optype
Building Blocks for Precise & Flexible Type Hints
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. optype is actively maintained, has zero external dependencies beyond typing-extensions, carries no known vulnerabilities, and is BSD-3-Clause licensed. It solves a real problem—expressing exact operator requirements in type hints—that most projects encounter when writing generic or mathematical code. Install it if you write code that needs to accept objects based on what operations they support rather than their concrete type.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.12 or later
- Low install friction; pure Python wheel with only typing-extensions as a runtime dependency.
- Actively maintained with recent releases and a live repository.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD-3-Clause (permissive) — BSD-3-Clause is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute optype freely in commercial and open-source projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2026-06-07 (68 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-13 · 94 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 3,867,980 downloads/mo, #2,472 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install optype
from optype import SupportsAdd
def add_numbers(x: SupportsAdd, y: SupportsAdd) -> SupportsAdd:
return x + y- Whether optional NumPy support requires additional setup or is automatically available
- Specific type checker versions known to work best with optype
What it is and what it does
optype is a library for building precise type hints using single-method protocols and exact operator types. It lets you define what operations your code actually accepts—like SupportsAdd for anything that implements __add__—rather than forcing broad type categories. This bridges the gap between what your code needs and what type checkers can verify, working with mypy, pyright, and basedpyright.
The package is designed for developers who want type safety without fighting their type checker. It includes optional NumPy support and is built on typing-extensions, so it works across modern Python versions. The library is actively maintained, battle-tested, and carries no external dependencies beyond typing-extensions.
Use it for
- Define generic numeric operations that accept anything supporting __add__, __mul__, etc., without forcing a specific numeric type
- Write library code that accepts operator-compatible objects while rejecting incompatible subtypes
- Build precise function signatures for scientific or mathematical code that needs exact protocol matching
- Create type stubs or annotations for NumPy-adjacent code with proper operator typing
- Improve type checker cooperation in codebases using mypy or pyright by expressing protocol requirements explicitly
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
optype is actively maintained, has zero external dependencies beyond typing-extensions, carries no known vulnerabilities, and is BSD-3-Clause licensed. It solves a real problem—expressing exact operator requirements in type hints—that most projects encounter when writing generic or mathematical code. Install it if you write code that needs to accept objects based on what operations they support rather than their concrete type.
Install
optype on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction; pure Python wheel with only typing-extensions as a runtime dependency. Actively maintained with recent releases and a live repository.
Requires Python 3.12 or later
License in practice
BSD-3-Clause is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute optype freely in commercial and open-source projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install optype
from optype import SupportsAdd
def add_numbers(x: SupportsAdd, y: SupportsAdd) -> SupportsAdd:
return x + yVerify before relying
- Whether optional NumPy support requires additional setup or is automatically available
- Specific type checker versions known to work best with optype
Package facts
| License | BSD-3-Clause permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.12 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagetyping-extensions |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 68 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 3,867,980 / month, #2,472 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: Science/ResearchOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: 3.15Topic :: Scientific/EngineeringTopic :: Software DevelopmentTyping :: Typed |
Evidence: optype-0.18.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also types-docker · types-grpcio-reflection · types-paramiko · types-braintree · types-psycopg2 · types-assertpy · numerary · numpy-typing-compat · basedpyright