[Eduard van Valkenburg (eavanvalkenburg)]

Motivation and Context

Retire Python 3.10 support and its compatibility code. Align the SDK's supported versions, CI coverage, and developer setup with Python 3.11 through 3.14. Use Python 3.14 as the local development and integration-test default.

This intentionally raises the minimum supported Python version from 3.10 to 3.11. Python 3.14 is the highest supported and tested version. Keep the existing minimum-only requires-python = ">=3.11" policy; do not add an installation upper bound.

Description

• Require Python 3.11+, update package classifiers through Python 3.14, and remove Python 3.10-specific ONNX pins and lockfile branches while preserving upstream security updates and registry URLs.
• Replace obsolete Self and NotRequired backports with standard-library imports. Remove the Python 3.10 AnyType shim, obsolete test skips, and the event-loop workaround. Apply Python 3.11 syntax upgrades, including built-in TimeoutError and datetime.UTC. Keep import guards still needed by Python 3.11.
• Run Python 3.11–3.14 as required unit-test jobs across the existing OS/test-suite matrix: 22 jobs, preserving the Python 3.11/macOS exclusion. Move all six integration-test matrices to Python 3.14 and explicitly provision interpreters before uv.
• Use uv 0.13 and per-environment uv pip install resolution in unit CI, integration CI, and local setup, including the development dependency group. Use uv run --no-sync for subsequent tools and VS Code tasks so the shared universal lock does not restore incompatible NumPy 1.x. MCP sample subprocesses also use --no-sync.
• Add an AutoGen dependency marker excluding Python 3.14 and Windows/Python 3.13, including all-extras installs. Its NumPy <2 constraint forces old scientific and gRPC packages; NumPy 1.26.4 crashes during import on Windows/Python 3.13. Preserve AutoGen coverage on Python 3.11–3.12 and Linux/macOS Python 3.13. Local pytest collection and CI follow the same exclusion policy.
• Keep all other extras and connector tests enabled across the supported matrix. Remove abandoned newer-version exclusions and native-build workarounds. Keep the separate Dapr suite and its dependencies.
• Constrain azure-ai-projects to >=1.0,<2.0: SK's Azure AI agent implementation requires the classic APIs removed in Projects 2.x. Add a regression test that checks the actual installed client's agent, file, thread, and run operations without cloud calls.
• Replace the unmaintained nest-asyncio dependency and imports with nest-asyncio2>=1.7.4,<2. The old patch breaks Python 3.14 task detection, causing OpenAI/sniffio, AnyIO/MCP, and notebook timeout failures. Update nested-loop MCP samples too. Add regression tests for nested template invocation, async-library detection, timeout handling, and restoration of the outer task context.
• Disable matrix fail-fast so one failure does not cancel the remaining required jobs. Run pytest through Python with unbuffered output and faulthandler for native-crash diagnostics.
• Fix typing reflection: do not recurse into Union origin classes when parsing function annotations, and read model annotations from the class when building schemas from instances. Add regression cases for optional dictionary annotations and inherited/optional model fields.
• Default local development to Python 3.14. Update the Makefile interpreter installation list, VS Code choices, setup instructions, READMEs, and sample requirements. Document the CI dependency policy and runtime compatibility constraints.
• Add regression coverage for Any return annotations in message and RPC handlers.

Validation

From python/, using an isolated stable Python 3.14.9 environment with VIRTUAL_ENV/UV_PROJECT_ENVIRONMENT pointing to its session-only directory:

• uv pip install --editable . --requirements pyproject.toml --all-extras --group dev --upgrade --prerelease=if-necessary-or-explicit — passed; installed Azure Projects 1.0.0, nest-asyncio2 1.7.4, and the full supported extras/dev dependency set.
• uv run --no-sync pytest tests/unit --ignore=tests/unit/processes/dapr_runtime --disable-warnings -o addopts=-ra -q — passed: 4,947 passed, 1 skipped, 5 xfailed.
• uv run --no-sync pytest tests/unit/prompt_template tests/unit/agents/azure_ai_agent --disable-warnings -o addopts=-ra -q — passed before the stable-interpreter recheck: 328 tests. The full stable-interpreter run above includes these tests.

