Poetry helps you declare Python project metadata, resolve and install dependencies, and package a library. It does not install the Python interpreter your project runs on: install or select that separately. Poetry’s current documentation requires Python 3.10 or newer to run Poetry itself. The steps below take you from installation through reproducible installs, with library publishing as an optional final step.
1. Check the prerequisites
Install a supported Python version before setting up Poetry. Poetry manages project dependencies and packaging; it is not a Python-version manager. Choose the interpreter your project needs and make it available on your system. Poetry’s official documentation covers its current requirements and setup.
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It helps to keep two Python versions in mind: the one used to run Poetry and the one selected for your project. They may be the same, but Poetry does not provide either interpreter.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2. Install Poetry
The official documentation describes three installation approaches: pipx, Poetry’s official installer, and manual installation. There is no single required method for every machine; choose based on how you want to isolate and maintain the tool.
#1 Best Overall
| Method | When it may fit | Consideration |
|---|---|---|
| pipx | When you want Poetry installed as an isolated command-line application. | Follow pipx’s setup instructions for your platform and ensure its executable location is on your PATH. |
| Official installer | When you prefer Poetry’s documented installer. | In CI, control which installer code runs: pin or maintain the script if using it in a pipeline. |
| Manual installation | When you need direct control over how Poetry is installed and maintained. | You take responsibility for managing the installation and updates. |
For continuous-integration environments, Poetry recommends seriously considering pipx or manual installation. Consult the installation guide for the current commands and platform-specific details; installation procedures can change.
3. Create a project or inspect its configuration
Poetry uses pyproject.toml as the project configuration file. To start a new project, use poetry new project-name; to add Poetry configuration to an existing project, run poetry init from its directory and follow the prompts. Check the resulting file rather than assuming an older tutorial’s layout applies unchanged.
Poetry 2.x supports the standardized [project] table and its dependencies field, which follows Python’s project-metadata standard. Poetry-specific settings still belong under [tool.poetry] when you need Poetry-specific features or configuration. You do not have to migrate a working project merely because a newer format exists.
A minimal modern configuration can look like this:
[project]
name = "example-project"
version = "0.1.0"
description = "An example Python project"
requires-python = ">=3.10"
dependencies = [
"requests>=2.31,<3.0",
]
[build-system]
requires = ["poetry-core"]
build-backend = "poetry.core.masonry.api"Choose the Python range and dependency constraints that are actually appropriate for your project. The example is illustrative, not a recommendation to use those exact bounds. See Poetry’s dependency specification documentation for how standardized metadata and Poetry-specific configuration fit together.
4. Declare dependencies and install them
Add a dependency
Use poetry add package-name to add a package. Poetry records the dependency in the project configuration and resolves it into the lockfile. Inspect the constraint it writes: the project file describes which versions are allowed, while the lockfile records the exact resolved versions for this environment.
Install from the project and lockfile
Run poetry install in the project directory. If there is no poetry.lock, Poetry resolves the declared constraints and creates a lockfile. If a lockfile is present, Poetry installs the versions recorded there. For an application, commit poetry.lock so teammates, CI, and deployment environments can install the same resolved dependency set.
These commands have different purposes:
poetry installinstalls dependencies from the project configuration and uses the lockfile when present.poetry updaterefreshes compatible resolved versions in the lockfile without changing the constraints declared inpyproject.toml.poetry add package-namechanges the project’s declared dependencies by adding a package.
If you want the project to allow a broader or different range of versions, change its declared constraint deliberately; updating alone does not change that range. The basic usage guide explains the project workflow, and the CLI reference documents command options.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →5. Organize development dependencies
Dependency groups label packages used for particular work, such as tests, linting, or documentation. They are an organizational feature, not separate runtime environments. Non-optional groups are installed by default; optional groups can be selected when needed.
Add a test tool to a group with poetry add --group test pytest. To install an optional group, use an option such as poetry install --with docs. Group names and whether a group is optional are defined in pyproject.toml; consult the dependency groups guide for current syntax.
Use groups for dependencies needed to develop or validate the project. If your package offers optional functionality to its users, model that as an optional runtime extra rather than assuming a development group will make it available to downstream projects.
Choose between install and sync
poetry install installs the required dependencies but does not necessarily remove unrelated packages already in the environment. Use poetry sync when you want the environment aligned with the selected dependencies in the lockfile: it removes packages outside that set. This makes sync useful for a clean, controlled project environment, but take care if you have installed extra packages there for another purpose.
6. Decide whether to commit the lockfile
The right lockfile policy depends on whether you are building an application or a library.
| Project type | What the lockfile does | Typical choice |
|---|---|---|
| Application | Records resolved versions for the application’s own environment, supporting consistent installs across development, CI, and production. | Commit poetry.lock for repeatable application installs. |
| Library | Supports the library project’s own development and testing; it does not pin dependency versions for downstream applications. | Committing it is optional. A team may use it to test against stable resolved versions. |
When an application installs your library, it resolves dependencies according to the library’s declared constraints and its own dependency graph. The library’s lockfile does not dictate the versions chosen by that application. Poetry’s lockfile guidance and library packaging guide explain the distinction.
7. Build and publish a library when needed
Publishing is relevant when you are distributing a library, not as a routine step for every application project. A library needs package metadata and a build-system declaration in pyproject.toml. Poetry’s build backend is poetry-core, configured through the PEP 517 build-system table.
- Complete package metadata. Define the project’s name, version, description, supported Python range, dependencies, and any other metadata required for distribution.
- Build distribution files. Run
poetry buildfrom the project directory. Poetry creates a source distribution and a wheel in thedist/directory. - Configure a package repository. Set up the repository and credentials you intend to use, following Poetry’s current repository configuration instructions.
- Upload the built artifacts. Run
poetry publishto upload the distributions to the configured repository. Publishing requires valid metadata and repository configuration; building alone does not upload anything.
See Poetry’s library packaging documentation and CLI reference for current build, repository, and publish details. Verify the target repository and package metadata before uploading, particularly for a first release.
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