setuptools-git-versioning
Use git repo data for building a version number according to PEP-440
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you use setuptools or scikit-build-core and want to eliminate manual version management. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, low install friction, and a permissive license. The main constraint is that it requires a git repository and Git v2; if your build process does not have git available or you use a different build backend (Poetry, etc.), it will not work.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a Git repository and Git v2 to be present; only works with setuptools or scikit-build-core build backends, not Poetry or others.
- Low friction installation with a pure-wheel distribution.
- Actively maintained as of 2026-05-15 with recent commits.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in both open-source and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2026-05-15 (91 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-07 · 71 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 1,571,890 downloads/mo, #3,749 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
# In pyproject.toml:
[build-system]
requires = ["setuptools>=41", "wheel", "setuptools-git-versioning>=3.0,<4"]
build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
[tool.setuptools-git-versioning]
enabled = true
[project]
dynamic = ["version"]
# Then run:
$ setuptools-git-versioning
# Output: 0.0.1 (or version based on git tag)- Whether the package handles shallow clones or sparse checkouts correctly.
- Performance impact when called repeatedly during complex multi-stage builds.
- Compatibility with monorepo setups where multiple packages share a single git root.
What it is and what it does
setuptools-git-versioning is a setuptools plugin that derives your package's version number directly from your git repository state at build time. Instead of hardcoding a version string in setup.py or pyproject.toml, it reads git tags, commit hashes, and dirty status to generate a PEP 440-compliant version automatically. This eliminates the need to manually bump version strings before releases and keeps your version source-of-truth in git tags.
The plugin integrates into the build process via setuptools' build backend or scikit-build-core, supporting both pyproject.toml and setup.py configuration. It offers tag-based, file-based, and callback-based versioning schemas with customizable templates for tagged, development, and dirty-state versions. Configuration is minimal—typically just enabling the plugin and marking version as dynamic—and it requires only git v2 and setuptools to be available.
Use it for
- Automatically version releases by creating git tags without editing version strings in source files.
- Generate development versions with commit hashes for pre-release builds and CI/CD pipelines.
- Mark builds from uncommitted changes with a 'dirty' suffix to distinguish development snapshots from clean releases.
- Maintain a single source of truth for versioning in git history rather than scattered version strings across the codebase.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you use setuptools or scikit-build-core and want to eliminate manual version management.
The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, low install friction, and a permissive license. The main constraint is that it requires a git repository and Git v2; if your build process does not have git available or you use a different build backend (Poetry, etc.), it will not work.
Install
setuptools-git-versioning on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction installation with a pure-wheel distribution. Actively maintained as of 2026-05-15 with recent commits. Three lightweight runtime dependencies (packaging, setuptools, tomli) that are commonly already present in build environments.
Requires a Git repository and Git v2 to be present; only works with setuptools or scikit-build-core build backends, not Poetry or others.
License in practice
MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in both open-source and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
# In pyproject.toml:
[build-system]
requires = ["setuptools>=41", "wheel", "setuptools-git-versioning>=3.0,<4"]
build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
[tool.setuptools-git-versioning]
enabled = true
[project]
dynamic = ["version"]
# Then run:
$ setuptools-git-versioning
# Output: 0.0.1 (or version based on git tag)Verify before relying
- Whether the package handles shallow clones or sparse checkouts correctly.
- Performance impact when called repeatedly during complex multi-stage builds.
- Compatibility with monorepo setups where multiple packages share a single git root.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 3 packagespackagingsetuptoolstomli |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 91 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 1,571,890 / month, #3,749 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Framework :: Setuptools PluginIntended Audience :: DevelopersOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming 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 :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9 |
Evidence: setuptools_git_versioning-3.1.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also setupmeta · setuptools-scm · versioningit · looseversion · update_checker · charm-refresh-build-version · setuptools-scm-git-archive · Incremental · setuptools-git · versioneer-518