pip-licenses-cli
Dump the software license list of Python packages installed with pip.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. This is a straightforward, actively maintained utility with low install friction, no known vulnerabilities, and a permissive MIT license. Install it if you need to audit or document the licenses of your Python dependencies—it solves a real compliance and documentation problem with minimal overhead.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later.
- For SPDX expression parsing, install with the [spdx] extra: pip install 'pip-licenses-cli[spdx]'.
- Low friction install with minimal dependencies.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license (permissive) means you can use, modify, and distribute this tool freely with minimal restrictions.
last release 2026-05-06 (100 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-14 · 18 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 113,662 downloads/mo, #12,336 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install pip-licenses-cli
pip-licenses- Whether the tool accurately reports all license types across the full range of PyPI packages
- Performance characteristics when scanning environments with hundreds or thousands of installed packages
- Compatibility with non-standard or custom license declarations beyond SPDX
What it is and what it does
pip-licenses-cli is a command-line utility that inspects your Python environment and generates a report of all installed packages and their associated software licenses. It was created as a maintained fork of the original pip-licenses project, providing a drop-in replacement for versions up to 5.0.0. The tool outputs license information in a formatted table, making it easy to audit your project's dependencies for compliance or documentation purposes.
The package depends on pip-licenses-lib for core license-detection logic, prettytable for formatted output, and tomli for configuration parsing on Python versions below 3.11. It is designed with minimal external dependencies and supports optional SPDX expression parsing when installed with the [spdx] extra. The tool is actively maintained and classified as production-stable.
Use it for
- Generate a license report for all dependencies in a Python project for compliance documentation
- Audit installed packages to identify which ones use restrictive licenses before shipping code
- Create an automated license inventory as part of a CI/CD pipeline for dependency management
- Check license compatibility when adding new packages to an existing project
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
This is a straightforward, actively maintained utility with low install friction, no known vulnerabilities, and a permissive MIT license. Install it if you need to audit or document the licenses of your Python dependencies—it solves a real compliance and documentation problem with minimal overhead.
Install
pip-licenses-cli on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction install with minimal dependencies. Actively maintained as of 2026-08-14 with recent releases. Designed to minimize external package dependencies.
Requires Python 3.10 or later. For SPDX expression parsing, install with the [spdx] extra: pip install 'pip-licenses-cli[spdx]'.
License in practice
MIT license (permissive) means you can use, modify, and distribute this tool freely with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install pip-licenses-cli
pip-licensesVerify before relying
- Whether the tool accurately reports all license types across the full range of PyPI packages
- Performance characteristics when scanning environments with hundreds or thousands of installed packages
- Compatibility with non-standard or custom license declarations beyond SPDX
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release <4,>=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 3 packagespip-licenses-libprettytabletomli |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 100 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 113,662 / month, #12,336 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/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyTopic :: System :: System ShellsTopic :: System :: Systems AdministrationTyping :: Typed |
Evidence: pip_licenses_cli-4.1.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also licensecheck · pip-licenses · pip-licenses-lib · snowflake-cli-labs · license-expression · pyspdx · reuse · pip-requirements-parser · spdx-tools