PyBuild

Compile Python into standalone .exe. No Python needed on target machines.

Features

• Portable mode — bundles Python runtime into a folder, double-click to run
• Single-file mode — one .exe with everything embedded (Python + stdlib + deps + assets)
• Full stdlib collection — collects the entire standard library, zero missing-module errors
• Recursive dependency tracing — auto-discovers transitive third-party dependencies (A → B → C)
• Source protection — .py compiled to .pyc, local variable obfuscation, ZIP encryption (SHA-256 stream cipher), anti-debug (IsDebuggerPresent)
• Auto asset detection — AST-based scanning for file references in string literals, os.path.join(), Path(), f-strings
• Interactive mode — drag-and-drop or type file paths
• pybuild local — pack PyBuild itself into any directory for portable use
• Config-driven builds — pybuild.json supports multiple build targets with per-build settings

Install

pip install pybuild-exe

Requires Python 3.10+ on Windows. Uses the built-in C# compiler (csc.exe) for launcher PE generation.

Quick Start

pybuild Main.py                     # portable mode (default, creates Main/Main.exe)
pybuild Main.py --single            # single-file Main.exe
pybuild Main.py -o Game --single    # single-file Game.exe
pybuild --config                    # build all targets from pybuild.json
pybuild --config builds.json        # build from specified config file
pybuild local                       # pack PyBuild itself into current directory

Run pybuild with no arguments to enter interactive mode.

CLI Reference

Config File (pybuild.json)

{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "product_name": "MyApp",
  "company": "MyCompany",
  "description": "My Application",
  "builds": [
    {
      "entry": "main.py",
      "output": "MyApp",
      "outpath": "D:/release",
      "single": true,
      "console": false,
      "icon": "assets/app.ico",
      "assets": ["images", "sounds", "config.json"]
    },
    {
      "entry": "tools/helper.py",
      "output": "HelperTool",
      "single": false,
      "console": true
    }
  ]
}

Config Fields

Top-level (version info, embedded into .exe properties):

Per-build:

How It Works

1. Collect — scans entry script imports recursively, finds all project .py files, third-party packages (with transitive deps), and the full standard library
2. Compile — all .py files compiled to .pyc via compile(optimize=2), with symbol obfuscation for project source
3. Encrypt — single-file mode encrypts the ZIP payload with a SHA-256 stream cipher, key embedded in the C# launcher
4. Bundle — portable mode copies everything into a folder; single-file mode concatenates PE + encrypted ZIP + config footer

New in 1.15.0

• pybuild local command — pack PyBuild into any directory for portable use without pip install
• Full stdlib collection — replaced fragile AST import tracing with complete stdlib walk, eliminating all No module named X errors
• Recursive dependency tracing — third-party packages are scanned for their own imports, transitive deps auto-collected
• Self-pack fixes — PyBuild-exe.exe can now correctly build other projects via drag-and-drop (fixed _pth isolation, find_spec fallback, bootstrap naming collision)
• Performance — cold-start extraction ~1.6s (was ~7s), cached start ~1s
• Asset support — collect_assets now accepts individual files, not just directories

License

MIT