diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_linux_wheel/action.yml b/.github/workflows/build_linux_wheel/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8c3e02f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/build_linux_wheel/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+# We create a composite action to be re-used both for testing and for releasing
+name: build-linux-wheel
+description: "Build a manylinux wheel for lance"
+inputs:
+  python-minor-version:
+    description: "8, 9, 10, 11, 12"
+    required: true
+  args:
+    description: "--release"
+    required: false
+    default: ""
+  arm-build:
+    description: "Build for arm64 instead of x86_64"
+    # Note: this does *not* mean the host is arm64, since we might be cross-compiling.
+    required: false
+    default: "false"
+runs:
+  using: "composite"
+  steps:
+    - name: CONFIRM ARM BUILD
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        echo "ARM BUILD: ${{ inputs.arm-build }}"
+    - name: Build x86_64 Manylinux wheel
+      if: ${{ inputs.arm-build == 'false' }}
+      uses: PyO3/maturin-action@v1
+      with:
+        command: build
+        working-directory: python
+        target: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
+        manylinux: "2_17"
+        args: ${{ inputs.args }}
+        before-script-linux: |
+          set -e
+          yum install -y openssl-devel \
+            && curl -L https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/releases/download/v24.4/protoc-24.4-linux-$(uname -m).zip > /tmp/protoc.zip \
+            && unzip /tmp/protoc.zip -d /usr/local \
+            && rm /tmp/protoc.zip
+    - name: Build Arm Manylinux Wheel
+      if: ${{ inputs.arm-build == 'true' }}
+      uses: PyO3/maturin-action@v1
+      with:
+        command: build
+        working-directory: python
+        target: aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu
+        manylinux: "2_24"
+        args: ${{ inputs.args }}
+        before-script-linux: |
+          set -e
+          apt install -y unzip
+          if [ $(uname -m) = "x86_64" ]; then
+            PROTOC_ARCH="x86_64"
+          else
+            PROTOC_ARCH="aarch_64"
+          fi
+          curl -L https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/releases/download/v24.4/protoc-24.4-linux-$PROTOC_ARCH.zip > /tmp/protoc.zip \
+            && unzip /tmp/protoc.zip -d /usr/local \
+            && rm /tmp/protoc.zip
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_mac_wheel/action.yml b/.github/workflows/build_mac_wheel/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1932262d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/build_mac_wheel/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# We create a composite action to be re-used both for testing and for releasing
+name: build_wheel
+description: "Build a lance wheel"
+inputs:
+  python-minor-version:
+    description: "8, 9, 10, 11"
+    required: true
+  args:
+    description: "--release"
+    required: false
+    default: ""
+runs:
+  using: "composite"
+  steps:
+    - name: Install macos dependency
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        brew install protobuf
+    - name: Build wheel
+      uses: PyO3/maturin-action@v1
+      with:
+        command: build
+        args: ${{ inputs.args }}
+        working-directory: python
+        interpreter: 3.${{ inputs.python-minor-version }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_windows_wheel/action.yml b/.github/workflows/build_windows_wheel/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..756334f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/build_windows_wheel/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# We create a composite action to be re-used both for testing and for releasing
+name: build_wheel
+description: "Build a lance wheel"
+inputs:
+  python-minor-version:
+    description: "8, 9, 10, 11"
+    required: true
+  args:
+    description: "--release"
+    required: false
+    default: ""
+runs:
+  using: "composite"
+  steps:
+    - name: Install Protoc v21.12
+      working-directory: C:\
+      run: |
+        New-Item -Path 'C:\protoc' -ItemType Directory
+        Set-Location C:\protoc
+        Invoke-WebRequest https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/releases/download/v21.12/protoc-21.12-win64.zip -OutFile C:\protoc\protoc.zip
+        7z x protoc.zip
+        Add-Content $env:GITHUB_PATH "C:\protoc\bin"
+      shell: powershell
+    - name: Build wheel
+      uses: PyO3/maturin-action@v1
+      with:
+        command: build
+        args: ${{ inputs.args }}
+        working-directory: python
+    - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+      with:
+        name: windows-wheels
+        path: python\target\wheels
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pypi-publish.yml b/.github/workflows/pypi-publish.yml
index 27833506..66605cc9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pypi-publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pypi-publish.yml
@@ -2,30 +2,91 @@ name: PyPI Publish
 
 on:
   release:
-    types: [ published ]
+    types: [published]
 
 jobs:
-  publish:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    # Only runs on tags that matches the python-make-release action
-    if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/python-v')
-    defaults:
-      run:
-        shell: bash
-        working-directory: python
+  linux:
+    timeout-minutes: 60
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        python-minor-version: ["8"]
+        platform:
+          - x86_64
+          - aarch64
+    runs-on: "ubuntu-22.04"
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          lfs: true
       - name: Set up Python
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:
-          python-version: "3.8"
-      - name: Build distribution
-        run: |
-          ls -la
-          pip install wheel setuptools --upgrade
-          python setup.py sdist bdist_wheel
-      - name: Publish
-        uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@v1.8.5
+          python-version: 3.${{ matrix.python-minor-version }}
+      - uses: ./.github/workflows/build_linux_wheel
         with:
-          password: ${{ secrets.LANCEDB_PYPI_API_TOKEN }}
-          packages-dir: python/dist
+          python-minor-version: ${{ matrix.python-minor-version }}
+          args: "--release --strip"
+          arm-build: ${{ matrix.platform == 'aarch64' }}
+      - uses: ./.github/workflows/upload_wheel
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.LANCEDB_PYPI_API_TOKEN }}
+          repo: "pypi"
+  mac:
+    timeout-minutes: 60
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.config.runner }}
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        python-minor-version: ["8"]
+        config:
+          - target: x86_64-apple-darwin
+            runner: macos-13
+          - target: aarch64-apple-darwin
+            runner: macos-14
+    env:
+      MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET: 10.15
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          lfs: true
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+        with:
+          python-version: 3.12
+      - uses: ./.github/workflows/build_mac_wheel
+        with:
+          python-minor-version: ${{ matrix.python-minor-version }}
+          args: "--release --strip --target ${{ matrix.config.target }}"
+      - uses: ./.github/workflows/upload_wheel
+        with:
+          python-minor-version: ${{ matrix.python-minor-version }}
+          token: ${{ secrets.LANCEDB_PYPI_API_TOKEN }}
+          repo: "pypi"
+  windows:
+    timeout-minutes: 60
+    runs-on: windows-latest
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        python-minor-version: ["8"]
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          lfs: true
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+        with:
+          python-version: 3.${{ matrix.python-minor-version }}
+      - uses: ./.github/workflows/build_windows_wheel
+        with:
+          python-minor-version: ${{ matrix.python-minor-version }}
+          args: "--release --strip"
+          vcpkg_token: ${{ secrets.VCPKG_GITHUB_PACKAGES }}
+      - uses: ./.github/workflows/upload_wheel
+        with:
+          python-minor-version: ${{ matrix.python-minor-version }}
+          token: ${{ secrets.LANCEDB_PYPI_API_TOKEN }}
+          repo: "pypi"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/python.yml b/.github/workflows/python.yml
index 846b8497..d80cb948 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/python.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/python.yml
@@ -14,49 +14,133 @@ concurrency:
   cancel-in-progress: true
 
 jobs:
-  linux:
+  lint:
+    name: "Lint"
     timeout-minutes: 30
-    strategy:
-      matrix:
-        python-minor-version: [ "8", "11" ]
     runs-on: "ubuntu-22.04"
     defaults:
       run:
         shell: bash
         working-directory: python
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      with:
-        fetch-depth: 0
-        lfs: true
-    - name: Set up Python
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
-      with:
-        python-version: 3.${{ matrix.python-minor-version }}
-    - name: Install lancedb
-      run: |
-        pip install -e .[tests]
-        pip install tantivy@git+https://github.com/quickwit-oss/tantivy-py#164adc87e1a033117001cf70e38c82a53014d985
-        pip install pytest pytest-mock ruff
-    - name: Format check
-      run: ruff format --check .
