From 527ee7b28a5b7e45182442d4ef48a084b065f436 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 01:02:22 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 01/29] Fix: Remove invalid false argument from
 --skip-missing-interpreters flag

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index 68120bde6..068f5b17b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ jobs:
           echo "TOXENV=$py" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
           echo "Set TOXENV=$py"
       - name: 🏗️ Setup test suite
-        run: tox run -vvvv --notest --skip-missing-interpreters false
+        run: tox run -vvvv --notest --skip-missing-interpreters
       - name: 🏃 Run test suite
         run: tox run --skip-pkg-install
         timeout-minutes: 20
@@ -143,6 +143,6 @@ jobs:
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
       - name: 🏗️ Setup check suite
-        run: tox run -vv --notest --skip-missing-interpreters false -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
+        run: tox run -vv --notest --skip-missing-interpreters -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
       - name: 🏃 Run check for ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
         run: tox run --skip-pkg-install -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}

From c48910c4101f8d9fd82e4ec82b4827dd32f3d218 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 01:05:15 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 02/29] Remove non-existent --skip-missing-interpreters flag
 from tox commands

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index 068f5b17b..cf3ca2995 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ jobs:
           echo "TOXENV=$py" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
           echo "Set TOXENV=$py"
       - name: 🏗️ Setup test suite
-        run: tox run -vvvv --notest --skip-missing-interpreters
+        run: tox run -vvvv --notest
       - name: 🏃 Run test suite
         run: tox run --skip-pkg-install
         timeout-minutes: 20
@@ -143,6 +143,6 @@ jobs:
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
       - name: 🏗️ Setup check suite
-        run: tox run -vv --notest --skip-missing-interpreters -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
+        run: tox run -vv --notest -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
       - name: 🏃 Run check for ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
         run: tox run --skip-pkg-install -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}

From 90b4efb1fb938b9db049a49676a6f5b4fa0a8043 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 01:08:23 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 03/29] Upgrade tox to >=4.0 for Python 3.14 compatibility

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 6 +++---
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index cf3ca2995..015d30603 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: |
           if [[ "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.13t" || "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.14t" ]]; then
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 tox --with .
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 "tox>=4.0" --with .
           else
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 tox --with tox-uv --with .
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 "tox>=4.0" --with tox-uv --with .
           fi
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for test ${{ matrix.py }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🚀 Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4
       - name: 📦 Install tox
-        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.14 tox --with tox-uv
+        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.14 "tox>=4.0" --with tox-uv
       - name: 📥 Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:

From 57adcd02be736d47ca86cab55d6fc08c19657be7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 01:10:21 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 04/29] Remove tox version constraint to resolve circular
 dependency

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 6 +++---
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index 015d30603..cf3ca2995 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: |
           if [[ "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.13t" || "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.14t" ]]; then
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 "tox>=4.0" --with .
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 tox --with .
           else
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 "tox>=4.0" --with tox-uv --with .
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 tox --with tox-uv --with .
           fi
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for test ${{ matrix.py }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🚀 Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4
       - name: 📦 Install tox
-        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.14 "tox>=4.0" --with tox-uv
+        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.14 tox --with tox-uv
       - name: 📥 Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:

From 6d9f352763b8127f4b9342b65caf65f43909b9cc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 01:13:16 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 05/29] Use Python 3.13 to install tox for Python 3.14
 compatibility

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 6 +++---
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index cf3ca2995..266f52774 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: |
           if [[ "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.13t" || "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.14t" ]]; then
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 tox --with .
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.13 tox --with .
           else
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 tox --with tox-uv --with .
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.13 tox --with tox-uv --with .
           fi
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for test ${{ matrix.py }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🚀 Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4
       - name: 📦 Install tox
-        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.14 tox --with tox-uv
+        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.13 tox --with tox-uv
       - name: 📥 Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:

From 9d5532b061470cf355688376e70d182e9b7546c3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 01:15:09 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 06/29] Fix: Allow uv to download Python 3.13 for tox

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 6 +++---
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index 266f52774..5f929fc73 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: |
           if [[ "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.13t" || "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.14t" ]]; then
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.13 tox --with .
+            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox --with .
           else
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.13 tox --with tox-uv --with .
+            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox --with tox-uv --with .
           fi
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for test ${{ matrix.py }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🚀 Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4
       - name: 📦 Install tox
-        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.13 tox --with tox-uv
+        run: uv tool install --python 3.13 tox --with tox-uv
       - name: 📥 Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:

From 8c647a56f76a831ec0365adb27ff65840c6d80ae Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 01:17:50 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 07/29] Pin tox to 4.11.3 for compatibility

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 6 +++---
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index 5f929fc73..b87dfcc5a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: |
           if [[ "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.13t" || "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.14t" ]]; then
-            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox --with .
+            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.11.3 --with .
           else
-            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox --with tox-uv --with .
+            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.11.3 --with tox-uv --with .
           fi
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for test ${{ matrix.py }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🚀 Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4
       - name: 📦 Install tox
-        run: uv tool install --python 3.13 tox --with tox-uv
+        run: uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.11.3 --with tox-uv
       - name: 📥 Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:

From 5c8bede244cf81bead3454be339234d28d4634e9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 01:19:55 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 08/29] Use tox 4.0.14 for virtualenv compatibility

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 6 +++---
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index b87dfcc5a..c24afe1e0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: |
           if [[ "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.13t" || "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.14t" ]]; then
-            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.11.3 --with .
+            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14 --with .
           else
-            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.11.3 --with tox-uv --with .
+            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14 --with tox-uv --with .
           fi
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for test ${{ matrix.py }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🚀 Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4
       - name: 📦 Install tox
-        run: uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.11.3 --with tox-uv
+        run: uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14 --with tox-uv
       - name: 📥 Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:

From 483572ff58a771c6e034c301f10a2b63893c70eb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 01:20:57 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 09/29] Remove --with . from tox install to avoid version
 conflict

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index c24afe1e0..bdfd03b82 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: |
           if [[ "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.13t" || "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.14t" ]]; then
-            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14 --with .
+            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14
           else
-            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14 --with tox-uv --with .
+            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14 --with tox-uv
           fi
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for test ${{ matrix.py }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5

From 6609545a9ec97854458214c5346f8be740c9f07b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 01:30:25 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 10/29] Remove tox-uv dependency to fix version conflict

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 8 ++------
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index bdfd03b82..0238ba2bc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -62,11 +62,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 📦 Install tox with this virtualenv
         shell: bash
         run: |
-          if [[ "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.13t" || "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.14t" ]]; then
-            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14
-          else
-            uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14 --with tox-uv
-          fi
+          uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for test ${{ matrix.py }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         if: ${{ !startsWith(matrix.py, 'brew@') }}
@@ -137,7 +133,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🚀 Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4
       - name: 📦 Install tox
-        run: uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14 --with tox-uv
+        run: uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14
       - name: 📥 Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:

From b09281e40b694db5822bb0fd9daef4f2b14a1f1c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 01:47:09 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 11/29] Use Python 3.14 for tox to avoid download delay

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index 0238ba2bc..180cedaef 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 📦 Install tox with this virtualenv
         shell: bash
         run: |
-          uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14
+          uv tool install --python 3.14 tox==4.0.14
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for test ${{ matrix.py }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         if: ${{ !startsWith(matrix.py, 'brew@') }}
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🚀 Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4
       - name: 📦 Install tox
-        run: uv tool install --python 3.13 tox==4.0.14
+        run: uv tool install --python 3.14 tox==4.0.14
       - name: 📥 Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:

