pixi remove

Remove dependencies from your pixi workspace

The pixi remove command removes dependencies from your workspace manifest and updates the lock file.

Usage

pixi remove [OPTIONS] <SPEC>...

Arguments

SPEC · string · required

The dependency to remove. Can be:

• Package name: numpy
• Multiple packages: numpy pandas scipy

Multiple packages can be specified.

Options

Dependency Type

--pypi · boolean · default: "false"

Remove a PyPI dependency instead of conda. Conflicts with --host and --build.

pixi remove --pypi requests
pixi remove --pypi flask boto3

--host · boolean · default: "false"

Remove a host dependency. Conflicts with --build and --pypi.

--build · boolean · default: "false"

Remove a build dependency. Conflicts with --host and --pypi.

pixi remove cmake --build
pixi remove python --host

Platform-Specific

--platform · string

Remove dependency for specific platform(s). Can be specified multiple times.

Short flag: -p

pixi remove cuda --platform linux-64
pixi remove numpy --platform linux-64 --platform osx-arm64

Feature-Specific

--feature · string · default: "default"

Remove dependency from a specific feature.

Short flag: -f

pixi remove pytest --feature test
pixi remove cuda --feature gpu

Update Options

Skip Installation

--no-install · boolean · default: "false"

Don’t reinstall the environment, only update the lock file.

pixi remove numpy --no-install

Lock File Usage

--frozen · boolean · default: "false"

Don’t update the lock file.

Env: PIXI_FROZEN

--locked · boolean · default: "false"

Require lock file to be up-to-date.

Env: PIXI_LOCKED

pixi remove numpy --frozen
pixi remove pandas --locked

Examples

Remove Single Package

pixi remove numpy

Before:

[dependencies]
python = "3.11.*"
numpy = ">=1.26.0,<2"
pandas = ">=2.0.0,<3"

After:

[dependencies]
python = "3.11.*"
pandas = ">=2.0.0,<3"

Remove Multiple Packages

pixi remove numpy pandas scipy

Remove PyPI Package

pixi remove --pypi requests

Before:

[pypi-dependencies]
requests = "*"
flask = ">=2.0.0"

After:

[pypi-dependencies]
flask = ">=2.0.0"

Remove from PyProject.toml

For pyproject.toml manifests, pixi remove --pypi removes from:

Default feature: project.dependencies

pixi remove --pypi boto3

Before:

[project]
dependencies = [
  "boto3",
  "requests",
]

After:

[project]
dependencies = [
  "requests",
]

Named feature: dependency-groups or tool.pixi.pypi-dependencies

pixi remove --pypi boto3 --feature aws

Before:

[dependency-groups]
aws = [
  "boto3",
  "s3fs",
]

After:

[dependency-groups]
aws = [
  "s3fs",
]

Remove Platform-Specific Package

pixi remove cuda --platform linux-64

Before:

[target.linux-64.dependencies]
cuda = ">=12.0.0,<13"
numpy = ">=1.26.0,<2"

[dependencies]
python = "3.11.*"

After:

[target.linux-64.dependencies]
numpy = ">=1.26.0,<2"

[dependencies]
python = "3.11.*"

Remove from Feature

pixi remove pytest pytest-cov --feature test

Before:

[feature.test.dependencies]
pytest = ">=8.0.0,<9"
pytest-cov = ">=4.0.0,<5"
pytest-mock = "*"

After:

[feature.test.dependencies]
pytest-mock = "*"

Remove Build Dependency

pixi remove cmake --build

Before:

[build-dependencies]
cmake = ">=3.20"
make = "*"

After:

[build-dependencies]
make = "*"

Combining Options

Platform + Feature

pixi remove cuda --platform linux-64 --feature gpu

Removes cuda from the gpu feature on linux-64 platform only.

Multiple Platforms

pixi remove numpy --platform linux-64 --platform osx-arm64

Removes numpy from both specified platforms.

PyPI + Feature

pixi remove --pypi pytest --feature test

Removes PyPI pytest from the test feature.

Global Options

--manifest-path · string

Path to pixi.toml, pyproject.toml, or workspace directory.

Short flag: -m

pixi remove numpy --manifest-path /path/to/project

Behavior Details

Dependency Detection

Pixi automatically detects where the dependency is defined:

1. Default dependencies ([dependencies])
2. Platform-specific dependencies ([target.<platform>.dependencies])
3. Feature dependencies ([feature.<name>.dependencies])
4. PyPI dependencies ([pypi-dependencies])
5. Build/host dependencies

Removing Unused Dependencies

Removing a package doesn’t remove its dependencies. Use pixi update to clean up:

pixi remove numpy
pixi update  # Removes numpy's dependencies if no longer needed

Lock File Update

By default, pixi remove:

1. Removes package from manifest
2. Updates lock file
3. Reinstalls environment

Use --no-install to skip reinstallation:

pixi remove numpy --no-install
pixi install  # Reinstall later

Exit Status

• 0: Success
• 1: Package not found in specified location
• 1: Lock file update failed
• 1: Installation failed

Troubleshooting

Package Not Found

Error: package 'numpy' not found in dependencies

Solutions:

1. Check if package exists:

pixi list | grep numpy

2. Check feature/platform:

# Package in feature
pixi remove numpy --feature ml

# Package in platform
pixi remove numpy --platform linux-64

3. Check if it’s a PyPI package:

pixi remove --pypi numpy

Dependency Still Required

Warning: Other packages may still depend on the removed package.

Solution: Check dependencies:

pixi tree | grep numpy

The package will remain in the lock file if other packages need it.

Lock File Out of Sync

Error: lock file is out of sync

Solution:

# Update lock file first
pixi install

# Then remove
pixi remove numpy

Removing from Wrong Location

If removing doesn’t work, the package might be in:

• Different feature: Try --feature <name>
• Different platform: Try --platform <platform>
• PyPI section: Try --pypi
• Build section: Try --build

Inspect manifest to find exact location:

cat pixi.toml | grep -A 5 numpy

Common Workflows

Clean Up Test Dependencies

pixi remove pytest pytest-cov pytest-mock --feature test

Remove Platform-Specific CUDA

pixi remove cuda cudatoolkit --platform linux-64

Remove All PyPI Dev Tools

pixi remove --pypi black flake8 mypy --feature dev

Switch from Conda to PyPI Package

# Remove conda version
pixi remove numpy

# Add PyPI version
pixi add --pypi numpy

See Also

• pixi add - Add dependencies
• pixi install - Install dependencies
• pixi update - Update lock file
• pixi list - List installed packages