PyPI README Creator

Generate professional, PyPI-compliant README files in Markdown or reStructuredText that render correctly on PyPI, GitHub, GitLab, and BitBucket.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Creating README files for Python packages intended for PyPI publication
• Converting between Markdown and reStructuredText formats
• Validating README markup before publishing to PyPI
• Setting up pyproject.toml metadata for README inclusion
• Generating README.rst files from Sphinx documentation
• Ensuring README compatibility across multiple platforms (PyPI, GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket)
• Troubleshooting README rendering issues on PyPI
• Creating documentation that balances technical accuracy with user accessibility

Core Capabilities

Supported Formats

PyPI's README renderer supports three formats with specific constraints:

1. Plain Text (text/plain)

   • Use for minimal documentation
   • No formatting capabilities
   • Renders exactly as written

2. reStructuredText (text/x-rst)

   • Rich formatting with directives and roles
   • Critical limitation: Sphinx extensions NOT allowed on PyPI
   • No :py:func:, :ref:, :doc:, or other Sphinx-specific roles
   • Standard docutils directives only (admonitions, code blocks, tables)
   • Use sphinx-readme extension to generate PyPI-compatible RST from Sphinx docs

3. Markdown (text/markdown)

   • GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) by default
   • Alternative: CommonMark
   • Modern, widely supported format
   • Excellent compatibility across platforms

Format Selection Strategy

Choose Markdown when:

• Starting a new project without existing RST documentation
• Prioritizing GitHub/GitLab compatibility
• Team prefers Markdown syntax
• Documentation is primarily user-facing

Choose reStructuredText when:

• Project uses Sphinx for documentation
• Need advanced table formatting
• Existing RST documentation infrastructure
• Using sphinx-readme to generate from Sphinx docs

Use sphinx-readme when:

• Maintaining Sphinx documentation alongside PyPI README
• Need consistent formatting between docs and README
• Want to leverage Sphinx features while generating PyPI-compatible output
• Converting Sphinx-heavy documentation to PyPI-friendly format

README Content Guidelines

Essential Sections

Include these sections for comprehensive project documentation:

Project Identity (Required)

• Project name and one-line description
• Badges (build status, PyPI version, license, coverage)
• Quick value proposition

Installation (Required)

• Primary installation method: pip install package-name
• Alternative methods: uv add package-name, development installation
• System requirements and Python version compatibility

Quick Start (Highly Recommended)

• Minimal working example (3-10 lines)
• Expected output or result
• Link to full documentation

Features (Recommended)

• Bulleted list of key capabilities
• What makes this package unique
• Comparison with alternatives (if applicable)

Usage Examples (Recommended)

• 2-3 concrete examples showing common use cases
• Progressive complexity (basic → intermediate)
• Code samples with expected output

Documentation Link (Required if comprehensive docs exist)

• Link to Read the Docs, GitHub Pages, or hosted documentation
• Brief description of what's in the full docs

Contributing (Recommended for open source)

• How to report issues
• How to submit changes
• Link to CONTRIBUTING.md if detailed

License (Required)

• License name and link to LICENSE file
• Brief permissions statement

Changelog/Release Notes (Optional)

• Link to CHANGELOG.md or GitHub releases
• Brief summary of latest version

Writing Style Principles

Follow these principles from documentation-expert and gitlab-docs-expert:

Clarity and Simplicity

• Write for users who are discovering your project for the first time
• Avoid jargon unless necessary and explained
• Use active voice and present tense
• Keep sentences concise (under 25 words)

Focus on the User

• Answer: "What can this do for me?" early
• Show working examples before explaining internals
• Provide copy-paste ready code snippets
• Include expected outputs to verify success

Accuracy and Synchronization

• Ensure code examples actually work with current version
• Test all commands before including
• Keep version numbers current
• Update README with each release

Promote Consistency

• Use consistent terminology throughout
• Follow same code style as project
• Match heading hierarchy (# → ## → ###)
• Use parallel structure in lists

Leverage Visuals and Examples

• Include code examples with syntax highlighting
• Show expected output or results
• Use badges for quick status information
• Consider diagrams for architecture (Mermaid on GitHub/GitLab)

Format-Specific Guidance

Markdown (README.md)

Syntax Highlighting

```python
import package_name

result = package_name.process("example")
print(result)
# Output: Processed: example
```

Badges

![PyPI version](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/package-name.svg)
![Python versions](https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/package-name.svg)
![License](https://img.shields.io/pypi/l/package-name.svg)

Tables

| Feature | Support |
|---------|---------|
| Python 3.11+ | ✓ |
| Type hints | ✓ |
| Async support | ✓ |

Alerts (GitHub/GitLab)

> [!NOTE]
> This feature requires Python 3.11 or higher.

> [!WARNING]
> Breaking changes in version 2.0. See migration guide.

