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xtralab

Installation

xtralab is on PyPI and conda-forge. It requires Python 3.11 or newer; conda and Pixi install Python as a dependency. The desktop app includes its own Python runtime and does not need the installation methods on this page.

The xtralab command starts JupyterLab with the settings folder of xtralab. jupyter lab also works, with the default Jupyter settings folder.

Install with pip

Section titled “Install with pip”
Terminal window
pip install xtralab
xtralab

Install with conda or mamba

Section titled “Install with conda or mamba”

With conda or mamba installed (for mamba, write mamba in place of conda in each command):

  1. Create an environment with xtralab from conda-forge:

    Terminal window
    conda create -n xtralab -c conda-forge xtralab

  2. Activate the environment:

    Terminal window
    conda activate xtralab

  3. Start xtralab from the folder you want to work in:

    Terminal window
    xtralab

To add xtralab to an existing conda environment, activate it and run:

Terminal window
conda install -c conda-forge xtralab

Install with Pixi

Section titled “Install with Pixi”

Pixi installs xtralab from conda-forge. Install Pixi first, then choose a temporary environment or add xtralab to a project.

Run in a temporary environment

Section titled “Run in a temporary environment”
Terminal window
pixi exec --channel conda-forge xtralab

Pixi creates a cached environment for xtralab and starts it in the current folder. This does not add xtralab to the dependencies of a project.

Add to a Pixi project

Section titled “Add to a Pixi project”

  1. In your project folder, initialize a Pixi workspace with conda-forge:

    Terminal window
    pixi init --channel conda-forge

    For an existing Pixi workspace, skip initialization. If conda-forge is missing from its channels, run pixi workspace channel add conda-forge.

  2. Add xtralab to the project dependencies:

    Terminal window
    pixi add xtralab

  3. Start xtralab in the project environment:

    Terminal window
    pixi run xtralab

Install with uv

Section titled “Install with uv”
Method Use it to
uvx Run xtralab in any folder, without installing it.
uv tool install Make the xtralab command available in all shells.
uv add Add xtralab to the dependencies of a project.

Run without installing

Section titled “Run without installing”
Terminal window
uvx xtralab

uv creates a cached environment for xtralab on the first run and uses it again on the next runs. xtralab starts in the current folder.

To start a server for a folder in the background, for example from a coding agent, use open:

Terminal window
uvx xtralab open path/to/folder

The command prints the URL of the server, reuses a server that already serves the folder, and returns. The server opens a browser tab and continues to run after the terminal closes. uvx xtralab stop path/to/folder stops it, uvx xtralab list shows the running xtralab servers, and uvx xtralab stop --all stops all of them. The agent skills use these commands.

Install as a tool

Section titled “Install as a tool”
Terminal window
uv tool install xtralab

Add to a project

Section titled “Add to a project”
Terminal window
uv add xtralab
uv run xtralab

Verify the installation

Section titled “Verify the installation”

  1. Start JupyterLab.

  2. Select the menu button (☰) at the left of the top bar, then Help → About xtralab.

    The dialog shows the xtralab version and the JupyterLab version.

Upgrade

Section titled “Upgrade”
Installed with Command
pip pip install --upgrade xtralab
conda (in the active environment) conda update -c conda-forge xtralab
pixi exec pixi exec --force-reinstall --channel conda-forge xtralab
pixi add pixi upgrade xtralab
uvx uvx xtralab@latest
uv tool install uv tool upgrade xtralab
uv add uv sync --upgrade-package xtralab

Settings folder

Section titled “Settings folder”

The xtralab command stores the JupyterLab settings, the workspaces, and the Jupyter server configuration in the folder of xtralab, the same folder as the desktop app. It does not read ~/.jupyter. Kernels and other Jupyter data stay in the default Jupyter folders.

System Folder
macOS ~/Library/Application Support/xtralab/jupyter/config
Linux ~/.config/xtralab/jupyter/config
Windows %APPDATA%\xtralab\jupyter\config

xtralab paths prints the settings folder. To use a different folder, set the JUPYTER_CONFIG_DIR environment variable before you start xtralab.

Included packages

Section titled “Included packages”

xtralab is a meta-package. It installs these packages and adds its own JupyterLab extension. See pyproject.toml for the versions.

Package Provides
ajlab The agent-ready JupyterLab base
jupyterlab JupyterLab 4.6 or newer
jupyterlab-git The Git panel and Git commands
jupyterlab-lsp, ty Language server support and a Python language server
jupyterlab-quickopen The file index of the omnibox
jupyterlab-search-replace Search and replace in all files of the project
jupyterlab-vim Vim key bindings, disabled by default
jupyter-server-mcp, jupyterlab-commands-toolkit The MCP server and its tools
Pierre, Cursor, Day, and Night themes Light and dark themes