> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/prefix-dev/pixi/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# pixi import

> Import dependencies from environment files into your pixi workspace

The `pixi import` command imports dependencies from external environment files (conda environment.yml or requirements.txt) into your pixi workspace.

## Usage

```bash theme={null}
pixi import [OPTIONS] <FILE>
```

## Arguments

<ParamField path="FILE" type="string" required>
  Path to the environment file to import. Supported formats:

  * `environment.yml` or `environment.yaml` (conda environment file)
  * `requirements.txt` (PyPI requirements file)

  If `--format` is not specified, pixi will try to detect the format automatically.
</ParamField>

## Options

### Format Selection

<ParamField path="--format" type="string">
  Explicitly specify the file format to interpret. Options:

  * `conda-env` - Conda environment file (environment.yml)
  * `pypi-txt` - PyPI requirements file (requirements.txt)

  Case-insensitive.
</ParamField>

```bash theme={null}
pixi import environment.yml --format conda-env
pixi import requirements.txt --format pypi-txt
```

### Platform Configuration

<ParamField path="--platform" type="Platform">
  Specify platforms for the imported environment. Can be specified multiple times.

  Short flag: `-p`
</ParamField>

```bash theme={null}
pixi import environment.yml --platform linux-64 --platform osx-arm64
```

### Environment and Feature Names

<ParamField path="--environment" type="string">
  Name for the created environment.

  Short flag: `-e`

  If not provided, attempts to use the `name` field from conda environment files. For PyPI files, this is required.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--feature" type="string">
  Name for the created feature.

  Short flag: `-f`

  If not provided, uses the same value as `--environment`.
</ParamField>

```bash theme={null}
pixi import environment.yml --environment ml-env --feature ml
pixi import requirements.txt --environment test --feature testing
```

## Import Formats

### Conda Environment Files

<Note>
  When importing conda environment files, pixi extracts:

  * Dependencies (both conda and pip)
  * Channels
  * Environment name (if specified)
</Note>

Example `environment.yml`:

```yaml theme={null}
name: myenv
channels:
  - conda-forge
  - defaults
dependencies:
  - python=3.11
  - numpy>=1.20
  - pip:
    - requests
    - flask
```

Import command:

```bash theme={null}
pixi import environment.yml
```

Resulting `pixi.toml`:

```toml theme={null}
[feature.myenv.dependencies]
python = "3.11.*"
numpy = ">=1.20"

[feature.myenv.pypi-dependencies]
requests = "*"
flask = "*"

[environments]
myenv = ["myenv"]
```

### PyPI Requirements Files

<Warning>
  Unnamed requirements (direct URLs without package names) are currently unsupported.
  Constraints in requirements files are ignored with a warning.
</Warning>

Example `requirements.txt`:

```text theme={null}
requests==2.28.0
flask>=2.0,<3.0
django
```

Import command:

```bash theme={null}
pixi import requirements.txt --environment web
```

Resulting `pixi.toml`:

```toml theme={null}
[feature.web.pypi-dependencies]
requests = "==2.28.0"
flask = ">=2.0,<3.0"
django = "*"

[environments]
web = ["web"]
```

## Behavior

### Automatic Format Detection

If `--format` is not specified, pixi tries each supported format in order:

1. Conda environment format
2. PyPI requirements format

If all formats fail, an error is returned:

```bash theme={null}
pixi import unknown-file.txt
# Error: Tried all formats for input file, but none were successful.
#        Pass a `format` argument to see the specific error for that format.
```

### Environment Creation

* **New environment**: Creates a new environment with the specified name and feature
* **Existing environment**: Adds the feature to the existing environment if not already present
* **Feature addition**: If the environment exists but doesn't include the feature, the feature is added to it

### Platform Handling

If platforms are specified with `--platform`, they are added to the feature:

```bash theme={null}
pixi import environment.yml --platform linux-64 --platform osx-64
```

This adds the platforms to the feature's platform list.

## Examples

### Import Conda Environment

```bash theme={null}
pixi import environment.yml
```

Uses the `name` field from environment.yml:

```yaml theme={null}
name: data-science
channels:
  - conda-forge
dependencies:
  - python=3.11
  - pandas
  - numpy
```

### Import with Custom Names

```bash theme={null}
pixi import environment.yml --environment ml --feature machine-learning
```

Creates an environment named "ml" with a feature named "machine-learning".

### Import PyPI Requirements

```bash theme={null}
pixi import requirements.txt --environment backend --feature api
```

PyPI files require explicit `--environment` or `--feature` specification.

### Import with Platforms

```bash theme={null}
pixi import environment.yml --platform linux-64 --platform osx-arm64
```

Imports dependencies and configures them for specific platforms.

### Import with Explicit Format

```bash theme={null}
pixi import deps.txt --format pypi-txt --environment deps
```

Forces interpretation as a PyPI requirements file.

### Import to Existing Environment

```bash theme={null}
# First import
pixi import base.yml --environment prod

# Add more dependencies to the same environment
pixi import additional.yml --environment prod --feature extras
```

The feature "extras" is added to the existing "prod" environment.

## Global Options

<ParamField path="--manifest-path" type="string">
  Path to `pixi.toml`, `pyproject.toml`, or workspace directory.

  Short flag: `-m`
</ParamField>

```bash theme={null}
pixi import environment.yml --manifest-path /path/to/project
```

## Config Options

These options override global configuration:

* `--tls-no-verify`: Disable TLS verification
* `--auth-file <FILE>`: Path to authentication file
* `--pypi-keyring-provider <PROVIDER>`: Keyring provider for PyPI

## Troubleshooting

### Missing Environment Name

Error: `Missing name: provide --feature or --environment, or set 'name:' in input file`

Solution: Specify the environment/feature name explicitly:

```bash theme={null}
pixi import environment.yml --environment myenv
```

Or ensure the conda environment file has a `name` field.

### Unsupported Format

Error: `Tried all formats for input file, but none were successful`

Solution: Specify the format explicitly:

```bash theme={null}
pixi import file.txt --format pypi-txt
```

### Unnamed Requirements

Error: `Error parsing input file: unnamed requirements are currently unsupported`

Solution: Ensure all requirements in requirements.txt have package names:

```text theme={null}
# ❌ Unsupported
https://github.com/user/repo/archive/main.zip

# ✅ Supported
mypackage @ https://github.com/user/repo/archive/main.zip
```

### Constraints Ignored

Warning: `Constraints detected in input file, but these are currently unsupported`

Constraints (lines starting with `-c` in requirements.txt) are not yet supported and will be ignored.

## Limitations

<Warning>
  Current limitations:

  * Unnamed requirements are not supported
  * Constraints files (`-c constraints.txt`) are ignored
  * Environment variables from conda files are not imported
</Warning>

## See Also

* [pixi add](/commands/add) - Add dependencies to your workspace
* [pixi init](/commands/init) - Initialize a new pixi workspace
* [pixi install](/commands/install) - Install workspace dependencies