From 54e3972e2d980a0e0daeefd650d84601799a5c7c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 01:53:57 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 12/29] Add --skip-pkg-install to setup step and add timeout

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 3 ++-
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index 180cedaef..e2598f875 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -102,7 +102,8 @@ jobs:
           echo "TOXENV=$py" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
           echo "Set TOXENV=$py"
       - name: 🏗️ Setup test suite
-        run: tox run -vvvv --notest
+        run: tox run -vvvv --notest --skip-pkg-install
+        timeout-minutes: 10
       - name: 🏃 Run test suite
         run: tox run --skip-pkg-install
         timeout-minutes: 20

From ac360516a9f789f5dd656087cd0a22ad469df98b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 01:58:29 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 13/29] Remove --skip-pkg-install from setup step to install
 dependencies

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index e2598f875..38fbfa8a6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ jobs:
           echo "TOXENV=$py" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
           echo "Set TOXENV=$py"
       - name: 🏗️ Setup test suite
-        run: tox run -vvvv --notest --skip-pkg-install
+        run: tox run -vvvv --notest
         timeout-minutes: 10
       - name: 🏃 Run test suite
         run: tox run --skip-pkg-install

From 4e71d015c1d13fdc259dda486e59d57a7cd0f171 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 02:12:44 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 14/29] Revert Workflow Changes

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 15 +++++++++------
 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index 38fbfa8a6..a231e7d6a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -62,7 +62,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: 📦 Install tox with this virtualenv
         shell: bash
         run: |
-          uv tool install --python 3.14 tox==4.0.14
+          if [[ "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.13t" || "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.14t" ]]; then
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 tox --with .
+          else
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 tox --with tox-uv --with .
+          fi
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for test ${{ matrix.py }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         if: ${{ !startsWith(matrix.py, 'brew@') }}
@@ -102,8 +106,7 @@ jobs:
           echo "TOXENV=$py" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
           echo "Set TOXENV=$py"
       - name: 🏗️ Setup test suite
-        run: tox run -vvvv --notest
-        timeout-minutes: 10
+        run: tox run -vvvv --notest --skip-missing-interpreters false
       - name: 🏃 Run test suite
         run: tox run --skip-pkg-install
         timeout-minutes: 20
@@ -134,12 +137,12 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🚀 Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4
       - name: 📦 Install tox
-        run: uv tool install --python 3.14 tox==4.0.14
+        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.14 tox --with tox-uv
       - name: 📥 Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
       - name: 🏗️ Setup check suite
-        run: tox run -vv --notest -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
+        run: tox run -vv --notest --skip-missing-interpreters false -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
       - name: 🏃 Run check for ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
-        run: tox run --skip-pkg-install -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
+        run: tox run --skip-pkg-install -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
\ No newline at end of file

From 55e1e84f838154219f0d67e098cdfc7015649c16 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 02:30:21 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 15/29] Pin tox v4 in CI

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 6 +++---
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index a231e7d6a..fa681dada 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: |
           if [[ "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.13t" || "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.14t" ]]; then
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 tox --with .
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 "tox>=4.28" --with .
           else
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 tox --with tox-uv --with .
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 "tox>=4.28" --with tox-uv --with .
           fi
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for test ${{ matrix.py }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🚀 Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4
       - name: 📦 Install tox
-        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.14 tox --with tox-uv
+        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.14 "tox>=4.28" --with tox-uv
       - name: 📥 Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:

From 9c56d7531f99d8a4d5e0f46a37416deb5e058999 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 02:31:48 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 16/29] Pin tox v4 in CI

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index fa681dada..9c2188c12 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🚀 Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4
       - name: 📦 Install tox
-        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.14 "tox>=4.28" --with tox-uv
+        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.14 "tox>=4.32" --with tox-uv
       - name: 📥 Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:

From 60e3deb99eddb789f0e52708819226c27fe0f603 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 02:32:06 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 17/29] Pin tox v4 in CI

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index 9c2188c12..83573189e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: |
           if [[ "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.13t" || "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.14t" ]]; then
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 "tox>=4.28" --with .
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 "tox>=4.32" --with .
           else
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 "tox>=4.28" --with tox-uv --with .
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 "tox>=4.32" --with tox-uv --with .
           fi
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for test ${{ matrix.py }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5

From 4ddf0b84ee8c66a53278539d440a8c097374e1be Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 02:36:02 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 18/29] Fetch upstream tags in CI

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 8 ++++++++
 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index 83573189e..f46976ddf 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -55,6 +55,10 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
+      - name: 🏷️ Fetch upstream tags for versioning
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          git fetch --force --tags https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv.git
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for tox
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
@@ -142,6 +146,10 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
+      - name: 🏷️ Fetch upstream tags for versioning
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          git fetch --force --tags https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv.git
       - name: 🏗️ Setup check suite
         run: tox run -vv --notest --skip-missing-interpreters false -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
       - name: 🏃 Run check for ${{ matrix.tox_env }}

From 1ce27edb909e4a3d96bf4ac6670bae6abbb196a7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 19:41:36 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 19/29] Add PEP 440 version specifier support for --python flag

---
 src/virtualenv/discovery/builtin.py    |  5 +-
 src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py    | 29 +++++++++
 src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py    | 88 +++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 tests/unit/discovery/test_discovery.py | 27 ++++++++
 tests/unit/discovery/test_py_spec.py   | 27 ++++++++
 5 files changed, 172 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/virtualenv/discovery/builtin.py b/src/virtualenv/discovery/builtin.py
index e2d193911..43e48fa87 100644
--- a/src/virtualenv/discovery/builtin.py
+++ b/src/virtualenv/discovery/builtin.py
@@ -46,8 +46,9 @@ def add_parser_arguments(cls, parser: ArgumentParser) -> None:
             type=str,
             action="append",
             default=[],
-            help="interpreter based on what to create environment (path/identifier) "
-            "- by default use the interpreter where the tool is installed - first found wins",
+            help="interpreter based on what to create environment (path/identifier/version-specifier) "
+            "- by default use the interpreter where the tool is installed - first found wins. "
+            "Version specifiers (e.g., >=3.12, ~=3.11.0, ==3.10) are also supported",
         )
         parser.add_argument(
             "--try-first-with",
diff --git a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py
index c2310cd7e..1aa43786f 100644
--- a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py
+++ b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py
@@ -16,8 +16,20 @@
 import sysconfig
 import warnings
 from collections import OrderedDict, namedtuple
+from pathlib import Path
 from string import digits
 
+try:
+    from packaging.version import Version
+except ModuleNotFoundError:  # pragma: no cover - fallback for non-site virtual executions
+    try:
+        site_packages = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+        if site_packages.exists():
+            sys.path.insert(0, str(site_packages))
+        from packaging.version import Version
+    except ModuleNotFoundError:
+        Version = None  # Will be unavailable for version specifier matching
+
 VersionInfo = namedtuple("VersionInfo", ["major", "minor", "micro", "releaselevel", "serial"])  # noqa: PYI024
 LOGGER = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -422,6 +434,23 @@ def satisfies(self, spec, impl_must_match):  # noqa: C901, PLR0911
         if spec.free_threaded is not None and spec.free_threaded != self.free_threaded:
             return False
 
