Summary

Removing a dependency with uv rm also strips the entry from the [tool.uv.sources] table, because uv treats that entry as part of the installed package definition.
To keep the source declaration while un‑installing the package, you must manipulate the pyproject.toml manually (or with a script) rather than using uv rm.

Root Cause

uv rm <pkg> removes all references to <pkg> in the project file, including the custom source line under [tool.uv.sources].
The editable=true source mapping is considered part of the package specification, so uv cannot distinguish “remove the locked version” from “keep the source entry”.

Why This Happens in Real Systems

Unified command model: uv aims to keep the manifest consistent; deleting a package should leave no dangling configuration.
Editable installs are treated as a single source of truth—if the package isn’t listed as a dependency, its source entry is deemed irrelevant.
This behavior mirrors other packaging tools (e.g., pip uninstall removes the requirement line from a requirements.txt).

Real-World Impact

Developer friction: Every time a library’s own dependencies change, developers must:
- Delete the source entry.
- Re‑add the library to re‑inject the source line.
CI/CD instability: Automated pipelines that uv rm a package can unintentionally corrupt the pyproject.toml, causing builds to fail until the source line is restored.
Jupyter notebook churn: Restarting kernels does not reload the updated source, forcing the manual cycle described above.

Example or Code (if necessary and relevant)

# pyproject.toml (excerpt)
[tool.uv.sources]
mylib = { path = "/PATH/TO/MY/LIBRARY", editable = true }

[project]
dependencies = [
    "mylib",
    # other deps…
]

How Senior Engineers Fix It

Edit pyproject.toml directly: Remove mylib from the dependencies list but leave the entry under [tool.uv.sources].
Automate with a tiny script to strip the dependency while preserving the source line:
```
import tomllib, tomli_w, pathlib
```

proj = pathlib.Path(“pyproject.toml”)
data = tomllib.loads(proj.read_text())

Remove from dependencies

deps = data.get(“project”, {}).get(“dependencies”, [])
data[“project”][“dependencies”] = [d for d in deps if not d.startswith(“mylib”)]

proj.write_text(tomli_w.dumps(data))

- **Use `uv sync`** after editing: `uv sync` will reinstall the remaining dependencies, respecting the unchanged source entry.
- **Pin the library version** in the main project (e.g., `mylib @ file:///PATH/TO/MY/LIBRARY`) instead of relying on `[tool.uv.sources]`; this keeps the source reference even if the package is removed from `dependencies`.

## Why Juniors Miss It
- **Assume** `uv rm` behaves like a simple uninstall, not realizing it also edits the source table.
- **Overlook** the separation between *dependency list* and *source mapping* in `pyproject.toml`.
- **Rely** on interactive tools (e.g., Jupyter) and miss the necessity of a static file edit, leading to repeated trial‑and‑error cycles.

Why uv rm Removes Source Declarations from pyproject.toml