feat: provide meaningful error message when python patch version is provided

crates/uv/src/commands/project/run.rs

@@ -1111,6 +1111,14 @@ hint: If you are running a script with `{}` in the shebang, you may need to incl
                         |specified_version| {
                             let current_executable_python_version = base_interpreter.python_version().only_release();
                             let env_type = if project_found { "project" } else { "virtual" };
+                            // Specified version is equal. In this case,
+                            let message_prefix = if specified_version.patch().is_some() {
+                                let major = specified_version.major();
+                                let minor = specified_version.minor();
+                                format!("Please omit patch version. Try: `uv run python{major}.{minor}`.")
+                            } else {
+                                format!("`{executable}` not available in the {env_type} environment, which uses python `{current_executable_python_version}`.")
+                            };
                             let message_suffix = if project_found {
                                 format!(
                                     "Did you mean to change the environment to Python {specified_version} with `uv run -p {specified_version} python`?"
@@ -1121,10 +1129,8 @@ hint: If you are running a script with `{}` in the shebang, you may need to incl
                                 )
                             };
                             anyhow!(
-                                "`{}` not available in the {} environment, which uses python `{}`. {}",
+                                "{} {}",
-                                executable,
+                                message_prefix,
-                                env_type,
-                                current_executable_python_version,
                                 message_suffix
                             )
                         }
@@ -1580,72 +1586,95 @@ fn read_recursion_depth_from_environment_variable() -> anyhow::Result<u32> {
 /// Matches valid Python executable names and returns the version part if valid:
 /// - ✅ "python" -> Some("")
 /// - ✅ "/usr/bin/python3.9" -> Some("3.9")
-/// - ✅ "/path/to/python39" -> Some("39")
+/// - ✅ "python39" -> Some("39")
 /// - ✅ "python3" -> Some("3")
 /// - ✅ "python3.exe" -> Some("3")
 /// - ✅ "python3.9.exe" -> Some("3.9")
+/// - ✅ "python3.9.EXE" -> Some("3.9")
 /// - ❌ "python3abc" -> None
 /// - ❌ "python3.12b3" -> None
 /// - ❌ "" -> None
 /// - ❌ "python-foo" -> None
-/// - ❌ "Python" -> None // Case-sensitive
+/// - ❌ "Python3.9" -> None // Case-sensitive prefix
-fn python_executable_version(executable_command: &str) -> Option<&str> {
+fn python_executable_version(executable_command: &str) -> Option<PythonVersion> {
     const PYTHON_MARKER: &str = "python";
 
-    // Strip suffix for windows .exe
+    // Find the python prefix (case-sensitive)
-    let command = executable_command
+    let version_start = executable_command.rfind(PYTHON_MARKER)? + PYTHON_MARKER.len();
-        .strip_suffix(".exe")
+    let mut version = &executable_command[version_start..];
-        .unwrap_or(executable_command);
-    let version_start = command.rfind(PYTHON_MARKER)? + PYTHON_MARKER.len();
-    // Retrieve python version string. E.g. "python3.12" -> "3.12"
-    let version = command.get(version_start..)?;
 
-    Some(version).filter(|&v| v.is_empty() || validate_python_version(v).is_ok())
+    // Strip any .exe suffixes (case-insensitive)
+    while version.to_ascii_lowercase().ends_with(".exe") {
+        version = &version[..version.len() - 4];
+    }
+    if version.is_empty() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    parse_valid_python_version(version).ok()
 }
 
-/// Validates if a version string is a valid Python major.minor.patch version.
+/// Returns Ok(()) if a version string is a valid Python major.minor.patch version.
-/// Returns Ok(()) if valid, Err with description if invalid.
+fn parse_valid_python_version(version: &str) -> anyhow::Result<PythonVersion> {
-fn validate_python_version(version: &str) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     match PythonVersion::from_str(version) {
-        Ok(ver) if ver.is_stable() && !ver.is_post() => Ok(()),
+        Ok(ver) if ver.is_stable() && !ver.is_post() => Ok(ver),
         _ => Err(anyhow!("invalid python version: {}", version)),
     }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
-    use super::{python_executable_version, validate_python_version};
+    use uv_python::PythonVersion;
+
+    use super::{parse_valid_python_version, python_executable_version};
 
     /// Helper function for asserting test cases.
     /// - If `expected_result` is `Some(version)`, it expects the function to return that version.
     /// - If `expected_result` is `None`, it expects the function to return None (invalid cases).
-    fn assert_cases<F: Fn(&str) -> Option<&str>>(
+    fn assert_cases<F: Fn(&str) -> Option<PythonVersion>>(
         cases: &[(&str, Option<&str>)],
         func: F,
         test_name: &str,
     ) {
         for &(case, expected) in cases {
             let result = func(case);
-            assert_eq!(
+            match (result, expected) {
-                result, expected,
+                (Some(version), Some(expected_str)) => {
-                "{test_name}: Expected `{expected:?}`, but got `{result:?}` for case `{case}`"
+                    assert_eq!(
-            );
+                        version.to_string(),
+                        expected_str,
+                        "{test_name}: Expected version `{expected_str}`, but got `{version}` for case `{case}`"
+                    );
+                }
+                (None, None) => {
+                    // Test passed - both are None
+                }
+                (Some(version), None) => {
+                    panic!("{test_name}: Expected None, but got `{version}` for case `{case}`");
+                }
+                (None, Some(expected_str)) => {
+                    panic!(
+                        "{test_name}: Expected `{expected_str}`, but got None for case `{case}`"
+                    );
+                }
+            }
         }
     }
 
