diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index 4188fd65f..a1cb316db 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ repos:
     exclude: ^cibuildwheel/resources/android/android.patch$
 
 - repo: https://github.com/astral-sh/ruff-pre-commit
-  rev: 6fec9b7edb08fd9989088709d864a7826dc74e80  # frozen: v0.15.12
+  rev: 0c7b6c989466a93942def1f84baf36ddfcd60c83  # frozen: v0.15.14
   hooks:
   - id: ruff-check
     args: ["--fix"]
diff --git a/bin/inspect_all_known_projects.py b/bin/inspect_all_known_projects.py
index 039647962..c77494302 100755
--- a/bin/inspect_all_known_projects.py
+++ b/bin/inspect_all_known_projects.py
@@ -24,9 +24,11 @@
 the results without the `--online` setting.
 """
 
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import ast
-from collections.abc import Iterable, Iterator
 from pathlib import Path
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 import click
 import yaml
@@ -35,6 +37,9 @@
 
 from cibuildwheel.projectfiles import Analyzer
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Iterable, Iterator
+
 DIR = Path(__file__).parent.resolve()
 
 
diff --git a/bin/projects.py b/bin/projects.py
index f58d1bdc9..58ac38efb 100755
--- a/bin/projects.py
+++ b/bin/projects.py
@@ -17,22 +17,26 @@
     git diff
 """
 
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import builtins
 import functools
 import textwrap
 import urllib.error
 import urllib.request
 import xml.dom.minidom
-from collections.abc import Iterable, Mapping, Sequence
 from datetime import UTC, datetime
 from io import StringIO
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Self, TextIO
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Self, TextIO
 
 import click
 import yaml
 from github import Auth, Github, GithubException
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Iterable, Mapping, Sequence
+
 ICONS = (
     "github",
     "azurepipelines",
diff --git a/bin/update_pythons.py b/bin/update_pythons.py
index b99a079ef..d453773ce 100755
--- a/bin/update_pythons.py
+++ b/bin/update_pythons.py
@@ -12,16 +12,15 @@
 # [tool.uv.sources]
 # cibuildwheel = { path = ".." }
 # ///
-
+from __future__ import annotations
 
 import difflib
 import logging
 import operator
 import re
 import tomllib
-from collections.abc import Mapping, MutableMapping
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Final, Literal, TypedDict
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Final, Literal, TypedDict
 from xml.etree import ElementTree as ET
 
 import click
@@ -35,6 +34,9 @@
 from cibuildwheel.extra import dump_python_configurations, get_pyodide_xbuildenv_info
 from cibuildwheel.platforms.android import android_triplet
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Mapping, MutableMapping
+
 log = logging.getLogger("cibw")
 
 # Looking up the dir instead of using utils.resources_dir
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/__main__.py b/cibuildwheel/__main__.py
index e0def5488..272250cd1 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/__main__.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/__main__.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import argparse
 import contextlib
 import dataclasses
@@ -8,10 +10,9 @@
 import textwrap
 import traceback
 import typing
-from collections.abc import Generator, Iterable, Sequence
 from pathlib import Path
 from tempfile import mkdtemp
-from typing import Any, Literal, TextIO
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Literal, TextIO
 
 import cibuildwheel
 from cibuildwheel import errors
@@ -27,6 +28,9 @@
 from cibuildwheel.util.helpers import strtobool
 from cibuildwheel.util.resources import read_all_configs
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Generator, Iterable, Sequence
+
 
 @dataclasses.dataclass
 class GlobalOptions:
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/_compat/tarfile.py b/cibuildwheel/_compat/tarfile.py
index 4d5867d16..553073360 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/_compat/tarfile.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/_compat/tarfile.py
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
 
 import sys
 import tarfile
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
-TYPE_CHECKING = False
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from pathlib import Path
 
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/architecture.py b/cibuildwheel/architecture.py
index 655b17623..359f0832d 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/architecture.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/architecture.py
@@ -1,15 +1,20 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import platform as platform_module
 import re
 import shutil
 import subprocess
 import sys
 import typing
-from collections.abc import Set
 from enum import StrEnum, auto
-from typing import Final, Literal, Self
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Final, Literal, Self
 
 from cibuildwheel import errors
-from cibuildwheel.typing import PlatformName
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Set
+
+    from cibuildwheel.typing import PlatformName
 
