If I remove the base Python interpreter, `uv tool list` doesn't work

[pfmoore]

Summary

I uninstalled Python 3.13 from my system, and reinstalled it using the new Python Manager. As a result, the old python.exe no longer exists. Now, when I run uv tool list I get:

warning: Querying Python at `C:\Users\Gustav\AppData\Roaming\uv\tools\nox\Scripts\python.exe` failed with exit status exit code: 103

[stderr]
did not find executable at 'C:\Users\Gustav\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python313\python.exe': The system cannot find the path specified.
 (run `uv tool install nox --reinstall` to reinstall)

This is reasonable (although it would be nice if the error was handled better, maybe by listing nox but with a note that the Python executable wasn't found, rather than a raw error). But what isn't OK is that the recommended action, uv tool install nox --reinstall, fails with the same error. Reinstalling a broken tool should work, not fail with the same error that is the reason you're trying to reinstall!

Uninstalling nox (and then installing it from scratch) did work, although I'd prefer it if reeinstalling could be made to work, rather than changing the recommendation to uninstall and then reinstall.

As a side note, if I had been able to reinstall nox, it's not obvious to me whether I'd expect it to be updated to use Python 3.14, or to still try to use Python 3.13 (and fail because I don't have Python 3.13 installed) - although I'm fine if it worked like uninstall/reinstall and used the default system Python (3.14). I definitely wouldn't want it to install a uv-managed copy of Python, though - I'm careful to manage my persistent Python installations via the standard Python installer, not via uv, and I wouldn't want that to change.

Platform

Windows 11 x86_64

Version

uv 0.9.2 (141369c 2025-10-10)

Python version

Python 3.14.0 (although nox was installed using Python 3.13)