Pick your Python version¶

With uv installed (previous page), Python stops being something you "have on the machine" and becomes a per-project choice. This page shows how to make that choice, and how not to get bitten by it later.

Why the version matters¶

The SDK declares its floor in pyproject.toml:

requires-python = ">=3.12"

That means: 3.12 is the minimum. The full policy:

Python	Status
3.14	Supported
3.13	Supported — the version the repository's `.python-version` pins
3.12	Supported (minimum)
3.11	Not supported since 0.314.0 — stays on 0.313.x (migration)
3.10 and older	Not supported

When in doubt, use 3.13

It is the one the repository's .python-version pins, so it is where the SDK is developed. The whole suite runs on all three supported versions through make test-matrix, one venv per version. Reach for 3.12 only when something outside your control forces it (an old Docker image, a legacy server).

How Python numbers releases

3.13.2 is major.minor.patch. Compatibility breaks land in the minor (3.12 → 3.13); the patch (3.13.1 → 3.13.2) only fixes bugs and security issues. That is why we pin "3.13" and let the patch float. Each version's support window is at https://devguide.python.org/versions/.

See what you have¶

uv python list

The output lists everything uv knows about — versions it downloaded, versions installed by the system, and versions available to download:

cpython-3.13.2-linux-x86_64-gnu     /home/you/.local/share/uv/python/cpython-3.13.2/bin/python3.13
cpython-3.12.9-linux-x86_64-gnu     <download available>
cpython-3.14.6-linux-x86_64-gnu     /usr/bin/python3.14

Only what is already installed:

uv python list --only-installed

Install a version¶

uv python install 3.13

You can install several at once — handy for testing the same code on all three supported versions:

uv python install 3.12 3.13 3.14

This does not touch your system Python

uv keeps its interpreters in a directory of its own (see it with uv python dir). The python3 your operating system uses is untouched — nothing breaks.

Pin the project's version¶

Inside the project directory:

uv python pin 3.13

The command writes a .python-version file with a single line:

3.13

From then on, every uv run, uv sync and uv venv in that directory uses 3.13 — for you and for anyone who clones the repository.

Commit .python-version

It is the answer to "which Python does this project use?". Leaving it unversioned is like leaving pyproject.toml unversioned.

Two files, two jobs¶

Beginners mix these up constantly. The difference:

File	States	Who reads it
`pyproject.toml` → `requires-python`	the range the code supports, e.g. `>=3.12`	whoever installs your package (PyPI included)
`.python-version`	the exact version this checkout uses, e.g. `3.13`	`uv`, on your machine and in CI

One is a public contract, the other a local preference. They coexist.

Create the environment¶

A virtual environment (venv) is a folder holding a Python plus that project's dependencies — isolated from every other project. Without it, two projects that need different versions of the same library fight each other.

uv venv --python 3.12

That creates .venv/ on 3.12, ignoring .python-version just this once. In practice you rarely need it: uv sync and uv run create and maintain .venv on their own.

Run something on another version, one-off¶

uv run --python 3.12 python -c "import sys; print(sys.version)"

Or through an environment variable, which applies to the whole command:

UV_PYTHON=3.12 uv run pytest

This is how the SDK runs its own gates

The tempest-fastapi-sdk make test-matrix runs the suite once per version (3.12, 3.13 and 3.14), each with --python pointing at it and in its own venv. Naming the interpreter explicitly is what makes the matrix real: without it .python-version (which pins 3.13) wins, and the three rounds build the same 3.13 venv. The local make release runs make check on the .python-version interpreter and the wheel smoke in a 3.12 venv, the floor.

Test on all three supported versions¶

Works for any service you publish:

for v in 3.12 3.13 3.14; do
    echo "=== Python $v ==="
    UV_PYTHON=$v uv run --isolated pytest -q
done

--isolated makes uv build a throwaway environment per round instead of recycling the previous version's .venv.

Remove what you do not use¶

uv python uninstall 3.12

When it goes wrong¶

No interpreter found for Python 3.X

uv could not find the requested version and had no permission/network to download it. Install it explicitly:

uv python install 3.13

The project insists on an old version

Someone left a .python-version behind, or one exists in a directory above yours. Check which interpreter uv would resolve:

uv python find

And fix the pin:

uv python pin 3.13

The requested interpreter resolved to Python 3.11.x, which is incompatible with the project

The resolved version is below requires-python. That is the SDK protecting you from installing something that will not run. Install and pin a supported version (3.12+).

Recap¶

requires-python is the supported range; .python-version is this checkout's version. Commit both.
uv python install downloads, uv python pin pins, uv python list shows.
UV_PYTHON=<version> uv run ... runs a one-off on another version.
When in doubt: 3.13.

Next step: Your first project ».

Official documentation¶

Resource	Link
Python versions in `uv`	https://docs.astral.sh/uv/concepts/python-versions/
Virtual environments in `uv`	https://docs.astral.sh/uv/pip/environments/
Python release cycle	https://devguide.python.org/versions/
Official Python downloads	https://www.python.org/downloads/
The `venv` module (language docs)	https://docs.python.org/3/library/venv.html