execnb
A description of your project
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need to execute notebooks programmatically or in automation. The low install friction, active maintenance, permissive license, and lack of known vulnerabilities make it a safe choice. Pre-alpha status means the API may change, so pin the version if stability is critical.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.7 or later; async API requires either an async context (notebook/async code) or wrapping in asyncio.run() at sync entry points.
- Low install friction with only two runtime dependencies (fastcore and ipython).
- Active maintenance with a recent release (4 days ago) and steady repository activity.
License · maintenance · safety
Apache-2.0 (permissive) — Apache-2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for most projects.
last release 2026-08-10 (4 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-10 · 137 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 103,231 downloads/mo, #12,820 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install execnb
from execnb.shell import CaptureShell
import asyncio
s = CaptureShell()
result = asyncio.run(s.run('1+1'))
print(result)- Whether CaptureShell handles all Jupyter magic commands and cell types correctly.
- Performance characteristics when executing large or long-running notebooks.
- Compatibility with specific notebook features (widgets, display objects, etc.).
What it is and what it does
Execnb is a library for executing Jupyter notebook code outside a running Jupyter server. It provides CaptureShell, an async interface that runs notebook cells and captures their outputs in the standard Jupyter output format, without requiring Jupyter to be installed or running. This is useful for automating notebook execution, batch processing, or integrating notebook code into larger applications.
The package depends on fastcore and ipython, and offers both a programmatic async API and a command-line tool (exec_nb) for executing and saving notebooks with outputs. It's in pre-alpha status but actively maintained, with support for modern Python versions.
Use it for
- Batch execute multiple notebooks and save results with outputs filled in.
- Integrate notebook execution into CI/CD pipelines or automated testing workflows.
- Run notebook code from a regular Python script or application without a Jupyter server.
- Programmatically inject code into notebooks before execution for parameterization.
- Generate documentation by executing and capturing outputs from example notebooks.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need to execute notebooks programmatically or in automation.
The low install friction, active maintenance, permissive license, and lack of known vulnerabilities make it a safe choice. Pre-alpha status means the API may change, so pin the version if stability is critical.
Install
execnb on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with only two runtime dependencies (fastcore and ipython). Active maintenance with a recent release (4 days ago) and steady repository activity.
Requires Python 3.7 or later; async API requires either an async context (notebook/async code) or wrapping in asyncio.run() at sync entry points.
License in practice
Apache-2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for most projects.
Quickstart
pip install execnb
from execnb.shell import CaptureShell
import asyncio
s = CaptureShell()
result = asyncio.run(s.run('1+1'))
print(result)Verify before relying
- Whether CaptureShell handles all Jupyter magic commands and cell types correctly.
- Performance characteristics when executing large or long-running notebooks.
- Compatibility with specific notebook features (widgets, display objects, etc.).
Package facts
| License | Apache-2.0 permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesfastcoreipython |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 4 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 103,231 / month, #12,820 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 2 - Pre-AlphaIntended Audience :: DevelopersNatural Language :: EnglishProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: Only |
Evidence: execnb-0.3.2-py3-none-any.whl
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See also nbdev · nb-clean · nbmake · jupyter-nbmodel-client · nbval · papermill · nbclient · jupyter-cache · jupyter-ui-poll · wurlitzer