prompt_toolkit

Library for building powerful interactive command lines in Python

prompt-toolkit Permissive license Active ★ 10,551 v3.0.53 released 2026-07-26

Install

prompt-toolkit on PyPI

pip

pip install prompt-toolkit

uv

uv add prompt-toolkit

poetry

poetry add prompt-toolkit

Package facts

License	not declared (permissive)
Python support	supports the current Python release (>=3.10)
Install friction	low — pure-Python wheel
Runtime dependencies	1 — wcwidth
Maintenance	actively maintained — 18 days since the last release
Last repo commit	2026-07-26
First released	2014-08-01
Popularity	one of the top 1,000 most-downloaded packages on PyPI (30-day window, as of 2026-08-13)
Known vulnerabilities	none known (OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-13)

Evidence: prompt_toolkit-3.0.53-py3-none-any.whl

Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: Free Threading :: 3 - StableTopic :: Software Development

About prompt_toolkit

from the package's own PyPI description — quoted content, verbatim

Python Prompt Toolkit

.. image :: /docs/images/logo_400px.png

prompt_toolkit is a library for building powerful interactive command line applications in Python.

Read the documentation on readthedocs <http://python-prompt-toolkit.readthedocs.io/en/stable/>_.

Gallery

ptpython <http://github.com/prompt-toolkit/ptpython/>_ is an interactive Python Shell, build on top of prompt_toolkit.

.. image :: /docs/images/ptpython.png

More examples <https://python-prompt-toolkit.readthedocs.io/en/stable/pages/gallery.html>_

prompt_toolkit features

prompt_toolkit could be a replacement for GNU readline <https://tiswww.case.edu/php/chet/readline/rltop.html>_, but it can be much more than that.

Some features:

Pure Python.
Syntax highlighting of the input while typing. (For instance, with a Pygments lexer.)
Multi-line input editing.
Advanced code completion.
Both Emacs and Vi key bindings. (Similar to readline.)
Even some advanced Vi functionality, like named registers and digraphs.
Reverse and forward incremental search.
Works well with...

Read as markdown · JSON record · Source repository · Homepage · Docs

AI interpretation — verify before relying

AI-generated interpretation of the package facts above; every digit, version, license, or vulnerability id it cites is grounded in the facts already shown on this page

A pure-Python library for building interactive command-line applications with syntax highlighting, multi-line editing, code completion, and both Emacs and Vi key bindings.

Low friction: single runtime dependency (wcwidth), active maintenance with a release 18 days ago, indicating a mature, well-maintained project.

Permissive license treatment allows broad use; BSD classification in classifiers confirms commercial and proprietary projects can adopt it freely.

Usage

pip install prompt_toolkit

from prompt_toolkit import prompt

answer = prompt('Give me some input: ')
print('You said: %s' % answer)

Requires Python 3.10 or later.

Verdict: A production-stable, actively maintained library with minimal dependencies and no known vulnerabilities. Ideal for developers building interactive CLI tools in Python; the low install friction and permissive license make adoption straightforward.

Needs verification

Whether Pygments is truly optional or required at runtime (description lists it as a dependency but fact sheet does not).
Repository star count and other popularity metrics beyond tier classification.

interactive command line inputsyntax highlighting terminalreadline replacement pythoncommand line autocompleteterminal ui libraryvi emacs key bindingsmulti-line input editing