+        if spec.version_specifier is not None:
+            if Version is None:
+                return False  # Can't match version specifiers without packaging library
+            version_info = self.version_info
+            release = f"{version_info.major}.{version_info.minor}.{version_info.micro}"
+            if version_info.releaselevel != "final":
+                suffix = {
+                    "alpha": "a",
+                    "beta": "b",
+                    "candidate": "rc",
+                }.get(version_info.releaselevel)
+                if suffix is not None:
+                    release = f"{release}{suffix}{version_info.serial}"
+            version = Version(release)
+            if not spec.version_specifier.contains(version):
+                return False
+
         for our, req in zip(self.version_info[0:3], (spec.major, spec.minor, spec.micro)):
             if req is not None and our is not None and our != req:
                 return False
diff --git a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
index d8519c23d..983f31507 100644
--- a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
+++ b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
@@ -4,8 +4,21 @@
 
 import os
 import re
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+try:
+    from packaging.specifiers import InvalidSpecifier, SpecifierSet
+    from packaging.version import InvalidVersion, Version
+except ModuleNotFoundError:  # pragma: no cover - fallback for non-site virtual executions
+    site_packages = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+    if site_packages.exists():
+        sys.path.insert(0, str(site_packages))
+    from packaging.specifiers import InvalidSpecifier, SpecifierSet
+    from packaging.version import InvalidVersion, Version
 
 PATTERN = re.compile(r"^(?P<impl>[a-zA-Z]+)?(?P<version>[0-9.]+)?(?P<threaded>t)?(?:-(?P<arch>32|64))?$")
+SPECIFIER_PATTERN = re.compile(r"^(?:(?P<impl>[A-Za-z]+)\s*)?(?P<spec>(?:===|==|~=|!=|<=|>=|<|>).+)$")
 
 
 class PythonSpec:
@@ -22,6 +35,7 @@ def __init__(  # noqa: PLR0913
         path: str | None,
         *,
         free_threaded: bool | None = None,
+        version_specifier: SpecifierSet | None = None,
     ) -> None:
         self.str_spec = str_spec
         self.implementation = implementation
@@ -31,10 +45,12 @@ def __init__(  # noqa: PLR0913
         self.free_threaded = free_threaded
         self.architecture = architecture
         self.path = path
+        self.version_specifier = version_specifier
 
     @classmethod
     def from_string_spec(cls, string_spec: str):  # noqa: C901, PLR0912
         impl, major, minor, micro, threaded, arch, path = None, None, None, None, None, None, None
+        version_specifier = None
         if os.path.isabs(string_spec):  # noqa: PLR1702
             path = string_spec
         else:
@@ -72,9 +88,41 @@ def _int_or_none(val):
                     arch = _int_or_none(groups["arch"])
 
             if not ok:
+                specifier_match = SPECIFIER_PATTERN.match(string_spec.strip())
+                if specifier_match:
+                    impl = specifier_match.group("impl")
+                    spec_text = specifier_match.group("spec").strip()
+                    try:
+                        version_specifier = SpecifierSet(spec_text)
+                    except InvalidSpecifier:
+                        pass
+                    else:
+                        if impl in {"py", "python"}:
+                            impl = None
+                        return cls(
+                            string_spec,
+                            impl,
+                            None,
+                            None,
+                            None,
+                            None,
+                            None,
+                            free_threaded=None,
+                            version_specifier=version_specifier,
+                        )
                 path = string_spec
 
-        return cls(string_spec, impl, major, minor, micro, arch, path, free_threaded=threaded)
+        return cls(
+            string_spec,
+            impl,
+            major,
+            minor,
+            micro,
+            arch,
+            path,
+            free_threaded=threaded,
+            version_specifier=version_specifier,
+        )
 
     def generate_re(self, *, windows: bool) -> re.Pattern:
         """Generate a regular expression for matching against a filename."""
@@ -113,6 +161,33 @@ def satisfies(self, spec):
         if spec.free_threaded is not None and spec.free_threaded != self.free_threaded:
             return False
 
+        if spec.version_specifier is not None:
+            components: list[int] = []
+            for part in (self.major, self.minor, self.micro):
+                if part is None:
+                    break
+                components.append(part)
+            if components:
+                try:
+                    candidate = Version(".".join(str(part) for part in components))
+                except InvalidVersion:
+                    candidate = None
+                else:
+                    for item in spec.version_specifier:
+                        base_version = item.version
+                        if base_version.endswith(".*"):
+                            base_version = base_version[:-2]
+                        if not base_version:
+                            continue
+                        try:
+                            required_precision = len(Version(base_version).release)
+                        except InvalidVersion:
+                            continue
+                        if len(components) < required_precision:
+                            continue
+                        if not item.contains(candidate):
+                            return False
+
         for our, req in zip((self.major, self.minor, self.micro), (spec.major, spec.minor, spec.micro)):
             if req is not None and our is not None and our != req:
                 return False
@@ -120,7 +195,16 @@ def satisfies(self, spec):
 
     def __repr__(self) -> str:
         name = type(self).__name__
-        params = "implementation", "major", "minor", "micro", "architecture", "path", "free_threaded"
+        params = (
+            "implementation",
+            "major",
+            "minor",
+            "micro",
+            "architecture",
+            "path",
+            "free_threaded",
+            "version_specifier",
+        )
         return f"{name}({', '.join(f'{k}={getattr(self, k)}' for k in params if getattr(self, k) is not None)})"
 
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/discovery/test_discovery.py b/tests/unit/discovery/test_discovery.py
index e6c78e2e3..06fdfd1ab 100644
--- a/tests/unit/discovery/test_discovery.py
+++ b/tests/unit/discovery/test_discovery.py
@@ -329,3 +329,30 @@ def test_returns_first_python_specified_when_no_env_var_is_specified(mocker, mon
     result = builtin.run()
 
     assert result == mocker.sentinel.python_from_cli
+
+
+def test_discovery_via_version_specifier(session_app_data):
+    """Test that version specifiers like >=3.11 work correctly."""
+    current = PythonInfo.current_system(session_app_data)
+    major, minor = current.version_info.major, current.version_info.minor
+
+    # Test with >= specifier that should match current Python
+    spec = f">={major}.{minor}"
+    interpreter = get_interpreter(spec, [], session_app_data)
+    assert interpreter is not None
+    assert interpreter.version_info.major == major
+    assert interpreter.version_info.minor >= minor
+
+    # Test with compound specifier
+    spec = f">={major}.{minor},<{major}.{minor + 10}"
+    interpreter = get_interpreter(spec, [], session_app_data)
+    assert interpreter is not None
+    assert interpreter.version_info.major == major
+    assert minor <= interpreter.version_info.minor < minor + 10
+
+    # Test with implementation prefix
+    spec = f"cpython>={major}.{minor}"
+    interpreter = get_interpreter(spec, [], session_app_data)
+    if current.implementation == "CPython":
+        assert interpreter is not None
+        assert interpreter.implementation == "CPython"
diff --git a/tests/unit/discovery/test_py_spec.py b/tests/unit/discovery/test_py_spec.py
index 0841019ec..dac91fda8 100644
--- a/tests/unit/discovery/test_py_spec.py
+++ b/tests/unit/discovery/test_py_spec.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 from copy import copy
 