 PRETTY_NAMES: Final[dict[PlatformName, str]] = {
     "linux": "Linux",
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/audit.py b/cibuildwheel/audit.py
index f91b01558..8bae603e8 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/audit.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/audit.py
@@ -1,15 +1,20 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import subprocess
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 from cibuildwheel import errors
 from cibuildwheel.logger import log
-from cibuildwheel.options import BuildOptions
 from cibuildwheel.util.cmd import call, shell
 from cibuildwheel.util.helpers import prepare_command
 from cibuildwheel.util.packaging import is_abi3_wheel
 from cibuildwheel.venv import activate_virtualenv, find_uv, virtualenv
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from cibuildwheel.options import BuildOptions
+
 
 def run_audit(
     *,
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/bashlex_eval.py b/cibuildwheel/bashlex_eval.py
index 3d1ac1185..d76040524 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/bashlex_eval.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/bashlex_eval.py
@@ -1,16 +1,21 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import dataclasses
 import subprocess
-from collections.abc import (
-    Callable,
-    Iterable,
-    Mapping,
-    Sequence,
-)
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 import bashlex
 
-# a function that takes a command and the environment, and returns the result
-EnvironmentExecutor = Callable[[list[str], dict[str, str]], str]
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import (
+        Callable,
+        Iterable,
+        Mapping,
+        Sequence,
+    )
+
+    # a function that takes a command and the environment, and returns the result
+    EnvironmentExecutor = Callable[[list[str], dict[str, str]], str]
 
 
 def local_environment_executor(command: Sequence[str], env: Mapping[str, str]) -> str:
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/environment.py b/cibuildwheel/environment.py
index c9e534127..47d2585dc 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/environment.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/environment.py
@@ -1,12 +1,16 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import dataclasses
-from collections.abc import Mapping, Sequence
-from typing import Any, Protocol
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Protocol
 
 import bashlex
 import bashlex.errors
 
 from cibuildwheel import bashlex_eval
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Mapping, Sequence
+
 
 class EnvironmentParseError(Exception):
     pass
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/extra.py b/cibuildwheel/extra.py
index d075d3217..9e9a57a30 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/extra.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/extra.py
@@ -2,17 +2,22 @@
 These are utilities for the `/bin` scripts, not for the `cibuildwheel` program.
 """
 
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import json
 import time
 import typing
 import urllib.error
 import urllib.request
-from collections.abc import Mapping, Sequence
 from io import StringIO
-from typing import Any, NotRequired, Protocol
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, NotRequired, Protocol
 
 from cibuildwheel import __version__ as cibw_version
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Mapping, Sequence
+
+
 __all__ = ("Printable", "dump_python_configurations")
 
 
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/frontend.py b/cibuildwheel/frontend.py
index 11c3e93d4..b7f6654d7 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/frontend.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/frontend.py
@@ -1,12 +1,17 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import dataclasses
 import shlex
 import typing
-from collections.abc import Sequence
-from typing import Literal, Self, get_args
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Literal, Self, get_args
 
-from cibuildwheel.typing import PathOrStr
 from cibuildwheel.util.helpers import parse_key_value_string, prepare_command
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Sequence
+
+    from cibuildwheel.typing import PathOrStr
+
 BuildFrontendName = Literal["pip", "build", "build[uv]", "uv"]
 
 
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/logger.py b/cibuildwheel/logger.py
index b6f8b8029..f7381f15f 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/logger.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/logger.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import codecs
 import contextlib
 import dataclasses
@@ -9,19 +11,20 @@
 import sys
 import textwrap
 import time
-from collections.abc import Generator
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import IO, AnyStr, Final, Literal
+from typing import IO, TYPE_CHECKING, AnyStr, Final, Literal
 
 import humanize
 
 from cibuildwheel.ci import CIProvider, detect_ci_provider, filter_ansi_codes
 
-TYPE_CHECKING = False
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Generator
+
     from cibuildwheel.options import Options
 
