> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/astral-sh/uv/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # uv tool uninstall > Uninstall one or more installed tools # uv tool uninstall Uninstall one or more installed tools. ## Usage ```bash theme={null} uv tool uninstall [OPTIONS] ... uv tool uninstall --all ``` ## Description Removes installed tools and their isolated environments. This command removes the tool's virtual environment from the tools directory and unlinks the executables from the bin directory. Multiple tools can be uninstalled in a single command by providing multiple tool names. This action cannot be undone. The tool and its environment will be permanently removed. ## Examples ### Uninstall a single tool ```bash theme={null} uv tool uninstall ruff ``` ### Uninstall multiple tools ```bash theme={null} uv tool uninstall ruff black mypy ``` ### Uninstall all tools ```bash theme={null} uv tool uninstall --all ``` ### Uninstall with confirmation ```bash theme={null} # Using a shell prompt for confirmation read -p "Are you sure you want to uninstall ruff? (y/n) " -n 1 -r echo if [[ $REPLY =~ ^[Yy]$ ]]; then uv tool uninstall ruff fi ``` ## Arguments The name of the tool(s) to uninstall. Multiple tool names can be provided separated by spaces. ```bash theme={null} uv tool uninstall ruff uv tool uninstall ruff black mypy ``` The tool name is the package name, not the executable name. Use `uv tool list` to see installed tool names. ## Options Uninstall all tools. This removes all installed tools and their environments. ```bash theme={null} uv tool uninstall --all ``` This will remove all installed tools. Use with caution. ## What Gets Removed When you uninstall a tool, uv removes: 1. **Tool Environment**: The isolated virtual environment in the tools directory 2. **Executables**: Symlinks/scripts from the bin directory 3. **Metadata**: Tool installation metadata and configuration ### Example directory changes Before uninstalling `ruff`: ``` ~/.local/share/uv/tools/ ├── ruff/ └── black/ ~/.local/bin/ ├── ruff ├── black └── blackd ``` After `uv tool uninstall ruff`: ``` ~/.local/share/uv/tools/ └── black/ ~/.local/bin/ ├── black └── blackd ``` ## Behavior Details ### Tool not found If you try to uninstall a tool that isn't installed, uv will report an error: ```bash theme={null} uv tool uninstall nonexistent-tool # Error: Tool 'nonexistent-tool' is not installed ``` ### Partial failures When uninstalling multiple tools, if some tools don't exist, uv will: * Uninstall the tools that do exist * Report errors for tools that don't exist * Exit with a non-zero status code ```bash theme={null} uv tool uninstall ruff nonexistent black # Uninstalls ruff and black, reports error for nonexistent ``` ### Dependencies Uninstalling a tool removes only that tool and its dependencies. Other tools with shared dependencies are not affected (each tool has its own isolated environment). ## Verifying Uninstallation After uninstalling, verify the tool is removed: ```bash theme={null} # Check if tool is listed uv tool list | grep ruff # Try to run the command (should fail) ruff --version # Output: command not found: ruff ``` ## Uninstalling vs. Removing Cache Uninstalling a tool removes the tool environment but doesn't clear the package cache: ```bash theme={null} # Uninstall tool (removes environment, keeps cached packages) uv tool uninstall ruff # Reinstall is fast due to cache uv tool install ruff # To also clear the cache uv cache clean ruff ``` ## Common Workflows ### Remove and reinstall a tool ```bash theme={null} # Remove current installation uv tool uninstall ruff # Install specific version uv tool install ruff==0.4.0 ``` ### Clean up all development tools ```bash theme={null} # Uninstall development tools uv tool uninstall black ruff mypy pytest # Or uninstall everything uv tool uninstall --all ``` ### Migrate to different version ```bash theme={null} # Old way: uninstall then install uv tool uninstall ruff uv tool install ruff==0.4.0 # Better way: use --force uv tool install --force ruff==0.4.0 ``` Use `uv tool install --force` to replace an existing installation without explicitly uninstalling first. ## Troubleshooting ### Tool still appears in PATH After uninstalling, the executable might still be found if there are multiple installations: ```bash theme={null} # Check which command is being run which ruff # If it points to a different location, you may have another installation # For example, via pip, pipx, or system package manager ``` ### Permission errors If you encounter permission errors: ```bash theme={null} # Check tool directory permissions ls -la $(uv tool dir) # May need to fix ownership # (Only if tools were installed by different user) ``` ### Executable still exists but doesn't work If the executable link remains but the tool doesn't work: ```bash theme={null} # Manually remove the broken link rm $(uv tool dir --bin)/ruff # Then reinstall if needed uv tool install ruff ``` ### Can't uninstall due to locked environment If a tool is actively running, uninstallation might fail: ```bash theme={null} # Stop any running instances of the tool pkill -f ruff # Then uninstall uv tool uninstall ruff ``` ## Bulk Operations ### Uninstall tools matching a pattern ```bash theme={null} # Uninstall all tools starting with 'py' uv tool list | awk '{print $1}' | grep '^py' | xargs uv tool uninstall ``` ### Uninstall all but specific tools ```bash theme={null} # Keep ruff and black, remove others uv tool list | awk '{print $1}' | grep -v '^ruff$\|^black$' | xargs uv tool uninstall ``` ### Backup tool list before uninstalling ```bash theme={null} # Save current tools uv tool list > installed-tools.txt # Uninstall all uv tool uninstall --all # Later, reinstall from backup cat installed-tools.txt | awk '{print $1}' | xargs -n1 uv tool install ``` The backup approach installs the latest versions, not the original versions. Use `uv tool list --show-version-specifiers` for more precise backup. ## Exit Codes * `0`: All specified tools were successfully uninstalled * `1`: One or more tools were not found or uninstallation failed * `2`: Invalid arguments or options provided ## See Also * [uv tool install](/cli/tool-install) - Install a tool * [uv tool list](/cli/tool-list) - List installed tools * [uv tool run](/cli/tool-run) - Run a tool without installing it * [uv cache clean](/cli/cache-clean) - Clean the package cache