 import pytest
+from packaging.specifiers import SpecifierSet
 
 from virtualenv.discovery.py_spec import PythonSpec
 
@@ -132,3 +133,29 @@ def test_relative_spec(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     a_relative_path = str((tmp_path / "a" / "b").relative_to(tmp_path))
     spec = PythonSpec.from_string_spec(a_relative_path)
     assert spec.path == a_relative_path
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("text", "expected"),
+    [
+        (">=3.12", ">=3.12"),
+        ("python>=3.12", ">=3.12"),
+        ("cpython!=3.11.*", "!=3.11.*"),
+        ("<=3.13,>=3.12", "<=3.13,>=3.12"),
+    ],
+)
+def test_specifier_parsing(text, expected):
+    spec = PythonSpec.from_string_spec(text)
+    assert spec.version_specifier == SpecifierSet(expected)
+
+
+def test_specifier_with_implementation():
+    spec = PythonSpec.from_string_spec("cpython>=3.12")
+    assert spec.implementation == "cpython"
+    assert spec.version_specifier == SpecifierSet(">=3.12")
+
+
+def test_specifier_satisfies_with_partial_information():
+    spec = PythonSpec.from_string_spec(">=3.12")
+    candidate = PythonSpec.from_string_spec("python3.12")
+    assert candidate.satisfies(spec) is True

From a5d3f702f38255103a030ecf3995b8e3619a709a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 20:45:29 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 20/29] Make packaging library optional in py_spec.py for
 zipapp compatibility

---
 src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py | 19 +++++++++++++------
 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
index 983f31507..9ffc9a5cf 100644
--- a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
+++ b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
@@ -11,11 +11,18 @@
     from packaging.specifiers import InvalidSpecifier, SpecifierSet
     from packaging.version import InvalidVersion, Version
 except ModuleNotFoundError:  # pragma: no cover - fallback for non-site virtual executions
-    site_packages = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
-    if site_packages.exists():
-        sys.path.insert(0, str(site_packages))
-    from packaging.specifiers import InvalidSpecifier, SpecifierSet
-    from packaging.version import InvalidVersion, Version
+    try:
+        site_packages = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+        if site_packages.exists():
+            sys.path.insert(0, str(site_packages))
+        from packaging.specifiers import InvalidSpecifier, SpecifierSet
+        from packaging.version import InvalidVersion, Version
+    except ModuleNotFoundError:
+        # Packaging not available - version specifier support will be disabled
+        InvalidSpecifier = Exception  # type: ignore[misc, assignment]
+        SpecifierSet = None  # type: ignore[misc, assignment]
+        InvalidVersion = Exception  # type: ignore[misc, assignment]
+        Version = None  # type: ignore[misc, assignment]
 
 PATTERN = re.compile(r"^(?P<impl>[a-zA-Z]+)?(?P<version>[0-9.]+)?(?P<threaded>t)?(?:-(?P<arch>32|64))?$")
 SPECIFIER_PATTERN = re.compile(r"^(?:(?P<impl>[A-Za-z]+)\s*)?(?P<spec>(?:===|==|~=|!=|<=|>=|<|>).+)$")
@@ -89,7 +96,7 @@ def _int_or_none(val):
 
             if not ok:
                 specifier_match = SPECIFIER_PATTERN.match(string_spec.strip())
-                if specifier_match:
+                if specifier_match and SpecifierSet is not None:
                     impl = specifier_match.group("impl")
                     spec_text = specifier_match.group("spec").strip()
                     try:

From 64c256ed5d61752b45ef82cbd8e98f7fbfe1f941 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 21:35:03 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 21/29] increase test timeout

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index f46976ddf..48cd7fa5f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ jobs:
         run: tox run -vvvv --notest --skip-missing-interpreters false
       - name: 🏃 Run test suite
         run: tox run --skip-pkg-install
-        timeout-minutes: 20
+        timeout-minutes: 30
         env:
           PYTEST_ADDOPTS: "-vv --durations=20"
           CI_RUN: "yes"

From 6bc406ea4fd66c6c1fb86427ab147c96e68f3839 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 21:41:24 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 22/29] Add linter fixes, changelog entry, and documentation

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml        | 2 +-
 docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst     | 1 +
 docs/cli_interface.rst              | 1 +
 src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py | 2 +-
 src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py | 2 +-
 tasks/update_embedded.py            | 2 +-
 6 files changed, 6 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index 48cd7fa5f..c6e6ba93b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -153,4 +153,4 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🏗️ Setup check suite
         run: tox run -vv --notest --skip-missing-interpreters false -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
       - name: 🏃 Run check for ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
-        run: tox run --skip-pkg-install -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
\ No newline at end of file
+        run: tox run --skip-pkg-install -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
diff --git a/docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst b/docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4ef27c708
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Add support for PEP 440 version specifiers in the ``--python`` flag. Users can now specify Python versions using operators like ``>=``, ``<=``, ``~=``, etc. For example: ``virtualenv --python=">=3.12" myenv`` - by :user:`rahuldevikar`.
diff --git a/docs/cli_interface.rst b/docs/cli_interface.rst
index 27ea231ef..fd3543b35 100644
--- a/docs/cli_interface.rst
+++ b/docs/cli_interface.rst
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ To avoid confusion, it's best to think of them as the "rule" and the "hint".
 This flag sets the mandatory requirements for the interpreter. The ``<spec>`` can be:
 
 - **A version string** (e.g., ``python3.8``, ``pypy3``). ``virtualenv`` will search for any interpreter that matches this version.
+- **A version specifier** using PEP 440 operators (e.g., ``>=3.12``, ``~=3.11.0``, ``python>=3.10``). ``virtualenv`` will search for any interpreter that satisfies the version constraint. You can also specify the implementation: ``cpython>=3.12``.
 - **An absolute path** (e.g., ``/usr/bin/python3.8``). This is a *strict* requirement. Only the interpreter at this exact path will be used. If it does not exist or is not a valid interpreter, creation will fail.
 
 **``--try-first-with <path>``: The Hint**
diff --git a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py
index 1aa43786f..ae2db1d21 100644
--- a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py
+++ b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ def clear_cache(cls, app_data):
         clear(app_data)
         cls._cache_exe_discovery.clear()
 
-    def satisfies(self, spec, impl_must_match):  # noqa: C901, PLR0911
+    def satisfies(self, spec, impl_must_match):  # noqa: C901, PLR0911, PLR0912
         """Check if a given specification can be satisfied by the this python interpreter instance."""
         if spec.path:
             if self.executable == os.path.abspath(spec.path):
diff --git a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
index 9ffc9a5cf..070654d3b 100644
--- a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
+++ b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ def generate_re(self, *, windows: bool) -> re.Pattern:
     def is_abs(self):
         return self.path is not None and os.path.isabs(self.path)
 
-    def satisfies(self, spec):
+    def satisfies(self, spec):  # noqa: C901, PLR0911, PLR0912
         """Called when there's a candidate metadata spec to see if compatible - e.g. PEP-514 on Windows."""
         if spec.is_abs and self.is_abs and self.path != spec.path:
             return False
diff --git a/tasks/update_embedded.py b/tasks/update_embedded.py
index 9134c83c5..c2dc0d9bb 100755
--- a/tasks/update_embedded.py
+++ b/tasks/update_embedded.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Helper script to rebuild virtualenv.py from virtualenv_support."""  # noqa: EXE002
+"""Helper script to rebuild virtualenv.py from virtualenv_support."""
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 

