---
id: inputimeout
version: "1.0.4"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# inputimeout — Multi platform standard input with timeout

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 16.9M/mo

## What it is and what it does

inputimeout wraps standard input to add a timeout mechanism across Windows, macOS, and Linux. When you call inputimeout() with a prompt and timeout duration, it waits for user input up to that many seconds; if no input arrives, it raises TimeoutOccurred, which you catch to provide a fallback value or handle the timeout case. The package has no external runtime dependencies, making it lightweight to add to a project.

The package is in Beta status and has not been updated since 2018-03-02. It requires Python >=3.4. Because it is abandoned and unmaintained, it may not work correctly on newer Python versions or modern terminal environments, and any bugs or compatibility issues will not be fixed.

Use it for:

- Interactive CLI tools that need to proceed automatically if a user does not respond within a set time window.
- Automated testing scripts that prompt for optional input but should not hang indefinitely if stdin is not available.
- Batch processing workflows where a user confirmation prompt should time out and use a sensible default.
- Terminal applications that require responsive behavior even when input is slow or unavailable.

## Worth the install?

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

Provides cross-platform standard input with a timeout, allowing you to prompt for user input and automatically return a default or exception if no response arrives within a specified number of seconds.

No. The package is abandoned (last release 2018-03-02) with no maintenance signal, and while it has no known vulnerabilities and low install friction, its age and lack of updates create significant risk for modern Python environments. For new projects, consider a maintained alternative or implement timeout logic using threading or asyncio instead.

## Install

pip install inputimeout
uv add inputimeout
poetry add inputimeout

## Installing inputimeout

Before you install: Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies, but the package has been abandoned since March 2018 with no active maintenance or updates.

License in practice: MIT license is permissive and places no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in proprietary or open-source projects.

Quickstart:

pip install inputimeout

from inputimeout import inputimeout, TimeoutOccurred
try:
    something = inputimeout(prompt='>>', timeout=5)
except TimeoutOccurred:
    something = 'default_value'
print(something)

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works reliably on Python versions beyond 3.6, given its age and lack of maintenance.
- Whether there are known issues with specific terminal emulators or operating systems not covered by original testing.
- Whether the timeout mechanism remains accurate on modern systems with different process scheduling.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 16.9M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

input with timeout, stdin timeout, user input timeout, timed input prompt, cross-platform input timeout, console input timeout, blocking input with timeout, cli-input, timeout-handling

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