-    - name: Lint
-      run: ruff .
-    - name: Run tests
-      run: pytest -m "not slow" -x -v --durations=30 tests
-    - name: doctest
-      run: pytest --doctest-modules lancedb
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          lfs: true
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: "3.11"
+      - name: Install ruff
+        run: |
+          pip install ruff
+      - name: Format check
+        run: ruff format --check .
+      - name: Lint
+        run: ruff .
+  doctest:
+    name: "Doctest"
+    timeout-minutes: 30
+    runs-on: "ubuntu-22.04"
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+        working-directory: python
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          lfs: true
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: "3.11"
+          cache: "pip"
+      - name: Install protobuf
+        run: |
+          sudo apt update
+          sudo apt install -y protobuf-compiler
+      - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@v2
+        with:
+          workspaces: python
+      - name: Install
+        run: |
+          pip install -e .[tests,dev,embeddings]
+          pip install tantivy@git+https://github.com/quickwit-oss/tantivy-py#164adc87e1a033117001cf70e38c82a53014d985
+          pip install mlx
+      - name: Doctest
+        run: pytest --doctest-modules python/lancedb
+  linux:
+    name: "Linux: python-3.${{ matrix.python-minor-version }}"
+    timeout-minutes: 30
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        python-minor-version: ["8", "11"]
+    runs-on: "ubuntu-22.04"
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+        working-directory: python
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          lfs: true
+      - name: Install protobuf
+        run: |
+          sudo apt update
+          sudo apt install -y protobuf-compiler
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: 3.${{ matrix.python-minor-version }}
+      - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@v2
+        with:
+          workspaces: python
+      - uses: ./.github/workflows/build_linux_wheel
+      - uses: ./.github/workflows/run_tests
+      # Make sure wheels are not included in the Rust cache
+      - name: Delete wheels
+        run: rm -rf target/wheels
   platform:
-    name: "Platform: ${{ matrix.config.name }}"
+    name: "Mac: ${{ matrix.config.name }}"
     timeout-minutes: 30
     strategy:
       matrix:
         config:
-          - name: x86 Mac
+          - name: x86
             runner: macos-13
-          - name: Arm Mac
+          - name: Arm
             runner: macos-14
-          - name: x86 Windows
+    runs-on: "${{ matrix.config.runner }}"
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash
+        working-directory: python
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          lfs: true
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: "3.11"
+      - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@v2
+        with:
+          workspaces: python
+      - uses: ./.github/workflows/build_mac_wheel
+      - uses: ./.github/workflows/run_tests
+      # Make sure wheels are not included in the Rust cache
+      - name: Delete wheels
+        run: rm -rf target/wheels
+  windows:
+    name: "Windows: ${{ matrix.config.name }}"
+    timeout-minutes: 30
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        config:
+          - name: x86
             runner: windows-latest
     runs-on: "${{ matrix.config.runner }}"
     defaults:
@@ -64,21 +148,22 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         working-directory: python
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      with:
-        fetch-depth: 0
-        lfs: true
-    - name: Set up Python
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
-      with:
-        python-version: "3.11"
-    - name: Install lancedb
-      run: |
-        pip install -e .[tests]
-        pip install tantivy@git+https://github.com/quickwit-oss/tantivy-py#164adc87e1a033117001cf70e38c82a53014d985
-        pip install pytest pytest-mock
-    - name: Run tests
-      run: pytest -m "not slow" -x -v --durations=30 tests
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          lfs: true
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: "3.11"
+      - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@v2
+        with:
+          workspaces: python
+      - uses: ./.github/workflows/build_windows_wheel
+      - uses: ./.github/workflows/run_tests
+      # Make sure wheels are not included in the Rust cache
+      - name: Delete wheels
+        run: rm -rf target/wheels
   pydantic1x:
     timeout-minutes: 30
     runs-on: "ubuntu-22.04"
@@ -87,21 +172,22 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         working-directory: python
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      with:
-        fetch-depth: 0
-        lfs: true
-    - name: Set up Python
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
-      with:
-        python-version: 3.9
-    - name: Install lancedb
-      run: |
-        pip install "pydantic<2"
-        pip install -e .[tests]
-        pip install tantivy@git+https://github.com/quickwit-oss/tantivy-py#164adc87e1a033117001cf70e38c82a53014d985
-        pip install pytest pytest-mock
-    - name: Run tests
-      run: pytest -m "not slow" -x -v --durations=30 tests
-    - name: doctest
-      run: pytest --doctest-modules lancedb
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          lfs: true
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: |
+          sudo apt update
+          sudo apt install -y protobuf-compiler
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: 3.9
+      - name: Install lancedb
+        run: |
+          pip install "pydantic<2"
+          pip install -e .[tests]
+          pip install tantivy@git+https://github.com/quickwit-oss/tantivy-py#164adc87e1a033117001cf70e38c82a53014d985
+      - name: Run tests
+        run: pytest -m "not slow" -x -v --durations=30 python/tests
diff --git a/.github/workflows/run_tests/action.yml b/.github/workflows/run_tests/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9fd65c70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/run_tests/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+name: run-tests
+
+description: "Install lance wheel and run unit tests"
+inputs:
+  python-minor-version:
+    required: true
+    description: "8 9 10 11 12"
+runs:
+  using: "composite"
+  steps:
+    - name: Install lancedb
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        pip3 install $(ls target/wheels/lancedb-*.whl)[tests,dev,embeddings]
+    - name: pytest
+      shell: bash
