You can specify extra files to install using the data_files directive. Is that what you’re looking for? Here’s a small example:

from setuptools import setup
from glob import glob

setup(
    name='extra',
    version='0.0.1',
    py_modules=['extra'],
    data_files=[
        ('images', glob('assets/*.png')),
    ],
)

You can use package_data and data_files in setup.py to specify additional files, but they are ridiculously hard to get right (and buggy).

An alternative is to use MANIFEST.in and add include_package_data=True in setup() of your setup.py as indicated here.

With this directive, the MANIFEST.in will be used to specify the files to include not only in source tarball/zip, but also in wheel and win32 installer. This also works with any python version (i tested on a project from py2.6 to py3.6).

UPDATE 2020: it seems the MANIFEST.in is not honored anymore by the wheel in Python 3, although it still is in the tar.gz, even if you set include_package_data=True.

Here is how to fix that: you need to specify both include_package_data and packages.

If your Python module is inside a folder “pymod”, here’s the adequate setup:

setup( ...
    include_package_data = True,
    packages = ['pymod'],
)

If your python scripts are at the root, use:

setup( ...
    include_package_data = True,
    packages = ['.'],
)

Then you can open your .whl file with a zip archival software such as 7-zip to check that all the files you want are indeed inside.

Before you make any changes in MANIFEST.in or setup.py you must remove old output directories. Setuptools is caching some of the data and this can lead to unexpected results.

rm -rf build *.egg-info

If you don’t do this, expect nothing to work correctly.

Now that is out of the way.

1. If you are building a source distribution (sdist) then you can use any method below.

2. If you are building a wheel (bdist_wheel), then include_package_data and MANIFEST.in are ignored and you must use package_data and data_files.

INCLUDE_PACKAGE_DATA

This is a good option, but bdist_wheel does not honor it.

setup(
    ...
    include_package_data=True
)

# MANIFEST.in
include package/data.json

DATA_FILES for non-package data

This is most flexible option because you can add any file from your repo to a sdist or bdist_wheel

setup(
    ....
    data_files=[
        ('output_dir',['conf/data.json']),
    ]
    # For sdist, output_dir is ignored!
    #
    # For bdist_wheel, data.json from conf dir in root of your repo 
    # and stored at `output_dir/` inside of the sdist package.
)

PACKAGE_DATA for non-python files inside of the package

Similar to above, but for a bdist_wheel let’s you put your data files inside of the package. It is identical for sdist but has more limitations than data_files because files can only source from your package subdir.

setup(
    ...
    package_data={'package':'data.json'},
    # data.json must be inside of your actual package
)

I had config/ directory with JSON files in it, which I needed to add to the wheel package. So, I’ve added these lines to MANIFEST.in:

recursive-include config/ *.json

The following directive to setup.py:

setup(
 ...
 include_package_data=True,
)

And nothing worked.
Until I’ve created an empty file called __init__.py inside config/ directory.

(Python 3.6.7, wheel 3.6.7, setuptools 39.0.1)

include_package_data is the way to go, and it works for sdist and wheels.

However you have to do it right, and it took me months to figure this out, so here is what I learned.

The trick is essentially given in the name of the option include_PACKAGE_data: The data files need to be in a package subfolder

If and only if

• include_package_data is True
• the data files are listed in MANIFEST.in (*see also my note at the end about setuptools_scm)
• and the data files are under a package directory

then the data files will be included.

Working Example:

Given the project has the following structure and files:

|- MANIFEST.in
|- setup.cfg
|- setup.py
|
---foo
    |- __init__.py
    |
    ---data
         - example.png

And the following configuration:

Manifest.in:

recursive-include foo/data *

setup.py

import setuptools

setuptools.setup()

setup.cfg

[metadata]
name = wheel-data-files-example
url = www.example.com
maintainer = None
maintainer_email = [email protected]

[options]
packages =
    foo
include_package_data = True

sdist packages and your wheels you build will contain the example.png datafile as well.

(of course, instead of setup.cfg the config can also be directly specified in setup.py. But this is not relevant for the example.)

Update: For src layout projects

This should also work for projects that use a src layout, looking like this:

|- MANIFEST.in
|- setup.cfg
|- setup.py
|
---src
    |
    ---foo
        |- __init__.py
        |
        ---data
             - example.png

To make it work, tell setuptools about the src directory using package_dir:

setup.cfg

[metadata]
name = wheel-data-files-example
url = www.example.com
maintainer = None
maintainer_email = [email protected]

[options]
packages =
    foo
include_package_data = True
package_dir =
    =src

And in the manifest adjust the path:

Manifest.in:

recursive-include src/foo/data *

Note: No Manifest.in necessary if you use setuptools_scm

If you happen to use setuptools and add the setuptools_scm plugin (on pypi), then you don’t need to manage a Manifest.in file. Instead setuptools_scm will take care that all files that are tracked by git are added in the package.

So for this case the rule for if or if not a file is added to the sdist/wheel is:
If and only if

• include_package_data is True
• the file is tracked by git (or another setuptools_scm supported tool)
• and the data files are under a package directory

then the data files will be included.

To add files directly into the top level of a wheel (and not under a folder inside the wheel) simply use Poetry. Create a pyproject.toml with:

poetry init

Port your dependencies with:

cat requirements.txt | xargs poetry add

Add a line like this in your pyproject.toml

include = ["Yourfile"]

Then run:

poetry build

Note: IntelliJ products make it ease and fast to browse your wheels with this plugin.