CLI Reference¶
Scikit-build-core has a few integrated CLI tools, useful for scaffolding a project and investigating your environment.
These are available through the scikit-build command (also runnable as
python -m scikit_build_core), with the modules exposed as subcommands.
The scikit-build-core CLI provides the following commands: scikit-build build requires Get the build requirements scikit-build build project-table Get the project table (with dynamic metadata) scikit-build builder Info about the system scikit-build builder wheel-tag Info about the computed wheel tag scikit-build builder sysconfig Info from sysconfig scikit-build file-api query Request CMake file API scikit-build file-api reply Process CMake file API scikit-build init Generate a starter project scikit-build settings list List the supported config-settings
Build utilities¶
usage: scikit-build build [-h] {requires,project-table} ... Build backend utilities. positional arguments: {requires,project-table} Commands requires Get the build requirements project-table Get the full project table, including dynamic metadata options: -h, --help show this help message and exit
Build requirements¶
usage: scikit-build build requires [-h] [--mode {sdist,wheel,editable}] [--type {static,dynamic,both}] [-C KEY=VALUE] Includes the static build requirements, the dynamically generated ones, and dynamic-metadata ones. options: -h, --help show this help message and exit --mode {sdist,wheel,editable} The build mode to get the requirements for --type {static,dynamic,both} Static (build-system.requires), dynamic (from the backend hook), or both -C, --config-setting KEY=VALUE A config-setting passed to the backend hook, can be repeated
Added in version 1.1: The -C/--config-setting and --type options.
Example:
$ scikit-build build requires
[
"cmake>=3.15",
"ninja>=1.5",
"scikit-build-core"
]
Project table¶
usage: scikit-build build project-table [-h] [--state {sdist,wheel,editable,metadata_wheel,metadata_editable}] Processes static and dynamic metadata without triggering the backend, only handles scikit-build-core's dynamic metadata. options: -h, --help show this help message and exit --state {sdist,wheel,editable,metadata_wheel,metadata_editable} The build state reported to [[tool.dynamic-metadata]] providers
Example:
$ scikit-build build project-table
{
"name": "example",
"version": "0.0.1"
}
Building environment info¶
usage: scikit-build builder [-h] {wheel-tag,sysconfig} ... Info about the system and build environment. positional arguments: {wheel-tag,sysconfig} Commands wheel-tag Get the computed wheel tag for the current environment sysconfig Print information about the Python environment options: -h, --help show this help message and exit
Example:
$ scikit-build builder Scikit-build-core 1.1.2.dev3+g92cb8a5f3 on Python 3.14.6 (main, Jun 25 2026, 18:32:52) [GCC 13.2.0] Detected Python Library: /home/docs/.asdf/installs/python/3.14.6/lib/libpython3.14.so Detected ABI3 Python Library: /home/docs/.asdf/installs/python/3.14.6/lib/libpython3.14.so Detected ABI3T Python Library: /home/docs/.asdf/installs/python/3.14.6/lib/libpython3.14.so Detected Python Include Directory: /home/docs/.asdf/installs/python/3.14.6/include/python3.14 Detected NumPy Include Directory: /home/docs/checkouts/readthedocs.org/user_builds/scikit-build-core/envs/latest/lib/python3.14/site-packages/numpy/_core/include Detected Platform: linux-x86_64 Detected SOABI: cpython-314-x86_64-linux-gnu Detected ABI3 SOABI: abi3 Detected ABI3T SOABI: abi3t Detected ABI flags: Default Wheel Tag: cp314-cp314-linux_x86_64 - Note: use scikit-build builder wheel-tag -h for further options Detected CMake and Ninja (all versions):
Wheel tag¶
usage: scikit-build builder wheel-tag [-h] [--archs [ARCHS ...]] [--abi ABI] [--purelib] Get the computed wheel tag for the current environment. options: -h, --help show this help message and exit --archs [ARCHS ...] Specify one or more archs (macOS only currently) --abi ABI Specify py-api, like 'cp39', 'cp315t', or 'py3' --purelib Specify a non-platlib (pure) tag
Example:
$ scikit-build builder wheel-tag
cp314-cp314-linux_x86_64
Sysconfig¶
usage: scikit-build builder sysconfig [-h] Print information about the Python environment. options: -h, --help show this help message and exit
File API tools¶
usage: scikit-build file-api query [-h] build_dir Write a stateless query to a build directory. positional arguments: build_dir Path to the build directory options: -h, --help show this help message and exit
usage: scikit-build file-api reply [-h] reply_dir Read a query written out to a build directory. positional arguments: reply_dir Path to the reply directory options: -h, --help show this help message and exit
Settings tools¶
usage: scikit-build settings [-h] {list} ... Settings utilities. positional arguments: {list} Commands list List the config-settings supported when building this project options: -h, --help show this help message and exit
Config-settings¶
Lists the config-settings the current project accepts: the built-in
scikit-build-core settings plus any the project declares in
tool.scikit-build.config-setting.
Added in version 1.1.
usage: scikit-build settings list [-h] Lists the built-in scikit-build-core settings and any config-settings the project declares in tool.scikit-build.config-setting. options: -h, --help show this help message and exit
Starter projects¶
The init command generates a minimal CMake + scikit-build-core project for the
selected binding backend. Run it without --backend to pick one interactively.
usage: scikit-build init [-h] [--backend {pybind11,nanobind,c,cython,swig,fortran,abi3,abi3t}] [--name NAME] [--force] [directory] Generate a minimal CMake + scikit-build-core starter project. positional arguments: directory Directory to create the project in (default: current directory) options: -h, --help show this help message and exit --backend {pybind11,nanobind,c,cython,swig,fortran,abi3,abi3t} Binding backend to use (prompts interactively if omitted) --name NAME Project name (default: derived from the directory name) --force Generate into a non-empty directory