-FoldPattern = tuple[str, str]
+    FoldPattern = tuple[str, str]
+
 DEFAULT_FOLD_PATTERN: Final[FoldPattern] = ("{name}", "")
 FOLD_PATTERNS: Final[dict[str, FoldPattern]] = {
     "azure": ("##[group]{name}", "##[endgroup]"),
@@ -235,7 +238,7 @@ def error(self, error: BaseException | str) -> None:
             print(f"cibuildwheel: {c.bright_red}error{c.end}: {error}\n", file=sys.stderr)
 
     @contextlib.contextmanager
-    def print_summary(self, *, options: "Options") -> Generator[None, None, None]:
+    def print_summary(self, *, options: Options) -> Generator[None, None, None]:
         start = time.time()
         yield
         duration = time.time() - start
@@ -293,7 +296,7 @@ def _fold_group_identifier(name: str) -> str:
         # lowercase, shorten
         return identifier.lower()[:20]
 
-    def _github_step_summary(self, duration: float, options: "Options") -> str:
+    def _github_step_summary(self, duration: float, options: Options) -> str:
         """
         Returns the GitHub step summary, in markdown format.
         """
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/oci_container.py b/cibuildwheel/oci_container.py
index 88144469c..fc07f300a 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/oci_container.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/oci_container.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import dataclasses
 import io
 import json
@@ -10,19 +12,23 @@
 import textwrap
 import typing
 import uuid
-from collections.abc import Mapping, Sequence
 from enum import Enum
-from pathlib import Path, PurePath, PurePosixPath
-from types import TracebackType
-from typing import IO, Literal, Self, assert_never
+from pathlib import PurePosixPath
+from typing import IO, TYPE_CHECKING, Literal, Self, assert_never
 
 from cibuildwheel.ci import CIProvider, detect_ci_provider
 from cibuildwheel.errors import OCIEngineTooOldError
 from cibuildwheel.logger import log
-from cibuildwheel.typing import PathOrStr
 from cibuildwheel.util.cmd import call
 from cibuildwheel.util.helpers import FlexibleVersion, parse_key_value_string, strtobool
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Mapping, Sequence
+    from pathlib import Path, PurePath
+    from types import TracebackType
+
+    from cibuildwheel.typing import PathOrStr
+
 ContainerEngineName = Literal["docker", "podman"]
 
 
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/options.py b/cibuildwheel/options.py
index 800c882fa..d4c55e5b5 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/options.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/options.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import collections
 import configparser
 import contextlib
@@ -8,9 +10,9 @@
 import shlex
 import textwrap
 import tomllib
-from collections.abc import Callable, Generator, Iterable, Mapping, Sequence, Set
+from collections.abc import Mapping, Sequence
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Final, Literal, Self, assert_never
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Final, Literal, Self, assert_never
 
 from packaging.specifiers import SpecifierSet
 
@@ -27,6 +29,9 @@
 from cibuildwheel.util.helpers import format_safe, parse_key_value_string, strtobool, unwrap
 from cibuildwheel.util.packaging import DependencyConstraints
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Callable, Generator, Iterable, Set
+
 MANYLINUX_ARCHS: Final[tuple[str, ...]] = (
     "x86_64",
     "i686",
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/platforms/__init__.py b/cibuildwheel/platforms/__init__.py
index 8549a4039..cb31b0c8b 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/platforms/__init__.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/platforms/__init__.py
@@ -1,14 +1,19 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import sys
-from collections.abc import Sequence
-from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Final, Protocol
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Final, Protocol
 
 from cibuildwheel import errors
-from cibuildwheel.architecture import Architecture
-from cibuildwheel.options import Options
 from cibuildwheel.platforms import android, ios, linux, macos, pyodide, windows
-from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
-from cibuildwheel.typing import GenericPythonConfiguration, PlatformName
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Sequence
+    from pathlib import Path
+
+    from cibuildwheel.architecture import Architecture
+    from cibuildwheel.options import Options
+    from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
+    from cibuildwheel.typing import GenericPythonConfiguration, PlatformName
 
