Contributor Local Installation

Set up a PyRIT development environment on your local machine.

Setup with uv¶

uv is a fast Python package installer and resolver that we use for PyRIT development.

Why uv?

• Much faster than pip (10-100x faster dependency resolution)

• Simpler environment management for pure Python projects

• Native Windows support — no WSL required, although if using a devcontainer, WSL is recommended

• Automatic virtual environment management

• Compatible with existing pyproject.toml

Prerequisites¶

1. Install uv: Download from https://github.com/astral-sh/uv or use: for windows:

   powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

   for macOS and Linux

   curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

   or

   wget -qO- https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

2. Python 3.12: uv will automatically download and use the correct Python version based on .python-version

3. Git. Git is required to clone the repo locally. It is available to download here.

   git clone https://github.com/microsoft/PyRIT

4. Node.js and npm. Required for building the TypeScript/React frontend. Download Node.js (which includes npm). Version 18 or higher is recommended.

Installation¶

1. Navigate to the directory where you cloned the PyRIT repo.

2. The repository includes a .python-version file that pins Python 3.12. Run:

uv sync

This command will:

• Create a .venv directory with a virtual environment

• Install Python 3.12 if not already available

• Install PyRIT in editable mode; uv sync by default installs in editable mode so no extra flag is necessary

• Install all dependencies including dev tools (pytest, ruff, etc.) via the dev dependency group

• Create a uv.lock file for reproducible builds

3. Verify Installation

uv pip show pyrit

You should see output showing the most recent PyRIT version and your Python dependencies.

VS Code Integration¶

VS Code should automatically detect the .venv virtual environment. If not:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P

2. Type “Python: Select Interpreter”

3. Choose .venv\Scripts\python.exe

Running Jupyter Notebooks¶

uv sync already installs a python3 kernel inside .venv, and Jupyter binds it to whichever interpreter is running it, so notebooks work out of the box with no kernel registration step.

Start the server using

uv run jupyter lab

or using VS Code, open a Jupyter Notebook (.ipynb file) window, in the top search bar of VS Code, type >Notebook: Select Notebook Kernel > Python Environments... to choose the .venv interpreter for this checkout. You can also choose a kernel with the “Select Kernel” button on the top-right corner of a Notebook.

This will be the kernel that runs all code examples in Python Notebooks.

If you do want a separately named kernel, scope it to the virtual environment:

uv run python -m ipykernel install --sys-prefix --name=pyrit-dev

Avoid --user with a fixed name if you work in more than one clone or git worktree. A --user kernel is installed machine-wide, so every checkout that registers the same name overwrites the others, and the survivor points at a single interpreter. Notebooks then execute against an unrelated checkout, or fail with FileNotFoundError: [WinError 2] once that checkout is deleted. See Jupyter setup if you hit this.

Running Python Scripts¶

Use uv run to execute Python with the virtual environment:

uv run python your_script.py

Running Tests¶

uv run pytest tests/

Running Specific Test Files¶

uv run pytest tests/unit/test_something.py

Using PyRIT CLI Tools¶

uv run pyrit_scan --help
uv run pyrit_shell

Running Jupyter Notebooks¶

uv run jupyter lab

Installing Additional Extras¶

PyRIT has several optional dependency groups. Install them as needed:

# For Hugging Face models
uv sync --extra huggingface

# For all extras
uv sync --extra all

# Multiple extras (dev dependencies are always included automatically)
uv sync --extra playwright --extra gcg

Development Workflow¶

Adding New Dependencies¶

Edit pyproject.toml to add dependencies, then run:

uv sync

Updating Dependencies¶

uv lock --upgrade
uv sync

Running Code Formatters¶

uv run ruff format .
uv run ruff check --fix .

Running Type Checker¶

uv run ty check pyrit/

Pre-commit Hooks¶

uv run pre-commit install
uv run pre-commit run --all-files

Next Step: Configure PyRIT¶

After installing, configure your AI endpoint credentials.

Troubleshooting¶

Having issues? See the Local Dev Troubleshooting guide for common problems and solutions.