venv_setup: The Ultimate Python Virtual Environment Manager

Overview

Managing Python virtual environments can be tedious. Creating, activating, installing dependencies, switching between projects… it adds up. So I built venv_setup - a comprehensive CLI tool that handles everything from a single interface.

Download: venv_setup.py on GitHub

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The Problem I Was Solving

Every Python project needs its own virtual environment. But the workflow is repetitive:

# The old way - every single time
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip list
# ... forget which venv is active
# ... forget where venvs are located

I wanted ONE tool that could:

• Create/delete/list all my virtual environments
• Auto-detect if I’m in a project with a venv
• Prompt me to install dependencies when I activate
• Work on macOS, Linux, AND Windows

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Features

Interactive Menu

Run python3 venv_setup.py for a full interactive menu:

Option	Feature
1	Create new virtual environment
2	Activate existing environment
3	Delete environment
4	List all environments
5	Show environment info (size, packages)
6	Install from requirements.txt
7	Update all packages
8	Search installed packages
9	Auto-detect venv in current directory

CLI Quick Commands

# List all virtual environments
python3 venv_setup.py --list

# Auto-detect venv in current directory
python3 venv_setup.py --detect

# Show info for specific venv
python3 venv_setup.py --info myproject

# Show installed packages
python3 venv_setup.py --packages myproject

# Full help
python3 venv_setup.py --help

Auto-Install Dependencies

This was my favorite addition. When you activate an environment, the script checks for:

• requirements.txt
• requirements-dev.txt
• pyproject.toml

If found, it asks if you want to install them automatically!

Activating environment 'myproject'...

Found dependency files in current directory:
  - requirements.txt (23 packages)
  - requirements-dev.txt (8 packages)

Install dependencies now? (y/n):

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My Mistakes Building This

Mistake #1: Hardcoding the Python Path

What I did wrong:

#!/Volumes/KaliPro/Applications/miniconda3/envs/ranger/bin/python

This worked on MY machine with my external drive. But when I tried running it elsewhere? Instant failure.

The fix:

#!/usr/bin/env python3

Lesson: Always use #!/usr/bin/env python3 for portable scripts.

Mistake #2: Sudo Prompt for Read-Only Commands

The script asked for sudo password even when running --list or --help. Annoying!

The fix: Added a needs_sudo() function:

def needs_sudo():
    read_only_args = ['--list', '--detect', '--info', '--packages', '--help', '-h']
    for arg in sys.argv[1:]:
        if arg in read_only_args:
            return False
    return True

Now read-only commands skip the sudo prompt entirely.

Mistake #3: Not Cross-Platform Testing

I built this on macOS. When testing on Windows, the activation paths were completely wrong.

macOS/Linux: source .venv/bin/activate Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate.bat

The fix: Platform detection at startup:

PLATFORM = platform.system().lower()
IS_WINDOWS = PLATFORM == 'windows'
IS_MACOS = PLATFORM == 'darwin'
IS_LINUX = PLATFORM == 'linux'

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Installation

# Download the script
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/davidtkeane/Rangers-Scripts/main/Programming-Scripts/System-Scripts/Environment-Managers/venv_setup.py

# Make executable
chmod +x venv_setup.py

# Optional: Create alias
echo 'alias venv="python3 ~/bin/venv_setup.py"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# Now use anywhere
venv --list
venv --detect

Requirements

pip install colorama tqdm

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Easter Egg

Try python3 venv_setup.py --bunny for a surprise!

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What I Learned

1. Portable shebangs matter - Use #!/usr/bin/env python3
2. Read-only commands shouldn’t need elevated privileges
3. Cross-platform means testing on ALL platforms
4. Auto-detection saves time - Detecting context (current venv, dependency files) makes tools much more useful

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Download

GitHub: venv_setup.py

Version: 2.3 Enhanced Edition

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Rangers lead the way!