From cf36c32081a1e8e8170ceceaf220d556e1fcd257 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 21:50:51 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 23/29] Update documentation

---
 docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst b/docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst
index 4ef27c708..5207a2f8d 100644
--- a/docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst
+++ b/docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Add support for PEP 440 version specifiers in the ``--python`` flag. Users can now specify Python versions using operators like ``>=``, ``<=``, ``~=``, etc. For example: ``virtualenv --python=">=3.12" myenv`` - by :user:`rahuldevikar`.
+Add support for PEP 440 version specifiers in the ``--python`` flag. Users can now specify Python versions using operators like ``>=``, ``<=``, ``~=``, etc. For example: ``virtualenv --python=">=3.12" myenv`` `.
\ No newline at end of file

From b5045358cfcde9d9e2d060e48e1c586b814712a3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "pre-commit-ci[bot]"
 <66853113+pre-commit-ci[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2026 05:58:13 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 24/29] [pre-commit.ci] auto fixes from pre-commit.com hooks

for more information, see https://pre-commit.ci
---
 docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst b/docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst
index 5207a2f8d..d11bc8b05 100644
--- a/docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst
+++ b/docs/changelog/2994.feature.rst
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Add support for PEP 440 version specifiers in the ``--python`` flag. Users can now specify Python versions using operators like ``>=``, ``<=``, ``~=``, etc. For example: ``virtualenv --python=">=3.12" myenv`` `.
\ No newline at end of file
+Add support for PEP 440 version specifiers in the ``--python`` flag. Users can now specify Python versions using operators like ``>=``, ``<=``, ``~=``, etc. For example: ``virtualenv --python=">=3.12" myenv`` `.

From 4afaf6ce3d97724e3442a13387db845d4f37a942 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 22:12:35 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 25/29] Retrigger CI checks


From 7faed93733ebf2d44370571d51c607bd5662beca Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 23:11:32 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 26/29] revert check.yml and increase timeout

---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 16 ++++------------
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index c6e6ba93b..928a2679a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -55,10 +55,6 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
-      - name: 🏷️ Fetch upstream tags for versioning
-        shell: bash
-        run: |
-          git fetch --force --tags https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv.git
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for tox
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
@@ -67,9 +63,9 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: |
           if [[ "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.13t" || "${{ matrix.py }}" == "3.14t" ]]; then
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 "tox>=4.32" --with .
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 tox --with .
           else
-            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 "tox>=4.32" --with tox-uv --with .
+            uv tool install --no-managed-python --python 3.14 tox --with tox-uv --with .
           fi
       - name: 🐍 Setup Python for test ${{ matrix.py }}
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
@@ -141,16 +137,12 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🚀 Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v4
       - name: 📦 Install tox
-        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.14 "tox>=4.32" --with tox-uv
+        run: uv tool install --python-preference only-managed --python 3.14 tox --with tox-uv
       - name: 📥 Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
-      - name: 🏷️ Fetch upstream tags for versioning
-        shell: bash
-        run: |
-          git fetch --force --tags https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv.git
       - name: 🏗️ Setup check suite
         run: tox run -vv --notest --skip-missing-interpreters false -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
       - name: 🏃 Run check for ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
-        run: tox run --skip-pkg-install -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
+        run: tox run --skip-pkg-install -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
\ No newline at end of file

From 4c6a1ad1a9f9bcc13269f43bb7c5a5de658eac8a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "pre-commit-ci[bot]"
 <66853113+pre-commit-ci[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2026 21:24:16 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 27/29] [pre-commit.ci] auto fixes from pre-commit.com hooks

for more information, see https://pre-commit.ci
---
 .github/workflows/check.yaml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yaml b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
index 48cd7fa5f..c6e6ba93b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yaml
@@ -153,4 +153,4 @@ jobs:
       - name: 🏗️ Setup check suite
         run: tox run -vv --notest --skip-missing-interpreters false -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
       - name: 🏃 Run check for ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
-        run: tox run --skip-pkg-install -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}
\ No newline at end of file
+        run: tox run --skip-pkg-install -e ${{ matrix.tox_env }}

From a0068108eaf4c36e3ff2aa2bf15fa17bd023dc33 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2026 15:57:22 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 28/29] Add Version Specifier class

---
 src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py  |  16 +-
 src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py  |  55 +++----
 src/virtualenv/util/specifier.py     | 215 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 tasks/update_embedded.py             |   2 +-
 tests/unit/discovery/test_py_spec.py |   2 +-
 5 files changed, 247 insertions(+), 43 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 src/virtualenv/util/specifier.py

diff --git a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py
index ae2db1d21..7b53d4b60 100644
--- a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py
+++ b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py
@@ -19,16 +19,7 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 from string import digits
 
-try:
-    from packaging.version import Version
-except ModuleNotFoundError:  # pragma: no cover - fallback for non-site virtual executions
-    try:
-        site_packages = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
-        if site_packages.exists():
-            sys.path.insert(0, str(site_packages))
-        from packaging.version import Version
-    except ModuleNotFoundError:
-        Version = None  # Will be unavailable for version specifier matching
+from virtualenv.util.specifier import SimpleVersion
 
 VersionInfo = namedtuple("VersionInfo", ["major", "minor", "micro", "releaselevel", "serial"])  # noqa: PYI024
 LOGGER = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -435,8 +426,6 @@ def satisfies(self, spec, impl_must_match):  # noqa: C901, PLR0911, PLR0912
             return False
 
         if spec.version_specifier is not None:
-            if Version is None:
-                return False  # Can't match version specifiers without packaging library
             version_info = self.version_info
             release = f"{version_info.major}.{version_info.minor}.{version_info.micro}"
             if version_info.releaselevel != "final":
@@ -447,8 +436,7 @@ def satisfies(self, spec, impl_must_match):  # noqa: C901, PLR0911, PLR0912
                 }.get(version_info.releaselevel)
                 if suffix is not None:
                     release = f"{release}{suffix}{version_info.serial}"
-            version = Version(release)
-            if not spec.version_specifier.contains(version):
+            if not spec.version_specifier.contains(release):
                 return False
 
         for our, req in zip(self.version_info[0:3], (spec.major, spec.minor, spec.micro)):
diff --git a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
index 070654d3b..76126b5c5 100644
--- a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
+++ b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
@@ -7,22 +7,7 @@
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 
-try:
-    from packaging.specifiers import InvalidSpecifier, SpecifierSet
-    from packaging.version import InvalidVersion, Version
-except ModuleNotFoundError:  # pragma: no cover - fallback for non-site virtual executions
-    try:
-        site_packages = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
-        if site_packages.exists():
-            sys.path.insert(0, str(site_packages))
-        from packaging.specifiers import InvalidSpecifier, SpecifierSet
-        from packaging.version import InvalidVersion, Version
-    except ModuleNotFoundError:
-        # Packaging not available - version specifier support will be disabled
-        InvalidSpecifier = Exception  # type: ignore[misc, assignment]
-        SpecifierSet = None  # type: ignore[misc, assignment]
-        InvalidVersion = Exception  # type: ignore[misc, assignment]
-        Version = None  # type: ignore[misc, assignment]
+from virtualenv.util.specifier import SimpleSpecifier, SimpleSpecifierSet, SimpleVersion
 
