🐍 Python Hover

Stop alt-tabbing. Instant Python documentation on hover — docstrings, signatures, type hints, and examples, never leaving VS Code.

⬇️ Install Free  ·  ⭐ Rate It  ·  🐛 Report Bug  ·  💡 Request Feature

🔥 The Problem Every Python Developer Has

You're in the zone. Deep in a pandas pipeline, a NumPy reshape, an asyncio task. You forget one parameter. You have two choices:

Option A: Break your flow. Open a browser. Search. Scroll. Find it. Come back. Lose your train of thought. Repeat 20× a day.

Option B: Just hover.

df.groupby('category').agg(???)          # hover → full signature + examples
np.einsum('ij,jk->ik', A, B)            # hover → subscript syntax explained
async with asyncio.timeout(???)          # hover → parameters, raises, version added
response = requests.get(url, headers=?)  # hover → complete parameter table

Python Hover is Option B. Zero configuration. Instant. Accurate.

✨ What Makes It Different

Most hover extensions show you a one-liner from PyPI. Python Hover fetches from the actual Sphinx documentation — the same source as the official docs site — and combines it with live runtime introspection (docstrings, __init__ signatures, @dataclass fields, asyncio coroutine parameters) for true Python IntelliSense on hover.

🆕 New in 0.7.4

• Contextual parameter lens shows the active argument slot inside hovers, then promotes the callable’s docs when the symbol under your cursor is just an argument value.
• PyHover Activity Bar adds Inspector, Saved Docs, History, and Recent Packages views so you can keep working from inside VS Code instead of reopening docs from scratch.
• PyHover Studio now exposes hover presets, docs-routing controls, integrated-browser behavior, and module-browser defaults from one place.
• Integrated docs workflows now support saved docs, recent-session recovery, module browsing, and a command-center status bar without leaving the editor.

🚀 Zero to Hover in 10 Seconds

1. Install from the VS Code Marketplace
2. Open any .py file
3. Hover over any symbol

No API keys. No Python packages to install. No configuration. Just works.

📖 Everything You Can Hover

🔑 All 37+ Keywords & Operators — with exact doc anchors

No more landing on the wrong page. Every keyword links to its precise section:

⚡ All 70+ Built-in Functions

print(), len(), zip(), enumerate(), sorted(), map(), filter(), isinstance(), getattr(), open(), range(), type(), vars(), dir(), repr(), next(), iter(), and every other built-in — all with complete parameter docs.

🔤 Built-in Constants

None, True, False, Ellipsis, ..., __debug__, __name__ — each linked to its anchor on library/constants.html.

🏷️ Typing Module — the right description, not the backport summary

Optional, Union, Literal, TypeVar, Protocol, overload, Final, TypedDict, ParamSpec, Concatenate, Never, Annotated, Generic — all with the actual Python runtime docstring, not PyPI's generic "Support for type hints" blurb.

📦 Third-Party Libraries — auto-discovered

Works out of the box with popular libraries, and auto-discovers thousands more:

Using something not on this list? If the package publishes Sphinx docs, Python Hover discovers it automatically via PyPI — no configuration needed.

🧠 How It Works (The Smart Part)

Python Hover uses a 6-layer resolution pipeline so you always get the best answer:

Hover triggered
      │
      ▼
  Static MAP ──────── <1ms · offline · keywords, operators, constants, typing
      │ miss
      ▼
  LSP (Pylance) ────── qualified name, kind, signature, source path
      │
      ▼
  AST identifier ───── literal type detection even in unsaved files
      │
      ▼
  Python runtime ────── subprocess introspection: docstring, module, isStdlib
      │
      ▼
  Sphinx inventory ──── objects.inv lookup → exact versioned docs URL
      │ miss
      ▼
  DevDocs (scoped) ──── #q=docset search, never cross-language

Context-aware alias resolution: writes import numpy as np and hovers np.array? Python Hover resolves it to numpy.array automatically before looking anything up.

Concurrent deduplication: if you move the cursor quickly over multiple symbols, Python Hover deduplicates all in-flight requests so the Python subprocess never gets overwhelmed.

Multi-tier caching: Sphinx inventories cached to disk (7 days). Hover results cached per session. Position results cached per document version. Cold start after the first hover is instant.

⚙️ Configuration

Works with zero config. Everything below is optional:

{
  "python-hover.customLibraries": [
    {
      "name": "my-internal-lib",
      "inventoryUrl": "https://docs.internal.company.com/objects.inv",
      "baseUrl": "https://docs.internal.company.com"
    }
  ]
}

{
  "python-hover.onlineDiscovery": false
}

🔧 Troubleshooting

📊 By the Numbers

💬 What Developers Say

"Finally I don't have to leave VS Code to check pandas documentation." "The context-awareness is incredible. It knows exactly which method I'm looking at." "Hover over elif and get the right docs page. Details matter." "Saved me hours of alt-tabbing. Worth every star."

🤝 Contributing & Support

Love Python Hover? Here is how to help:

• ⭐ Star the repo — helps other Python developers find it
• 📝 Leave a review — on the VS Code Marketplace
• 🐛 Report a bug — open an issue
• 💡 Suggest a feature — start a discussion

View Contributing Guide →