 
 class PlatformModule(Protocol):
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/platforms/android.py b/cibuildwheel/platforms/android.py
index ae2b2a79f..df8876d58 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/platforms/android.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/platforms/android.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import csv
 import hashlib
 import os
@@ -7,14 +9,13 @@
 import shutil
 import subprocess
 import sysconfig
-from collections.abc import Iterable, Iterator, MutableMapping
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from os.path import relpath
 from pathlib import Path
 from pprint import pprint
 from runpy import run_path
 from textwrap import dedent
-from typing import Any
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
 
 from build import ProjectBuilder
 from build.env import IsolatedEnv
@@ -31,8 +32,6 @@
     prepare_config_settings,
 )
 from cibuildwheel.logger import log
-from cibuildwheel.options import BuildOptions, Options
-from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
 from cibuildwheel.util import resources
 from cibuildwheel.util.cmd import call, shell
 from cibuildwheel.util.file import CIBW_CACHE_PATH, copy_test_sources, download, move_file
@@ -41,8 +40,13 @@
 from cibuildwheel.util.python_build_standalone import create_python_build_standalone_environment
 from cibuildwheel.venv import constraint_flags, find_uv, virtualenv
 
-RESOURCES_ANDROID = resources.PATH / "android"
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Iterable, Iterator, MutableMapping
 
+    from cibuildwheel.options import BuildOptions, Options
+    from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
+
+RESOURCES_ANDROID = resources.PATH / "android"
 ANDROID_TRIPLET = {
     "arm64_v8a": "aarch64-linux-android",
     "x86_64": "x86_64-linux-android",
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/platforms/ios.py b/cibuildwheel/platforms/ios.py
index 40c66b877..7cb31d9b1 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/platforms/ios.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/platforms/ios.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import dataclasses
 import os
 import platform
@@ -6,25 +8,20 @@
 import subprocess
 import sys
 import textwrap
-from collections.abc import Sequence, Set
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import assert_never
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, assert_never
 
 from filelock import FileLock
 
 from cibuildwheel import errors
-from cibuildwheel.architecture import Architecture
 from cibuildwheel.audit import run_audit
-from cibuildwheel.environment import ParsedEnvironment
 from cibuildwheel.frontend import (
     BuildFrontendName,
     get_build_frontend_extra_flags,
     prepare_config_settings,
 )
 from cibuildwheel.logger import log
-from cibuildwheel.options import Options
 from cibuildwheel.platforms.macos import install_cpython as install_build_cpython
-from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
 from cibuildwheel.util import resources
 from cibuildwheel.util.cmd import call, shell, split_command
 from cibuildwheel.util.file import CIBW_CACHE_PATH, copy_test_sources, download, move_file
@@ -32,6 +29,14 @@
 from cibuildwheel.util.packaging import find_compatible_wheel
 from cibuildwheel.venv import constraint_flags, virtualenv
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Sequence, Set
+
+    from cibuildwheel.architecture import Architecture
+    from cibuildwheel.environment import ParsedEnvironment
+    from cibuildwheel.options import Options
+    from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
+
 
 @dataclasses.dataclass(frozen=True, kw_only=True)
 class PythonConfiguration:
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/platforms/linux.py b/cibuildwheel/platforms/linux.py
index a9f3e1fad..c00e3c0b4 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/platforms/linux.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/platforms/linux.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import contextlib
 import dataclasses
 import shutil
@@ -5,9 +7,8 @@
 import sys
 import textwrap
 from collections import OrderedDict
-from collections.abc import Iterable, Iterator, Sequence, Set
 from pathlib import Path, PurePath, PurePosixPath
-from typing import assert_never
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, assert_never
 
 from cibuildwheel import errors
 from cibuildwheel.architecture import Architecture
@@ -15,15 +16,16 @@
 from cibuildwheel.frontend import get_build_frontend_extra_flags, prepare_config_settings
 from cibuildwheel.logger import log
 from cibuildwheel.oci_container import OCIContainer, OCIContainerEngineConfig, OCIPlatform
-from cibuildwheel.options import BuildOptions, Options
-from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
 from cibuildwheel.util import resources
 from cibuildwheel.util.file import copy_test_sources
 from cibuildwheel.util.helpers import prepare_command, unwrap
 from cibuildwheel.util.packaging import find_compatible_wheel
 
-TYPE_CHECKING = False
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Iterable, Iterator, Sequence, Set
+
+    from cibuildwheel.options import BuildOptions, Options
+    from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
     from cibuildwheel.typing import PathOrStr
 