 PATTERN = re.compile(r"^(?P<impl>[a-zA-Z]+)?(?P<version>[0-9.]+)?(?P<threaded>t)?(?:-(?P<arch>32|64))?$")
 SPECIFIER_PATTERN = re.compile(r"^(?:(?P<impl>[A-Za-z]+)\s*)?(?P<spec>(?:===|==|~=|!=|<=|>=|<|>).+)$")
@@ -175,24 +160,30 @@ def satisfies(self, spec):  # noqa: C901, PLR0911, PLR0912
                     break
                 components.append(part)
             if components:
+                version_str = ".".join(str(part) for part in components)
                 try:
-                    candidate = Version(".".join(str(part) for part in components))
+                    candidate = Version(version_str)
                 except InvalidVersion:
                     candidate = None
                 else:
                     for item in spec.version_specifier:
-                        base_version = item.version
-                        if base_version.endswith(".*"):
-                            base_version = base_version[:-2]
-                        if not base_version:
-                            continue
-                        try:
-                            required_precision = len(Version(base_version).release)
-                        except InvalidVersion:
-                            continue
+                        # Check precision requirements
+                        base_version_str = item.version_str
+                        if item.is_wildcard:
+                            # For wildcard versions, get base precision
+                            try:
+                                required_precision = len(item.version.release)
+                            except (AttributeError, ValueError):
+                                continue
+                        else:
+                            try:
+                                required_precision = len(item.version.release)
+                            except (AttributeError, ValueError):
+                                continue
+                        
                         if len(components) < required_precision:
                             continue
-                        if not item.contains(candidate):
+                        if not item.contains(version_str):
                             return False
 
         for our, req in zip((self.major, self.minor, self.micro), (spec.major, spec.minor, spec.micro)):
@@ -215,6 +206,16 @@ def __repr__(self) -> str:
         return f"{name}({', '.join(f'{k}={getattr(self, k)}' for k in params if getattr(self, k) is not None)})"
 
 
+# Create aliases for backward compatibility
+SpecifierSet = SimpleSpecifierSet
+Version = SimpleVersion
+InvalidSpecifier = ValueError
+InvalidVersion = ValueError
+
 __all__ = [
     "PythonSpec",
+    "SpecifierSet",
+    "Version",
+    "InvalidSpecifier",
+    "InvalidVersion",
 ]
diff --git a/src/virtualenv/util/specifier.py b/src/virtualenv/util/specifier.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9902bb9d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/virtualenv/util/specifier.py
@@ -0,0 +1,215 @@
+"""Version specifier support using only standard library (PEP 440 compatible)."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import re
+
+
+class SimpleVersion:
+    """Simple PEP 440-like version parser using only standard library."""
+
+    def __init__(self, version_str: str) -> None:
+        self.version_str = version_str
+        # Parse version string into components
+        # Support formats like: "3.11", "3.11.0", "3.11.0a1", "3.11.0b2", "3.11.0rc1"
+        match = re.match(
+            r"^(\d+)(?:\.(\d+))?(?:\.(\d+))?(?:(a|b|rc)(\d+))?$",
+            version_str.strip(),
+        )
+        if not match:
+            msg = f"Invalid version: {version_str}"
+            raise ValueError(msg)
+
+        self.major = int(match.group(1))
+        self.minor = int(match.group(2)) if match.group(2) else 0
+        self.micro = int(match.group(3)) if match.group(3) else 0
+        self.pre_type = match.group(4)  # a, b, rc or None
+        self.pre_num = int(match.group(5)) if match.group(5) else None
+        self.release = (self.major, self.minor, self.micro)
+
+    def __eq__(self, other):
+        if not isinstance(other, SimpleVersion):
+            return NotImplemented
+        return (
+            self.release == other.release
+            and self.pre_type == other.pre_type
+            and self.pre_num == other.pre_num
+        )
+
+    def __lt__(self, other):
+        if not isinstance(other, SimpleVersion):
+            return NotImplemented
+        # Compare release tuples first
+        if self.release != other.release:
+            return self.release < other.release
+        # If releases are equal, compare pre-release
+        # No pre-release is greater than any pre-release
+        if self.pre_type is None and other.pre_type is None:
+            return False
+        if self.pre_type is None:
+            return False  # self is final, other is pre-release
+        if other.pre_type is None:
+            return True  # self is pre-release, other is final
+        # Both are pre-releases, compare type then number
+        pre_order = {"a": 1, "b": 2, "rc": 3}
+        if pre_order[self.pre_type] != pre_order[other.pre_type]:
+            return pre_order[self.pre_type] < pre_order[other.pre_type]
+        return (self.pre_num or 0) < (other.pre_num or 0)
+
+    def __le__(self, other):
+        return self == other or self < other
+
+    def __gt__(self, other):
+        if not isinstance(other, SimpleVersion):
+            return NotImplemented
+        return not self <= other
+
+    def __ge__(self, other):
+        return not self < other
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return self.version_str
+
+    def __repr__(self):
+        return f"SimpleVersion('{self.version_str}')"
+
+
+class SimpleSpecifier:
+    """Simple PEP 440-like version specifier using only standard library."""
+
+    def __init__(self, spec_str: str) -> None:
+        self.spec_str = spec_str.strip()
+        # Parse operator and version
+        match = re.match(r"^(===|==|~=|!=|<=|>=|<|>)\s*(.+)$", self.spec_str)
+        if not match:
+            msg = f"Invalid specifier: {spec_str}"
+            raise ValueError(msg)
+
+        self.operator = match.group(1)
+        self.version_str = match.group(2).strip()
+
+        # Handle wildcard versions like "3.11.*"
+        if self.version_str.endswith(".*"):
+            self.is_wildcard = True
+            self.wildcard_version = self.version_str[:-2]
+            # Count the precision for wildcard matching
+            self.wildcard_precision = len(self.wildcard_version.split("."))
+            self.version_str = self.wildcard_version
+        else:
+            self.is_wildcard = False
+            self.wildcard_precision = None
+
+        try:
+            self.version = SimpleVersion(self.version_str)
+        except ValueError:
+            # If version parsing fails, store as string for prefix matching
+            self.version = None
+
+    def contains(self, version_str: str) -> bool:
+        """Check if a version string satisfies this specifier."""
+        try:
+            candidate = SimpleVersion(version_str) if isinstance(version_str, str) else version_str
+        except ValueError:
+            return False
+
+        if self.version is None:
+            return False
+
+        if self.is_wildcard:
+            # For wildcard specs like "3.11.*", check prefix match
+            if self.operator == "==":
+                return candidate.release[: self.wildcard_precision] == self.version.release[: self.wildcard_precision]
+            if self.operator == "!=":
+                return candidate.release[: self.wildcard_precision] != self.version.release[: self.wildcard_precision]
+            # Other operators with wildcards are not standard, treat as False
+            return False
+
+        # Standard version comparison
+        if self.operator == "===":
+            return str(candidate) == str(self.version)
+        if self.operator == "==":
+            return candidate == self.version
+        if self.operator == "!=":
+            return candidate != self.version
+        if self.operator == "<":
+            return candidate < self.version
+        if self.operator == "<=":
+            return candidate <= self.version
+        if self.operator == ">":
+            return candidate > self.version
+        if self.operator == ">=":
+            return candidate >= self.version
+        if self.operator == "~=":
+            # Compatible release: ~=3.11.0 matches >=3.11.0, <3.12.0
+            # ~=3.11 matches >=3.11, <4.0
+            if candidate < self.version:
+                return False
+            # Calculate upper bound based on precision
+            if len(self.version.release) >= 2:  # noqa: PLR2004
+                # For ~=3.11.0 -> upper is 3.12
+                # For ~=3.11 -> upper is 4.0
+                upper_parts = list(self.version.release[:-1])
+                upper_parts[-1] += 1
+                upper = SimpleVersion(".".join(str(p) for p in upper_parts))
+                return candidate < upper
+            return True
+
+        return False
+
+    def __eq__(self, other):
+        if not isinstance(other, SimpleSpecifier):
+            return NotImplemented
+        return self.spec_str == other.spec_str
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return self.spec_str
+
+    def __repr__(self):
+        return f"SimpleSpecifier('{self.spec_str}')"
+
+
+class SimpleSpecifierSet:
+    """Simple PEP 440-like specifier set using only standard library."""
+
+    def __init__(self, specifiers_str: str = "") -> None:
+        self.specifiers_str = specifiers_str.strip()
+        self.specifiers = []
+
+        if self.specifiers_str:
+            # Split by comma for compound specifiers
+            for spec_str in self.specifiers_str.split(","):
+                spec_str = spec_str.strip()
+                if spec_str:
+                    try:
+                        self.specifiers.append(SimpleSpecifier(spec_str))
+                    except ValueError:
+                        # Invalid specifier, skip it
+                        pass
+
+    def contains(self, version_str: str) -> bool:
+        """Check if a version satisfies all specifiers in the set."""
+        if not self.specifiers:
+            return True
+        # All specifiers must be satisfied
+        return all(spec.contains(version_str) for spec in self.specifiers)
+
+    def __iter__(self):
+        return iter(self.specifiers)
+
+    def __eq__(self, other):
+        if not isinstance(other, SimpleSpecifierSet):
+            return NotImplemented
+        return self.specifiers_str == other.specifiers_str
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return self.specifiers_str
+
+    def __repr__(self):
+        return f"SimpleSpecifierSet('{self.specifiers_str}')"
+
+
+__all__ = [
+    "SimpleVersion",
+    "SimpleSpecifier",
+    "SimpleSpecifierSet",
+]
diff --git a/tasks/update_embedded.py b/tasks/update_embedded.py
index c2dc0d9bb..9134c83c5 100755
--- a/tasks/update_embedded.py
+++ b/tasks/update_embedded.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Helper script to rebuild virtualenv.py from virtualenv_support."""
+"""Helper script to rebuild virtualenv.py from virtualenv_support."""  # noqa: EXE002
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/discovery/test_py_spec.py b/tests/unit/discovery/test_py_spec.py
index dac91fda8..2c037b6bb 100644
--- a/tests/unit/discovery/test_py_spec.py
+++ b/tests/unit/discovery/test_py_spec.py
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@
 from copy import copy
 
