Getting started

Pick the place you work. Every option runs the same engine, so you can mix them: the VS Code extension and the Zed extension both prefer a pypilot already on your PATH.

Zed

1. Open the extensions panel (zed: extensions) and install PyPilot.
2. Open a Python folder. The extension downloads the engine for your platform and starts it as a language server.
3. If something needs attention you get one notification with Fix environment, Show details, Ignore and Never for this project.

Zed extensions cannot add command-palette entries, so the commands ship as tasks: copy tasks/pypilot.json into .zed/tasks.json (or your global tasks) and run them with task: spawn. More in Zed.

VS Code

1. Install PyPilot from the Marketplace or Open VSX.
2. Open a Python folder. The extension finds or downloads the engine (about 3 MB) and scans the project.
3. Follow the prompt, or run PyPilot: Set Up Environment from the command palette. The Get started with PyPilot walkthrough (Help > Welcome) covers the same steps.

Requires VS Code 1.85 or later. More in VS Code.

pip, uv or pipx

pip install pypilot-cli
# or, as an isolated tool
uv tool install pypilot-cli
pipx install pypilot-cli

The package installs a pypilot command. On Windows x64, Linux x64 (glibc 2.34+) and macOS the wheel already contains the engine release it pins (since 1.3.0); elsewhere it downloads that release into your cache directory on first run and verifies it. Supports Python 3.8 and later. More in Python package.

cargo (from source)

git clone https://github.com/pypilot-dev/pypilot.git
cd pypilot
cargo install --path helper --locked

This puts pypilot in ~/.cargo/bin, which both editor extensions pick up. See Building from source.

Your first run

In a project folder:

pypilot doctor     # read-only report: what Python, what's wrong, what to do
pypilot setup      # build the environment on the recommended Python

~/src/fresh

$ pypilot setup
PyPilot setup: C:\src\fresh (Auto mode)
  Python 3.15 chosen: dependencies support 3.9–3.15; rich caps the upper bound (supports 3.9–3.15).
── Steps ────────────────────────────────────────────────
  ✓ ensure uv:                uv 0.13.5 (on PATH)
  ✓ uv init:                  pyproject.toml created
  ✓ uv python install 3.15:   ready
  ✓ uv venv:                  C:\src\fresh\.venv
  ✓ uv add -r requirements.txt: dependencies added to pyproject.toml and installed

  ✓ Done. Environment at C:\src\fresh\.venv (Python 3.15).

setup chose Python 3.15 because every dependency has wheels for it, installed that interpreter with uv, created .venv, and moved requirements.txt into a new pyproject.toml (the requirements.txt file is left in place). From here, pypilot install <package> adds dependencies the same way.

uv is optional

With uv on PATH (the default auto mode) PyPilot uses a uv project and can install the Python it needs. Without uv it uses python -m venv and pip, and tells you which Python to install when the right one is missing. See package_manager.

Platforms

Prebuilt engines exist for Linux x64, macOS x64, macOS arm64 (Apple Silicon) and Windows x64. On other platforms, build from source and put pypilot on your PATH.