From the repository root unless noted:

• cd python && .venv/bin/pytest tests/unit/prompt_template tests/unit/agents/azure_ai_agent --disable-warnings -o addopts=-ra -q — passed on Python 3.11: 328 tests.
• python/.venv/bin/pre-commit run --all-files --config python/.pre-commit-config.yaml — passed, including pyupgrade, Ruff, formatting, lockfile consistency, and Bandit.
• uv build --project python --out-dir "$BUILD_OUTPUT" — passed, with BUILD_OUTPUT set to the session-only artifact directory; built the source distribution and wheel. uv reports the existing if-necessary-or-explicit deprecation warning.
• git diff --check — passed.

Also exercised the failing async paths on stable Python 3.14.9 after nested template rendering: an actual Azure OpenAI SDK request with an in-memory HTTP mock, stdio initialization/tool listing for both MCP sample servers, and execution of a Python 3.14 notebook cell using asyncio.timeout. All passed without cloud calls. The old nest-asyncio failure was independently reproduced without external services.

Verified the support matrix, metadata, AutoGen marker/collection policy on all 12 OS/Python combinations, all six integration installers/runners, and preservation of existing locked package versions and registry/artifact URLs. Windows and Linux Python 3.14 installation resolution checks select NumPy/SciPy wheels without AutoGen. Previously verified rejection of Python 3.10 during wheel installation.

Live service integration tests were not run locally. Regular PR checks skip those jobs for fork PRs; the merge queue must run them to establish the latest commit's live-service results. The latest fixes do not skip additional integration tests.

Contribution Checklist

• The code builds clean without any errors or warnings
• The PR follows the SK Contribution Guidelines and the pre-submission formatting script raises no violations
• All unit tests pass, and I have added new tests where possible
• I didn't break anyone 😄

[Copilot]

🟡 Changes recommended

The required Python 3.15 all-extras jobs fail before pytest because the exact onnxruntime-genai and torch pins have no compatible artifacts in the lockfile.

1 open issue

• Python 3.15 all-extras jobs lack wheels for pinned packages · New

What changed in this PR

This PR raises the Python SDK minimum to 3.11, removes Python 3.10 compatibility code, and aligns CI and developer tooling with the updated version policy.

Changes:

• Expands required unit-test coverage to Python 3.11–3.15 and moves integration tests and local defaults to Python 3.14.
• Replaces obsolete typing backports, removes compatibility workarounds, and adds regression tests for Any handler return annotations.
• Updates package requirements, sample metadata, documentation, and development tools.

