Pip tools are a set of third party command line tools designed to help with Python dependency management by keeping dependencies up to date, even when you have them pinned. Pip tools can: Automatically generate a requirements.txt for you from your requirement.ini or setup.py file Automatically update all the dependencies in your requirements.txt file with a single command However, advanced dependency management functionality, such as dependency resolution and dependency conflict management are lacking. As a result, upgrading may or may not corrupt your environment. To avoid Python environment corruption, use a package management solution like the ActiveState Platform, which not only resolves dependencies but flags and provides manual solutions for dependency conflicts. Try it yourself by signing up for a free account.