userpath
Cross-platform tool for adding locations to the user PATH
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need to programmatically modify PATH in a cross-platform way and accept dormant maintenance. The package is stable, has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. However, the 897-day gap since the last release suggests it is no longer actively maintained; use it for straightforward PATH manipulation but do not expect updates for new Python versions or edge cases.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (click).
- Maintenance is dormant—last release was 897 days ago—but the package is stable and supports current Python versions (3.7 through 3.11).
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
last release 2024-02-29 (897 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 27,451,531 downloads/mo, #859 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install userpath
import userpath
location = '/usr/local/bin'
if userpath.append(location):
print('Added to PATH')
if userpath.need_shell_restart(location):
print('Shell restart required')- Whether the package correctly handles PATH modifications on all supported operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux).
- Current state of the GitHub repository and whether dormancy indicates abandonment or stable maintenance.
What it is and what it does
userpath is a cross-platform library and CLI tool for programmatically modifying a user's PATH environment variable. It provides functions to append or prepend directories to PATH, check whether a location is already in the current or new PATH, and detect whether a shell restart is needed for changes to take effect. The package wraps platform-specific PATH manipulation logic behind a unified API, reducing the complexity of handling PATH edits in Python scripts and tools that need to register themselves in the user's executable search path.
The package exposes both a command-line interface (with append, prepend, and verify commands) and a Python API. It depends only on click for CLI handling, making it lightweight. It supports Python 3.7 through 3.11 on CPython and PyPy, and is classified as Beta-status software.
Use it for
- Installer scripts that need to add a tool's binary directory to the user's PATH after installation.
- Development environment setup tools that register custom command-line utilities in the shell's search path.
- Verification utilities that check whether required executables are accessible in the current PATH.
- Post-install hooks in package managers or build tools that need to update PATH without manual user intervention.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need to programmatically modify PATH in a cross-platform way and accept dormant maintenance.
The package is stable, has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. However, the 897-day gap since the last release suggests it is no longer actively maintained; use it for straightforward PATH manipulation but do not expect updates for new Python versions or edge cases.
Install
userpath on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (click). Maintenance is dormant—last release was 897 days ago—but the package is stable and supports current Python versions (3.7 through 3.11).
License in practice
MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
Quickstart
pip install userpath
import userpath
location = '/usr/local/bin'
if userpath.append(location):
print('Added to PATH')
if userpath.need_shell_restart(location):
print('Shell restart required')Verify before relying
- Whether the package correctly handles PATH modifications on all supported operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux).
- Current state of the GitHub repository and whether dormancy indicates abandonment or stable maintenance.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packageclick |
| Maintenance | Dormant 897 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 27,451,531 / month, #859 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 :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPy |
Evidence: userpath-1.9.2-py3-none-any.whl
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