+      run: pytest -m "not slow" -x -v --durations=30 python/python/tests
diff --git a/.github/workflows/upload_wheel/action.yml b/.github/workflows/upload_wheel/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8494e01e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/upload_wheel/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+name: upload-wheel
+
+description: "Upload wheels to Pypi"
+inputs:
+  os:
+    required: true
+    description: "ubuntu-22.04 or macos-13"
+  repo:
+    required: false
+    description: "pypi or testpypi"
+    default: "pypi"
+  token:
+    required: true
+    description: "release token for the repo"
+
+runs:
+  using: "composite"
+  steps:
+    - name: Install dependencies
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+        pip install twine
+    - name: Publish wheel
+      env:
+        TWINE_USERNAME: __token__
+        TWINE_PASSWORD: ${{ inputs.token }}
+      shell: bash
+      run: twine upload --repository ${{ inputs.repo }} target/wheels/lancedb-*.whl
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index c065383d..607466e6 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -22,6 +22,11 @@ python/dist
 
 **/.hypothesis
 
+# Compiled Dynamic libraries
+*.so
+*.dylib
+*.dll
+
 ## Javascript
 *.node
 **/node_modules
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index d7a8d686..8671d22d 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 [workspace]
-members = ["rust/ffi/node", "rust/lancedb", "nodejs"]
+members = ["rust/ffi/node", "rust/lancedb", "nodejs", "python"]
 # Python package needs to be built by maturin.
 exclude = ["python"]
 resolver = "2"
diff --git a/python/Cargo.toml b/python/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e6b83206
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+[package]
+name = "lancedb-python"
+version = "0.4.10"
+edition.workspace = true
+description = "Python bindings for LanceDB"
+license.workspace = true
+repository.workspace = true
+keywords.workspace = true
+categories.workspace = true
+
+
+[lib]
+name = "_lancedb"
+crate-type = ["cdylib"]
+
+[dependencies]
+lancedb = { path = "../rust/lancedb" }
+env_logger = "0.10"
+pyo3 = { version = "0.20", features = ["extension-module", "abi3-py38"] }
+pyo3-asyncio = { version = "0.20", features = ["attributes", "tokio-runtime"] }
+
+# Prevent dynamic linking of lzma, which comes from datafusion
+lzma-sys = { version = "*", features = ["static"] }
+
+[build-dependencies]
+pyo3-build-config = { version = "0.20.3", features = ["extension-module", "abi3-py38"] }
diff --git a/python/README.md b/python/README.md
index 94e27d6a..cbcec70a 100644
--- a/python/README.md
+++ b/python/README.md
@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@ results = table.search([0.1, 0.3]).limit(20).to_list()
 print(results)
 ```
 
-
 ## Development
 
-Create a virtual environment and activate it:
+LanceDb is based on the rust crate `lancedb` and is built with maturin.  In order to build with maturin
+you will either need a conda environment or a virtual environment (venv).
 
 ```bash
 python -m venv venv
@@ -33,7 +33,15 @@ python -m venv venv
 Install the necessary packages:
 
 ```bash
-python -m pip install .
+python -m pip install .[tests,dev]
+```
+
+To build the python package you can use maturin:
+
+```bash
+# This will build the rust bindings and place them in the appropriate place
+# in your venv or conda environment
+matruin develop
 ```
 
 To run the unit tests:
@@ -45,7 +53,7 @@ pytest
 To run the doc tests:
 
 ```bash
-pytest --doctest-modules lancedb
+pytest --doctest-modules python/lancedb
 ```
 
 To run linter and automatically fix all errors:
@@ -61,31 +69,27 @@ If any packages are missing, install them with:
 pip install <PACKAGE_NAME>
 ```
 
-
 ___
 For **Windows** users, there may be errors when installing packages, so these commands may be helpful:
 
 Activate the virtual environment:
+
 ```bash
 . .\venv\Scripts\activate
 ```
 
 You may need to run the installs separately:
+
 ```bash
 pip install -e .[tests]
 pip install -e .[dev]
 ```
 
-
 `tantivy` requires `rust` to be installed, so install it with `conda`, as it doesn't support windows installation:
+
 ```bash
 pip install wheel
 pip install cargo
 conda install rust
 pip install tantivy
 ```
-
-To run the unit tests:
-```bash
-pytest
-```
diff --git a/python/build.rs b/python/build.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dace4a9b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/build.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+fn main() {
+    pyo3_build_config::add_extension_module_link_args();
+}
diff --git a/python/pyproject.toml b/python/pyproject.toml
index d9433dcd..3cbe0a69 100644
--- a/python/pyproject.toml
+++ b/python/pyproject.toml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ dependencies = [
     "attrs>=21.3.0",
     "semver>=3.0",
     "cachetools",
-    "overrides>=0.7"
+    "overrides>=0.7",
 ]
 description = "lancedb"
 authors = [{ name = "LanceDB Devs", email = "dev@lancedb.com" }]
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ keywords = [
     "data-science",
     "machine-learning",
     "arrow",
-    "data-analytics"
+    "data-analytics",
 ]
 classifiers = [
     "Development Status :: 3 - Alpha",
@@ -45,16 +45,48 @@ classifiers = [
 repository = "https://github.com/lancedb/lancedb"
 
 [project.optional-dependencies]
-tests = ["aiohttp", "pandas>=1.4", "pytest", "pytest-mock", "pytest-asyncio", "duckdb", "pytz", "polars>=0.19"]
+tests = [
+    "aiohttp",
+    "pandas>=1.4",
+    "pytest",
+    "pytest-mock",
+    "pytest-asyncio",
+    "duckdb",
+    "pytz",
+    "polars>=0.19",
+]
 dev = ["ruff", "pre-commit"]
-docs = ["mkdocs", "mkdocs-jupyter", "mkdocs-material", "mkdocstrings[python]", "mkdocs-ultralytics-plugin==0.0.44"]
+docs = [
+    "mkdocs",
+    "mkdocs-jupyter",
+    "mkdocs-material",
+    "mkdocstrings[python]",
+    "mkdocs-ultralytics-plugin==0.0.44",
+]
 clip = ["torch", "pillow", "open-clip"]
-embeddings = ["openai>=1.6.1", "sentence-transformers", "torch", "pillow", "open-clip-torch", "cohere", "huggingface_hub",
-                "InstructorEmbedding", "google.generativeai", "boto3>=1.28.57", "awscli>=1.29.57", "botocore>=1.31.57"]
+embeddings = [
+    "openai>=1.6.1",
+    "sentence-transformers",
+    "torch",
+    "pillow",
+    "open-clip-torch",
+    "cohere",
+    "huggingface_hub",
+    "InstructorEmbedding",
+    "google.generativeai",
+    "boto3>=1.28.57",
+    "awscli>=1.29.57",
+    "botocore>=1.31.57",
+]
+
+[tool.maturin]
+python-source = "python"
+module-name = "lancedb._lancedb"
 
 [build-system]
-requires = ["setuptools", "wheel"]
-build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