Links

[Documentation](https://package-name.readthedocs.io)
[PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/package-name/)
[Issues](https://github.com/user/package-name/issues)

reStructuredText (README.rst)

Syntax Highlighting

.. code-block:: python

   import package_name

   result = package_name.process("example")
   print(result)
   # Output: Processed: example

Badges

.. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/package-name.svg
   :target: https://pypi.org/project/package-name/
   :alt: PyPI version

.. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/package-name.svg
   :alt: Python versions

Tables

+------------------+----------+
| Feature          | Support  |
+==================+==========+
| Python 3.11+     | ✓        |
+------------------+----------+
| Type hints       | ✓        |
+------------------+----------+

Or using simple table syntax:

========  =========
Feature   Support
========  =========
Python 3.11+  ✓
Type hints    ✓
========  =========

Admonitions

.. note::

   This feature requires Python 3.11 or higher.

.. warning::

   Breaking changes in version 2.0. See migration guide.

.. tip::

   Use the async API for better performance.

Links

`Documentation <https://package-name.readthedocs.io>`_
`PyPI <https://pypi.org/project/package-name/>`_
`Issues <https://github.com/user/package-name/issues>`_

Section Headers

================
Main Title
================

Section
=========

Subsection
-----------

Subsubsection
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sphinx README Integration

For projects using Sphinx, leverage sphinx-readme to generate PyPI-compatible README.rst files.

Installation

uv add --group docs sphinx-readme

Configuration in conf.py

extensions = [
    'sphinx_readme',
]

# Optional configuration
readme_config = {
    'src_file': 'index.rst',  # Source file in docs/
    'out_file': '../README.rst',  # Output to project root
}

Key Benefits

• Converts Sphinx-specific roles to PyPI-compatible equivalents
• Preserves admonitions, code blocks, and formatting
• Maintains single source of truth in Sphinx docs
• Automatically handles cross-references

Limitations

• Sphinx roles (:py:func:, :ref:) converted to plain text or removed
• Advanced Sphinx features may not translate
• Review generated output before publishing

Workflow

# Build Sphinx docs (generates README.rst automatically)
uv run sphinx-build -b html docs/ docs/_build/html

# Verify README rendering
uv run --with twine twine check dist/*

PyPI Integration

pyproject.toml Configuration

For Markdown README

[project]
name = "package-name"
version = "1.0.0"
description = "Short one-line description"
readme = "README.md"  # Automatically sets content-type to text/markdown
requires-python = ">=3.11"
license = {text = "MIT"}
authors = [
    {name = "Your Name", email = "you@example.com"}
]
keywords = ["keyword1", "keyword2"]
classifiers = [
    "Development Status :: 4 - Beta",
    "Intended Audience :: Developers",
    "License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License",
    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11",
    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12",
]

[project.urls]
Homepage = "https://github.com/user/package-name"
Documentation = "https://package-name.readthedocs.io"
Repository = "https://github.com/user/package-name"
Issues = "https://github.com/user/package-name/issues"
Changelog = "https://github.com/user/package-name/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md"

For reStructuredText README

[project]
readme = "README.rst"  # Automatically sets content-type to text/x-rst
# ... rest of configuration

For custom content type

[project]
readme = {file = "README.md", content-type = "text/markdown"}
# or
readme = {file = "README.rst", content-type = "text/x-rst"}

For GitHub Flavored Markdown (explicit)

[project]
readme = {file = "README.md", content-type = "text/markdown; variant=GFM"}

For CommonMark

[project]
readme = {file = "README.md", content-type = "text/markdown; variant=CommonMark"}

Building and Publishing

Build distribution packages

# Using uv (modern approach)
uv build

# Outputs to dist/:
# - package_name-1.0.0-py3-none-any.whl
# - package_name-1.0.0.tar.gz

Validate README rendering

# Check that README will render on PyPI
uv run --with twine twine check dist/*

Expected output for success:

Checking dist/package_name-1.0.0-py3-none-any.whl: Passed
Checking dist/package_name-1.0.0.tar.gz: Passed

Common validation errors

Publish to PyPI

# Upload to PyPI (requires API token)
uv run --with twine twine upload dist/*

# Test on TestPyPI first (recommended)
uv run --with twine twine upload --repository testpypi dist/*

Setting up PyPI credentials

# Create ~/.pypirc
cat > ~/.pypirc << 'EOF'
[pypi]
username = __token__
password = pypi-your-api-token-here

[testpypi]
username = __token__
password = pypi-your-testpypi-token-here
EOF

chmod 600 ~/.pypirc

Validation Workflow

Pre-Publish Checklist

Run this workflow before publishing to PyPI:

