[JarryShaw]

• Searched for similar pull requests
• Followed the coding style (make pylint, make mypy, make isort)
• make test passes, and a test case covers the change
• Added a changelog entry

What is the purpose of your pull request?

• build — changes the build system or external dependencies
• Breaking change

---

Description of your pull request and other information

Closes #2051. Closes #2040. The owner ruled that 1.5.0 requires Python 3.8+, because BPC is no longer maintained, and that the 3.7 KTLO legs go.

• pyproject.toml:
  • requires-python = ">=3.8", with no upper bound: nothing reads <4, and a cap gets copied into every dependent's metadata.
  • The bpc-* requirements and their note are gone.
  • The always-true markers are dropped: scapy's >= '3.7', and pathlib2 for 3.4.
• setup.py: only setup() is left. refactor() and the four command overrides that existed only to call it are removed. The <= 2 guard stays on purpose: pip builds metadata with setup.py before it checks requires-python, so a 3.8 guard would replace pip's clean error with a traceback (measured).
• Version gates: the gates below 3.8 are removed from compat.py, pcapng, pcap/frame, ethernet, arp, toolkit/pypcapfile, infoclass and protocol. The 3.9–3.11 gates stay.
• CI:
  • "3.7" is dropped from .github/python-versions.toml, so the Python, Integration and Compat 3.7 KTLO legs go. No required check or needs: named them, and the updater does not re-add a dropped EOL version, which a new test checks.
  • EXPECTED in coverage-comment.yml is now empty. Its 3.7 entries are gone, and so is the pypy3.10 entry, now stale: on ci(conda): upload the macos-26-intel legs with the anaconda CLI (#2044) #2049's CI that leg installed and passed 930 tests.
• vermin: targets = 3.8. It stays non-blocking.
• Docs: README, SECURITY, CONTRIBUTING, the Makefile and the docs pages that stated 3.6/3.7 support or described the BPC conversion.
• Tests: the new tests/project/test_requires_python_floor_2051.py fails on main's pyproject.toml and vermin.ini (4 failed) and passes here. The pins of the old contract are updated; 284 affected test files pass.

On 3.7, pip install . now stops with ERROR: Package 'pypcapkit' requires a different Python: 3.7.16 not in '>=3.8'.

[JarryShaw]

NEEDS CHANGES at e35f6713e (Sonnet cross-review). One fix:

• The make_tmp_dir docstring in tests/project/test_pyshark_encap_map.py still says requires-python = ">=3.6, <4" and "present since 3.6". It needs rewording for >=3.8.

Also being cleaned up: the dead sys.version_info >= (3, 8) gates in tests/protocols/test_protocol_make_unit.py and tests/test_support_helpers.py.

Checks that held:

• Every removed gate was below 3.8, and the kept branch is the one 3.8–3.10 already took. The gates at 3.9 and above are untouched.
• compat.__all__ is unchanged.
• The removed setup.py overrides only called refactor(). Wheels built from main and from this PR both have 534 entries, with Requires-Python: >=3.8 and no bpc.
• No workflow or required context names a 3.7 job.
• Dropping the pypy3.10 entry from EXPECTED is justified: on run 39841966324, a descendant of 8df1192d0, both pypy3.10 KTLO legs succeeded.
• The new floor and setup tests fail on main. 297 tests pass across the touched files.

[JarryShaw]

Pushed 858f3e30a (was e35f6713e), with the review fixes:

• Docstring: the make_tmp_dir docstring now states the 3.8 floor.
• Dead gates: the two always-true >= (3, 8) test gates are gone, and the tests behave the same.
• Re-grep: two more stale lines turned up and are fixed: tests/utilities/_harness.py ("from 3.6") and a comment in test_stdlib_feature_probes_1709_unit.py. Every other hit is an RFC anchor, a third-party bound or history.

The touched files and the floor test give 95 passed. A delta re-review is in progress.

[JarryShaw]

GOOD TO GO at 858f3e30a (Sonnet delta re-review).

• Docstring: now states the 3.8 floor, and its API versions are right: TemporaryDirectory.cleanup dates from 3.2 and addCleanup from 3.1.
• Gates: both dead >= (3, 8) gates are gone, and the tests behave the same.
• Repo-wide grep: every remaining hit for bpc, pathlib2, 3.6, 3.7 or <4 is legitimate.

The touched files and tests/utilities: 240 passed. The earlier verdict on the rest of the PR stands.

[JarryShaw]

Red, being fixed: Project tests fails test_docs_ktlo_defined_1950_unit::FirstMentionTests::test_markdown_spells_the_acronym_out_at_first_use, and my local project ordering leg fails the same test (1840 tests, 1 failure). The cause is the new requires-python changelog entry: it is now the first mention of KTLO in CHANGELOG.md, and #1950 requires the acronym spelled out ("keep the lights on") at first use. The fix is in progress, and the full project leg will be rerun before this is ready again.

[JarryShaw]

Pushed 676ad2304 (was 858f3e30a). The fix spells out the acronym at first use: "The 3.7 KTLO (keep the lights on) legs go with it", with CHANGELOG.md regenerated. Re-run on this head: the full project leg (util/run_unittest_leg.py project) gives 1840 tests, 0 failures, and test_docs_ktlo_defined_1950_unit plus test_changelog_md give 72 passed. A delta re-review is in progress.

[JarryShaw]

GOOD TO GO at 676ad2304 (Sonnet delta re-review). The diff changes only the KTLO first-use wording in 1.5.0.rst and the regenerated CHANGELOG.md. The expansion matches workflows.rst's KTLO (*keep the lights on*). test_docs_ktlo_defined_1950_unit, test_changelog_md and test_docs_internal_refs_1940_unit give 79 passed, and util/changelog_md.py --check reports the two files in step. The full project leg on this head: 1840 tests, 0 failures.

[github-actions]

Coverage: 91.52% (unit tier, Python 3.15, 676ad2304, Unit Tests run success)

Package	Statements	Missed	Branches	Partial	Cover
pcapkit (top level)	104	4	20	2	95.16%
pcapkit/const	19599	881	2618	867	92.11%
pcapkit/corekit	2565	71	812	37	96.56%
pcapkit/dumpkit	282	3	102	3	98.44%
pcapkit/foundation	2930	23	1022	25	98.79%
pcapkit/interface	138	4	52	3	96.32%
pcapkit/protocols	17414	219	4574	185	98.14%
pcapkit/toolkit	869	36	298	10	95.20%
pcapkit/utilities	473	7	136	5	98.03%
pcapkit/vendor	4431	1995	1018	167	51.73%

Per-file detail: the coverage-html artifact of this run.

[JarryShaw]

Ordering check on 676ad2304: the project leg (util/run_unittest_leg.py project) ran 1840 tests, OK (71 skipped). CI: 58 checks green, 0 failing. KTLO 3.8, 3.9 and 3.10 legs: 0 failing tests. The 3.7 legs are gone, as intended. Ready to merge.