inquirer3
Collection of common interactive command line user interfaces, based on Inquirer.js
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need interactive CLI prompts and can accept dormant maintenance. The package is stable and has no known vulnerabilities, making it suitable for production use in tools where you control the Python version. However, do not rely on it for active bug fixes or new features—if you encounter issues or need support, you may need to fork or patch it yourself. For new projects, evaluate whether an actively maintained alternative better fits your risk tolerance.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.8.1 or later; primarily tested on UNIX-based platforms (Linux, macOS); Windows support is experimental.
- Low friction install with three lightweight runtime dependencies (blessed, editor, readchar).
- Maintenance is dormant—no releases in over two years despite an active repository, so expect no active support for new issues or pull requests.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it safe for commercial and proprietary projects.
last release 2024-07-02 (773 days) · last repo commit 2024-09-30 · 7 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 318,486 downloads/mo, #7,652 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install inquirer3
import inquirer3
questions = [
inquirer3.Text('name', message="What's your name?"),
inquirer3.List('size', message="Pick a size:", choices=['Large', 'Small']),
]
answers = inquirer3.prompt(questions)- Whether Windows experimental support has known limitations or failure modes beyond the general note in the description.
- Current state of the three runtime dependencies (blessed, editor, readchar) and whether they are actively maintained.
- Whether the dormant maintenance status affects compatibility with recent Python 3.12+ releases in practice.
What it is and what it does
inquirer3 is a library for building interactive command-line prompts and forms. It provides question types like Text, List, Checkbox, Path, and Editor, each with built-in validation and parsing. You define a list of question objects, call prompt() once, and get back a dictionary of validated answers. It handles terminal rendering using blessed and can spawn external editors (vim, emacs, nano) for longer text input via the editor dependency.
The package is a fork of an older project, maintained to be more responsive to issues and pull requests. It supports Python 3.8 through 3.12 and is classified as production-stable. Maintenance is dormant—the last release was over two years ago and no active development is occurring, though the repository itself remains open. Install friction is low and there are no known security vulnerabilities.
Use it for
- Build setup wizards or configuration scripts that ask users for settings with validation and menu selection.
- Create interactive CLI tools that guide users through multi-step workflows with branching logic and error feedback.
- Collect structured user input (names, paths, selections) in terminal applications with built-in validation.
- Implement interactive surveys or questionnaires in command-line environments with checkbox and list selections.
- Develop system administration or deployment tools that need to prompt for user choices and file paths.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need interactive CLI prompts and can accept dormant maintenance.
The package is stable and has no known vulnerabilities, making it suitable for production use in tools where you control the Python version. However, do not rely on it for active bug fixes or new features—if you encounter issues or need support, you may need to fork or patch it yourself. For new projects, evaluate whether an actively maintained alternative better fits your risk tolerance.
Install
inquirer3 on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction install with three lightweight runtime dependencies (blessed, editor, readchar). Maintenance is dormant—no releases in over two years despite an active repository, so expect no active support for new issues or pull requests.
Requires Python 3.8.1 or later; primarily tested on UNIX-based platforms (Linux, macOS); Windows support is experimental.
License in practice
MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it safe for commercial and proprietary projects.
Quickstart
pip install inquirer3
import inquirer3
questions = [
inquirer3.Text('name', message="What's your name?"),
inquirer3.List('size', message="Pick a size:", choices=['Large', 'Small']),
]
answers = inquirer3.prompt(questions)Verify before relying
- Whether Windows experimental support has known limitations or failure modes beyond the general note in the description.
- Current state of the three runtime dependencies (blessed, editor, readchar) and whether they are actively maintained.
- Whether the dormant maintenance status affects compatibility with recent Python 3.12+ releases in practice.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release <4.0.0,>=3.8.1 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 3 packagesblessededitorreadchar |
| Maintenance | Dormant 773 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 318,486 / month, #7,652 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/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Application FrameworksTopic :: Software Development :: User Interfaces |
Evidence: inquirer3-0.6.1-py3-none-any.whl
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See also bullet · inquirer · questionary · inquirerpy · pyiotools · msgspec-click · beaupy · cli-ui · pick · click-prompt