 ARCHITECTURE_OCI_PLATFORM_MAP = {
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/platforms/macos.py b/cibuildwheel/platforms/macos.py
index bb830a346..ae3bd178a 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/platforms/macos.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/platforms/macos.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import dataclasses
 import functools
 import inspect
@@ -8,26 +10,21 @@
 import subprocess
 import sys
 import typing
-from collections.abc import Set
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Literal, assert_never
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Literal, assert_never
 
 from filelock import FileLock
 from packaging.version import Version
 
 from cibuildwheel import errors
-from cibuildwheel.architecture import Architecture
 from cibuildwheel.audit import run_audit
 from cibuildwheel.ci import detect_ci_provider
-from cibuildwheel.environment import ParsedEnvironment
 from cibuildwheel.frontend import (
     BuildFrontendName,
     get_build_frontend_extra_flags,
     prepare_config_settings,
 )
 from cibuildwheel.logger import log
-from cibuildwheel.options import Options
-from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
 from cibuildwheel.util import resources
 from cibuildwheel.util.cmd import call, shell
 from cibuildwheel.util.file import CIBW_CACHE_PATH, copy_test_sources, download, move_file
@@ -35,6 +32,14 @@
 from cibuildwheel.util.packaging import find_compatible_wheel, get_pip_version
 from cibuildwheel.venv import constraint_flags, find_uv, target_marker_env, virtualenv
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Set
+
+    from cibuildwheel.architecture import Architecture
+    from cibuildwheel.environment import ParsedEnvironment
+    from cibuildwheel.options import Options
+    from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
+
 
 @functools.cache
 def get_macos_version() -> tuple[int, int]:
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/platforms/pyodide.py b/cibuildwheel/platforms/pyodide.py
index 262eac2b8..9e03e5fb1 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/platforms/pyodide.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/platforms/pyodide.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import dataclasses
 import functools
 import json
@@ -7,21 +9,17 @@
 import sys
 import tomllib
 import typing
-from collections.abc import Set
 from pathlib import Path
 from tempfile import TemporaryDirectory
-from typing import Final, TypedDict
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Final, TypedDict
 
 from filelock import FileLock
 
 from cibuildwheel import errors
 from cibuildwheel.architecture import Architecture
 from cibuildwheel.audit import run_audit
-from cibuildwheel.environment import ParsedEnvironment
 from cibuildwheel.frontend import get_build_frontend_extra_flags, prepare_config_settings
 from cibuildwheel.logger import log
-from cibuildwheel.options import Options
-from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
 from cibuildwheel.util import resources
 from cibuildwheel.util.cmd import call, shell
 from cibuildwheel.util.file import (
@@ -40,6 +38,13 @@
 )
 from cibuildwheel.venv import constraint_flags, virtualenv
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Set
+
+    from cibuildwheel.environment import ParsedEnvironment
+    from cibuildwheel.options import Options
+    from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
+
 IS_WIN: Final[bool] = sys.platform.startswith("win")
 
 
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/platforms/windows.py b/cibuildwheel/platforms/windows.py
index 1a858c8fb..7dc48e412 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/platforms/windows.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/platforms/windows.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import dataclasses
 import json
 import os
@@ -5,25 +7,21 @@
 import shutil
 import subprocess
 import textwrap
-from collections.abc import MutableMapping, Sequence, Set
 from functools import cache
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import assert_never
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, assert_never
 
 from filelock import FileLock
 
 from cibuildwheel import errors
 from cibuildwheel.architecture import Architecture
 from cibuildwheel.audit import run_audit
-from cibuildwheel.environment import ParsedEnvironment
 from cibuildwheel.frontend import (
     BuildFrontendName,
     get_build_frontend_extra_flags,
     prepare_config_settings,
 )
 from cibuildwheel.logger import log
-from cibuildwheel.options import Options
-from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
 from cibuildwheel.util import resources
 from cibuildwheel.util.cmd import call, shell
 from cibuildwheel.util.file import (
@@ -37,6 +35,13 @@
 from cibuildwheel.util.packaging import find_compatible_wheel, get_pip_version
 from cibuildwheel.venv import constraint_flags, find_uv, target_marker_env, virtualenv
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import MutableMapping, Sequence, Set
+
+    from cibuildwheel.environment import ParsedEnvironment
+    from cibuildwheel.options import Options
+    from cibuildwheel.selector import BuildSelector
+
 
