ImportGobbler

A tool to bundle all local Python imports into a single self-contained file.

What is this?

import-gobbler takes a Python entry point file and recursively inlines all local imports, producing a single self-contained Python file. It handles:

• Regular imports (import x)
• From imports (from x import y, z)
• Relative imports (from . import x, from ..x import y)
• Nested module structures
• Circular dependencies (via class wrapping)

Installation

pip install -e .

Or simply use the script directly:

python main.py input_file.py -o output.py

Usage

import-gobbler input_file.py              # Output to stdout
import-gobbler input_file.py -o out.py    # Output to file
import-gobbler input_file.py -c           # Copy to clipboard
import-gobbler input_file.py --root /path/to/project

Or via python directly:

python main.py input_file.py -c

How it works

1. Parses the input Python file using AST
2. Identifies all local imports (non-standard-library modules)
3. Recursively resolves and inlines each imported module
4. Wraps each module as a class to avoid namespace conflicts
5. Handles symbol imports and circular dependencies
6. Outputs a single, self-contained Python file

Example

Input (main.py):

from helper import greet

def main():
    print(greet("World"))

Output (bundled):

class _helper:
    @staticmethod
    def greet(name):
        return f'Hello, {name}!'

def main():
    print(_helper.greet("World"))

Running Tests

pytest test_bundle.py -v

Limitations

• Does not handle C extensions or binary dependencies
• Assumes all imports are resolvable from the project root
• Wrapping modules as classes may have edge cases with complex code