diff --git a/uv/private/extension/defs.bzl b/uv/private/extension/defs.bzl
index 1379fce00..cbc493fa8 100644
--- a/uv/private/extension/defs.bzl
+++ b/uv/private/extension/defs.bzl
@@ -87,6 +87,29 @@ def _deduplicate_whl_files(whls):
         whl_files.append(whl)
     return whl_files
 
+def group_whls_by_target(whls):
+    """Group every wheel filename that resolves to the same fetched label."""
+    grouped = {}
+    for whl_name, whl_target in whls.items():
+        if whl_target:
+            grouped.setdefault(whl_target, {})[whl_name] = whl_target
+    return grouped
+
+def wheel_variant_suffix(whl_target):
+    """Return the stable hash suffix from a generated wheel repository label."""
+    return whl_target.split("__")[-1].split("//")[0]
+
+def shared_whl_variant_key(install_cfg, variant_whls):
+    """Return an order-sensitive identity for an unpatched wheel variant."""
+    if install_cfg.post_install_patches:
+        return None
+    return json.encode([
+        install_cfg.metadata_directory,
+        # Wheel selection keeps the first entry when specificity ties.
+        variant_whls.items(),
+        getattr(install_cfg, "exclude_glob", []),
+    ])
+
 def parse_declared_console_script(name, entry_point):
     """Canonicalize one override_package console-script declaration.
 
@@ -739,16 +762,48 @@ def _uv_impl(module_ctx):
             sbuild_kwargs["resource_set"] = sbuild_cfg.resource_set
         sdist_build(**sbuild_kwargs)
 
+    shared_variant_installs = {}
     for install_id, install_cfg in cfg.install_cfgs.items():
+        # Metadata extraction belongs in one repository per fetched wheel.
+        # The public install repository can then select one of these variants
+        # without fetching metadata for every inactive platform.
+        variant_installs = {}
+        for whl_target, variant_whls in group_whls_by_target(install_cfg.whls).items():
+            shared_key = shared_whl_variant_key(install_cfg, variant_whls)
+            if shared_key in shared_variant_installs:
+                variant_installs[whl_target] = shared_variant_installs[shared_key]
+                continue
+            variant_name = "{}__variant_{}".format(
+                install_id,
+                wheel_variant_suffix(whl_target),
+            )
+            variant_kwargs = {
+                "metadata_directory": install_cfg.metadata_directory,
+                "name": variant_name,
+                "sbuild": None,
+                "sbuild_console_scripts": [],
+                "whls": json.encode(variant_whls),
+                "whl_files": [whl_target],
+            }
+            if install_cfg.post_install_patches:
+                variant_kwargs["post_install_patches"] = json.encode(install_cfg.post_install_patches)
+                variant_kwargs["post_install_patch_strip"] = install_cfg.post_install_patch_strip
+            exclude_glob = getattr(install_cfg, "exclude_glob", [])
+            if exclude_glob:
+                variant_kwargs["exclude_glob"] = exclude_glob
+            whl_install(**variant_kwargs)
+            variant_installs[whl_target] = "@{}//:install".format(variant_name)
+            if shared_key:
+                shared_variant_installs[shared_key] = variant_installs[whl_target]
         install_kwargs = {
             "metadata_directory": install_cfg.metadata_directory,
             "name": install_id,
             "sbuild": install_cfg.sbuild,
+            "variant_installs": json.encode(variant_installs),
             "sbuild_console_scripts": install_cfg.sbuild_console_scripts,
             "whls": json.encode(install_cfg.whls),
-            # Parallel list of the same wheel labels as a real label_list,
-            # so the whl_install repo rule can `rctx.path()` them to peek
-            # at `*.dist-info/RECORD` for top-level metadata.
+            # Keep this for callers that instantiate whl_install directly
+            # without variant repos.
             "whl_files": _deduplicate_whl_files(install_cfg.whls.values()),
         }
         if install_cfg.post_install_patches:
diff --git a/uv/private/extension/test_defs.bzl b/uv/private/extension/test_defs.bzl
index 05ae3bff3..58bd6918c 100644
--- a/uv/private/extension/test_defs.bzl
+++ b/uv/private/extension/test_defs.bzl
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 """Unit tests for helpers in defs.bzl"""
 
 load("@bazel_skylib//lib:unittest.bzl", "asserts", "unittest")
-load(":defs.bzl", "parse_declared_console_script")
+load(":defs.bzl", "parse_declared_console_script", "shared_whl_variant_key")
 load(":lockfile.bzl", "url_basename")
 
 def _url_basename_test_impl(ctx):
@@ -72,6 +72,49 @@ def _declared_console_script_test_impl(ctx):
 
 declared_console_script_test = unittest.make(_declared_console_script_test_impl)
 