 def get_nuget_args(
     version: str, arch: str, free_threaded: bool, output_directory: Path
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/projectfiles.py b/cibuildwheel/projectfiles.py
index 3117486fe..43b7a1a94 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/projectfiles.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/projectfiles.py
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import ast
 import configparser
 import contextlib
-from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
 
 import dependency_groups
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from pathlib import Path
+
 
 def get_parent(node: ast.AST | None, depth: int = 1) -> ast.AST | None:
     for _ in range(depth):
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/schema.py b/cibuildwheel/schema.py
index ec070278b..6bbf0d011 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/schema.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/schema.py
@@ -1,8 +1,13 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import json
-from typing import Any
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 from cibuildwheel.util import resources
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from typing import Any
+
 
 def get_schema(tool_name: str = "cibuildwheel") -> dict[str, Any]:
     "Get the stored complete schema for cibuildwheel settings."
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/selector.py b/cibuildwheel/selector.py
index 5f3853a08..865ada814 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/selector.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/selector.py
@@ -1,13 +1,17 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import dataclasses
 import itertools
 from enum import StrEnum
 from fnmatch import fnmatch
-from typing import Self
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Self
 
 import bracex
-from packaging.specifiers import SpecifierSet
 from packaging.version import Version
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from packaging.specifiers import SpecifierSet
+
 
 def selector_matches(patterns: str, string: str) -> bool:
     """
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/util/cmd.py b/cibuildwheel/util/cmd.py
index aba6cf179..8dd05d620 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/util/cmd.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/util/cmd.py
@@ -1,14 +1,19 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import os
 import shlex
 import shutil
 import subprocess
 import sys
 import typing
-from collections.abc import Iterator, Mapping
-from typing import Final, Literal
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Final, Literal
 
 from cibuildwheel.errors import FatalError
-from cibuildwheel.typing import PathOrStr
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Iterator, Mapping
+
+    from cibuildwheel.typing import PathOrStr
 
 _IS_WIN: Final[bool] = sys.platform.startswith("win")
 
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/util/file.py b/cibuildwheel/util/file.py
index 04e40f3d6..dfd3992c7 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/util/file.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/util/file.py
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import os
 import shutil
 import ssl
 import tarfile
 import time
 import urllib.request
-from collections.abc import Callable
 from pathlib import Path, PurePath
-from typing import Final
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Final
 from zipfile import ZipFile
 
 import certifi
@@ -14,6 +15,9 @@
 
 from cibuildwheel.errors import FatalError
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Callable
+
 DEFAULT_CIBW_CACHE_PATH: Final[Path] = user_cache_path(appname="cibuildwheel", appauthor="pypa")
 CIBW_CACHE_PATH: Final[Path] = Path(
     os.environ.get("CIBW_CACHE_PATH", DEFAULT_CIBW_CACHE_PATH)
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/util/helpers.py b/cibuildwheel/util/helpers.py
index 6e17cb2eb..40692864b 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/util/helpers.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/util/helpers.py
@@ -1,13 +1,18 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import dataclasses
 import itertools
-import os
 import re
 import shlex
 import textwrap
 from collections import defaultdict
-from collections.abc import Sequence
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    import os
+    from collections.abc import Sequence
 
-from cibuildwheel.typing import PathOrStr
+    from cibuildwheel.typing import PathOrStr
 
 
 def format_safe(template: str, **kwargs: str | os.PathLike[str]) -> str:
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/util/packaging.py b/cibuildwheel/util/packaging.py
index 1dc71eaf0..0c64b573d 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/util/packaging.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/util/packaging.py
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import shlex
-from collections.abc import Mapping, Sequence
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from pathlib import Path, PurePath
-from typing import Literal, Self, TypeVar
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Literal, Self, TypeVar
 
 from packaging.utils import parse_wheel_filename
 
@@ -10,6 +11,9 @@
 from cibuildwheel.util.cmd import call
 from cibuildwheel.util.helpers import parse_key_value_string, unwrap
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Mapping, Sequence
+
 