     #[test]
     fn valid_python_executable_version() {
         let valid_cases = [
+            // Base cases
             ("python3", Some("3")),
             ("python3.9", Some("3.9")),
-            ("python3.10", Some("3.10")),
+            // Path handling
             ("/usr/bin/python3.9", Some("3.9")),
+            // Case-sensitive python prefix, case-insensitive .exe
             ("python3.9.exe", Some("3.9")),
-            ("python3.9.exe", Some("3.9")),
+            ("python3.9.EXE", Some("3.9")),
-            ("python4", Some("4")),
+            ("python3.9.exe.EXE", Some("3.9")),
-            ("python", Some("")),
+            // Version variations
             ("python3.11.3", Some("3.11.3")),
-            ("python39", Some("39")), // Still a valid executable, although likely a typo
+            ("python39", Some("39")),
         ];
         assert_cases(
             &valid_cases,
@@ -1657,13 +1686,20 @@ mod tests {
     #[test]
     fn invalid_python_executable_version() {
         let invalid_cases = [
-            ("python-foo", None),
+            // Empty string
-            ("python3abc", None),
-            ("python3.12b3", None),
-            ("pyth0n3", None),
             ("", None),
+            ("python", None), // No version specified
+            // Case-sensitive python prefix
             ("Python3.9", None),
-            ("python.3.9", None),
+            ("PYTHON3.9", None),
+            ("Python3.9.exe", None),
+            ("Python3.9.EXE", None),
+            // Invalid version formats
+            ("python3.12b3", None),
+            ("python3.12.post1", None),
+            // Invalid .exe placement/format
+            ("python.exe3.9", None),
+            ("python3.9.ex", None),
         ];
         assert_cases(
             &invalid_cases,
@@ -1674,30 +1710,40 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn valid_python_versions() {
-        let valid_cases: &[&str] = &["3", "3.9", "4", "3.10", "49", "3.11.3"];
+        let valid_cases = [
-        for version in valid_cases {
+            ("3", "3"),
+            ("3.9", "3.9"),
+            ("3.10", "3.10"),
+            ("3.11.3", "3.11.3"),
+        ];
+        for (version, expected) in valid_cases {
+            let result = parse_valid_python_version(version);
             assert!(
-                validate_python_version(version).is_ok(),
+                result.is_ok(),
-                "Expected version `{version}` to be valid"
+                "Expected version `{version}` to be valid, but got error: {:?}",
+                result.err()
+            );
+            assert_eq!(
+                result.unwrap().to_string(),
+                expected,
+                "Version string mismatch for {version}"
             );
         }
     }
 
     #[test]
     fn invalid_python_versions() {
-        let invalid_cases: &[&str] = &[
+        let invalid_cases = [
-            "3.12b3",
+            "3.12b3",     // Pre-release
-            "3.12rc1",
+            "3.12rc1",    // Release candidate
-            "3.12a1",
+            "3.12.post1", // Post-release
-            "3.12.post1",
+            "3abc",       // Invalid format
-            "3.12.1-foo",
+            "..",         // Invalid format
-            "3abc",
+            "",           // Empty string
-            "..",
-            "",
         ];
         for version in invalid_cases {
             assert!(
-                validate_python_version(version).is_err(),
+                parse_valid_python_version(version).is_err(),
                 "Expected version `{version}` to be invalid"
             );
         }

crates/uv/tests/it/run.rs

@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ fn run_matching_python_patch_version() -> Result<()> {
     Resolved 1 package in [TIME]
     Audited in [TIME]
     error: Failed to spawn: `python3.11.9`
-      Caused by: `python3.11.9` not available in the project environment, which uses python `3.11.9`. Did you mean to change the environment to Python 3.11.9 with `uv run -p 3.11.9 python`?
+      Caused by: Please omit patch version. Try: `uv run python3.11`. Did you mean to change the environment to Python 3.11.9 with `uv run -p 3.11.9 python`?
     ");
 
     Ok(())
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ fn run_missing_python_patch_version_no_project() {
 
     ----- stderr -----
     error: Failed to spawn: `python3.11.9`
-      Caused by: `python3.11.9` not available in the virtual environment, which uses python `3.12.[X]`. Did you mean to search for a Python 3.11.9 environment with `uv run -p 3.11.9 python`?
+      Caused by: Please omit patch version. Try: `uv run python3.11`. Did you mean to search for a Python 3.11.9 environment with `uv run -p 3.11.9 python`?
     ");
 }
 
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ fn run_missing_python_patch_version_in_project() -> Result<()> {
     Resolved 1 package in [TIME]
     Audited in [TIME]
     error: Failed to spawn: `python3.11.9`
-      Caused by: `python3.11.9` not available in the project environment, which uses python `3.12.[X]`. Did you mean to change the environment to Python 3.11.9 with `uv run -p 3.11.9 python`?
+      Caused by: Please omit patch version. Try: `uv run python3.11`. Did you mean to change the environment to Python 3.11.9 with `uv run -p 3.11.9 python`?
     ");
 
     Ok(())