This process has been documented in PEP 541, How to request a name transfer.
If you want to take over an existing project name on PyPI, these are the steps to follow:
- Try to contact the current owner(s) directly: email them and open an issue if you can find a related repository. The processes described here are meant as a last resort if the owner cannot be contacted.
- Check the criteria above to see when a transfer is allowed. In particular, the criteria for reusing a name for a different project are more stringent than for continuing maintenance of the same project. Although, it's not easy to get a name transferred in either case.
- Search the PyPI Support issues to see if anyone else is already requesting the same name.
- If all the criteria are met to transfer ownership of the name, open a new issue to request it, detailing why you believe each relevant criterion is satisfied.