Patch Python executable name for Windows free-threaded builds (#8310)

A temporary fix for #8298 while we
wait for my slower upstream fix at
astral-sh/python-build-standalone#373

I think we'll want this machinery anyway to ensure that the various
executable names are available? Otherwise we need to special-case all
the `python` names in `uv run`?

We don't have unit test coverage of managed downloads, so I added an
[integration
test](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv/actions/runs/11394150653/job/31703956805?pr=8310)
similar to what we have for Linux.

.github/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -718,6 +718,46 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           ./uv pip install -v anyio
 
+  integration-test-free-threaded-windows:
+    timeout-minutes: 10
+    needs: build-binary-windows
+    name: "integration test | free-threaded on windows"
+    runs-on: windows-latest
+    env:
+      # Avoid debug build stack overflows.
+      UV_STACK_SIZE: 2000000
+
+    steps:
+      - name: "Download binary"
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: uv-windows-${{ github.sha }}
+
+      - name: "Install free-threaded Python via uv"
+        run: |
+          ./uv python install -v 3.13t
+
+      - name: "Create a virtual environment"
+        run: |
+          ./uv venv -p 3.13t --python-preference only-managed
+
+      - name: "Check version"
+        run: |
+          .venv/Scripts/python --version
+
+      - name: "Check is free-threaded"
+        run: |
+          .venv/Scripts/python -c "import sys; exit(1) if sys._is_gil_enabled() else exit(0)"
+
+      - name: "Check install"
+        run: |
+          ./uv pip install -v anyio
+
+      - name: "Check uv run"
+        run: |
+          ./uv run python -c ""
+          ./uv run -p 3.13t python -c ""
+
   integration-test-pypy-linux:
     timeout-minutes: 10
     needs: build-binary-linux

crates/uv-fs/src/lib.rs

@@ -104,6 +104,26 @@ pub fn remove_symlink(path: impl AsRef<Path>) -> std::io::Result<()> {
     fs_err::remove_file(path.as_ref())
 }
 
+/// Create a symlink at `dst` pointing to `src` or, on Windows, copy `src` to `dst`.
+///
+/// This function should only be used for files. If targeting a directory, use [`replace_symlink`]
+/// instead; it will use a junction on Windows, which is more performant.
+pub fn symlink_copy_fallback_file(
+    src: impl AsRef<Path>,
+    dst: impl AsRef<Path>,
+) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+    #[cfg(windows)]
+    {
+        fs_err::copy(src.as_ref(), dst.as_ref())?;
+    }
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    {
+        std::os::unix::fs::symlink(src.as_ref(), dst.as_ref())?;
+    }
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 #[cfg(windows)]
 pub fn remove_symlink(path: impl AsRef<Path>) -> std::io::Result<()> {
     match junction::delete(dunce::simplified(path.as_ref())) {

crates/uv-python/src/installation.rs

@@ -142,6 +142,7 @@ impl PythonInstallation {
 
         let installed = ManagedPythonInstallation::new(path)?;
         installed.ensure_externally_managed()?;
+        installed.ensure_canonical_executables()?;
 
         Ok(Self {
             source: PythonSource::Managed,

crates/uv-python/src/managed.rs

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ use std::io::{self, Write};
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::str::FromStr;
 use thiserror::Error;
-use tracing::warn;
+use tracing::{debug, warn};
 
 use uv_state::{StateBucket, StateStore};
 
@@ -44,6 +44,15 @@ pub enum Error {
         #[source]
         err: io::Error,
     },
+    #[error("Missing expected Python executable at {}", _0.user_display())]
+    MissingExecutable(PathBuf),
+    #[error("Failed to create canonical Python executable at {} from {}", to.user_display(), from.user_display())]
+    CanonicalizeExecutable {
+        from: PathBuf,
+        to: PathBuf,
+        #[source]
+        err: io::Error,
+    },
     #[error("Failed to read Python installation directory: {0}", dir.user_display())]
     ReadError {
         dir: PathBuf,
@@ -323,6 +332,48 @@ impl ManagedPythonInstallation {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Ensure the environment contains the canonical Python executable names.
+    pub fn ensure_canonical_executables(&self) -> Result<(), Error> {
+        let python = self.executable();
+
+        // Workaround for python-build-standalone v20241016 which is missing the standard
+        // `python.exe` executable in free-threaded distributions on Windows.
+        //
+        // See https://github.com/astral-sh/uv/issues/8298
+        if !python.try_exists()? {
+            match self.key.variant {
+                PythonVariant::Default => return Err(Error::MissingExecutable(python.clone())),
+                PythonVariant::Freethreaded => {
+                    // This is the alternative executable name for the freethreaded variant
+                    let python_in_dist = self.python_dir().join(format!(
+                        "python{}.{}t{}",
+                        self.key.major,
+                        self.key.minor,
+                        std::env::consts::EXE_SUFFIX
+                    ));
+                    debug!(
+                        "Creating link {} -> {}",
+                        python.user_display(),
+                        python_in_dist.user_display()
+                    );
+                    uv_fs::symlink_copy_fallback_file(&python_in_dist, &python).map_err(|err| {
+                        if err.kind() == io::ErrorKind::NotFound {
+                            Error::MissingExecutable(python_in_dist.clone())
+                        } else {
+                            Error::CanonicalizeExecutable {
+                                from: python_in_dist,
+                                to: python,
+                                err,
+                            }
+                        }
+                    })?;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     /// Ensure the environment is marked as externally managed with the
     /// standard `EXTERNALLY-MANAGED` file.
     pub fn ensure_externally_managed(&self) -> Result<(), Error> {

crates/uv/src/commands/python/install.rs

@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn install(
                 // Ensure the installations have externally managed markers
                 let managed = ManagedPythonInstallation::new(path.clone())?;
                 managed.ensure_externally_managed()?;
+                managed.ensure_canonical_executables()?;
             }
             Err(err) => {
                 errors.push((key, err));