diff --git a/.config/direnv/direnvrc b/.config/direnv/direnvrc
index 707a840..febd17c 100644
--- a/.config/direnv/direnvrc
+++ b/.config/direnv/direnvrc
@@ -5,7 +5,13 @@ layout_uv() {
 
     if [[ -z $VIRTUAL_ENV || ! -d $VIRTUAL_ENV ]]; then
         log_status "No virtual environment exists. Executing \`uv venv\` to create one."
-        uv venv
+        if [[ -z $PYTHON_VERSION ]]; then
+            # No Python version specified, just create a virtualenv
+            uv venv
+        else
+            # Specific Python version requested, use that; will download if needed
+            uv venv --python $PYTHON_VERSION
+        fi
         VIRTUAL_ENV="$(pwd)/.venv"
     fi