+requires = ["maturin>=1.4"]
+build-backend = "maturin"
+
 
 [tool.ruff.lint]
 select = ["F", "E", "W", "I", "G", "TCH", "PERF"]
@@ -64,5 +96,5 @@ addopts = "--strict-markers --ignore-glob=lancedb/embeddings/*.py"
 
 markers = [
     "slow: marks tests as slow (deselect with '-m \"not slow\"')",
-    "asyncio"
+    "asyncio",
 ]
diff --git a/python/lancedb/__init__.py b/python/python/lancedb/__init__.py
similarity index 58%
rename from python/lancedb/__init__.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/__init__.py
index 91ca8f62..5464f654 100644
--- a/python/lancedb/__init__.py
+++ b/python/python/lancedb/__init__.py
@@ -19,8 +19,9 @@ from typing import Optional, Union
 
 __version__ = importlib.metadata.version("lancedb")
 
-from .common import URI
-from .db import DBConnection, LanceDBConnection
+from ._lancedb import connect as lancedb_connect
+from .common import URI, sanitize_uri
+from .db import AsyncConnection, AsyncLanceDBConnection, DBConnection, LanceDBConnection
 from .remote.db import RemoteDBConnection
 from .schema import vector  # noqa: F401
 
@@ -100,3 +101,74 @@ def connect(
             uri, api_key, region, host_override, request_thread_pool=request_thread_pool
         )
     return LanceDBConnection(uri, read_consistency_interval=read_consistency_interval)
+
+
+async def connect_async(
+    uri: URI,
+    *,
+    api_key: Optional[str] = None,
+    region: str = "us-east-1",
+    host_override: Optional[str] = None,
+    read_consistency_interval: Optional[timedelta] = None,
+    request_thread_pool: Optional[Union[int, ThreadPoolExecutor]] = None,
+) -> AsyncConnection:
+    """Connect to a LanceDB database.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    uri: str or Path
+        The uri of the database.
+    api_key: str, optional
+        If present, connect to LanceDB cloud.
+        Otherwise, connect to a database on file system or cloud storage.
+        Can be set via environment variable `LANCEDB_API_KEY`.
+    region: str, default "us-east-1"
+        The region to use for LanceDB Cloud.
+    host_override: str, optional
+        The override url for LanceDB Cloud.
+    read_consistency_interval: timedelta, default None
+        (For LanceDB OSS only)
+        The interval at which to check for updates to the table from other
+        processes. If None, then consistency is not checked. For performance
+        reasons, this is the default. For strong consistency, set this to
+        zero seconds. Then every read will check for updates from other
+        processes. As a compromise, you can set this to a non-zero timedelta
+        for eventual consistency. If more than that interval has passed since
+        the last check, then the table will be checked for updates. Note: this
+        consistency only applies to read operations. Write operations are
+        always consistent.
+    request_thread_pool: int or ThreadPoolExecutor, optional
+        The thread pool to use for making batch requests to the LanceDB Cloud API.
+        If an integer, then a ThreadPoolExecutor will be created with that
+        number of threads. If None, then a ThreadPoolExecutor will be created
+        with the default number of threads. If a ThreadPoolExecutor, then that
+        executor will be used for making requests. This is for LanceDB Cloud
+        only and is only used when making batch requests (i.e., passing in
+        multiple queries to the search method at once).
+
+    Examples
+    --------
+
+    For a local directory, provide a path for the database:
+
+    >>> import lancedb
+    >>> db = lancedb.connect("~/.lancedb")
+
+    For object storage, use a URI prefix:
+
+    >>> db = lancedb.connect("s3://my-bucket/lancedb")
+
+    Connect to LancdDB cloud:
+
+    >>> db = lancedb.connect("db://my_database", api_key="ldb_...")
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    conn : DBConnection
+        A connection to a LanceDB database.
+    """
+    return AsyncLanceDBConnection(
+        await lancedb_connect(
+            sanitize_uri(uri), api_key, region, host_override, read_consistency_interval
+        )
+    )
diff --git a/python/python/lancedb/_lancedb.pyi b/python/python/lancedb/_lancedb.pyi
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..308220d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/python/lancedb/_lancedb.pyi
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+from typing import Optional
+
+class Connection(object):
+    async def table_names(self) -> list[str]: ...
+
+async def connect(
+    uri: str,
+    api_key: Optional[str],
+    region: Optional[str],
+    host_override: Optional[str],
+    read_consistency_interval: Optional[float],
+) -> Connection: ...
diff --git a/python/lancedb/common.py b/python/python/lancedb/common.py
similarity index 95%
rename from python/lancedb/common.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/common.py
index 54c7c9e0..ff3b3636 100644
--- a/python/lancedb/common.py
+++ b/python/python/lancedb/common.py
@@ -34,3 +34,7 @@ class Credential(str):
 
     def __str__(self) -> str:
         return "********"
+
+
+def sanitize_uri(uri: URI) -> str:
+    return str(uri)
diff --git a/python/lancedb/conftest.py b/python/python/lancedb/conftest.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/conftest.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/conftest.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/context.py b/python/python/lancedb/context.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/context.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/context.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/db.py b/python/python/lancedb/db.py
similarity index 61%
rename from python/lancedb/db.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/db.py
index 41b56494..a7dd4f4d 100644
--- a/python/lancedb/db.py
+++ b/python/python/lancedb/db.py
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ from .util import fs_from_uri, get_uri_location, get_uri_scheme, join_uri
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from datetime import timedelta
 
+    from ._lancedb import Connection as LanceDbConnection
     from .common import DATA, URI
     from .embeddings import EmbeddingFunctionConfig
     from .pydantic import LanceModel
@@ -40,14 +41,21 @@ class DBConnection(EnforceOverrides):
     def table_names(
         self, page_token: Optional[str] = None, limit: int = 10
     ) -> Iterable[str]:
-        """List all table in this database
+        """List all tables in this database, in sorted order
 
         Parameters
         ----------
         page_token: str, optional
             The token to use for pagination. If not present, start from the beginning.
