Python Project Setup Skill

Set up new Python projects following modern best practices with uv, ruff, pytest, and proper project structure.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• User requests to create a new Python project
• User wants to initialize Python tooling in an existing directory
• User mentions setting up a Python development environment
• User asks about Python project structure or best practices

Core Capabilities

1. Project Initialization

   • Initialize projects with uv init
   • Set up proper directory structure
   • Configure Python version with pyenv

2. Dependency Management

   • Install and configure uv package manager
   • Add essential dependencies (pytest, ruff, mypy, pydantic)
   • Set up development vs runtime dependencies

3. Configuration Files

   • Create pyproject.toml with tool configurations
   • Set up .gitignore for Python projects
   • Configure VSCode settings for Python development
   • Create .python-version for version management

4. Project Structure

   • Create src/<project_name>/ for source code
   • Set up tests/ directory for test files
   • Create docs/ for documentation
   • Set up .vscode/ for editor configuration

Context Files

This skill references the following context files in this directory:

• project-structure-template.md - Standard directory layout
• pyproject-toml-template.md - Configuration template
• vscode-settings-template.json - Editor configuration
• gitignore-template.md - Python gitignore patterns
• readme-template.md - README structure

Key Tools and Commands

# Project initialization
uv init <project-name>

# Dependency management
uv add pytest --dev
uv add ruff --dev
uv add mypy --dev
uv add pydantic

# Sync dependencies
uv sync

Expected Outcomes

After using this skill, the user should have:

• A fully initialized Python project with modern tooling
• Proper project structure following best practices
• All essential dependencies installed
• Configuration files set up correctly
• Version control initialized (git)
• Documentation scaffolding in place

Integration with Other Skills

• Works with python-code-quality skill for linting setup
• Works with python-testing skill for test framework configuration
• Complements the python-project-setup agent for full orchestration