 import pytest
-from packaging.specifiers import SpecifierSet
 
 from virtualenv.discovery.py_spec import PythonSpec
+from virtualenv.util.specifier import SimpleSpecifierSet as SpecifierSet
 
 
 def test_bad_py_spec():

From 66f700a7b4355e9e3ff13ba542f0202a1cb2f24e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rahul Devikar <rahuldevikar5512@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2026 16:11:47 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 29/29] Break into multiple methods

---
 src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py |   3 -
 src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py |  74 +++++++++--------
 src/virtualenv/util/specifier.py    | 118 +++++++++++++++++-----------
 3 files changed, 106 insertions(+), 89 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py
index 7b53d4b60..e72c82dd6 100644
--- a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py
+++ b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_info.py
@@ -16,11 +16,8 @@
 import sysconfig
 import warnings
 from collections import OrderedDict, namedtuple
-from pathlib import Path
 from string import digits
 
-from virtualenv.util.specifier import SimpleVersion
-
 VersionInfo = namedtuple("VersionInfo", ["major", "minor", "micro", "releaselevel", "serial"])  # noqa: PYI024
 LOGGER = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
diff --git a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
index 76126b5c5..4bd8b4209 100644
--- a/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
+++ b/src/virtualenv/discovery/py_spec.py
@@ -2,12 +2,11 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import contextlib
 import os
 import re
-import sys
-from pathlib import Path
 
-from virtualenv.util.specifier import SimpleSpecifier, SimpleSpecifierSet, SimpleVersion
+from virtualenv.util.specifier import SimpleSpecifierSet, SimpleVersion
 
 PATTERN = re.compile(r"^(?P<impl>[a-zA-Z]+)?(?P<version>[0-9.]+)?(?P<threaded>t)?(?:-(?P<arch>32|64))?$")
 SPECIFIER_PATTERN = re.compile(r"^(?:(?P<impl>[A-Za-z]+)\s*)?(?P<spec>(?:===|==|~=|!=|<=|>=|<|>).+)$")
@@ -142,7 +141,36 @@ def generate_re(self, *, windows: bool) -> re.Pattern:
     def is_abs(self):
         return self.path is not None and os.path.isabs(self.path)
 
-    def satisfies(self, spec):  # noqa: C901, PLR0911, PLR0912
+    def _check_version_specifier(self, spec):
+        """Check if version specifier is satisfied."""
+        components: list[int] = []
+        for part in (self.major, self.minor, self.micro):
+            if part is None:
+                break
+            components.append(part)
+        if not components:
+            return True
+
+        version_str = ".".join(str(part) for part in components)
+        with contextlib.suppress(InvalidVersion):
+            Version(version_str)
+            for item in spec.version_specifier:
+                # Check precision requirements
+                required_precision = self._get_required_precision(item)
+                if required_precision is None or len(components) < required_precision:
+                    continue
+                if not item.contains(version_str):
+                    return False
+        return True
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _get_required_precision(item):
+        """Get the required precision for a specifier item."""
+        with contextlib.suppress(AttributeError, ValueError):
+            return len(item.version.release)
+        return None
+
+    def satisfies(self, spec):  # noqa: PLR0911
         """Called when there's a candidate metadata spec to see if compatible - e.g. PEP-514 on Windows."""
         if spec.is_abs and self.is_abs and self.path != spec.path:
             return False
@@ -153,38 +181,8 @@ def satisfies(self, spec):  # noqa: C901, PLR0911, PLR0912
         if spec.free_threaded is not None and spec.free_threaded != self.free_threaded:
             return False
 
-        if spec.version_specifier is not None:
-            components: list[int] = []
-            for part in (self.major, self.minor, self.micro):
-                if part is None:
-                    break
-                components.append(part)
-            if components:
-                version_str = ".".join(str(part) for part in components)
-                try:
-                    candidate = Version(version_str)
-                except InvalidVersion:
-                    candidate = None
-                else:
-                    for item in spec.version_specifier:
-                        # Check precision requirements
-                        base_version_str = item.version_str
-                        if item.is_wildcard:
-                            # For wildcard versions, get base precision
-                            try:
-                                required_precision = len(item.version.release)
-                            except (AttributeError, ValueError):
-                                continue
-                        else:
-                            try:
-                                required_precision = len(item.version.release)
-                            except (AttributeError, ValueError):
-                                continue
-                        
-                        if len(components) < required_precision:
-                            continue
-                        if not item.contains(version_str):
-                            return False
+        if spec.version_specifier is not None and not self._check_version_specifier(spec):
+            return False
 
         for our, req in zip((self.major, self.minor, self.micro), (spec.major, spec.minor, spec.micro)):
             if req is not None and our is not None and our != req:
@@ -213,9 +211,9 @@ def __repr__(self) -> str:
 InvalidVersion = ValueError
 
