---
id: reorder-python-imports
version: "3.17.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# reorder-python-imports — Tool for reordering python imports

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 147.7K/mo

## What it is and what it does

reorder-python-imports is a command-line tool that automatically reformats Python import statements according to a consistent style designed to minimize merge conflicts. It separates imports into three sections (standard library, third-party, first-party), places import statements before from imports, splits multi-item from imports into individual lines, and removes duplicates. The tool uses static analysis to understand import classification.

It integrates as a pre-commit hook or standalone CLI tool and supports options for Python version targeting (e.g., --py3-plus to remove obsolete __future__ imports), adding or removing specific imports, replacing imports with alternatives, and handling application-specific module paths. The single-import-per-line style allows multiple developers to modify imports without creating merge conflicts, even when editing the same module.

Use it for:

- Enforce consistent import ordering across a team codebase via pre-commit hooks.
- Automatically remove obsolete __future__ imports when upgrading to newer Python versions.
- Replace compatibility library imports with modern equivalents automatically.
- Reduce merge conflicts when multiple contributors add imports to the same file.
- Rewrite mock and typing imports for newer Python versions automatically.

## Worth the install?

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

Automatically reorders Python imports into a standardized format (stdlib, third-party, first-party) using static analysis, with one import per line to reduce merge conflicts.

Yes. Low install friction, permissive MIT license, active maintenance, no known vulnerabilities, and a focused tool that solves a real problem (merge conflicts from import changes). Use it if your team wants deterministic import ordering enforced automatically, especially via pre-commit hooks.

## Install

pip install reorder-python-imports
uv add reorder-python-imports
poetry add reorder-python-imports

## Installing reorder-python-imports

Before you install: Low friction: pure Python wheel with a single runtime dependency (classify-imports). Active maintenance with a release 35 days ago and 784 repository stars.

License in practice: MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in both open and closed projects with minimal obligations.

Quickstart:

pip install reorder-python-imports

reorder-python-imports myfile.py

# Or add to .pre-commit-config.yaml:
# - repo: https://github.com/asottile/reorder-python-imports
#   rev: v3.17.0
#   hooks:
#   - id: reorder-python-imports

Requires Python 3.10 or later.

Verify before relying:

- Performance characteristics when processing large codebases or files with many imports.
- How the static analysis approach differs in practice from similar tools on real-world projects.
- Support for type-checking-only imports and conditional import blocks.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 147.7K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

python import reordering, organize python imports, import sorting tool, merge conflict reduction, static import analysis, import formatter, python code formatter, import-formatting, pre-commit-hook, code-quality

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