+            Typically, this token is last table name from the previous page.
+            Only supported by LanceDb Cloud.
         limit: int, default 10
             The size of the page to return.
+            Only supported by LanceDb Cloud.
+
+        Returns
+        -------
+        Iterable of str
         """
         pass
 
@@ -412,3 +420,254 @@ class LanceDBConnection(DBConnection):
     def drop_database(self):
         filesystem, path = fs_from_uri(self.uri)
         filesystem.delete_dir(path)
+
+
+class AsyncConnection(EnforceOverrides):
+    """An active LanceDB connection interface."""
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    async def table_names(
+        self, *, page_token: Optional[str] = None, limit: int = 10
+    ) -> Iterable[str]:
+        """List all tables in this database, in sorted order
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        page_token: str, optional
+            The token to use for pagination. If not present, start from the beginning.
+            Typically, this token is last table name from the previous page.
+            Only supported by LanceDb Cloud.
+        limit: int, default 10
+            The size of the page to return.
+            Only supported by LanceDb Cloud.
+
+        Returns
+        -------
+        Iterable of str
+        """
+        pass
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    async def create_table(
+        self,
+        name: str,
+        data: Optional[DATA] = None,
+        schema: Optional[Union[pa.Schema, LanceModel]] = None,
+        mode: str = "create",
+        exist_ok: bool = False,
+        on_bad_vectors: str = "error",
+        fill_value: float = 0.0,
+        embedding_functions: Optional[List[EmbeddingFunctionConfig]] = None,
+    ) -> Table:
+        """Create a [Table][lancedb.table.Table] in the database.
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        name: str
+            The name of the table.
+        data: The data to initialize the table, *optional*
+            User must provide at least one of `data` or `schema`.
+            Acceptable types are:
+
+            - dict or list-of-dict
+
+            - pandas.DataFrame
+
+            - pyarrow.Table or pyarrow.RecordBatch
+        schema: The schema of the table, *optional*
+            Acceptable types are:
+
+            - pyarrow.Schema
+
+            - [LanceModel][lancedb.pydantic.LanceModel]
+        mode: str; default "create"
+            The mode to use when creating the table.
+            Can be either "create" or "overwrite".
+            By default, if the table already exists, an exception is raised.
+            If you want to overwrite the table, use mode="overwrite".
+        exist_ok: bool, default False
+            If a table by the same name already exists, then raise an exception
+            if exist_ok=False. If exist_ok=True, then open the existing table;
+            it will not add the provided data but will validate against any
+            schema that's specified.
+        on_bad_vectors: str, default "error"
+            What to do if any of the vectors are not the same size or contains NaNs.
+            One of "error", "drop", "fill".
+        fill_value: float
+            The value to use when filling vectors. Only used if on_bad_vectors="fill".
+
+        Returns
+        -------
+        LanceTable
+            A reference to the newly created table.
+
+        !!! note
+
+            The vector index won't be created by default.
+            To create the index, call the `create_index` method on the table.
+
+        Examples
+        --------
+
+        Can create with list of tuples or dictionaries:
+
+        >>> import lancedb
+        >>> db = lancedb.connect("./.lancedb")
+        >>> data = [{"vector": [1.1, 1.2], "lat": 45.5, "long": -122.7},
+        ...         {"vector": [0.2, 1.8], "lat": 40.1, "long":  -74.1}]
+        >>> db.create_table("my_table", data)
+        LanceTable(connection=..., name="my_table")
+        >>> db["my_table"].head()
+        pyarrow.Table
+        vector: fixed_size_list<item: float>[2]
+          child 0, item: float
+        lat: double
+        long: double
+        ----
+        vector: [[[1.1,1.2],[0.2,1.8]]]
+        lat: [[45.5,40.1]]
+        long: [[-122.7,-74.1]]
+
+        You can also pass a pandas DataFrame:
+
+        >>> import pandas as pd
+        >>> data = pd.DataFrame({
+        ...    "vector": [[1.1, 1.2], [0.2, 1.8]],
+        ...    "lat": [45.5, 40.1],
+        ...    "long": [-122.7, -74.1]
+        ... })
+        >>> db.create_table("table2", data)
+        LanceTable(connection=..., name="table2")
+        >>> db["table2"].head()
+        pyarrow.Table
+        vector: fixed_size_list<item: float>[2]
+          child 0, item: float
+        lat: double
+        long: double
+        ----
+        vector: [[[1.1,1.2],[0.2,1.8]]]
+        lat: [[45.5,40.1]]
+        long: [[-122.7,-74.1]]
+
+        Data is converted to Arrow before being written to disk. For maximum
+        control over how data is saved, either provide the PyArrow schema to
+        convert to or else provide a [PyArrow Table](pyarrow.Table) directly.
+
+        >>> custom_schema = pa.schema([
+        ...   pa.field("vector", pa.list_(pa.float32(), 2)),
+        ...   pa.field("lat", pa.float32()),
+        ...   pa.field("long", pa.float32())
+        ... ])
+        >>> db.create_table("table3", data, schema = custom_schema)
+        LanceTable(connection=..., name="table3")
+        >>> db["table3"].head()
+        pyarrow.Table
+        vector: fixed_size_list<item: float>[2]
+          child 0, item: float
+        lat: float
+        long: float
+        ----
+        vector: [[[1.1,1.2],[0.2,1.8]]]
+        lat: [[45.5,40.1]]
+        long: [[-122.7,-74.1]]
+
+
+        It is also possible to create an table from `[Iterable[pa.RecordBatch]]`:
+
+
+        >>> import pyarrow as pa
+        >>> def make_batches():
+        ...     for i in range(5):
+        ...         yield pa.RecordBatch.from_arrays(
+        ...             [
+        ...                 pa.array([[3.1, 4.1], [5.9, 26.5]],
+        ...                     pa.list_(pa.float32(), 2)),
+        ...                 pa.array(["foo", "bar"]),
+        ...                 pa.array([10.0, 20.0]),
+        ...             ],
+        ...             ["vector", "item", "price"],
+        ...         )
+        >>> schema=pa.schema([
+        ...     pa.field("vector", pa.list_(pa.float32(), 2)),
+        ...     pa.field("item", pa.utf8()),
+        ...     pa.field("price", pa.float32()),
+        ... ])
+        >>> db.create_table("table4", make_batches(), schema=schema)
+        LanceTable(connection=..., name="table4")
+
+        """
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+    async def open_table(self, name: str) -> Table:
+        """Open a Lance Table in the database.
