venv-init

venv-init is a small command-line utility for creating and activating Python virtual environments. On Windows, activation starts a PowerShell session that sets a process-only execution policy before loading the environment's activation script—no machine-wide policy change is made.

Install from PyPI

py -m pip install venv-init

Upgrade an existing installation with:

venv-init --update

Usage

venv-init --help
venv-init --version
venv-init --create [PATH]
venv-init --activate [PATH]
venv-init --update

PATH defaults to .venv in the current directory. Create it first:

venv-init --create

The command asks which installed Python version to use. Press Enter to use the same interpreter that is running venv-init, or enter a version such as 3.11. It shows a success message after creation and clear errors if the requested Python or environment cannot be found.

Then activate it:

venv-init --activate

On Windows, --activate opens a child PowerShell session and runs Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process Bypass before it runs Activate.ps1. The virtual environment stays active until you run deactivate or close that session. The execution-policy setting disappears when the session ends. The PowerShell session also confirms when activation succeeds. --update prints a confirmation when the upgrade completes.

On macOS and Linux, --activate prints the shell command to run, because a program cannot activate an environment in its parent shell.

License

MIT