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pv

Commands

Versions

Section titled “Versions”
pv install <version> install 8.4, 8.4.3 or latest (--force reinstalls)
pv uninstall <version> remove an installed version
pv list installed versions, the active one marked with its source
pv list --remote what can be installed — newest 3 patches per line, --all for every one

Older patches stay installable by exact version whether or not the listing shows them. The trimming is cosmetic, because .php-version holds an exact patch and gets committed.

Choosing

Section titled “Choosing”
pv pin <version> write .php-version in the current directory
pv default [<version>] show or set the version used when nothing pins one
pv resolve print the version that would be used here
pv resolve --source …and what chose it
pv resolve --pinned-only print nothing unless a file or the environment pins one

Running

Section titled “Running”
pv which [command] the binary that would run here, and nothing else
pv run <command> … run a command under the resolved version
pv exec <command> … alias of run

run looks inside the resolved PHP first, then falls back to PATH — which is what makes pv run composer install work without pv shipping Composer. When it falls back, the resolved PHP’s bin goes first on PATH and PV_PHP_VERSION is set, so the tool and anything it spawns agree on one PHP.

Setup

Section titled “Setup”
pv init <shell> shell setup for PATH — zsh, bash, sh, fish
pv init <shell> --hook …plus the optional cd-time switch
pv rehash regenerate the shims
pv doctor check the installation, exit non-zero on a real problem

Maintenance

Section titled “Maintenance”
pv cache status what the download cache holds
pv cache prune remove tarballs no installed version came from
pv cache clear remove every cached tarball
pv self update replace this binary with the newest published build

Environment

Section titled “Environment”
PV_PHP_VERSION override resolution entirely
PV_HOME where pv keeps state (default ~/.pv)
PV_MANIFEST_URL where to look for artifacts

Layout

Section titled “Layout”

Everything lives under ~/.pv, and every generated file is plain text you can read and grep:

~/.pv/
  versions/8.4.3/bin/php     extracted runtimes
  versions/8.4.3/licenses/   third-party license texts
  shims/php                  real files on PATH
  cache/                     downloaded tarballs
  config.toml                default version, resolve strategy