in proprietary contexts.
last release 2025-04-17 (484 days) · last repo commit 2026-07-09 · 11 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 1,401,832 downloads/mo, #3,949 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install enum_tools
from enum_tools.documentation import document_enum
from enum import Enum
@document_enum
class Color(Enum):
RED = 1 # The color red
BLUE = 2 # The color blue- Specific capabilities of custom_enums classes and how they differ from standard Enum beyond what the description states.
- Whether the Sphinx extension (autoenum) works with all Sphinx versions or has version constraints.
- Performance characteristics or limitations when documenting large enum hierarchies.
What it is and what it does
enum_tools extends Python's standard enum module with three main components: a Sphinx extension (autoenum) that documents enums more effectively than the default autoclass directive, a decorator (@document_enum) that extracts docstrings for enum members from inline comments, and custom enum classes with additional functionality. The package is primarily useful for projects that use enums extensively and need better documentation generation or want to attach metadata to enum members without boilerplate.
It depends on pygments for syntax highlighting and typing-extensions for type hints, both lightweight and widely available. The package supports Python 3.7 through 3.13 and is actively maintained. It's particularly relevant for library authors and projects with complex enum hierarchies that need clear, auto-generated documentation.
Use it for
- Generate Sphinx documentation for enum classes automatically with better formatting than the default autoclass directive.
- Add descriptive docstrings to individual enum members using inline comments with the @document_enum decorator.
- Build custom enum subclasses with extended behavior beyond the standard Enum class for domain-specific use cases.
- Maintain enum documentation in sync with code by extracting member descriptions from source comments.
- Support type-checked enum definitions across Python 3.7+ projects with full typing support.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you use enums in a documented project or need custom enum behavior.
The low install friction, active maintenance, and lack of known vulnerabilities make it safe to adopt. The copyleft license (LGPL-3.0-or-later) is a consideration for proprietary code but not a barrier for open-source projects. Install it when Sphinx documentation or member docstrings would improve your codebase clarity.
Install
enum-tools on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with only two lightweight runtime dependencies (pygments and typing-extensions). Actively maintained with recent commits and a stable Beta status.
Requires Python 3.7 or later; Sphinx extension use requires Sphinx to be installed separately in your documentation build environment.
License in practice
Licensed under LGPL-3.0-or-later (copyleft). Derivative works and distributions must preserve the license and source availability; suitable for open-source projects but requires careful review in proprietary contexts.
Quickstart
pip install enum_tools
from enum_tools.documentation import document_enum
from enum import Enum
@document_enum
class Color(Enum):
RED = 1 # The color red
BLUE = 2 # The color blueVerify before relying
- Specific capabilities of custom_enums classes and how they differ from standard Enum beyond what the description states.
- Whether the Sphinx extension (autoenum) works with all Sphinx versions or has version constraints.
- Performance characteristics or limitations when documenting large enum hierarchies.
Package facts
| License | LGPL-3.0-or-later copyleft |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagespygmentstyping-extensions |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 484 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 1,401,832 / month, #3,949 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaFramework :: Sphinx :: ExtensionIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: GNU Lesser General Public License v3 or later (LGPLv3+)Operating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: DocumentationTopic :: Documentation :: SphinxTopic :: Software Development :: DocumentationTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python ModulesTopic :: UtilitiesTyping :: Typed |
Evidence: enum_tools-0.13.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also attributes-doc · matrix-enum · sphinx-toolbox · backports.strenum · astatine · domdf-python-tools · ordered-enum · pysubtypes · enum34 · numpydoc