The manifest

The manifest is where venv-patcher records what it did. It is a JSON file in the site-packages folder of the venv:

.venv/lib/python3.12/site-packages/.venv-patcher-manifest.json

You do not edit it. apply and reset write it. list shows it.

Because it lives in the venv, each venv has its own manifest. Delete the venv, and the manifest is gone too.

Example

{
  "packages": {
    "idna": {
      "initial_commit": "0918fb5dfcf7de56319409d7e853cdf7b8c18a8b",
      "location": "/home/me/demo/.venv/lib/python3.12/site-packages/idna",
      "patches": [
        {
          "applied_at": "2026-10-18T09:37:20.615286+00:00",
          "apply_command": "git am",
          "patch_sha256": "625d70c05b1268bb99b5efbc82eaaf76ef615ecd20e3ace58048a608dad26f3e",
          "path": "patches/idna/0001-Mark-idna-as-patched.patch",
          "resolved_path": "/home/me/demo/patches/idna/0001-Mark-idna-as-patched.patch",
          "source_file": "/home/me/demo/patches.yml",
          "status": "applied"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Fields of a package

Field	Meaning
location	the package folder
initial_commit	the commit with the package as installed. null until the first git init worked
patches	one result per apply, oldest first

Fields of a patch result

Field	Meaning
status	applied or failed
path	path as written in the patches file
resolved_path	the full path of the patch file
source_file	the full path of the patches file
apply_command	the apply command that was used
applied_at	when, in UTC
patch_sha256	the hash of the patch file. Only for applied
error	what went wrong. Only for failed

Older manifests name source_file as source_yaml. list reads both.

How it is used

• apply and reset first check that the package files still match the last commit. If not, pip or someone else changed them.

• apply skips a patch when there is an applied result with the same resolved_path and the same patch_sha256.

• apply does git init only when initial_commit is null.

• reset goes back to initial_commit and empties patches.

The file is written to a temporary file first, then renamed. So it is never half written.