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Gautam Vhavle
Gautam Vhavle

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Why uv Refused to Upgrade My Package (And Why It Was Actually Right)

#uv #python #dependencyinversion #programming

I thought uv was being annoying. Turns out, it saved me from breaking my entire project. Here's the story.

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The Vibe Check: What This Article Is About

So there I was, vibing with my Python backend, when a wild upgrade notification appeared. Seemed simple enough — just upgrade a package, right?

Narrator: It was not simple.

What started as a "quick 5-minute fix" turned into a deep dive into how uv (the blazingly fast Python package manager) actually thinks. And honestly? It completely changed how I approach dependency management.

Here's the journey:

  • 🔥 The problem that looked like a bug
  • 🧠 The mental model shift that clicked
  • ✅ The actual fix (spoiler: it wasn't forcing an upgrade)
  • 💡 The lessons that'll save you hours

Let's get into it.

Setting the Scene: My Stack

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I was working on a FastAPI-based backend — you know, the classic data processing API:

  • FastAPI + Uvicorn (the speedy bois)
  • pandas & numpy (data wrangling essentials)
  • scikit-learn (ML predictions)
  • scipy (scientific computing)
  • uv for dependency management (because who has time for slow installs?)

Everything was humming along nicely. Dependencies locked in pyproject.toml, reproducible builds via uv.lock. Chef's kiss. 🤌

Then I saw this warning pop up:

A newer version of numpy is available: 1.24.3 → 2.0.0
(pip install -U numpy)
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My brain: "Cool, let's upgrade."

My project: "lol no."

First Attempt: The Obvious Thing

Since I'm using uv (not pip like a caveman), I ran the proper command:

uv lock --upgrade-package numpy
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And uv said:

❌ No solution found.

Wait, what? The package exists. The version is right there. Why won't you just... install it?

I tried again. Same error. Cleared cache. Same error. Started questioning my life choices. Same. Error.

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The Plot Twist: uv Isn't Being Difficult — It's Being Smart

Here's where I had to sit down and actually understand what uv is doing under the hood.

See, uv is not pip. It's built different (literally).

pip uv
Yeets packages into your env immediately Resolves the entire dependency graph first
Hopes for the best Demands logical consistency
"It compiled, ship it" energy "This must make mathematical sense" energy

The key insight:

uv doesn't upgrade packages. It upgrades compatibility sets.

If even one dependency conflicts with another, uv refuses to proceed. It won't give you a broken environment and call it a day.

This isn't a limitation. It's a feature.

The Real Issue: I Was Living a Lie

After actually reading the error (revolutionary, I know), the problem became crystal clear.

My pyproject.toml was depending on a bunch of scientific Python packages:

numpy
pandas
scipy
scikit-learn
numba
matplotlib
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Looks fine, right? Just importing what I need?

WRONG.

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The Hidden Drama: Two Generations, One Project

Here's what I didn't know: the scientific Python ecosystem had just gone through a major version transition with numpy 2.0, and not everyone was on board yet.

🔷 Legacy-Compatible Stack

  • numba (JIT compiler)
  • scipy < 1.13
  • Older scikit-learn versions
  • Requires: numpy >= 1.21, < 2.0

🔶 Modern Stack

  • numpy >= 2.0
  • pandas >= 2.2
  • Newer scipy >= 1.13
  • Newer scikit-learn >= 1.5

See the problem?

By having both old and new packages in my project, I was basically telling uv:

"Hey, I need numpy to be less than 2.0 AND greater than or equal to 2.0."

uv, being mathematically literate: "That's... not how numbers work, bestie."

No version of numpy can be both < 2.0 AND >= 2.0. It's impossible. That's why uv said no solution exists — because no solution actually exists.

But Wait, pip Would've Worked!

Yeah, about that...

If I had just run:

pip install -U numpy
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pip would've:

  • ✅ Upgraded numpy to 2.0 (yay!)
  • 😬 Silently left numba with an incompatible numpy
  • 💀 Caused cryptic runtime errors when numba tried to JIT compile
  • 🎲 Left me debugging "why does my code randomly crash" for hours

pip's approach: "You asked for this package? Here it is. Good luck with everything else lmaooo"

uv's approach: "I'm not letting you shoot yourself in the foot."

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The Fix: Making an Actual Decision

The solution wasn't to force an upgrade or delete my lockfile or any of that hacky stuff.

The solution was to choose a lane.

Since I was building a data API and needed the latest pandas features, the modern numpy 2.0 stack made more sense. But that meant I had to deal with numba.

🗑️ What I Changed 

# Removed the legacy-locked package
numba  # ← goodbye old friend, you're holding us back

# Or alternatively, waited for numba's numpy 2.0 compatible release
# and pinned to that specific version
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✅ What I Kept (with updated constraints) 

numpy>=2.0,<3.0
pandas>=2.2,<3.0
scipy>=1.13,<2.0
scikit-learn>=1.5,<2.0
matplotlib>=3.8,<4.0
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The Moment of Truth

With a logically consistent dependency graph, I ran:

uv lock
uv sync
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And just like that:

✓ Resolved dependencies
✓ Locked 127 packages
✓ Synced environment
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No force flags. No hacks. No deleting lockfiles. No stackoverflow copypasta.

It. Just. Worked. ✨

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The Big Brain Takeaways

This experience taught me some real ones:

1. uv's strictness is a feature, not a bug

When uv says "no," it's because you're asking for the impossible. Listen to it.

2. Errors are signals, not obstacles

That error message wasn't uv being annoying — it was uv telling me my project had a fundamental design issue.

3. pip's "flexibility" is actually a trap

Silent breakage > Loud error? Nah. I'll take the loud error every time.

4. Dependencies are relationships

You can't just import everything and hope they get along. Some packages are fundamentally incompatible.

5. Lockfiles are your friend

They're not friction. They're reproducibility. They're the reason your code works the same way on every machine.

Pro Tips for the Road

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If you want to avoid my pain, here's the cheat code:

Do This Not This
Treat pyproject.toml as a policy document Treat it like a wish list
Research if packages are compatible Just add everything you might need
Upgrade related packages together Upgrade one random package and pray
Use version ranges (>=1.0,<2.0) Over-pin to exact versions
Trust the resolver Fight the resolver

The One-Liner That Changed My Perspective

If uv refuses to resolve, it's because your requirements don't describe a world that can actually exist.

Read that again.

uv isn't being stubborn. It's being honest. Your dependency graph is a specification of reality, and if that specification is contradictory, no tool can make it work — they can only pretend to.

Wrapping Up

What felt like uv being difficult was actually uv doing its job: protecting me from myself.

The problem wasn't the tool refusing to upgrade.

The problem was that my dependency graph was mathematically impossible.

Once I fixed that — once I made an actual architectural decision instead of importing everything — it all just worked. Cleanly. Predictably. Reproducibly.

That's the real value of uv. It doesn't let you live a lie.

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Got questions? Hit me up. Happy to chat about dependency management, uv, or why pip gives me trust issues.

Stay consistent, fam. ✌️

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