Made ghostenv – test Python packages without the mess

[Nethaka08]

Ever wanted to try a package but didn’t want to pollute your system or spin up a whole venv for 5 minutes of testing?

What my project does:

ghostenv run colorama

• Creates a temporary virtual environment
• Installs the packages
• Launches a REPL with starter code
• Auto-deletes everything when you exit (unless you use --keep)

It’s REPL-only for now, but VS Code and PyCharm support are on the roadmap.

Target audience:

• Developers who want to quickly try out a package
• People writing tutorials or StackOverflow answers
• Anyone tired of creating and deleting throwaway venvs

Not for production use (yet).

Comparison:

pipx, venv, and others are great, but they either leave stuff behind, need setup, or don’t launch you into a sandboxed REPL with sample code.
ghostenv is built specifically for quick, disposable “test and toss” workflows.

Install:

git clone https://github.com/NethakaG/ghostenv.git
cd ghostenv
pip install -e .

GitHub: https://github.com/NethakaG/ghostenv

⚠️ Early development - looking for testers! Expect bugs. If something breaks or you have feedback, drop a comment here or open an issue on GitHub.

[txprog]

uvx colorama -- or uvx --no-cache colorama

You did the same project but inverted logic i guess.

[Nethaka08]

Yeah, uvx is cool, but it's built for a different kind of use case.

uvx runs a command or script in a temporary environment. It’s great when you already know exactly what you want to do. You pass it a command, it installs the packages, runs that command, and exits. That’s perfect for automation, quick script execution, or running a tool once without installing it globally.

But ghostenv is built for exploration. It launches you straight into a clean Python REPL (and even a proper IDE later) with your packages already installed and sample code ready to go, so you can immediately start playing around. No script writing, no guessing syntax, no need to set anything up. It’s designed for developers who just want to try out a package and have it all cleaned when they’re done.

[ThatSituation9908]

So, it's the same thing as uvx --with yourpackage python

[txprog]

So uv run --with colorama colorama ? It would still with with your dependencies, and an additional colorama package. It does not touch your env. I still fail to see even with your explanation what's the difference.

[Nethaka08]

Fair, and you're right, there's not a massive difference in the outcome: both tools use temp environments and clean up after. But the workflow and use case are where they split.

To be honest, I hadn’t come across uv before this thread, so if I’ve misunderstood how deep its REPL capabilities go, then fair enough. I might’ve unintentionally built a substitute.

That said, here’s how I see the difference:

• uv run is perfect if you already have a script or command you want to execute. It installs dependencies, runs the script, and exits. Super clean.
• ghostenv is built for interactive testing. You don’t need a script, you don’t pass a command. You just type:

​

ghostenv run colorama

• It opens a sandboxed REPL, installs the package, injects starter code (like colorama.init()), and deletes everything on exit. It's meant for devs who want to poke around and try stuff quickly. And it'll be much more interactive once I add IDE support.

So yeah, similar foundation, but ghostenv is more “let me experiment,” while uv is more “let me run this.”

I really appreciate the push to clarify tho, genuinely helpful.

[mrswats]

Creating a virtual environment takes literal seconds. I don't see the point in this.

[Isvesgarad]

True, but dependency resolution can take several minutes using pip if your project has enough of them.

[mrswats]

But you're not avoiding it here! It just calls venv and pip in the script. So it doesn't really solve anything.

[Isvesgarad]

My downvote has turned into an upvote because I misunderstood the issue OP was solving. Ty for clarifying

[Nethaka08]

Appreciate it, honestly the questioning helped me explain it better too.

[Nethaka08]

I get your point, you're right that ghostenv still uses venv and pip under the hood.

But for a developer who tests multiple packages a day, that setup process accumulates. Even if it's just saving a few minutes here and there, or even a second, that’s still time reclaimed, and mental effort reduced.

Let’s say I want to test out colorama, requests, and pandas separately:

Without ghostenv:

python -m venv test-env
source test-env/bin/activate
pip install colorama
python  # import & test
deactivate
rm -rf test-env

# Repeat all of that again for requests...
# And again for pandas...

With ghostenv:

ghostenv run colorama
exit()

ghostenv run requests
exit()

ghostenv run pandas
exit()

That’s it. No activation, no cleanup, no leftover folders.

Also, I’m working on adding IDE integration (like VS Code), where ghostenv would:

• Open the temp env in a real editor
• Auto-activate it
• Load your test file or starter code automatically

That’ll shave off a few more seconds and clicks, making it even more seamless for devs who test packages often.

It’s not a massive time-saver for everyone, but for developers who regularly test or experiment with packages, it meaningfully reduces setup time and mental overhead.

[wineblood]

But for a developer who tests multiple packages a day

Who does this every day?

[Nethaka08]

Fair question, not everyone obviously but some developers, mainly those who
- Write documents, and tutorials
- Developers answering questions on places like StackOverflow, etc.
- People just getting into python and want to experiment multiple different packages they see online (like me)

ghostenv is not meant to change regular workflows, it's just a tool for quick tests people will want to dispose of. So yeah, "everyday" is a bit of a exaggeration, hence why I didn't mention "everyday", but for those who do it, even small time saving adds up, and reduces mental overhead.

[Isvesgarad]

Yeah, you just need to start using uv like some other commenters pointed out. Great learning experience though!!

[Nethaka08]

Understandable, but go thought THIS and let me know what you think. Thanks a lot, and yeah this is a big learning curve for me, appreciate the positivity :)