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        name: str
+            The name of the table.
+
+        Returns
+        -------
+        A LanceTable object representing the table.
+        """
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+    async def drop_table(self, name: str):
+        """Drop a table from the database.
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        name: str
+            The name of the table.
+        """
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+    async def drop_database(self):
+        """
+        Drop database
+        This is the same thing as dropping all the tables
+        """
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+
+class AsyncLanceDBConnection(AsyncConnection):
+    def __init__(self, connection: LanceDbConnection):
+        self._inner = connection
+
+    async def __repr__(self) -> str:
+        pass
+
+    @override
+    async def table_names(
+        self,
+        *,
+        page_token=None,
+        limit=None,
+    ) -> Iterable[str]:
+        return await self._inner.table_names()
+
+    @override
+    async def create_table(
+        self,
+        name: str,
+        data: Optional[DATA] = None,
+        schema: Optional[Union[pa.Schema, LanceModel]] = None,
+        mode: str = "create",
+        exist_ok: bool = False,
+        on_bad_vectors: str = "error",
+        fill_value: float = 0.0,
+        embedding_functions: Optional[List[EmbeddingFunctionConfig]] = None,
+    ) -> LanceTable:
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+    @override
+    async def open_table(self, name: str) -> LanceTable:
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+    @override
+    async def drop_table(self, name: str, ignore_missing: bool = False):
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+    @override
+    async def drop_database(self):
+        raise NotImplementedError
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/__init__.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/__init__.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/__init__.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/__init__.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/base.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/base.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/base.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/base.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/bedrock.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/bedrock.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/bedrock.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/bedrock.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/cohere.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/cohere.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/cohere.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/cohere.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/gemini_text.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/gemini_text.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/gemini_text.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/gemini_text.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/gte.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/gte.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/gte.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/gte.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/gte_mlx_model.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/gte_mlx_model.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/gte_mlx_model.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/gte_mlx_model.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/imagebind.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/imagebind.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/imagebind.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/imagebind.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/instructor.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/instructor.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/instructor.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/instructor.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/open_clip.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/open_clip.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/open_clip.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/open_clip.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/openai.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/openai.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/openai.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/openai.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/registry.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/registry.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/registry.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/registry.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/sentence_transformers.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/sentence_transformers.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/sentence_transformers.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/sentence_transformers.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/embeddings/utils.py b/python/python/lancedb/embeddings/utils.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/embeddings/utils.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/embeddings/utils.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/exceptions.py b/python/python/lancedb/exceptions.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/exceptions.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/exceptions.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/fts.py b/python/python/lancedb/fts.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/fts.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/fts.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/merge.py b/python/python/lancedb/merge.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/merge.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/merge.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/pydantic.py b/python/python/lancedb/pydantic.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/pydantic.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/pydantic.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/query.py b/python/python/lancedb/query.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/query.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/query.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/remote/__init__.py b/python/python/lancedb/remote/__init__.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/remote/__init__.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/remote/__init__.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/remote/arrow.py b/python/python/lancedb/remote/arrow.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/remote/arrow.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/remote/arrow.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/remote/client.py b/python/python/lancedb/remote/client.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/remote/client.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/remote/client.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/remote/connection_timeout.py b/python/python/lancedb/remote/connection_timeout.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/remote/connection_timeout.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/remote/connection_timeout.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/remote/db.py b/python/python/lancedb/remote/db.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/remote/db.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/remote/db.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/remote/errors.py b/python/python/lancedb/remote/errors.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/remote/errors.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/remote/errors.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/remote/table.py b/python/python/lancedb/remote/table.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/remote/table.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/remote/table.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/rerankers/__init__.py b/python/python/lancedb/rerankers/__init__.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/rerankers/__init__.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/rerankers/__init__.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/rerankers/base.py b/python/python/lancedb/rerankers/base.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/rerankers/base.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/rerankers/base.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/rerankers/cohere.py b/python/python/lancedb/rerankers/cohere.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/rerankers/cohere.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/rerankers/cohere.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/rerankers/colbert.py b/python/python/lancedb/rerankers/colbert.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/rerankers/colbert.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/rerankers/colbert.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/rerankers/cross_encoder.py b/python/python/lancedb/rerankers/cross_encoder.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/rerankers/cross_encoder.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/rerankers/cross_encoder.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/rerankers/linear_combination.py b/python/python/lancedb/rerankers/linear_combination.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/rerankers/linear_combination.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/rerankers/linear_combination.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/rerankers/openai.py b/python/python/lancedb/rerankers/openai.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/rerankers/openai.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/rerankers/openai.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/schema.py b/python/python/lancedb/schema.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/schema.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/schema.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/table.py b/python/python/lancedb/table.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/table.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/table.py
diff --git a/python/lancedb/util.py b/python/python/lancedb/util.py
similarity index 100%
rename from python/lancedb/util.py
rename to python/python/lancedb/util.py
diff --git a/python/tests/test_context.py b/python/python/tests/test_context.py
similarity index 99%
rename from python/tests/test_context.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_context.py
index 75adb348..bcd1d63c 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_context.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_context.py
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 
 import pandas as pd
 import pytest
-
 from lancedb.context import contextualize
 
 
diff --git a/python/tests/test_db.py b/python/python/tests/test_db.py
similarity index 95%
rename from python/tests/test_db.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_db.py
index 7b716f22..6f2fd1b4 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_db.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_db.py