# 1. Build the package
uv build

# 2. Validate README rendering
uv run --with twine twine check dist/*

# 3. Test installation locally
uv pip install dist/*.whl

# 4. Upload to TestPyPI
uv run --with twine twine upload --repository testpypi dist/*

# 5. Visit TestPyPI page and verify README renders correctly
# https://test.pypi.org/project/package-name/

# 6. Test installation from TestPyPI
uv pip install --index-url https://test.pypi.org/simple/ package-name

# 7. If all looks good, upload to production PyPI
uv run --with twine twine upload dist/*

Local README Testing

Test Markdown rendering locally

# Install grip (GitHub README previewer)
uv tool install grip

# Preview README.md
uvx grip README.md
# Opens browser at http://localhost:6419

Test reStructuredText rendering locally

# Convert RST to HTML for preview
uv run --with docutils rst2html.py README.rst README.html

# Open in browser
xdg-open README.html  # Linux
open README.html      # macOS

Validate RST syntax

# Check for RST errors
uv run --with docutils rst2html.py README.rst /dev/null
# Only shows errors/warnings, no output file

Common Issues and Solutions

reStructuredText Issues

Issue: Sphinx roles not rendering

❌ WRONG (will fail on PyPI):
See :py:func:`package.function` for details.
Use :ref:`my-label` for more information.

✓ CORRECT (PyPI-compatible):
See ``package.function()`` for details.
Use `my-label`_ for more information.

.. _my-label: https://docs.example.com/section

Issue: Code block indentation

❌ WRONG:
.. code-block:: python
import package  # No blank line, incorrect indent

✓ CORRECT:
.. code-block:: python

   import package  # Blank line after directive, proper indent
   package.run()

Issue: Link definition spacing

❌ WRONG:
`Documentation`_
.. _Documentation: https://example.com  # Too close

✓ CORRECT:
`Documentation`_

.. _Documentation: https://example.com  # Blank line before

Markdown Issues

Issue: Code fence language specification

❌ WRONG:
```
import package  # No language specified
```

✓ CORRECT:
```python
import package
```

Issue: Heading hierarchy

❌ WRONG:
# Title
### Subsection  # Skipped ##

✓ CORRECT:
# Title
## Section
### Subsection

Cross-Platform Compatibility

Issue: Platform-specific line endings

# Convert to Unix line endings (LF)
dos2unix README.md  # or README.rst

# Or using Python
uv run python -c "
import sys
with open('README.md', 'r') as f:
    content = f.read()
with open('README.md', 'w', newline='\n') as f:
    f.write(content)
"

Issue: Rendering differences GitHub vs PyPI

• GitHub: Supports GFM extensions (alerts, task lists, tables)
• PyPI: Supports basic GFM, but may render differently
• Solution: Test on TestPyPI before publishing

Example README Templates

See reference files for complete examples:

• references/markdown-template.md - Modern Markdown README template
• references/rst-template.rst - reStructuredText README template
• references/sphinx-readme-example.md - Using sphinx-readme extension

Related Skills and Tools

Skills to activate:

• uv - For Python project and package management
• hatchling - For build backend configuration
• gitlab-skill - For GitLab Flavored Markdown features

External tools:

• twine - README validation and PyPI publishing
• sphinx-readme - Generate PyPI-compatible RST from Sphinx
• grip - Preview Markdown as GitHub renders it
• docutils - Validate and convert reStructuredText
• pandoc - Convert between Markdown and RST

Quality Standards

Consult ../python3-development/references/python3-standards.md when applying shared architecture, typing, testing, or CLI rules; full standards, graphs, and amendment process are documented there.

Before finalizing a README:

• One-line description clearly states project purpose
• Installation instructions tested and accurate
• Code examples run successfully with current version
• All links valid and point to correct destinations
• Badges display correctly and are current
• Markup validated with twine check
• Tested rendering on target platforms (PyPI, GitHub/GitLab)
• Spelling and grammar checked
• Heading hierarchy is consistent (no skipped levels)
• License clearly stated
• Python version requirements specified
• Content type correctly set in pyproject.toml

Key Principles

1. User-First Design: Answer "What does this do for me?" in the first paragraph
2. Show, Don't Tell: Working code examples over abstract descriptions
3. Platform Compatibility: Test rendering on all target platforms
4. Format Constraints: Respect PyPI limitations (no Sphinx extensions in RST)
5. Validation Before Publishing: Always run twine check before uploading
6. Single Source of Truth: Use sphinx-readme for Sphinx-based projects
7. Accessibility: Write for diverse audiences (beginners to experts)
8. Maintenance: Update README with each release

References

Official Documentation

• Making a PyPI-friendly README - Official Python Packaging Guide
• PyPI README Renderer - PyPI's rendering engine
• sphinx-readme Documentation - Sphinx to PyPI README converter
• reStructuredText Primer - Sphinx RST guide
• GitHub Flavored Markdown - GFM specification
• CommonMark - CommonMark specification

Tool Documentation

• Twine Documentation - Package upload tool
• uv Documentation - Modern Python package manager
• Hatchling Documentation - Modern build backend

Related Resources

• readme-renderer on PyPI - Test README rendering
• Grip - Preview Markdown as GitHub renders
• m2rr - Markdown to reStructuredText converter
• Pandoc - Universal document converter