 @dataclass(kw_only=True)
 class DependencyConstraints:
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/util/python_build_standalone.py b/cibuildwheel/util/python_build_standalone.py
index f8dca73ce..1a9ac310b 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/util/python_build_standalone.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/util/python_build_standalone.py
@@ -1,15 +1,20 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import fnmatch
 import functools
 import json
 import platform
 import typing
-from pathlib import Path
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 from filelock import FileLock
 
 from cibuildwheel.util.file import download, extract_tar
 from cibuildwheel.util.resources import PYTHON_BUILD_STANDALONE_RELEASES
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from pathlib import Path
+
 
 class PythonBuildStandaloneAsset(typing.TypedDict):
     name: str
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/util/resources.py b/cibuildwheel/util/resources.py
index 37775b188..54222aaf2 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/util/resources.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/util/resources.py
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import functools
 import tomllib
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Final
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Final
 
-from cibuildwheel.typing import PlatformName
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from cibuildwheel.typing import PlatformName
 
 PATH: Final[Path] = Path(__file__).parent.parent / "resources"
 INSTALL_CERTIFI_SCRIPT: Final[Path] = PATH / "install_certifi.py"
diff --git a/cibuildwheel/venv.py b/cibuildwheel/venv.py
index f38ab11ec..97b093da5 100644
--- a/cibuildwheel/venv.py
+++ b/cibuildwheel/venv.py
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import contextlib
 import functools
 import os
 import shutil
 import sys
 import tomllib
-from collections.abc import Sequence
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Final, cast
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Final, cast
 
 from filelock import FileLock
 from packaging.markers import default_environment
@@ -17,6 +18,9 @@
 from cibuildwheel.util.cmd import call
 from cibuildwheel.util.file import CIBW_CACHE_PATH, download
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Sequence
+
 _IS_WIN: Final[bool] = sys.platform.startswith("win")
 
 
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index fd84620b5..80f8cefc2 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -224,6 +224,7 @@ flake8-unused-arguments.ignore-variadic-names = true
 flake8-tidy-imports.ban-relative-imports = "all"
 flake8-annotations.allow-star-arg-any = true
 flake8-annotations.mypy-init-return = true
+future-annotations = true
 
 [tool.ruff.lint.flake8-tidy-imports.banned-api]
 "typing.Mapping".msg = "Use collections.abc.Mapping instead."
@@ -231,11 +232,10 @@ flake8-annotations.mypy-init-return = true
 "typing.Iterator".msg = "Use collections.abc.Iterator instead."
 "typing.Sequence".msg = "Use collections.abc.Sequence instead."
 "typing.Set".msg = "Use collections.abc.Set instead."
-"typing.TYPE_CHECKING".msg = "Use TYPE_CHECKING=False instead"
 
 [tool.ruff.lint.per-file-ignores]
-"unit_test/*" = ["PLC1901", "TID252"]
-"test/*" = ["TID252"]
+"unit_test/*" = ["PLC1901", "TC", "TID252"]
+"test/*" = ["TC", "TID252"]
 "bin/*" = ["TID251"]
 "cibuildwheel/resources/install_certifi.py" = ["PTH"]
 
diff --git a/unit_test/main_tests/main_options_test.py b/unit_test/main_tests/main_options_test.py
index 6b3701aa6..8e524f77a 100644
--- a/unit_test/main_tests/main_options_test.py
+++ b/unit_test/main_tests/main_options_test.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import sys
 import tomllib
 from collections.abc import Mapping
@@ -37,7 +39,7 @@ def test_old_free_threaded(
 
 @pytest.mark.usefixtures("platform")
 def test_output_dir(
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor", monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
 ) -> None:
     OUTPUT_DIR = Path("some_output_dir")
 
