uv PowerShell Profiles

A small Windows PowerShell workflow for named uv virtual environments. I made this mainly because I wanted something similar to miniconda but doesnt auto hook on every powershell instance opened.

Install

After reviewing the bootstrap source, install and load the latest stable release in the current PowerShell session:

& ([scriptblock]::Create((Invoke-RestMethod -Uri 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MH221B/uv-profiles/main/bootstrap/Install-UvProfile.ps1' -ErrorAction Stop)))

This executes downloaded code. See docs/bootstrap.md for the review-first flow, release behavior, and security details.

Review src/uv-profile.ps1 and Install-UvProfile.ps1, then run from this repository in PowerShell:

& .\Install-UvProfile.ps1
. $PROFILE

The installer updates only the current shell's effective $PROFILE. It does not change execution policy or machine-wide configuration. By default profiles live under $HOME\.virtualenvs.

Use

uv venv data --python 3.12
uv profiles
uv activate data
uv pip install requests
deactivate
uv --version

uv venv <name> creates the environment under $env:WORKON_HOME (which defaults to $HOME\.virtualenvs). Explicit path-like targets such as .\temporary-env, .venv, or C:\envs\data, leading-dash targets, and option-first invocations pass through to uv.exe unchanged. PowerShell 5.1 removes -- before the wrapper sees it, so use explicit path syntax when bypassing managed-name resolution.

uv activate validates names and never dot-sources a generated activation script. uv profiles and uv runenv remain custom commands; other uv commands pass through to uv.exe.

Run Without Activation

Run a script with a named profile's Python without changing the current shell:

uv runenv pulse_env .\report.py
uv runenv pulse_env .\report.py --input data.csv --count 3
uv runenv pulse_env .\report.py "file with spaces.txt" --verbose

Only the profile name and script path are consumed by runenv; arguments after the script path are passed to the script in order. The command requires Scripts\python.exe but does not require Activate.ps1 and does not change PATH, VIRTUAL_ENV, or the prompt.

Uninstall

Remove the exact loader line from the effective $PROFILE, then remove the installed runtime copy under $env:LOCALAPPDATA\uv. Do not remove environments unless you explicitly want to delete them.

Security

Review scripts before execution. This project makes no execution-policy changes, accepts no arbitrary activation paths, and performs no machine-wide writes. Verification uses disposable roots only.

Testing

Run the disposable test script in tests from Windows PowerShell 5.1. PowerShell 7 can use the same scripts when installed.