 __all__ = [
+    "InvalidSpecifier",
+    "InvalidVersion",
     "PythonSpec",
     "SpecifierSet",
     "Version",
-    "InvalidSpecifier",
-    "InvalidVersion",
 ]
diff --git a/src/virtualenv/util/specifier.py b/src/virtualenv/util/specifier.py
index 9902bb9d5..eca5b3389 100644
--- a/src/virtualenv/util/specifier.py
+++ b/src/virtualenv/util/specifier.py
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import contextlib
+import operator
 import re
 
 
@@ -30,11 +32,10 @@ def __init__(self, version_str: str) -> None:
     def __eq__(self, other):
         if not isinstance(other, SimpleVersion):
             return NotImplemented
-        return (
-            self.release == other.release
-            and self.pre_type == other.pre_type
-            and self.pre_num == other.pre_num
-        )
+        return self.release == other.release and self.pre_type == other.pre_type and self.pre_num == other.pre_num
+
+    def __hash__(self):
+        return hash((self.release, self.pre_type, self.pre_num))
 
     def __lt__(self, other):
         if not isinstance(other, SimpleVersion):
@@ -42,6 +43,10 @@ def __lt__(self, other):
         # Compare release tuples first
         if self.release != other.release:
             return self.release < other.release
+        return self._compare_prerelease(other)
+
+    def _compare_prerelease(self, other):
+        """Compare pre-release versions."""
         # If releases are equal, compare pre-release
         # No pre-release is greater than any pre-release
         if self.pre_type is None and other.pre_type is None:
@@ -77,6 +82,16 @@ def __repr__(self):
 class SimpleSpecifier:
     """Simple PEP 440-like version specifier using only standard library."""
 
+    __slots__ = (
+        "is_wildcard",
+        "operator",
+        "spec_str",
+        "version",
+        "version_str",
+        "wildcard_precision",
+        "wildcard_version",
+    )
+
     def __init__(self, spec_str: str) -> None:
         self.spec_str = spec_str.strip()
         # Parse operator and version
@@ -116,51 +131,56 @@ def contains(self, version_str: str) -> bool:
             return False
 
         if self.is_wildcard:
-            # For wildcard specs like "3.11.*", check prefix match
-            if self.operator == "==":
-                return candidate.release[: self.wildcard_precision] == self.version.release[: self.wildcard_precision]
-            if self.operator == "!=":
-                return candidate.release[: self.wildcard_precision] != self.version.release[: self.wildcard_precision]
-            # Other operators with wildcards are not standard, treat as False
-            return False
+            return self._check_wildcard(candidate)
+        return self._check_standard(candidate)
 
-        # Standard version comparison
-        if self.operator == "===":
-            return str(candidate) == str(self.version)
+    def _check_wildcard(self, candidate):
+        """Check wildcard version matching."""
         if self.operator == "==":
-            return candidate == self.version
+            return candidate.release[: self.wildcard_precision] == self.version.release[: self.wildcard_precision]
         if self.operator == "!=":
-            return candidate != self.version
-        if self.operator == "<":
-            return candidate < self.version
-        if self.operator == "<=":
-            return candidate <= self.version
-        if self.operator == ">":
-            return candidate > self.version
-        if self.operator == ">=":
-            return candidate >= self.version
-        if self.operator == "~=":
-            # Compatible release: ~=3.11.0 matches >=3.11.0, <3.12.0
-            # ~=3.11 matches >=3.11, <4.0
-            if candidate < self.version:
-                return False
-            # Calculate upper bound based on precision
-            if len(self.version.release) >= 2:  # noqa: PLR2004
-                # For ~=3.11.0 -> upper is 3.12
-                # For ~=3.11 -> upper is 4.0
-                upper_parts = list(self.version.release[:-1])
-                upper_parts[-1] += 1
-                upper = SimpleVersion(".".join(str(p) for p in upper_parts))
-                return candidate < upper
-            return True
+            return candidate.release[: self.wildcard_precision] != self.version.release[: self.wildcard_precision]
+        # Other operators with wildcards are not standard
+        return False
 
+    def _check_standard(self, candidate):
+        """Check standard version comparisons."""
+        if self.operator == "===":
+            return str(candidate) == str(self.version)
+        if self.operator == "~=":
+            return self._check_compatible_release(candidate)
+        # Use operator module for comparisons
+        cmp_ops = {
+            "==": operator.eq,
+            "!=": operator.ne,
+            "<": operator.lt,
+            "<=": operator.le,
+            ">": operator.gt,
+            ">=": operator.ge,
+        }
+        if self.operator in cmp_ops:
+            return cmp_ops[self.operator](candidate, self.version)
         return False
 
+    def _check_compatible_release(self, candidate):
+        """Check compatible release version (~=)."""
+        if candidate < self.version:
+            return False
+        if len(self.version.release) >= 2:  # noqa: PLR2004
+            upper_parts = list(self.version.release[:-1])
+            upper_parts[-1] += 1
+            upper = SimpleVersion(".".join(str(p) for p in upper_parts))
+            return candidate < upper
+        return True
+
     def __eq__(self, other):
         if not isinstance(other, SimpleSpecifier):
             return NotImplemented
         return self.spec_str == other.spec_str
 
+    def __hash__(self):
+        return hash(self.spec_str)
+
     def __str__(self):
         return self.spec_str
 
@@ -171,20 +191,19 @@ def __repr__(self):
 class SimpleSpecifierSet:
     """Simple PEP 440-like specifier set using only standard library."""
 
+    __slots__ = ("specifiers", "specifiers_str")
+
     def __init__(self, specifiers_str: str = "") -> None:
         self.specifiers_str = specifiers_str.strip()
         self.specifiers = []
 
         if self.specifiers_str:
             # Split by comma for compound specifiers
-            for spec_str in self.specifiers_str.split(","):
-                spec_str = spec_str.strip()
-                if spec_str:
-                    try:
-                        self.specifiers.append(SimpleSpecifier(spec_str))
-                    except ValueError:
-                        # Invalid specifier, skip it
-                        pass
+            for spec_item in self.specifiers_str.split(","):
+                stripped = spec_item.strip()
+                if stripped:
+                    with contextlib.suppress(ValueError):
+                        self.specifiers.append(SimpleSpecifier(stripped))
 
     def contains(self, version_str: str) -> bool:
         """Check if a version satisfies all specifiers in the set."""
@@ -201,6 +220,9 @@ def __eq__(self, other):
             return NotImplemented
         return self.specifiers_str == other.specifiers_str
 
+    def __hash__(self):
+        return hash(self.specifiers_str)
+
     def __str__(self):
         return self.specifiers_str
 
@@ -209,7 +231,7 @@ def __repr__(self):
 
 
 __all__ = [
-    "SimpleVersion",
     "SimpleSpecifier",
     "SimpleSpecifierSet",
+    "SimpleVersion",
 ]