@@ -11,12 +11,11 @@
 #  See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 #  limitations under the License.
 
+import lancedb
 import numpy as np
 import pandas as pd
 import pyarrow as pa
 import pytest
-
-import lancedb
 from lancedb.pydantic import LanceModel, Vector
 
 
@@ -166,6 +165,24 @@ def test_table_names(tmp_path):
     assert db.table_names() == ["test1", "test2", "test3"]
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_table_names_async(tmp_path):
+    db = lancedb.connect(tmp_path)
+    data = pd.DataFrame(
+        {
+            "vector": [[3.1, 4.1], [5.9, 26.5]],
+            "item": ["foo", "bar"],
+            "price": [10.0, 20.0],
+        }
+    )
+    db.create_table("test2", data=data)
+    db.create_table("test1", data=data)
+    db.create_table("test3", data=data)
+
+    db = await lancedb.connect_async(tmp_path)
+    assert await db.table_names() == ["test1", "test2", "test3"]
+
+
 def test_create_mode(tmp_path):
     db = lancedb.connect(tmp_path)
     data = pd.DataFrame(
diff --git a/python/tests/test_e2e_remote_db.py b/python/python/tests/test_e2e_remote_db.py
similarity index 99%
rename from python/tests/test_e2e_remote_db.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_e2e_remote_db.py
index e9e69c48..f058092e 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_e2e_remote_db.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_e2e_remote_db.py
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 
 import numpy as np
 import pytest
-
 from lancedb import LanceDBConnection
 
 # TODO: setup integ test mark and script
diff --git a/python/tests/test_embeddings.py b/python/python/tests/test_embeddings.py
similarity index 99%
rename from python/tests/test_embeddings.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_embeddings.py
index 32142a57..af442a16 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_embeddings.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_embeddings.py
@@ -13,11 +13,10 @@
 import sys
 
 import lance
+import lancedb
 import numpy as np
 import pyarrow as pa
 import pytest
-
-import lancedb
 from lancedb.conftest import MockTextEmbeddingFunction
 from lancedb.embeddings import (
     EmbeddingFunctionConfig,
diff --git a/python/tests/test_embeddings_slow.py b/python/python/tests/test_embeddings_slow.py
similarity index 99%
rename from python/tests/test_embeddings_slow.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_embeddings_slow.py
index 11b024f0..9dc85bfc 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_embeddings_slow.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_embeddings_slow.py
@@ -14,12 +14,11 @@ import importlib
 import io
 import os
 
+import lancedb
 import numpy as np
 import pandas as pd
 import pytest
 import requests
-
-import lancedb
 from lancedb.embeddings import get_registry
 from lancedb.pydantic import LanceModel, Vector
 
@@ -185,10 +184,9 @@ def test_imagebind(tmp_path):
     import shutil
     import tempfile
 
+    import lancedb.embeddings.imagebind
     import pandas as pd
     import requests
-
-    import lancedb.embeddings.imagebind
     from lancedb.embeddings import get_registry
     from lancedb.pydantic import LanceModel, Vector
 
diff --git a/python/tests/test_fts.py b/python/python/tests/test_fts.py
similarity index 98%
rename from python/tests/test_fts.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_fts.py
index a62b1b2e..e884d605 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_fts.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_fts.py
@@ -14,13 +14,13 @@ import os
 import random
 from unittest import mock
 
+import lancedb as ldb
 import numpy as np
 import pandas as pd
 import pytest
-import tantivy
 
-import lancedb as ldb
-import lancedb.fts
+pytest.importorskip("lancedb.fts")
+tantivy = pytest.importorskip("tantivy")
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
diff --git a/python/tests/test_io.py b/python/python/tests/test_io.py
similarity index 99%
rename from python/tests/test_io.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_io.py
index 0629e809..10b749b2 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_io.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_io.py
@@ -13,9 +13,8 @@
 
 import os
 
-import pytest
-
 import lancedb
+import pytest
 
 # You need to setup AWS credentials an a base path to run this test. Example
 #    AWS_PROFILE=default TEST_S3_BASE_URL=s3://my_bucket/dataset pytest tests/test_io.py
diff --git a/python/tests/test_pydantic.py b/python/python/tests/test_pydantic.py
similarity index 99%
rename from python/tests/test_pydantic.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_pydantic.py
index b37373ee..8f9d335c 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_pydantic.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_pydantic.py
@@ -20,9 +20,8 @@ from typing import List, Optional, Tuple
 import pyarrow as pa
 import pydantic
 import pytest
-from pydantic import Field
-
 from lancedb.pydantic import PYDANTIC_VERSION, LanceModel, Vector, pydantic_to_schema
+from pydantic import Field
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(
diff --git a/python/tests/test_query.py b/python/python/tests/test_query.py
similarity index 99%
rename from python/tests/test_query.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_query.py
index cefea0c2..422f3a23 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_query.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_query.py
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import numpy as np
 import pandas.testing as tm
 import pyarrow as pa
 import pytest
-
 from lancedb.db import LanceDBConnection
 from lancedb.pydantic import LanceModel, Vector
 from lancedb.query import LanceVectorQueryBuilder, Query
diff --git a/python/tests/test_remote_client.py b/python/python/tests/test_remote_client.py
similarity index 99%
rename from python/tests/test_remote_client.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_remote_client.py
index 73ebf153..e9a2b19f 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_remote_client.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_remote_client.py
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import pandas as pd
 import pyarrow as pa
 import pytest
 from aiohttp import web
-
 from lancedb.remote.client import RestfulLanceDBClient, VectorQuery
 
 
diff --git a/python/tests/test_remote_db.py b/python/python/tests/test_remote_db.py
similarity index 99%
rename from python/tests/test_remote_db.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_remote_db.py
index f4aff298..a775d5c7 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_remote_db.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_remote_db.py
