What is PEP 723?

PEP 723 defines a standard format for directly embedding dependency and environment information in Python scripts. This enables standalone scripts to specify their requirements without external configuration files.

Key Features

Metadata Format

• Uses commented TOML syntax
• Specifies dependencies
• Declares Python version requirements
• Supports environment markers

Integration

• Tool-agnostic specification
• Compatible with existing editors
• Supports script portability

Impact

This PEP simplifies script distribution and execution by allowing dependencies to be self-contained within the script file. Tools like uv provide native support for this specification. See How to write self-contained Python scripts using PEP 723 for a practical guide.

Learn More

• PEP 723 Specification
• Inline Script Metadata Guide
• Use of inline script metadata with uv