+def _shared_whl_variant_key_test_impl(ctx):
+    env = unittest.begin(ctx)
+    whl_target = "@whl__demo__abcdef//file"
+    ordered = {
+        "demo-1.0-1-py3-none-any.whl": whl_target,
+        "demo-1.0-2-py3-none-any.whl": whl_target,
+    }
+    reversed_order = {
+        "demo-1.0-2-py3-none-any.whl": whl_target,
+        "demo-1.0-1-py3-none-any.whl": whl_target,
+    }
+    config = struct(
+        exclude_glob = [],
+        metadata_directory = "demo-1.0.dist-info",
+        post_install_patches = [],
+    )
+
+    key = shared_whl_variant_key(config, ordered)
+    asserts.equals(env, key, shared_whl_variant_key(config, ordered))
+    asserts.equals(env, False, key == shared_whl_variant_key(config, reversed_order))
+    asserts.equals(
+        env,
+        False,
+        key == shared_whl_variant_key(struct(
+            exclude_glob = ["**/*.pyi"],
+            metadata_directory = "demo-1.0.dist-info",
+            post_install_patches = [],
+        ), ordered),
+    )
+    asserts.equals(
+        env,
+        None,
+        shared_whl_variant_key(struct(
+            exclude_glob = [],
+            metadata_directory = "demo-1.0.dist-info",
+            post_install_patches = ["//:demo.patch"],
+        ), ordered),
+    )
+
+    return unittest.end(env)
+
+shared_whl_variant_key_test = unittest.make(_shared_whl_variant_key_test_impl)
+
 def defs_test_suite():
     unittest.suite(
         "url_basename_tests",
@@ -81,3 +124,7 @@ def defs_test_suite():
         "declared_console_script_tests",
         declared_console_script_test,
     )
+    unittest.suite(
+        "shared_whl_variant_key_tests",
+        shared_whl_variant_key_test,
+    )
diff --git a/uv/private/whl_install/repository.bzl b/uv/private/whl_install/repository.bzl
index 91e75f201..13213c913 100644
--- a/uv/private/whl_install/repository.bzl
+++ b/uv/private/whl_install/repository.bzl
@@ -685,6 +685,95 @@ filegroup(
         "//conditions:default": "checked-hash",
     })"""
 
+    # Keep the public package repository as a cheap selector, while moving
+    # metadata extraction into one repository per concrete fetched wheel.
+    # This lets Bazel fetch only the selected variant's repository.
+    variant_installs = json.decode(repository_ctx.attr.variant_installs) if repository_ctx.attr.variant_installs else {}
+    if variant_installs:
+        install_arms = {
+            condition: variant_installs[target]
+            for condition, target in select_arms.items()
+        }
+        default_install = ":whl_missing" if prebuilds else None
+        if sbuild_target:
+            fallback_install_attrs = """
+    src = ":source_built_wheel",
+    compile_pyc = {compile_pyc},
+    pyc_invalidation_mode = {pyc_invalidation_mode},""".format(
+                compile_pyc = compile_pyc_select,
+                pyc_invalidation_mode = pyc_invalidation_mode_select,
+            )
+            if post_install_patches:
+                fallback_install_attrs += """
+    patches = {patches},
+    patch_strip = {strip},""".format(
+                    patches = repr(post_install_patches),
+                    strip = post_install_patch_strip,
+                )
+            exclude_glob = getattr(repository_ctx.attr, "exclude_glob", [])
+            if exclude_glob:
+                fallback_install_attrs += """
+    exclude_glob = {exclude_glob},""".format(
+                    exclude_glob = indent(pprint(exclude_glob), " " * 4).lstrip(),
+                )
+            content.append(
+                """
+whl_install(
+    name = "actual_install",{attrs}
+    visibility = ["//visibility:private"],
+)""".format(attrs = fallback_install_attrs),
+            )
+            default_install = ":actual_install"
+
+        content.append(
+            """
+select_chain(
+   name = "selected_install",
+   arms = {arms},
+   default_target = {default_target},
+   visibility = ["//visibility:private"],
+)
+""".format(
+                arms = indent(pprint(install_arms), "   ").lstrip(),
+                default_target = repr(default_install),
+            ),
+        )
+
+        if extra_deps or extra_data:
+            content.append(
+                """
+py_library(
+    name = "install",
+    srcs = [],
+    deps = [":selected_install"] + {extra_deps},
+    data = {extra_data},
+    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
+)
+""".format(
+                    extra_deps = repr(extra_deps),
+                    extra_data = repr(extra_data),
+                ),
+            )
+        else:
+            content.append(
+                """
+alias(
+    name = "install",
+    actual = ":selected_install",
+    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
+)
+""",
+            )
+
+        content.append("""
+exports_files(
+    ["BUILD.bazel"],
+    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
+)
+""")
+        repository_ctx.file("BUILD.bazel", content = "\n".join(content))
+        return repository_ctx.repo_metadata(reproducible = True)
+
     # Peek into each selectable wheel to extract the top-level names it
     # installs AND its `[console_scripts]` entry points, keyed by the
     # wheel's file basename. This powers PyWheelsInfo, which py_binary
@@ -905,6 +994,7 @@ whl_install = repository_rule(
         # `<project>-<version>.dist-info`, the directory `_extract_wheel_metadata`
         # strips to when extracting RECORD/entry_points.txt out of the wheel.
         "metadata_directory": attr.string(),
+        "variant_installs": attr.string(default = ""),
         "whls": attr.string(),
         # Mirror of the http_file labels from `whls`, declared as a real
         # label_list so Bazel adds those repos to this repo's visibility