managing-python-dependencies

Detect the project's dependency manager first, then use its install command such as `uv add`, `poetry add`, or `pipenv install`. If no manager exists, create a `.venv` and install with the explicit path `.venv/bin/pip install <package>`.

Check for signal files in priority order: `uv.lock` or `[tool.uv]` indicates uv, `[tool.poetry]` in pyproject.toml indicates Poetry, `Pipfile` indicates Pipenv, `environment.yml` indicates Conda, and `requirements.txt` alone indicates venv plus pip.

uv uses `uv add` and `uv sync`, Poetry uses `poetry add` and `poetry install`, and Pipenv uses `pipenv install`. Each maintains its own lockfile, so you must use the manager the project already adopted rather than mixing tools.

No. Overriding an existing dependency manager with pip bypasses its lockfile and corrupts the environment state. Always use the detected manager's own add command to keep dependencies consistent.

Default to venv plus pip: create the environment with `python3 -m venv .venv`, install packages via `.venv/bin/pip install`, and preserve state by running `.venv/bin/pip freeze > requirements.txt`.