@@ -49,7 +51,7 @@ def test_output_dir(
 
 
 @pytest.mark.usefixtures("platform")
-def test_output_dir_default(intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor") -> None:
+def test_output_dir_default(intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor) -> None:
     main()
 
     assert intercepted_build_args.args[0].globals.output_dir == Path("wheelhouse").resolve()
@@ -59,7 +61,7 @@ def test_output_dir_default(intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor") -> None:
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("also_set_environment", [False, True])
 def test_output_dir_argument(
     also_set_environment: bool,
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor",
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
     OUTPUT_DIR = Path("some_output_dir")
@@ -75,7 +77,7 @@ def test_output_dir_argument(
 
 @pytest.mark.usefixtures("platform", "allow_empty")
 def test_build_selector(
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor", monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
 ) -> None:
     monkeypatch.setenv("CIBW_BUILD", "cp313-*")
     monkeypatch.setenv("CIBW_SKIP", "cp39-*")
@@ -191,7 +193,7 @@ def test_manylinux_images(
     image: str | None,
     full_image: str,
     platform: str,
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor",
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
     if image is not None:
@@ -230,7 +232,7 @@ def test_repair_command(
     repair_command: str | None,
     platform_specific: bool,
     platform: str,
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor",
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
     if repair_command is not None:
@@ -259,7 +261,7 @@ def test_environment(
     environment: Mapping[str, str],
     platform_specific: bool,
     platform: str,
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor",
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
     env_string = " ".join(f"{k}={v}" for k, v in environment.items())
@@ -284,7 +286,7 @@ def test_test_requires(
     test_requires: str | None,
     platform_specific: bool,
     platform: str,
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor",
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
     if test_requires is not None:
@@ -307,7 +309,7 @@ def test_audit_requires(
     audit_requires: str | None,
     platform_specific: bool,
     platform: str,
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor",
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
     if audit_requires is not None:
@@ -331,7 +333,7 @@ def test_test_extras(
     test_extras: str | None,
     platform_specific: bool,
     platform: str,
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor",
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
     if test_extras is not None:
@@ -354,7 +356,7 @@ def test_test_command(
     test_command: str | None,
     platform_specific: bool,
     platform: str,
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor",
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
     if test_command is not None:
@@ -377,7 +379,7 @@ def test_before_build(
     before_build: str | None,
     platform_specific: bool,
     platform: str,
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor",
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
     if before_build is not None:
@@ -399,7 +401,7 @@ def test_build_verbosity(
     build_verbosity: int | None,
     platform_specific: bool,
     platform: str,
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor",
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
     if build_verbosity is not None:
@@ -420,7 +422,7 @@ def test_build_verbosity(
 def test_config_settings(
     platform_specific: bool,
     platform: str,
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor",
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
     config_settings = (
@@ -507,7 +509,7 @@ def test_before_all(
     before_all: str | None,
     platform_specific: bool,
     platform: str,
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor",
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
     if before_all is not None:
@@ -533,7 +535,7 @@ def test_dependency_versions(
     dependency_versions: str | None,
     platform_specific: bool,
     platform: str,
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor",
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
     tmp_path: Path,
 ) -> None:
@@ -593,7 +595,7 @@ def test_debug_traceback(
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("method", ["unset", "command_line", "env_var"])
 def test_enable(
-    method: str, intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor", monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+    method: str, intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
 ) -> None:
     monkeypatch.delenv("CIBW_ENABLE", raising=False)
 
@@ -613,7 +615,7 @@ def test_enable(
 
 
 def test_enable_all(
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor", monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
 ) -> None:
     monkeypatch.setattr(sys, "argv", [*sys.argv, "--enable", "all"])
     monkeypatch.delenv("CIBW_ENABLE", raising=False)
@@ -625,7 +627,7 @@ def test_enable_all(
 
 
 def test_enable_arg_inherits(
-    intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor", monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+    intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
 ) -> None:
     monkeypatch.setenv("CIBW_ENABLE", "pypy graalpy")
     monkeypatch.setattr(sys, "argv", [*sys.argv, "--enable", "cpython-prerelease"])
@@ -652,7 +654,7 @@ def test_enable_arg_error_message(
     assert "Valid group names are:" in err
 
 
-def test_defaults(platform: str, intercepted_build_args: "ArgsInterceptor") -> None:
+def test_defaults(platform: str, intercepted_build_args: ArgsInterceptor) -> None:
     main()
 
     build_options: BuildOptions = intercepted_build_args.args[0].build_options(identifier=None)