@@ -11,9 +11,8 @@
 #  See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 #  limitations under the License.
 
-import pyarrow as pa
-
 import lancedb
+import pyarrow as pa
 from lancedb.remote.client import VectorQuery, VectorQueryResult
 
 
diff --git a/python/tests/test_rerankers.py b/python/python/tests/test_rerankers.py
similarity index 99%
rename from python/tests/test_rerankers.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_rerankers.py
index 5d28e412..a912c64b 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_rerankers.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_rerankers.py
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 import os
 
+import lancedb
 import numpy as np
 import pytest
-
-import lancedb
 from lancedb.conftest import MockTextEmbeddingFunction  # noqa
 from lancedb.embeddings import EmbeddingFunctionRegistry
 from lancedb.pydantic import LanceModel, Vector
@@ -15,6 +14,9 @@ from lancedb.rerankers import (
 )
 from lancedb.table import LanceTable
 
+# Tests rely on FTS index
+pytest.importorskip("lancedb.fts")
+
 
 def get_test_table(tmp_path):
     db = lancedb.connect(tmp_path)
diff --git a/python/tests/test_table.py b/python/python/tests/test_table.py
similarity index 99%
rename from python/tests/test_table.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_table.py
index 6b2eac92..8b3029e0 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_table.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_table.py
@@ -20,19 +20,18 @@ from typing import List
 from unittest.mock import PropertyMock, patch
 
 import lance
+import lancedb
 import numpy as np
 import pandas as pd
 import polars as pl
 import pyarrow as pa
 import pytest
-from pydantic import BaseModel
-
-import lancedb
 from lancedb.conftest import MockTextEmbeddingFunction
 from lancedb.db import LanceDBConnection
 from lancedb.embeddings import EmbeddingFunctionConfig, EmbeddingFunctionRegistry
 from lancedb.pydantic import LanceModel, Vector
 from lancedb.table import LanceTable
+from pydantic import BaseModel
 
 
 class MockDB:
@@ -804,6 +803,9 @@ def test_count_rows(db):
 
 
 def test_hybrid_search(db, tmp_path):
+    # This test uses an FTS index
+    pytest.importorskip("lancedb.fts")
+
     db = MockDB(str(tmp_path))
     # Create a LanceDB table schema with a vector and a text column
     emb = EmbeddingFunctionRegistry.get_instance().get("test")()
diff --git a/python/tests/test_util.py b/python/python/tests/test_util.py
similarity index 99%
rename from python/tests/test_util.py
rename to python/python/tests/test_util.py
index 1bf3e693..fa7e75f0 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_util.py
+++ b/python/python/tests/test_util.py
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import os
 import pathlib
 
 import pytest
-
 from lancedb.util import get_uri_scheme, join_uri
 
 
diff --git a/python/setup.py b/python/setup.py
deleted file mode 100644
index bcabfa2f..00000000
--- a/python/setup.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-#  Copyright 2023 LanceDB Developers
-#
-#  Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
-#  you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
-#  You may obtain a copy of the License at
-#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-#
-#  Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-#  distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
-#  WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
-#  See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
-#  limitations under the License.
-
-import setuptools
-
-if __name__ == "__main__":
-    setuptools.setup()
diff --git a/python/src/connection.rs b/python/src/connection.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..96d3c7cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/src/connection.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+// Copyright 2024 Lance Developers.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+use lancedb::connection::Connection as LanceConnection;
+use pyo3::{pyclass, pyfunction, pymethods, PyAny, PyRef, PyResult, Python};
+use pyo3_asyncio::tokio::future_into_py;
+
+use crate::error::PythonErrorExt;
+
+#[pyclass]
+pub struct Connection {
+    inner: LanceConnection,
+}
+
+#[pymethods]
+impl Connection {
+    pub fn table_names(self_: PyRef<'_, Self>) -> PyResult<&PyAny> {
+        let inner = self_.inner.clone();
+        future_into_py(self_.py(), async move {
+            inner.table_names().await.infer_error()
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+#[pyfunction]
+pub fn connect(
+    py: Python,
+    uri: String,
+    api_key: Option<String>,
+    region: Option<String>,
+    host_override: Option<String>,
+    read_consistency_interval: Option<f64>,
+) -> PyResult<&PyAny> {
+    future_into_py(py, async move {
+        let mut builder = lancedb::connect(&uri);
+        if let Some(api_key) = api_key {
+            builder = builder.api_key(&api_key);
+        }
+        if let Some(region) = region {
+            builder = builder.region(&region);
+        }
+        if let Some(host_override) = host_override {
+            builder = builder.host_override(&host_override);
+        }
+        if let Some(read_consistency_interval) = read_consistency_interval {
+            let read_consistency_interval = Duration::from_secs_f64(read_consistency_interval);
+            builder = builder.read_consistency_interval(read_consistency_interval);
+        }
+        Ok(Connection {
+            inner: builder.execute().await.infer_error()?,
+        })
+    })
+}
diff --git a/python/src/error.rs b/python/src/error.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c65192ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/src/error.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+// Copyright 2024 Lance Developers.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+use pyo3::{
+    exceptions::{PyOSError, PyRuntimeError, PyValueError},
+    PyResult,
+};
+
+use lancedb::error::Error as LanceError;
+
+pub trait PythonErrorExt<T> {
+    /// Convert to a python error based on the Lance error type
+    fn infer_error(self) -> PyResult<T>;
+    /// Convert to OSError
+    fn os_error(self) -> PyResult<T>;
+    /// Convert to RuntimeError
+    fn runtime_error(self) -> PyResult<T>;
+    /// Convert to ValueError
+    fn value_error(self) -> PyResult<T>;
+}
+
+impl<T> PythonErrorExt<T> for std::result::Result<T, LanceError> {
+    fn infer_error(self) -> PyResult<T> {
+        match &self {
+            Ok(_) => Ok(self.unwrap()),
+            Err(err) => match err {
+                LanceError::InvalidTableName { .. } => self.value_error(),
+                LanceError::TableNotFound { .. } => self.value_error(),
+                LanceError::TableAlreadyExists { .. } => self.runtime_error(),
+                LanceError::CreateDir { .. } => self.os_error(),
+                LanceError::Store { .. } => self.runtime_error(),
+                LanceError::Lance { .. } => self.runtime_error(),
+                LanceError::Schema { .. } => self.value_error(),
+                LanceError::Runtime { .. } => self.runtime_error(),
+            },
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn os_error(self) -> PyResult<T> {
+        self.map_err(|err| PyOSError::new_err(err.to_string()))
+    }
+
+    fn runtime_error(self) -> PyResult<T> {
+        self.map_err(|err| PyRuntimeError::new_err(err.to_string()))
+    }
+
+    fn value_error(self) -> PyResult<T> {
+        self.map_err(|err| PyValueError::new_err(err.to_string()))
+    }
+}
diff --git a/python/src/lib.rs b/python/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2a66810d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+// Copyright 2024 Lance Developers.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+use connection::{connect, Connection};
+use env_logger::Env;
+use pyo3::{pymodule, types::PyModule, wrap_pyfunction, PyResult, Python};
+
+pub mod connection;
+pub(crate) mod error;
+
+#[pymodule]
+pub fn _lancedb(_py: Python, m: &PyModule) -> PyResult<()> {
+    let env = Env::new()
+        .filter_or("LANCEDB_LOG", "warn")
+        .write_style("LANCEDB_LOG_STYLE");
+    env_logger::init_from_env(env);
+    m.add_class::<Connection>()?;
+    m.add_function(wrap_pyfunction!(connect, m)?)?;
+    m.add("__version__", env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION"))?;
+    Ok(())
+}