Build backend: Add direct builds to the resolver and installer

This is like #9556, but at the level of all other builds, including the resolver and installer. Going through PEP 517 to build a package is slow, so when building a package with the uv build backend, we can call into the uv build backend directly instead: No temporary virtual env, no temp venv sync, no python subprocess calls, no uv subprocess calls.

This fast path is gated through preview. Since the uv wheel is not available at test time, I've manually confirmed the feature by comparing `uv venv && cargo run pip install . -v --preview --reinstall .` and `uv venv && cargo run pip install . -v --reinstall .`.

Do we need a global option to disable the fast path? There is one for `uv build` because `--force-pep517` moves `uv build` much closer to a `pip install` from source that a user of a library would experience.See discussion at #9610 (comment)

Author: konstin

Cargo.lock

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ doctest = false
 workspace = true
 
 [dependencies]
+uv-build-backend = { workspace = true }
 uv-build-frontend = { workspace = true }
 uv-cache = { workspace = true }
 uv-client = { workspace = true }
@@ -30,9 +31,11 @@ uv-pypi-types = { workspace = true }
 uv-python = { workspace = true }
 uv-resolver = { workspace = true }
 uv-types = { workspace = true }
+uv-version = { workspace = true }
 
 anyhow = { workspace = true }
 futures = { workspace = true }
 itertools = { workspace = true }
 rustc-hash = { workspace = true }
+tokio = { workspace = true }
 tracing = { workspace = true }

crates/uv-dispatch/Cargo.toml

@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ use anyhow::{anyhow, Context, Result};
 use futures::FutureExt;
 use itertools::Itertools;
 use rustc_hash::FxHashMap;
-use tracing::{debug, instrument};
-
+use tracing::{debug, instrument, trace};
+use uv_build_backend::check_direct_build;
 use uv_build_frontend::{SourceBuild, SourceBuildContext};
 use uv_cache::Cache;
 use uv_client::RegistryClient;
@@ -397,6 +397,67 @@ impl<'a> BuildContext for BuildDispatch<'a> {
         .await?;
         Ok(builder)
     }
+
+    async fn direct_build<'data>(
+        &'data self,
+        source: &'data Path,
+        subdirectory: Option<&'data Path>,
+        output_dir: &'data Path,
+        build_kind: BuildKind,
+        version_id: Option<String>,
+    ) -> Result<Option<String>> {
+        // Direct builds are a preview feature with the uv build backend.
+        if self.preview.is_disabled() {
+            trace!("Preview is disabled, not checking for direct build");
+            return Ok(None);
+        }
+
+        let source_tree = if let Some(subdir) = subdirectory {
+            source.join(subdir)
+        } else {
+            source.to_path_buf()
+        };
+
+        // Only perform the direct build if the backend is uv in a compatible version.
+        let identifier = version_id.unwrap_or_else(|| source_tree.display().to_string());
+        if !check_direct_build(&source_tree, &identifier) {
+            trace!("Requirements for direct build not matched: {identifier}");
+            return Ok(None);
+        }
+
+        debug!("Performing direct build for {identifier}");
+
+        let output_dir = output_dir.to_path_buf();
+        let filename = tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || -> Result<String> {
+            let filename = match build_kind {
+                BuildKind::Wheel => uv_build_backend::build_wheel(
+                    &source_tree,
+                    &output_dir,
+                    None,
+                    uv_version::version(),
+                )?
+                .to_string(),
+                BuildKind::Sdist => uv_build_backend::build_source_dist(
+                    &source_tree,
+                    &output_dir,
+                    uv_version::version(),
+                )?
+                .to_string(),
+                BuildKind::Editable => uv_build_backend::build_editable(
+                    &source_tree,
+                    &output_dir,
+                    None,
+                    uv_version::version(),
+                )?
+                .to_string(),
+            };
+            Ok(filename)
+        })
+        .await??
+        .to_string();
+
+        Ok(Some(filename))
+    }
 }
 
 /// Shared state used during resolution and installation.

crates/uv-dispatch/src/lib.rs

@@ -1803,27 +1803,46 @@ impl<'a, T: BuildContext> SourceDistributionBuilder<'a, T> {
         fs::create_dir_all(&cache_shard)
             .await
             .map_err(Error::CacheWrite)?;
-        let disk_filename = self
+        // Try a direct build if that isn't disabled and the uv build backend is used.
+        let disk_filename = if let Some(name) = self
             .build_context
-            .setup_build(
+            .direct_build(
                 source_root,
                 subdirectory,
-                source_root,
-                Some(source.to_string()),
-                source.as_dist(),
-                source_strategy,
+                temp_dir.path(),
                 if source.is_editable() {
                     BuildKind::Editable
                 } else {
                     BuildKind::Wheel
                 },
-                BuildOutput::Debug,
+                Some(source.to_string()),
             )
             .await
             .map_err(Error::Build)?
-            .wheel(temp_dir.path())
-            .await
-            .map_err(Error::Build)?;
+        {
+            name
+        } else {
+            self.build_context
+                .setup_build(
+                    source_root,
+                    subdirectory,
+                    source_root,
+                    Some(source.to_string()),
+                    source.as_dist(),
+                    source_strategy,
+                    if source.is_editable() {
+                        BuildKind::Editable
+                    } else {
+                        BuildKind::Wheel
+                    },
+                    BuildOutput::Debug,
+                )
+                .await
+                .map_err(Error::Build)?
+                .wheel(temp_dir.path())
+                .await
+                .map_err(Error::Build)?
+        };
 
         // Read the metadata from the wheel.
         let filename = WheelFilename::from_str(&disk_filename)?;

crates/uv-distribution/src/source/mod.rs

@@ -121,6 +121,21 @@ pub trait BuildContext {
         build_kind: BuildKind,
         build_output: BuildOutput,
     ) -> impl Future<Output = Result<Self::SourceDistBuilder>> + 'a;
+
+    /// Build by calling directly into the uv build backend without PEP 517, if possible.
+    ///
+    /// Checks if the source tree uses uv as build backend. If not, it returns `Ok(None)`, otherwise
+    /// it builds and returns the name of the built file.
+    ///
+    /// `version_id` is for error reporting only.
+    fn direct_build<'a>(
+        &'a self,
+        source: &'a Path,
+        subdirectory: Option<&'a Path>,
+        output_dir: &'a Path,
+        build_kind: BuildKind,
+        version_id: Option<String>,
+    ) -> impl Future<Output = Result<Option<String>>> + 'a;
 }
 
 /// A wrapper for `uv_build::SourceBuild` to avoid cyclical crate dependencies.