File	Description
README.md	Updates supported Python versions.
python/​tests/​unit/​kernel/​test_kernel.py	Removes an outdated compatibility docstring.
python/​tests/​unit/​data/​conftest.py	Removes the Python 3.10 event-loop workaround.
python/​tests/​unit/​agents/​runtime/​test_runtime.py	Tests Any returns for message and RPC handlers.
python/​tests/​unit/​agents/​orchestration/​test_sequential.py	Removes Python 3.10-specific skips.
python/​tests/​unit/​agents/​orchestration/​test_magentic.py	Removes Python 3.10-specific skips.
python/​tests/​unit/​agents/​orchestration/​test_handoff.py	Removes Python 3.10-specific skips.
python/​tests/​unit/​agents/​orchestration/​test_group_chat.py	Removes Python 3.10-specific skips.
python/​tests/​unit/​agents/​orchestration/​test_concurrent.py	Removes Python 3.10-specific skips.
python/​semantic_kernel/​schema/​kernel_json_schema_builder.py	Removes an obsolete comment; behavior is unchanged.
python/​semantic_kernel/​data/​vector.py	Uses standard-library Self.
python/​semantic_kernel/​contents/​streaming_content_mixin.py	Uses standard-library Self.
python/​semantic_kernel/​contents/​history_reducer/​chat_history_truncation_reducer.py	Removes the Self backport guard.
python/​semantic_kernel/​contents/​history_reducer/​chat_history_summarization_reducer.py	Removes the Self backport guard.
python/​semantic_kernel/​contents/​history_reducer/​chat_history_reducer.py	Uses standard-library Self.
python/​semantic_kernel/​connectors/​weaviate.py	Uses standard-library Self.
python/​semantic_kernel/​connectors/​sql_server.py	Uses standard-library Self.
python/​semantic_kernel/​connectors/​mongodb.py	Uses standard-library Self.
python/​semantic_kernel/​connectors/​mcp.py	Uses standard-library Self.
python/​semantic_kernel/​connectors/​ai/​realtime_client_base.py	Uses standard-library Self.
python/​semantic_kernel/​agents/​runtime/​core/​type_helpers.py	Removes the AnyType compatibility shim.
python/​semantic_kernel/​agents/​runtime/​core/​topic.py	Uses standard-library Self.
python/​semantic_kernel/​agents/​runtime/​core/​telemetry/​tracing_config.py	Uses standard-library NotRequired.
python/​semantic_kernel/​agents/​runtime/​core/​routed_agent.py	Checks handler return types against Any directly.
python/​semantic_kernel/​agents/​runtime/​core/​base_agent.py	Uses standard-library Self.
python/​semantic_kernel/​agents/​runtime/​core/​agent_id.py	Removes the Self backport guard.
python/​semantic_kernel/​agents/​orchestration/​handoffs.py	Uses standard-library Self.
python/​semantic_kernel/​agents/​open_ai/​azure_responses_agent.py	Removes the Self backport guard.
python/​semantic_kernel/​agents/​open_ai/​azure_assistant_agent.py	Removes the Self backport guard.
python/​samples/​learn_resources/​README.md	Raises the documented Python minimum.
python/​samples/​getting_started_with_agents/​copilot_studio/​README.md	Raises the documented Python minimum.
python/​samples/​demos/​mcp_with_oauth/​server/​uv.lock	Removes Python 3.10-only dependencies and artifacts.
python/​samples/​demos/​mcp_with_oauth/​server/​pyproject.toml	Requires Python 3.11+.
python/​samples/​demos/​mcp_with_oauth/​pyproject.toml	Raises the minimum and Ruff target to 3.11.
python/​samples/​demos/​guided_conversations/​pyproject.toml	Raises the minimum while retaining the upper bound.
python/​samples/​demos/​booking_restaurant/​README.md	Updates documented Python versions.
python/​README.md	Updates supported Python versions.
python/​pyproject.toml	Raises the minimum, updates classifiers, and simplifies ONNX pins.
python/​Makefile	Defaults to 3.14 and installs Python 3.11–3.15.
python/​DEV_SETUP.md	Aligns setup instructions with the new defaults.
python/​.vscode/​tasks.json	Updates interpreter choices and the default.
python/​.pre-commit-config.yaml	Targets Python 3.11+ for pyupgrade.
.github/​workflows/​python-unit-tests.yml	Expands required version coverage and provisions interpreters.
.github/​workflows/​python-test-coverage.yml	Moves coverage to Python 3.11.
.github/​workflows/​python-lint.yml	Moves linting to Python 3.11.
.github/​workflows/​python-integration-tests.yml	Uses Python 3.14 with explicit interpreter setup.
.github/​workflows/​python-build.yml	Moves builds to Python 3.11.

_{Review effort: Balanced}

[Jose Alvarez (jpalvarezl)]

One Python 3.14 compatibility issue remains in the all-extras setup paths.

[Jose Alvarez (jpalvarezl)]

The Python 3.14 AutoGen/NumPy compatibility gap is addressed. The dependency marker, per-environment setup, test collection policy, lockfile, and published wheel metadata are consistent across the supported combinations.